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diff --git a/39151.txt b/39151.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 51b54da..0000000 --- a/39151.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6059 +0,0 @@ - SWIFT AND SURE - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Title: Swift and Sure - -Author: Herbert Strang - -Release Date: March 14, 2012 [EBook #39151] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SWIFT AND SURE *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - -[Illustration: Cover art] - - ---- - -[Illustration: IN THE NICK OF TIME] - - - - SWIFT AND SURE - - The Story of a Hydroplane - - - - By - - HERBERT STRANG - - Author of 'King of the Air,' 'Barclay of the Guides,' etc., etc. - - - - ILLUSTRATED BY J. FINNEMORE - - - - - LONDON - HENRY FROWDE - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - 1910 - - - - - RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED, - BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND - BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. - - - - - PREFACE - -Exactly a century has passed since the French invasion of Spain gave the -signal for a general revolt of the Spanish-American Colonies. In the -twenty years' struggle that ensued, Spain paid in kind for more than -three centuries of Colonial misrule. Her garrisons, again and again -reinforced from the mother country, fought a losing fight, with the -old-time Spanish gallantry that had won for Ferdinand the Empire of the -West. But the tide of freedom swept them remorselessly from one -province after another, and with them went the swarms of corrupt -officials who since the days of Cortes and Pizarro had plundered the -colonies for the benefit of the Spanish treasury. - -In the northern provinces the leading spirit of revolt was Simon -Bolivar, a man whose many faults of character were obscured by an -extraordinary energy and enthusiasm. He is said to have fought four -hundred battles; his victories were sullied by inhuman barbarities; his -defeats were retrieved by unconquerable perseverance. Bolivar was -instrumental in founding five republics, among them that of his native -province of Venezuela, of which he was the first President. - -Ten years of one of the grimmest struggles known to history gave freedom -to Venezuela and her sister republics; but in the north, as in many -other parts of the Continent, freedom has for the past century spelt, -not liberty, but licence. Centuries of slavery, in fact if not in name, -had rendered the mixed races of South America unfit for self-government. -The mass of the people merely exchanged one set of corrupt rulers for -another; the history of the South American Republics has been for the -most part a chronicle of incessant civil war between the partisans of -rival dictators. Venezuela has in this respect one of the saddest -records. Since Bolivar, her first liberator, died in exile eighty years -ago, she has enjoyed scarcely five consecutive years of peace. Although -blessed with boundless natural resources, the country is probably the -most backward of all states that can claim a place among civilized -nations. The population of Venezuela is believed to be less at the -present time than during the Spanish domination; and it is doubtful -whether the condition of the people has been sensibly bettered by a -hundred years of self-government. - -The best hope for this and other South American republics seems to be in -the gradual opening up of the Continent by the capital and enterprise of -more progressive communities. This movement has hitherto been checked -by the insecurity of life and property due to constantly recurring -revolutions. But sooner or later trade and commerce, one of the -greatest of civilizing agencies, must bring the nations of South America -into such close relationship with Europe and the United States that they -cannot fail to recognize the value of stable political institutions. -This recognition will be the first step towards what the wars of -independence should have given, but did not give them--liberty. - -HERBERT STRANG. - - ---- - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I--JAGUAR AND HYDROPLANE - CHAPTER II--THE HACIENDA - CHAPTER III--AN ARMED PARTY - CHAPTER IV--SIMPLE SUBTRACTION - CHAPTER V--A SCRAP OF PAPER - CHAPTER VI--THE HOLE IN THE WALL - CHAPTER VII--CARABANO'S PLANS - CHAPTER VIII--A RACE AGAINST TIME - CHAPTER IX--THE ATTACK ON CIUDAD BOLIVAR - CHAPTER X--SCOUTING - CHAPTER XI--A LEAP IN THE DARK - CHAPTER XII--THE KIDNAPPERS - CHAPTER XIII--A SNAG - CHAPTER XIV--REPAIRS - CHAPTER XV--HYDROPLANE _VERSUS_ LOCOMOTIVE - CHAPTER XVI--THE END OF A REVOLUTION - - ---- - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -In the Nick of Time -A Scrimmage at Railhead -Assault and Battery -The Race to the Swift - - - - -CHAPTER I--JAGUAR AND HYDROPLANE - - -The level rays of the early sun were struggling with the mist that -lingered upon a broad full river, like a sluggard loth to quit his bed. -As yet the contest was unequal, for the banks of the stream were covered -with trees and shrubs, crowding upon one another as if in competition -for elbow-room, through whose thick ravelled foliage the sunbeams could -not clear a way. Here and there, however, the dense screen was parted -by little alleys or open spaces carpeted with grass or moss, and through -these a golden radiance shone, dispersing the mist, and throwing a -glistening pathway across the river. - -At one such glade, withdrawn a little from the brink, stood a jaguar, -which, from moment to moment, lifted its head and gave utterance to a -roar. It faced the stream: its tail lashed its flanks, to the annoyance -of countless flies which would fain have found a temporary lodgment in -its sleek and glossy coat. It roared, and roared again, with curious -persistence, for the mere pleasure of roaring, an observer might have -thought. And yet such a person, had he been worthy of the name -observer, would have detected a reason for this strange behaviour. Had -he watched the surface of the water opposite to where the jaguar stood, -he would have marked a gradual assembling of greenish-yellow objects, -scaly and hard; and, set in each, two glassy leering eyes. They were in -fact the snouts of alligators, or caymans as they are known in -Venezuela. - -Moment by moment the assemblage increased, the hideous creatures gaping -at the jaguar like an enraptured audience at a popular baritone. The -quadruped, indeed, was executing his solo for their amusement, though -hardly for their benefit. One could have fancied, as the audience grew, -that he derived encouragement from their presence, and exerted himself -with ever greater abandon. The performance, however, came to an end -surprisingly abrupt. Suddenly the roarer turned his head up-stream and -set off with lolloping gait along a winding track that led among the -trees. The observer, following him, would have seen him force his way -through the undergrowth, now leaping a fallen trunk that lay across his -path, now pressing his body through a tangle that might have seemed -impenetrable. - -Meanwhile the caymans also had turned upstream, and swam after the -jaguar, like an idle crowd following at the heels of a street singer. -But though their movements were rapid, they had to stem the current, and -the object of their solicitation drew away from them. Nor did he stop -to practise his vocal powers again. Steadily he pursued his way until -he had left them a mile or more behind. Then, compelled to strike off -to the left by a peculiarly dense mass of thorn, he quitted the brink of -the stream for a few yards. Coming upon it again through a glade, he -looked warily about him, advancing with slow and stealthy tread. It was -at this spot that he purposed to cross the river. All at once he -stopped short, and sinking to the ground, lay motionless, scarcely -distinguishable from the jungle around him, so closely did his colouring -harmonize with it. In a few moments, with the silent undulating -movement of a cat stalking a bird, he crept forward. No caymans were -near; having attracted them by his vocalization he had left them in the -lurch, and was content. But on a branch of a tree overhanging the river -he had spied the form of a dark-skinned man stretched at full length. -The hunted was now the hunter. The reptiles had lost their victim; he -in his turn was intent on seizing his prey. - -The man lay close upon the branch, his eyes fixed upon some object on -the farther bank, a little distance up-stream. The tree being rooted in -the base of the bank, which here rose a few yards above the river, the -jaguar was somewhat higher than the man, stretched all unsuspecting upon -a lower bough. Noiselessly, without so much as a rustle, the animal -glided down the face of the bank, and coming to the tree, began to climb -up the slanting trunk behind his destined victim. No ear could have -detected his furtive movements; the man's attention was absorbed by the -object of his gaze; yet, when the beast was only a few feet from him, -some instinct warned him of impending danger. He turned his head, and -beheld the savage creature crouching for a spring. Quick as thought, -the man rolled himself round the branch, and dropped with a heavy splash -into the river. The jaguar was already launched in air when the man let -go his hold, but instead of striking his prey, he lighted on the vacant -branch. The force of his spring was too great to be checked by the grip -of his claws upon the bark. He lost his footing, and fell plump into -the water where it still eddied from the plunge of the man. - -A hundred yards up the river, moored to a tree-stump in the further -bank, lay a motor-boat of unusual shape. Its only occupant, a young -white man, in the act of casting off, had looked up when he heard the -first splash. Before he could see what had caused it, the jaguar -tumbled headlong from the branch. With the instinct of a sportsman, the -young man instantly stretched his hand towards the rifle that lay at his -side, only to draw it back as he remembered that the charge was small -shot. The head of the jaguar appeared above the surface; the white man -wondered what had caused the first splash, but seeing the animal -swimming downstream he was not specially interested, and was on the -point of lifting his mooring-rope on board when he suddenly caught sight -of a black head on the surface, a little beyond the jaguar. It was the -head of a man swimming desperately towards the nearer bank. - -Will Pentelow was interested enough now. The jaguar also had seen the -swimming man, and with a low snarl started in pursuit. There was little -chance of the swimmer gaining the bank before the beast. Even if he -did, it would merely be to fall a prey. Flinging the rope into the -bottom of the boat, Will pressed the lever. The little vessel started, -and, assisted by a four-knot current, rapidly gathered way. But the man -and the jaguar were also helped by the current, though they were -swimming diagonally across the stream. They were so near to each other -now that Will doubted whether, at the full speed of the engine, he could -overtake them in time to intervene. If he fired, the spreading of the -shot would injure the man as well as the beast. Our observer would -certainly have concluded that the swimmer was doomed. - -Suddenly, however, the boat shot forward with marvellous velocity. The -bow, or rather the platform at the forepart, rose clean out of the -water, and the vessel seemed to skim along the surface. Fast as the -jaguar was overhauling the man, the vessel was still faster closing in -upon the jaguar. Will steered straight upon the tawny head. The boat -appeared to fly along. - -Hitherto the jaguar had been so intent upon his victim as to be -oblivious of all else. Even the whirring of the propeller had not -struck upon his senses. But when no more than three yards separated him -from the man, he became suddenly aware that he in his turn was pursued. -He turned half round, to see a rushing monster almost upon him. In -another instant there was a heavy thud; the boat quivered from stem to -stern, but with no perceptible slackening of speed passed clean over the -spot where the animal had been. - -A few moments more, and the hydroplane was floating on the water like an -ordinary boat. Looking back, Will saw the swimmer scramble up the bank. -Almost opposite him was the jaguar's head, bobbing up and down on the -surface. The impact of the vessel had broken the creature's back. -Immediately the Indian caught sight of it, he rushed along the bank in -pursuit. The animal disappeared, but emerged again a few yards lower -down. Then the man drew a knife from his belt, and plunged into the -river. A few strokes brought him level with the carcase, and catching -it by the ear, he drew it after him to the bank. - -Meanwhile Will Pentelow had turned his vessel round, and, driving her -against the current, came opposite to the Indian just as he reached the -bank. The ground was steep and slippery, and the man was unable to drag -the huge body out of the water. Will glanced all round with a caution -born of familiarity with this haunt of caymans; but reflecting that the -hydroplane would have scared away any of the dread reptiles that might -have been lurking near, he threw out an anchor, and waded to the -assistance of the Indian. Together they heaved the carcase out of the -water and threw it on the bank. Then they looked at each other. - - - - -CHAPTER II--THE HACIENDA - - -William Pentelow was one of those boys who make up their mind early what -they are going to be, and work steadily towards this settled aim. The -son of a professional man of moderate income, he was sent to a -well-known London day-school, showed no special promise for a year or -two, but after his first lesson in mechanics declared that he must be an -engineer, and from that time made rapid progress in science. His father -recognized his bent, and sent him to the Heriot Watt College, where he -was thrown among young fellows of many different nationalities, a -circumstance that had two results: it caused him to think for the first -time of going abroad, and it gave him opportunities of picking up a -certain knowledge of foreign tongues. With French and Spanish he was -soon at home; German bothered him; he was making strides in Hindostani -when a sudden offer launched him on his career. - -A friend of his father was superintending the building of a railway in -Venezuela, for a British company engaged in working asphalt mines. -Originally they had sent their products by barge along a tributary of -the Orinoco, down that great river itself, and thus to sea. But after -the company had been in existence for some years, the Jefe of the -province of Guayana, by indirect means in which the South American -official is an adept, secured a monopoly of the navigation of the -tributary in question, and at once levied exorbitant transit dues on the -only people who used it as a commercial waterway--the asphalt company. - -The directors put up with this extortion for a time. Then the accession -of a new president drove matters to a climax. This President, unlike -almost every other ruler of Venezuela from the time of Bolivar, aimed, -not at enriching himself and his clique, but at purifying the public -life of the country. One of his first administrative acts was to -dismiss the Jefe of Guayana, a notoriously corrupt official, who -immediately set about making good his loss of income by doubling his -fees to the asphalt company. This was more than the Company could -stand. The directors made a vigorous protest to Government, but the -Jefe was acting strictly within his legal rights, and there was no -redress. The upshot was that the Company obtained a concession for a -branch railway line, to run from their mines, along the right bank of -the Jefe's river, to a junction with the trunk line about fifty miles -distant. The work was immediately put in hand; the services of Mr. -Pentelow's friend, Mr. George Jackson, were engaged as chief of the -construction staff; and just before sailing, Mr. Jackson bethought -himself of young Pentelow, now near the end of his pupilage, and offered -him his first job. Will accepted with alacrity. The opportunity of -gaining experience and at the same time seeing a foreign country was too -good to be neglected. He sailed with Mr. Jackson, and had been several -months in Venezuela when our story opens. Forty miles of the railway -had already been completed, and was in use for the carriage of asphalt, -this being conveyed to railhead from the mines on mules. The Company -had ceased to pay dues to the ex-Jefe of Guayana, whose monopoly was now -not worth an old song. - -Will's only regret in leaving England was the interruption of his hobby. -He had been for some time enthusiastically interested in motor-boats, -and when Mr. Jackson's sudden offer came, was in the midst of -experimenting with a hydroplane. This he had to leave behind. But he -had not been long in Venezuela before he found an opportunity of taking -up his hobby again. The labourers on the railway, a strangely assorted -crowd of Spaniards, Spanish-Indians, Indo-negroes and other mongrels, -were scrupulous in one matter: the observance of holidays. Saints' days -and festivals were numerous, and on these all work stopped. Finding -himself thus with plenty of spare time on his hands, Will turned it to -account. In Caracas one day he picked up a petrol engine, very light -and at the same time of considerable horse-power. It was part of a -motor-car which a wealthy Venezuelan had imported from New York. One -break-down after another, imperfectly repaired--for the Venezuelans are -notoriously bad mechanicians--had disgusted the owner of the car, who -was glad to sell it for a mere trifle. Since the car was useless -outside Caracas--and indeed inside the city, for the matter of that, the -paving of the streets being remarkably primitive--Will removed the -engine, conveyed it to the head-quarters of the branch railway, and with -the assistance of a handy man on the staff, by name Joe Ruggles, adapted -it to a hydroplane which he built himself. The basin of the Orinoco is -so much intersected by rivers and streams of all sizes that the new -railway was at no point very far from a watercourse deep enough to float -the vessel. The constantly recurring fete days gave Will many -opportunities of indulging his hobby, on which he was the object of much -good-humoured banter among his colleagues. - -The boat, as Will had to confess, was a somewhat rough and ready affair. -It was not the kind of thing that would be turned out at Thorneycroft's, -and it would no doubt have been regarded with a sniff of contempt by a -professional boat-builder. In its essentials it was a kind of punt, the -flat bottom being fitted with planes inclined at an angle, so that when -the propelling force was sufficient, the forward part of the boat was -raised out of the water, skimming along the surface instead of cutting -through it like an ordinary boat. The crew and engines were -accommodated aft, this disposition of the weight facilitating the -skimming action on which the speed of the vessel depended. Although -some twenty-four feet long and eight feet in beam, her draft at rest was -only a few inches. As Ruggles was accustomed to say, she could go -anywhere if the dew was heavy enough. For the hull Will used a light -steel framework covered with very thin planking. A boat-shaped -windscreen, pierced for two ventilators intended to cool the engines, -gave shelter to the crew, a very necessary precaution when the boat was -moving at high speed. - -Will's principal difficulty lay in converting his engine to this new -use. The driving shaft he found answered admirably as a propeller -shaft, the bevel wheels he melted in a crucible to form a propeller. The -latter he had to cast himself, making a pattern, moulding it in sand, -and pouring the melted brass into the mould. - -The petrol was stored in a tank accommodated under the back seat. Will -found that some twelve gallons gave him a speed of about forty knots for -a four hours' run, which was quite enough for any ordinary expedition. - -For a hundred and fifty miles above Ciudad Bolivar, Will soon knew most -of the principal tributaries of the Orinoco. In fact the only limit to -his expeditions lay in the capacity of his petrol tank, but even this he -could supplement on occasion by taking with him a number of extra cans. -He had of course one or two exciting experiences; these were inevitable -in navigating tropical rivers at a speed of forty knots. More than once -the blades of his propeller were injured by half-submerged logs. After -tinkering at them some hours on the bank of a creek or river, he would -return at four knots to the place from which he had started at forty. -These, however, were merely exhilarating incidents; they lent just that -spice of risk that made the sport thoroughly enjoyable. - -Such risks were due to great speed, but there were occasions when in -this very speed lay safety from disaster. One day, having a longer -holiday than usual, Will ran down nearly to the mouth of the Orinoco. -While going easy at some twenty knots he saw what looked like a bank of -water stretching right across the river ahead of him. It did not need a -second glance for him to recognize that a tidal wave was sweeping up the -river, and threatening to engulf him within a few moments. Before he -could bring the hydroplane round, the mass of water, moving at -tremendous speed, was almost upon him. He had perhaps five seconds to -spare, and drove the hydroplane at its hardest. For a moment it seemed -to him that the issue hung in doubt, a very unpleasant moment, as he -afterwards confessed. Then the vessel began to draw away, and the -immediate danger was over. But for ten or fifteen miles he thought it -wise to keep a respectful distance between himself and the tidal wave, -which followed him, although at a gradually diminishing speed. Since -then he had avoided the Orinoco itself, and limited his excursions to -the tributaries within easy distance of the advancing railway. - - ---- - -We left Will on the bank of the river, the Indian before him, the dead -jaguar at his feet. The Indian glanced at his rescuer with a timid, -hunted look; then, as if reassured, began to thank him in harsh -imperfect Spanish. Will had perceived at once that the man was not one -of the workers on the railway. - -"Where do you come from?" he asked. - -The hunted look returned to the man's eyes. He glanced nervously up and -down the river, and towards the opposite bank. Lifting his hand, he -described a half-circle with it in the air. - -"But where is your home?" Will asked again. - -"I have no home, senor," muttered the Indian. "It was burnt with fire." - -"How was that?" - -The man hesitated, then mumbled something which Will failed to catch. -Evidently he was suspicious, and did not wish to be communicative. Will -noticed scars on the upper part of his body; and from other slight -indications, as well as the man's manifest nervousness, guessed that he -was a fugitive. - -"Well, you had better go," he said, "and keep out of the way of tigers. -Here, take this beast if it's any good to you." - -"It is yours, senor," said the man, surprised. - -"I don't want it; you may have it." - -He had seen that the animal's skin was ruined by the impact of the -hydroplane. The Indian, however, was delighted with the gift; the claws -would be valuable to him. He thanked Will with servile effusiveness, -and stooped to the animal. Will stood watching him for a few moments, -then got into his vessel and started it down-stream, increasing the -speed until it reached at least thirty knots. In about a quarter of an -hour he came to a tributary entering the river on the right bank. He -had already slowed down, and steering the vessel round, he made his way -up the smaller stream. In parts it was very narrow, and so closely -overhung by trees on both banks that Will more than once had to bend to -avoid the branches. Here and there the stream was shallow; but the -hydroplane drew so little water that she was nowhere in danger of -running aground. - -Following its winding course for some two miles, Will came to a straight -canal scarcely twenty feet broad, running into the stream on the left. -He steered his vessel into this, and arrived in a few minutes at a small -lake. On the further shore, some feet above the water-level, stood a -fine hacienda--a sort of superior bungalow--surrounded by luxurious -gardens. It was a long, broad dwelling of one storey, with verandas, -the door, which was open, leading through a light hall into the patio--a -spacious court, with a flowerbed in the centre, on which all the rooms -of the house opened. Below, at the foot of a terrace, a small jetty -projected into the lake. Will steered the hydroplane to this, and moored -her beside a diminutive sailing yacht that already lay there. Then he -made his way towards the house, giving a loud coo-ee. - -He was half-way to the door when a young man, a few years older than -himself, came to meet him. He was dressed in white drill, with a -brilliant sash or cummerbund about his waist, a white sombrero on his -head, and a long cigarro in his mouth. - -"Hullo, old chap!" he said, with a scarcely noticeable accent. "I -wondered when you would come again. I was just thinking of coffee: come -along!" - -He linked his arm with Will's, and led him towards the house. - -"I say, can you lend me some slippers? I can't appear before the ladies -like this." - -Will glanced down at his long boots, which had dried green after their -immersion. - -"Don't worry, my dear boy, I'm alone: the ladies aren't here." - -Will looked disappointed rather than relieved. The two went together -into the patio; a servant placed chairs for them at a little round -table, upon which coffee, bread, cheese, and fruit had already been -laid. - -"Yes," continued Antonio de Mello, speaking now in Spanish, "I thought I -had better send my mother and sister away. There's a storm brewing." - -"A revolution?" - -"Undoubtedly a revolution, my friend. The President has made an enemy -of every villain in the country, and General Carabano, who is as big a -rascal as Venezuela has ever known--and that's saying a good deal--is -beginning to make things lively." - -"In Caracas?" - -"No, not yet. He has raised his flag about fifty miles from here, and -if he can get a big enough army together he'll make for the capital and -try to overthrow the Government. And I tell you, my friend, there's -trouble ahead for your railway. Carabano is hand in glove with the late -Jefe, who doesn't love your Company." - -"But why did you think it necessary to send the ladies away?" - -"Because Carabano is a particularly offensive person. He has an old -grudge against me, and if the railway brings him in this direction, he -will not be able to deny himself the pleasure of a visit. I do not care -that my mother and sister should meet him; nor shall I meet him myself -if I can avoid it. I have made arrangements for a hasty departure if I -hear that he is in the neighbourhood.... But come and see my new -stables. They're finished since you were here last, and I've got a new -hunter you'd give your eyes for. Come along!" - -Antonio de Mello was very proud of his new stables. He had lived for -some time in England, whence he returned with a pretty taste in -horseflesh and an ambition to start a stud. Like many of his countrymen -he was a good linguist, being equally at home in English, French, and -Spanish, and having some knowledge also of the native dialects of his -district. He had met Will one day when riding in the neighbourhood of -the railway, and struck up a friendship with him. Will had been several -times to his house, where the senora and senorita had made him very -welcome. - -He accompanied Antonio to the stables, just completed, and duly admired -their up-to-date appointments and the new hunter. He thought it a -little odd that the old stables were still left standing. They were -very tumbledown; indeed, an English gentleman who owned a house and -gardens like the hacienda would have regarded them as an eyesore which -it behoved him to remove as soon as possible. But the typical -Venezuelan is not fastidious, and though Antonio had acquired some of -the manners and something of the outlook of Englishmen, he still -retained much of the careless and happy-go-lucky traits of the South -American, and was quite content to allow his old stables to fall to -pieces within a few yards of his front door. - -After strolling round for half-an-hour, Will declared that it was time -to be off. Antonio went down with him to the jetty; and, promising to -repeat the visit before long, Will set the hydroplane skimming down the -canal until he came to the stream again. Then, turning to the left, he -went on for three or four miles, until the silence of the forest was -broken by a low humming sound, in which, as it grew louder, it was -possible to distinguish the blows of hammers, the thuds of spades, and -the shouts of men. The labourers were not in sight, being concealed by -the high bank and its dense vegetation. - -Bringing his vessel to a stop, Will gave a low whistle. Instantly a -dark face appeared in the mass of foliage on the bank, and a negro boy, -about sixteen years of age, slid down towards the brink of the stream. -To him Will flung the painter; the boy caught it and, plunging back -among the bushes, began to haul in, Will lying at full length on the -deck. The hydroplane passed through the screen of foliage into a -shallow recess in the bank, where it was completely hidden from view, -either from the stream or from the ground above. Owing to the constant -shifting of the camp as the railway lengthened, Will had had some -trouble in finding harbourage at once secure and convenient for his -vessel. The labourers were a rough lot, and though it was unlikely that -any of them would have been able to work the engine, it was always -possible that one of them, if feloniously inclined, or perhaps simply -bent on mischief, might paddle or pole the vessel down the river, or at -any rate do a good deal of damage to it. Will therefore always sought -for some secret place in which he might lay it up. - -The recess into which it had now been hauled was discovered a few days -before. It struck Will as a very suitable place for mooring the vessel, -though it cost him and the negro boy some hours of hard work to clear it -of frogs and other old inhabitants. The water was only about two feet -deep, so that there was little fear of encountering alligators; but it -was swarming with electric eels, one of which gave Will a severe shock -as he waded in with his vessel. He was very careful not to give the -creatures another chance. - -"Why weren't you here when I started this morning?" said Will as he made -the hydroplane fast. - -"Very sorry, senor," replied the boy, "but senor did not wish the place -to be known. I was coming, as senor ordered, but I met Senor Machado, -who walked by my side. What could I do? I walked round about, but -Senor Machado kept with me a long time, and when he left me alone, and I -came here, your excellency was gone." - -"You did very well, Jose. Senor Machado is a friend of yours, eh?" - -"No, senor, but very friendly." - -"Ah! a distinction and a difference. He asked you questions, no doubt?" - -"No, senor, no questions, but he would have liked me to give answers." - -"And got none. Very well, Jose; always keep your mouth shut. I don't -want Senor Machado or any one else to meddle with my boat." - -He unscrewed the throttle and put it into his pocket. Then, having seen -that the painter was securely wound about an iron stake driven into the -ground, he scrambled up the bank, walked along for a few yards, shoving -aside the entangling undergrowth with his arms, and came to a spot -whence he could overlook the scene from which the sounds proceeded. -Several hundreds of dusky labourers were engaged in constructing an -embankment along the edge of a wood nearly a quarter of a mile away. To -the left, the railway line disappeared among the trees. A small engine -was drawing a train of trucks filled with earth towards the partly built -embankment. Below this, on a stretch of sward, were the tents of the -engineering staff; at a considerable distance to the left were those of -the coolies. Will forced his way through the trees, remaining out of -sight from the encampment, and approached the tents by a circuitous -route. The sudden friendliness of Senor Machado for his boy Jose -confirmed him in his determination to keep the whereabouts of the -hydroplane a profound secret. True, Senor Machado had hitherto seemed a -quiet inoffensive fellow, attentive to his duty as telegraphist; but the -telegraph was not constantly in use, and Will thought it just as well to -keep temptation out of Senor Machado's way. - - - - -CHAPTER III--AN ARMED PARTY - - -Will went to his tent, washed and changed into his working clothes, and -then set off to report himself to Mr. Jackson, known among the staff as -the Chief. Work had been going on since shortly after daybreak, and as -a rule Will would have been in charge of a squad; but the Chief had told -him the night before that he need not come on duty until ten o'clock, -when he wished to see him about a special job. It was just ten when he -came to Mr. Jackson, who was perched on a goods wagon, watching the -jointing of the rails some distance from the encampment. - -"Here you are," said the Chief, taking his watch from his pocket. "I'll -say this for you, that you're punctual, in spite of your toy. Broke down -yet?" - -"Not yet, but I broke a jaguar down this morning: came smack on him just -as he was going to get his claws into an Indian." - -"Not one of our men?" - -"Oh no! It was some miles from here, beyond De Mello's place. I heard -a splash, and there was the jaguar, full pelt after the man, who was -swimming his hardest. It was a near thing, and----" - -"Yes, I dare say, but I'm not particularly anxious to get a fellow to -fill your place just as you're becoming useful. Your hydroplane is all -very well as a plaything for your spare time; but it's no earthly use, -and I only hope it won't lead you into scrapes. A stitch in time saves -nine." - -Will's eyes twinkled, and the ghost of a smile played about his lips. -The Chief had a habit of finishing his little speeches with a proverb, -not always appropriate to the occasion. - -"Well now, this job," continued Mr. Jackson. "I want you to check some -calculations of level about six miles up. Here you are, on the plan: -that's the section. You've been over the ground before; it's the most -difficult part of the track. You can take Ruggles as rodman. You'll be -some time over the job, so take some grub with you, and be as quick as -you can. Time and tide waits for no man." - -"Can I have the plan?" - -"No. Trace a copy of the section: it won't take you twenty minutes. -And, I say, make sure your level's in order; it won't do to get there -and find there's a screw loose. Look before you leap, you know." - -Having traced the plan of the section he was to survey, Will got his -instruments (a hand-level, a surveyor's camera, and a pocket compass), -his revolver, and a note-book, sent Jose to find Ruggles and saddle a -couple of ponies, and in half-an-hour set off on his task. The country, -as the Chief had said, was the worst bit of the whole line. It was much -broken by hills and ravines, and the surveyor, choosing the easiest way -for the iron road, had been compelled to trace out a rather tortuous -course, which was indicated by stakes driven into the ground at -intervals. The line would twice cross the little stream which Will had -recently navigated in his hydroplane. Fortunately it was fordable at -both points. - -Will rode on with his companion at a steady trot. Ruggles was a sturdy -grizzled veteran of about fifty years of age. He was the handy man of -the staff. He could act as rodman, chainman or slopeman as -circumstances required. He could build a boat, repair an engine, and -cook a dinner with equal facility, and once he surprised Will by helping -him out in a knotty calculation in trigonometry. It had been a source -of wonder to Will that a man whose attainments were so various should -have risen no higher than the humble situation he at present occupied. -One day he ventured delicately to hint at the matter. - -"I'll never earn more than two pound a week as long as I live," said -Ruggles. - -"But why? I earn more than that, and you could do my work better than I -can." - -"Drink--that's why. Every sixpence I earned above two pound would go in -drink, and so, to be on the safe side, I'm never going to earn a penny -more, that's flat." - -Will could not help feeling amused at the old fellow's emphatic -declaration, more especially because the man was not a teetotaller, but -drank his glass of ale at dinner like the rest, and was never known to -exceed. He guessed that there was some story in the background, and -hoped that some day Ruggles would tell it; but the man was reserved -about his own affairs, though as sociable and cheerful a man as any on -the staff. - -It was near midday when they reached the section Will was to level, and -as the sun was high they decided to eat their lunch in the shade of the -trees and begin work later. Ruggles produced bread and cheese and a -bottle of beer, and when this had been disposed of, filled an enormous -pipe and lay on his back contentedly puffing away, throwing out a remark -occasionally. At last Will sprang up, saying they must set to work. -For several hours they walked over the ground, making calculations which -Will entered in his notebook, and taking photographs for after use. -Will often found that such photographs when developed disclosed features -of the country that had escaped notice. The ground he was now working -over was very rough, and even in the few weeks that had elapsed since -his predecessor visited the spot the track which had been partially -cleared had become overgrown with tropical weeds. Ruggles found plenty -of work for his knife and the axe he carried in his belt. - -Will proved in course of time that the previous calculations had been -very accurately made. In some cases he found lateral deviations of six -or seven feet on a ten-degree slope; these he corrected. In one case he -saw reason to suggest a slackening of grade on a curve in a long -gradient; and he noted an alternative means of crossing a small stream, -for the consideration of the Chief. It was tiring work, done in the -heat of the sun, and both were glad when it was finished. They returned -to the spot where they had left their ponies tethered to two of the -surveyor's stakes, and were on the point of mounting when Ruggles drew -Will's attention to a number of horsemen crossing an open space between -two belts of woodland about two miles away. Will looked at them through -his field-glass. - -"They're coming this way, in single file. Wonder who they are," he -said. "Have a look, Ruggles." - -"About thirty of 'em, as near as I can count," said the man, after a -long look. "I can't make anything of 'em." - -"Are they muleteers?" - -"No." - -"Perhaps they are soldiers." - -"Don't look like it. I can't see any uniform, nor rifles either. We'd -better make tracks." - -"What's the hurry? I've seen nothing to be afraid of in the natives; -they're a pretty poor lot so far as I have come across them." - -"That's a fine healthy English way of looking ac things, but if you'd -lived in this country as long as I have you'd know that when you spot -such a troop in the distance the best thing you can do is to clear -out--unless, that is, you have any particular wish for trouble." - -"But why on earth should you suppose they're not peaceable folk--a -hunting-party, perhaps?" - -"Supposing's neither here nor there. Hunters don't ride in a line, -without hounds. My belief is that they're brigands, and we shan't have -much to say to them with one revolver between the two of us." - -"They may be soldiers." - -"That's only another name for brigands here. The only difference is -that a soldier is a brigand in office, and a brigand is a soldier out of -office. And, by Jeremy! they've got a prisoner. There's a man trotting -a-foot beside one of the horses; ten to one he's tied to the stirrup. -Take a look, Mr. Pentelow." - -"You're right; and I can see now they've got rifles slung to their -backs. They're making a bee-line this way. What's their game, I -wonder?" - -"Shouldn't be surprised if they've paid a visit to the mines, to begin -with." - -"I think I've got it," said Will, the recollection of what Antonio de -Mello had said flashing across his mind. "There's a revolution brewing: -these fellows are either Government troops or rebels. We had better get -back and tell the Chief." - -"I said so five minutes ago, if you recollect, Mr. Pentelow. In this -country there are always plots against the Government, whether it's -good, bad, or indifferent--and it's mostly bad. Revolution is always on -the simmer, you may say, and every few years it boils over. It's the -curse of the country. Any big job like this railway of ours is like -sitting on a powder-barrel: any moment you may be blown sky high, in a -manner of speaking. If Government don't interfere with you, then -Revolutionists will; and I'll lay ten to one those horsemen are one or -the other, beating up recruits. They haven't seen us yet or they'd be -coming faster, so we had better slip in among the trees and gallop for -railhead. We can at least put the Chief on his guard." - -They led the ponies into the wood, then mounted and set off at full -speed. Mr. Jackson looked grave when he heard their report, to which -Will added the information given him by Antonio de Mello in the morning. -He at once whistled up the other European members of his staff from the -scattered points at which they were engaged. When they came up he -explained the position to them. - -"They mayn't bother us," he said, "but if they're making for railhead, -as Mr. Pentelow says, we must be prepared for squalls. There's no -highway in this direction, and if they're not making for us, where are -they bound for?" - -"Perhaps they're going to pay a visit to De Mello," suggested Will. - -"Maybe. Well, forewarned is forearmed: the question is, what's to be -our line if they show up here? Ruggles, you know the country better -than the rest of us: what do you say?" - -"Speak 'em fair, sir, but have your rifles ready." - -"How many do they muster?" - -"There seemed about thirty, but may be more. If they're revolutionaries -they'll have plenty of cheek, and think themselves more than a match for -our handful." - -"What will our men do?" - -"Nothing but look on. My notion is that they're after recruits, and the -men won't join them unless they're obliged. They know they'd only be -food for powder. But they've got no arms except machetes and their -tools, and they won't run the risk of being shot at." - -A tall engineer of about thirty, who had been leaning against a tree, -with crossed legs, a pipe in his mouth, then quietly made a suggestion. - -"If I were you, Chief," he said, "I'd try a little stratagem." - -"How do you mean, O'Connor?" - -The man took the pipe from his mouth and pointed with it towards the -embankment, thirty yards from the Chief's tent. - -"Line that with rifles," he said. "We muster fifteen all told, counting -in the foremen, who'll stick by us, I fancy. We've got four or five -revolvers, too. Well, my notion is to post our rifles out of sight on -the reverse slope, just behind those trucks. The beggars will have to -pass on this side, and they won't see us. It's about time to knock off -work, and they won't be surprised if they see you on a camp-stool at the -door of your tent reading. I can lend you a month-old _Times_." - -"What then?" - -"Why, they'll speak to you, I suppose, and you'll soon see if they're -bent on mischief. Then you can give us a sign and we'll empty a few -saddles." - -"Rather strong measures, O'Connor." - -"Why not try bluff first?" said Will. - -"You've got an idea, have you? Come into my tent, and we'll talk it -over. You too, O'Connor. You others, go and get the rifles; and, -Ruggles, tell the men that a small armed party is coming this way, but -they needn't be alarmed. They can get their suppers and keep out of the -way." - -The Chief, accompanied by Will and O'Connor, walked to his tent. It was -separated by a few yards from the embankment on one side, and the tents -of the European staff on the other. There was a broad open space in -front of these, with a large tree standing in the middle. The -approaching horsemen, if they came from the expected direction, would -pass between two groups of tents occupied by the labourers, into the -compound, as it might be called, of which the tree marked the centre. - -The colloquy in the Chief's tent did not last long. O'Connor came out -first, still puffing at his pipe. Nobody in the camp was aware of it, -but Jerry O'Connor had once held the King's commission in the Royal -Engineers. There had been no more popular or capable officer in the -corps than Jerry, and many were grieved when he had to leave the army, -under a cloud. He was the best-liked member of the engineering staff of -the new railway, and none get more work out of his men. He was soon -joined by the other Europeans and the Venezuelan foremen, all armed with -rifles. Knocking the ashes from his pipe, he put it into his pocket, -and led his little company of thirteen to the rear of the embankment, -where they lay flat on their faces just below the top, perfectly -screened from observation on the other side. - -Meanwhile Will also had left the Chief's tent, and made his way quickly -towards a little wooden cabin that stood a few yards from the end of the -railway line. As he approached, a slight young man with a swarthy -sallow face came out of the cabin and walked towards the embankment. -Will hailed him. - -"The Chief wants you, Machado," he said. - -"At once, senor? I was going to watch the horsemen who are said to be -approaching. Perhaps I might be able to reassure the Chief." - -"You had better come and see what he wants first." - -The Venezuelan gave way with a shrug, and walked by Will's side to the -tent, at the door of which Mr. Jackson was standing. - -"Senor Machado," said the Chief, who was always scrupulously polite to -the Spaniards on his staff, "I shall be glad of your assistance. These -horsemen will be here in a few minutes, and I want you to remain here as -a witness of what passes. Mr. Pentelow will remain also. We shall then -have one of their own countrymen and one of mine, a useful precaution, -you will agree." - -Senor Machado smiled his assent. Mr. Jackson knew that, in dealing with -revolutionaries in Venezuela, foreigners, and even peaceable natives, -were, as he put it, between the devil and the deep sea. If he should be -suspected of giving aid or countenance to the rebels he would be hauled -over the coals by the Government. If he refused such aid he might be -held in durance or perhaps attacked by the rebels. Whichever party -proved victorious in the struggle would refuse to make good any loss he -might sustain, while if either could foist upon him any charge of -assisting the enemy he would lose all his property, and suffer -imprisonment or fine. No evidence would probably be of any immediate -avail if matters were brought to extremities; but it would be useful to -have such evidence to lay before the British consul. - -"You left a man at the cabin to call you if any message comes through?" -said the Chief. - -"Assuredly, senor; I think always of my duty." - -"That's right. Just keep within easy reach. Here's a cigar." - -Machado strolled up and down, smoking energetically. Will shot a glance -at him. The man was a good telegraphist, and he had nothing against -him; but he was not quite pleased to know that he had been so affable -with Jose. - -Mr. Jackson sat down at the door of the tent, and began to discuss with -Will the entries the latter had made in his note-book. - -"I think we look pretty easy," he said. "Still waters run deep.... Ah! -here they are." - - - - -CHAPTER IV--SIMPLE SUBTRACTION - - -The cavalcade came at a walk into the compound. They were a very -nondescript troop: men of all ages, tall and short, stout and thin, -variously clad, but all wearing high riding-boots and a green feather in -their sombreros. There were more of them than Will had supposed, -numbering nearly fifty. The greater part of the troop halted when they -came to the tree, but two rode forward, the first a thick-set man with -bushy black eyebrows and heavy moustache. He pulled up within a few -feet of Mr. Jackson, and making a military salute, said-- - -"Good-evening, senor." - -Mr. Jackson got up and returned the salutation. Will stood at his side, -and the telegraphist remained a little in the rear. - -"I introduce myself, senor, as Captain Felipe Espejo, of the army of -General Carabano, liberator of Venezuela, and in his name I have the -honour or requesting that you will of your great courtesy furnish my -troop with refreshments." - -"Do me the favour to enter my tent, Senor Capitan," said Mr. Jackson -pleasantly. "No doubt you are weary after your ride." - -The Captain hesitated for a moment, darting a glance around. Then he -dismounted, and leaving his horse with his orderly, followed Mr. Jackson -into the tent. Will entered after him, and Machado stood in the -entrance. - -"Be seated, senor," said Mr. Jackson, offering him a cigar. "I am of -course aware of the excellent custom of your country, which never -refuses refreshment to the traveller, and speaking for myself and my -staff, it would give us the greatest pleasure to entertain you and your -men. But you will see, I am sure, that I am placed in a somewhat -awkward position." - -"Explain yourself, senor." - -"I think I am right in believing that the noble liberator has not yet -assumed the reins of government? In that case any voluntary service to -you on my part, even though dictated solely by courtesy, is likely to be -sadly misconstrued by the present Government, is it not? I am -responsible for the interests of the Company employing me to build this -railway, and I must take care that no action of mine shall prejudice -them. You will agree, then, senor, that I cannot undertake to provide -refreshment for so large a party as yours unless formal demand is made, -which, backed by the armed force at your distinguished disposal, would -undoubtedly exonerate my Company from all responsibility." - -"You express yourself admirably, senor," said the visitor with a smile. -"May I compliment you on your command of our language? As to a formal -demand, I oblige you with the greatest pleasure. I demand now, -formally, that you supply my troop with food." - -"That is sufficient, Senor Capitan," said Mr. Jackson, returning the -smile. "Pentelow," he added in English, "go and see to this. Don't be -long.... I was about to have my own evening meal," he went on in -Spanish, "and if the caballero would honour me by sharing the repast, I -shall be delighted, though I fear it may not be so excellent in quality -as the caballero is accustomed to." - -The Captain cordially accepted the invitation. He felt that things were -going extremely well. Mr. Jackson summoned his servant, and ordered him -to lay for four. Machado was edging away, but Mr. Jackson called him -into the tent. - -"You will join us this evening," he said. "Senor Machado, telegraphist -on my staff." - -The two Venezuelans exchanged salutations, the Captain somewhat -superciliously. The meal was soon ready; Will returned; and the four -sat down at the table, Mr. Jackson opening a bottle of -champagne--villainous stuff, which he kept by him expressly for native -guests, who relished it as though it had been the finest vintage from -Rheims or Vevay. - -The Captain was an excellent table companion, and a man of quite -charming manners. He did full justice to the food and drink. When the -meal was over, and, provided with a good cigar, he lay back in a lounge -chair, he said-- - -"Truly, senor, it gives me the greatest annoyance to have to requite -your excellent hospitality by making a further request--or, to adopt the -term you prefer, a formal demand. My noble superior, General Carabano, -unfortunately lacks two things requisite to complete his success in the -glorious task of liberating his beloved country from the yoke of a -tyrant. These two things, senor, are men and money. General Carabano -has laid upon me the duty--never more irksome than in the present -circumstances--of inviting, or, again accepting your term, of demanding, -a small loan from your Company in both kinds, namely, money and men. -The money shall be returned when the new Government is thoroughly -established--I need not say, with accrued interest. The men also, when -that glorious day arrives, will be again at the disposal of the Company, -to which, in view of the goodwill displayed by its distinguished -representative, a concession shall in due time be made, on terms -afterwards to be decided, for the furtherance of its business." - -The tone in which the Captain made this long speech was as pleasant and -courteous as though he were announcing the conferment of a favour. Mr. -Jackson was only surprised that the real purpose of his visit had not -been disclosed before. - -"I regret extremely, senor," he said, "that in my position I cannot take -upon myself to make a loan of money. In doing so I should be acting -entirely beyond my powers. But I will of course forward the request to -my directors." - -"Pardon me, senor," said the Captain suavely, "that is of course absurd. -General Carabano cannot delay the completion of his great work while -time is wasted in such formalities. He must have men and money at once. -I have no doubt that you have a considerable balance in your hands, -beyond the immediate wages of your labourers. You will therefore be -good enough to order the whole of your workers to be drawn up, so that I -may select recruits, and at the same time count out a sum of five -thousand pesos." - -"With great respect, senor, I have to say that is my duty to protect -whatever funds may be my charge, and also the peons who have been -engaged by my Company under the laws of the State." - -At this Captain Espejo's politeness fell from him like a cloak. He -sprang up, threw his half-smoked cigar through the doorway of the tent, -and cried-- - -"Enough of this folly! I offer you an amicable arrangement. You -decline it. Then I take what I want by force." - -"And may I ask how the caballero proposes to take what he wants by -force?" said Mr. Jackson quietly. - -All four men were now on their feet. Machado was restless with -excitement. Will stood rigid, looking with admiration at his chief, -whom he had never credited with such _sang froid_ as he now displayed. -When Mr. Jackson asked his question the Captain stared at him as though -he had not heard him aright; then, motioning with his hand towards the -men lounging beneath the tree, he said, with a laugh-- - -"Two score of my men, senor, could shepherd a thousand peons." - -"Possibly, senor, but your number is really twenty." - -The Captain stared again. What was this mad Englishman talking about? - -"You are pleased to jest, senor," he said impatiently. "My troop -numbers exactly forty-two." - -"The matter is too serious for jesting, senor. I repeat, that for the -purpose of enforcing your demand your troop is effectively less than a -score. Be so good as to accompany me for a few yards and I will explain -myself." - -The Captain eyed his host suspiciously. Was it possible that he was to -be led into some trap? But the Englishman looked perfectly inoffensive. -He was unarmed; his thumbs were thrust into his arm-pits, presumably a -habit of Englishmen. And there were the forty men, within pistol shot: -there was really no reason why he should not humour the eccentric. - -The Chief strolled along, towards the rear of the embankment. He led -the Captain up the plank along which barrows were wheeled up the slope. -Coming to the top, he pointed to the row of figures lying prone just -below the crest, each man holding a rifle. - -"You see there, senor, fourteen first-rate shots. At the least sign of -hostility on the part of your troop, these men will fire. Each rifle -covers a man. You will confirm my remark that, for the purpose of -enforcing your demands, you have less than a score of men. At the first -volley fourteen will be _hors de combat_; the second will account for as -many more before they have recovered from their surprise; at the third -you will have none left." - -The Captain was speechless with fury. He looked at the men motionless -on the embankment, at his unconscious troopers laughing and jesting -below. He turned about and saw Will, smiling, at his elbow. The Chief -stood in the same easy attitude of unconcern. With a muttered oath -Captain Espejo turned on his heel, and strode down the embankment. -Half-way down he wheeled about, and sputtered-- - -"You, Senor Inglese, have not seen the last of me. General Carabano -shall hear of this impertinence--this unparalleled atrocity; and he will -exact a heavy retribution, I promise you." - -He completed the descent, summoned his orderly and threw himself into -the saddle, and then, riding up to his men, curtly ordered them to mount -and follow him. The troop rode away in the direction whence they had -come. - -"I'm most terribly stiff," cried O'Connor, springing up. "I'm sorry -you've done it, Chief; I should have liked a scrap with the beggars; but -you're a wonderful man." - -The Chief smiled. - -"First catch your hare, then cook him," he said. - - - - -CHAPTER V--A SCRAP OF PAPER - - -Watching the horsemen as they rode away, Will suddenly remembered the -prisoner whom he had seen running beside one of them. The man was now -gone. Perhaps he had slipped away; perhaps the horseman at whose -stirrup he had been tied had not accompanied the rest to the camp. He -spoke of it to the Chief. The latter suggestion deepened the look of -gravity on Mr. Jackson's face. - -"I hope to goodness there are no more of them," he said. "We had better -send a native to shadow them." - -"I'll do that, Chief," said O'Connor, "with Ruggles. I wouldn't trust a -native." - -"Very well. Don't go too far. It'll be dark soon." - -When O'Connor had set off with Ruggles on horseback, Mr. Jackson asked -Will to go with him to his tent to talk things over. - -"This is serious," he said. "I'm afraid we've only postponed the evil -day. Whether this revolution succeeds or not we shall hear more of the -rebels. The Government can't help us." - -"Still, we couldn't be much worse off than if you had given in to the -fellow. They'd have collared all our cash; and all our peons would have -mutinied--all they didn't impress, that is." - -"True. It would have meant a complete smash here. The peons would have -made off to the woods, carrying their machetes with them, you may be -sure, and they're worth two dollars apiece. We should never have seen -them again: it would have brought our work to a standstill; and as the -funds of the Company are rather low I shouldn't wonder if it had been -crippled beyond hope of recovery. The business has suffered enough -already. The worst of it is that we've still got that to look forward -to." - -"What can we do?" asked Will. - -"Nothing, except stick on. I'll not budge till I'm compelled for all -the Carabanos and Espejos in Venezuela. We'll go about our work as -usual and keep our eyes open. Our contract with the Government requires -us to carry Government troops, but I'll refuse point-blank to carry any -other armed force, and neither Government nor rebels will get any money -out of me willingly." - -They were still talking when O'Connor and Ruggles returned. - -"We saw them cross the river about two miles up," said O'Connor, coming -into the tent, "and they were joined by three more of the same kidney. -It didn't seem worth while going any farther. But we haven't come back -empty-handed." - -"What have you got?" asked the Chief. - -"Nothing very valuable: a poor wretch of an Indian. Ruggles is bringing -him along. We found him hiding in the trees, and thought he might be a -spy of theirs; but he turned out to be a runaway servant of the -Captain's. He told Ruggles some story which I couldn't make out--here -he is." - -Ruggles entered, bringing with him a wretched-looking object. Will -recognized him instantly as the man he had saved from the jaguar in the -early morning. The Indian's face brightened as he saw his rescuer. He -fell on his knees before him and begged for food. When he had eaten, -with the ferocity of a starving man, what was given him, he said in -answer to Will's questions that he had run away from Captain Espejo, who -treated him cruelly. After the adventure with the jaguar he had -recrossed the river, and unluckily stumbled upon the very man he had -most wished to avoid. The Captain had thrashed him and tied him to the -stirrup of one of his men; but taking advantage of a dense clump of -forest through which they passed, he had wrenched his hands free and -fled into the bush. Three of the party had dismounted and tried to -track him, but he was more at home in the woodland than they, and had -been able to elude them. These were the three men who, after their vain -search, had rejoined the main party returning from their equally -unsuccessful expedition. - -"Well, he's another mouth to feed," said the Chief, "but I suppose we -had better keep him and find something for him to do. What's your -name?" - -"Azito, senor," said the man humbly. - -The Chief called up his servant, and ordered him to arrange a -sleeping-place for the Indian. Then he dismissed him, and the four -Englishmen, by the light of a lamp hanging from the roof of the tent, -sat discussing the affair of the day and the steps to be taken on the -morrow. - -"I think we had better put the camp in a state of defence," said -O'Connor. "If we don't protect ourselves, nobody will." - -"That won't be much good," said the Chief, "we shall be shifting camp -soon, and it'll be more than life's worth to attempt to fortify -ourselves every time. Nothing short of a wall all round would be any -good, and it would be tremendous work to build that: there's such a lot -of us." - -"As to shifting camp, we might put that off for a while--until next -pay-day at any rate; though it will mean a tramp for the men at night -after work is done. If you'll leave the defences to me I'll see what -can be done." - -"But the camp might be raided while we are miles away at railhead," said -Will. - -"We can put outposts out to give us notice of any armed party -approaching; that might give us time to get back." - -"You ought to have been a soldier, O'Connor. Cobbler, stick to your -last, eh?" - -O'Connor smiled. - -"Leave it to me, Chief," he said. "I would just relish a brush with -those ruffians." - -"It's rather curious they came just after pay-day," said Will. - -"Oh! I dare say they know what our arrangements are," replied Mr. -Jackson. "It's no secret that we get our pay once a fortnight from -Bolivar. We may expect a visit from them next pay-day, if not before. I -only hope they won't bother us as they did the French company some years -ago: they broke 'em, with the assistance of floods and earthquakes. Ah -well! every cloud has a silver lining." - -Next day O'Connor devoted himself to the fortification of the camp, -employing a hundred men--a fourth of the whole company of peons--on the -work. To lessen the labour, he took the embankment as one wall, and -palisaded the top for about a hundred yards. Then he made a rough -circular wall around the camp enclosure, using rails and sleepers and a -number of trucks, defending the whole circuit with a chevaux-de-frise -made of branches lopped from the neighbouring woods. Mr. Jackson -doubted whether the terms of their concession from the Government -admitted the use of timber for this purpose, but O'Connor made the very -pertinent answer that permission to build a railway was of little value -unless it included the right to defend the line and those employed on -it; upon which the Chief said no more. - -These defensive works occupied several days. Before they were completed -a muleteer came from the mines to report that Captain Espejo had visited -them and demanded money from the manager. Luckily the fortnight's pay -had not arrived, and his cash-box was almost empty; but the Captain had -seized all the money that was left, and also impressed a score of the -miners, who had been marched away, presumably to the head-quarters of -General Carabano. - -During these days news was brought in by several of the haciendados of -the neighbourhood, from whom the Chief obtained supplies of food, that -General Carabano had captured two or three small towns to the eastward, -and recruited a considerable number of men, who were for the most part -poorly armed, and still worse equipped. The workers on the railway were -delighted at the discomfiture of Captain Espejo; none of them had any -wish to share the unenviable lot of men impressed in the revolutionary -cause. At present they had hard work, but good pay; as hirelings of -General Carabano they would lead the life of dogs, liable to be whipped -or slashed or even shot if they chanced to offend their officers, and to -get no pay at all. - -On the day after Captain Espejo's visit Mr. Jackson wrote to the -Provincial Jefe at Ciudad Bolivar, with whom he was on good terms, -relating what had happened, and asking for the protection of Government -troops. He sent the letter by mounted messenger to the junction about -fifty miles off, whence it was conveyed by rail. In two days he -received a reply, in which the Jefe sympathized with his position, but -said that he had just been obliged to dispatch the greater part of the -force under his command to Caracas, which was threatened by a rising in -Valencia. He could not further deplete his garrison without endangering -Bolivar. His letter concluded with a strong warning to Mr. Jackson -against affording any assistance to the rebels. - -"We're between the devil and the deep sea," said the Chief, discussing -the letter with his staff. "The Government can't help us, and leaves us -at the mercy of the rebels; and yet it will punish us if we help them, -which they may force us to do. What a country!" - -"Why didn't you stay at home, Chief?" asked O'Connor. - -"Because I didn't want to run the risk of clerking at thirty bob a -week," replied Mr. Jackson. "That's the fate of many good men in the -old country, worse luck." - -Azito, the Indian, had attached himself to Will, constituting himself an -additional servant, much to the disgust and jealousy of the negro Jose. -The two quarrelled so frequently that Will thought it advisable to -separate them. Accordingly he got Mr. Jackson to make use of Azito as a -scout. He gave him a pony and sent him to learn what he could of the -revolutionaries: where General Carabano had fixed his head-quarters, how -many men he had with him, and what his intentions were. The Indian was -at first very reluctant to venture within reach of his late master; but -on Will promising that he should be well paid and provided for, the man -consented, rather from blind devotion to his rescuer than from any other -motive. - -Returning after two days' absence, he reported that General Carabano was -quartered in a hill-village about twenty-five miles north-east of -railhead. His force, as estimated by the Indians of the neighbourhood, -consisted of some five hundred men. It was rumoured that the General, -when he considered himself strong enough, intended to attack Ciudad -Bolivar, on the Orinoco about forty-five miles farther to the -north-east. His numbers were being continually increased, but he was -obviously in great need of money, and had already begun to make forced -requisitions on the haciendados and the Indians. Mr. Jackson devoutly -hoped that money would not be forthcoming. A leader of strong -personality could easily and at any time gather a large army of -desperadoes in Venezuela if he had the money to pay them. - -The day after Azito's return the camp suffered from one of the -periodical disasters which it was impossible to foresee or to guard -against. A violent tornado swept over the district, uprooting immense -trees, whirling the tents away, and scattering their contents in all -directions. It was all over in a few minutes, but the mischief done -would take days to repair. Will was walking over the ground, seeking to -recover his possessions among the litter, when he happened to find a -sheet of the Company's official paper on which he saw that a rough plan -was drawn. He picked it up, thinking it might be one of the Chief's -papers; but on further examination he was surprised to find that it was -a sketch of the encampment, or rather of that part of it occupied by the -engineering staff. The position of each tent was marked, and -distinguished by a letter of the alphabet. Will thought the paper must -belong to O'Connor, and took it to him. At the moment O'Connor had his -arms full of pyjamas and underwear which he had just collected from the -havoc of the storm. His inseparable pipe was in his mouth. - -"Is this yours?" asked Will, showing him the paper. - -"Never saw it before," mumbled O'Connor. "What is it?" - -"A plan of part of the camp." - -"What would I want with a plan of the camp? Perhaps the Chief has been -amusing himself. Try him." - -But the Chief denied all knowledge of the paper. - -"I've got something better to do than draw unnecessary plans. What's -the good of it?" - -"Nothing, except as information to an enemy." - -"Ah! that's an idea now. 'A chiel amang us takin' notes,' eh? A wolf -within the fold. I'll skin him if I catch him. Do you suspect any -one?" - -"Sangrado's got a shifty eye." - -"Which of 'em hasn't!" said the Chief grimly. "I don't trust any of -these Venezuelans beyond eyeshot. Well, he's had his trouble for -nothing. There's no camp left, and we'll take care to arrange things -differently now. Get a gang to move the safe, there's a good fellow: -hanged if it isn't about the only thing left standing." - -The safe was conveyed on trolleys to another part of the enclosure, and -the Chief's tent was reerected around it. During the next few days he -watched the native foremen narrowly, but saw nothing to lead him to -suspect any one of them to be the traitor. They appeared indeed to be -in good spirits over the news which had just come in through Antonio de -Mello, who visited the camp one day and reported that the Government had -made some progress in stamping out the revolt in Valencia. Free from -danger in that quarter, it might be expected that the Government troops -would soon be at liberty to deal with the outbreak in Guayana; and if -General Carabano had not succeeded in capturing Bolivar before there was -a movement against him, his chance of ultimate success was very small. -De Mello confirmed Azito's information as to the General's lack of -money, which was the strongest weapon the Government possessed. - -Sangrado, the foreman whom Will had mentioned, declared that the rebuff -Captain Espejo had suffered would prove to be the ruin of the -revolution. It had not merely deprived the General of the sinews of war -on which he had no doubt confidently reckoned, but had so much damaged -his prestige that he would find great difficulty in obtaining recruits. - -"A courier will come one day, senor," said the man, "with the thanks of -the Government. You will be a great man in Venezuela." - -"We won't hallo until we are out of the wood," replied the Chief. "You -don't want a revolution, then, Sangrado?" - -"Certainly not, senor, nor any of us. We know which side our bread is -buttered." - -"Honesty is the best policy," remarked the Chief to the Englishmen of -his staff afterwards. "I think the men are all right as long as they -get their pay. But I'm not so sure they'd stick to us if a higher -bidder came along." - -The disorder in the camp was repaired: the work went steadily on: and as -the line advanced, and the distance between railhead and the camp -increased, Mr. Jackson began to think of shifting to another site, and -questioned whether it would be worth while to spend time in fortifying -it. He decided to remain in his present quarters until after next -pay-day. The money would arrive by train from Bolivar, together with a -large quantity of stores, the wages of the peons being paid partly in -kind. - -On the morning of the day when the train was expected, Machado handed -the Chief a telegraphic message to the effect that the agent of the -Company in Bolivar had sent six extra trucks with rails just landed from -a steamer that had arrived from Antwerp, the contract for rails being in -the hands of a Belgian firm. - -"They're a few weeks before they are due," said the Chief, "but that's a -fault on the right side. When will the train arrive?" - -"About two, senor." - -"That means four, I suppose. No doubt we shall get a wire from the -junction as usual." - -Just after twelve o'clock Machado reported that the train had left the -junction, and might be expected in about three hours. The arrival of -the fortnightly train was always a matter of interest in the camp. It -had become the custom for the peons to strike work and crowd about -railhead on these occasions. Mr. Jackson and several of his staff were -always present to take formal receipt of the consignment of goods and -money, the latter being escorted from the lock-up van to the safe in the -Chief's tent. - -About four o'clock Mr. Jackson took up his position with the three -Englishmen beside the line. Several of the peons stood at hand, ready -to transfer the cash to a trolley. The rest of the labourers -congregated noisily close by. The appearance of the engine among the -trees far away was hailed with a loud shout. In a few minutes the -train, longer than usual, drew up; Mr. Jackson stepped forward to the -lock-up van, with his duplicate keys of the two huge padlocks on the -door. The six trucks behind, covered with canvas, would not be unloaded -until the money had been bestowed in the safe. - -[Illustration: A SCRIMMAGE AT RAILHEAD] - -He had just thrown the door open, and ordered the peons to lift out the -bags of money, when there was a sudden outcry. Looking round, he was -amazed to see a swarm of armed men rushing upon him, the nearest no more -than two yards away. Before he or any other of the staff could lift a -hand to defend himself, he was hurled to the ground, O'Connor and -Ruggles lying beside him. Will, who happened to be a little nearer to -the engine, made an attempt to bolt, and succeeded in springing down the -embankment, only to find himself in the midst of a score of the -assailants. He dodged two or three of them, with the agility of an old -Rugby player, but was then tripped up and fell headlong, being -immediately pounced on and held. The first man he saw when he collected -himself was Machado the telegraphist, who had seized one of his arms and -looked at him with a smile of malicious triumph. - -"You are the traitor, then," thought Will. "I might have known it, -after your sniffing round after my hydroplane." - -In a few minutes all the European members of the staff lay trussed up on -the slope of the embankment, Captain Espejo himself superintending the -operation. The money had been seized. The native foremen, accepting -their fate with the Spaniard's usual nonchalance, stood idly by, puffing -at their cigarros. Many of the peons had taken to their heels and fled -into the woods. But the majority had been too much cowed even to run, -especially when several shots were fired among the fugitives as a -warning. Captain Espejo summoned them to stand, declaring that they -were now in the service of his excellency General Carabano, the new -President, and that any man who resisted would be instantly shot. Then, -seeing that the four Englishmen were securely bound, he made his way to -the Chief's tent among a group of his officers, ordering his men, who -numbered nearly a hundred, to find quarters for themselves and take what -they required from the stores in the train. - - - - -CHAPTER VI--THE HOLE IN THE WALL - - -It would not be becoming to record the exact words used by O'Connor as -he lay, within a few feet of Will, on the slope of the embankment. They -were very expressive, and very warm, so warm indeed that Mr. Jackson -just beyond him suggested that he should "draw it mild." Ruggles, a -little farther away, did not utter a word, and for some moments Will -simply listened sympathetically to O'Connor, who undoubtedly expressed -the feelings of them all. - -"It was Machado, after all," said Will at length. - -This provoked another explosion from O'Connor, who said a great deal as -to what he would do to Machado when he got him. - -"Yes, the scoundrel!" said Mr. Jackson. "He and his telegraph have done -it. I'll take care another time to have an English telegraphist." - -Machado had in fact telegraphed in the Chief's name to Bolivar, asking -that six empty trucks should be coupled to the usual train. He had -further instructed that the train should stop at a place about twenty -miles from railhead to load up sleepers, which were cut from the forest -for use on the railway. When the train pulled up at the appointed spot -there was no load of sleepers, but a company of armed rebels, who sprang -into the empty trucks, and covered themselves with canvas, Captain -Espejo having ordered the driver, a Spaniard, to take them on to -railhead, threatening him with instant death if he attempted to give -warning. - -"I wonder what they will do with us," said Mr. Jackson. - -"I hope they'll take us away from this pretty soon," said Will. "There's -a fly on my nose, and I can't shake it off." - -"My throat is like an oven," growled O'Connor. - -"One glass of beer!" sighed Ruggles: "just one: there's no harm in one." - -Their plight was indeed desperately unpleasant. They were laid on the -sunny side of the embankment. The afternoon sun beat full upon them, -and before long they were subject to the pressing attentions of -innumerable insects, which, their arms being bound, they were unable to -drive away. They got some relief by turning over on their faces, but as -time went on the heat, the insects, and their thirst made them -thoroughly wretched. More than once O'Connor yelled for some one to -bring him a drink; but no attention was paid to him, and it seemed as if -Captain Espejo, for all his charming manners, was bent on slowly -grilling them to death. - -Just before sunset, however, a bugle sounded. Sitting up, the prisoners -witnessed the arrival of General Carabano himself. He rode in amid a -group of twenty officers, who formed a sort of guard of honour. Captain -Espejo had paraded his men to welcome the General, whom they received -with a volley of sounding vivas. Behind rode a long line of cavalry in -all sorts of costumes, many of them having a led horse, no doubt the -steeds of Captain Espejo's party. Behind these came a long procession -of animals and men, the latter the most motley collection of ruffians -Will had ever seen. Some were mounted on mules, some on donkeys; some -had saddles, some rode bare-backed. There were bridles of leather, of -rope, of bejuco, a climbing plant that grows plentifully in the forests. -Some had no bridles at all, but clung to the donkey's mane, guiding it -by a slap on the right or left ear, or a thump on the flank. - -When Will thought he had seen the last of them enter, he was amazed to -find that they were followed by a regiment of Caribbee infantry, who had -already earned from the Government troops the name of Carabano's -bloodhounds. Their only clothing was a narrow strip about the waist and -the feathers in their hair. Each had a lance, and a bow and quiver -slung over the back. - -"A dashed fine-looking lot," said O'Connor, admiring these muscular -redskins. "You could make something of those fellows." - -"The General looks a Tartar," said Will. - -"There's a good deal of the negro in his composition, I'll swear," -remarked Mr. Jackson. "That's a bad look-out for us; there's no more -insufferable brute than your negro in authority." - -General Carabano in truth looked an unpleasant man to deal with. He was -very big and tall, with a large fat face, a wide nose and thick lips, -and woolly hair. He sat his horse in the middle of the compound by the -tree until his men had all marched in. Then, after a few words with -Captain Espejo, he rode towards the prisoners. Halting opposite them, -he told his orderlies to stand them on their feet, and then, assuming a -haughty demeanour, he demanded to know what they meant by rebelling -against his Government. None of them replied. Enraged at their -silence, he declared that he would shoot them. On this, however, -Captain Espejo deferentially suggested that the penalty might be at -least deferred. - -"They are Englishmen, Excellency," he said, "and if you treat them as -they undoubtedly deserve there will be trouble with their Government, -which may seriously embarrass the consolidation of your administration." - -"Caramba!" cried the General: "their Government is thousands of miles -away." - -"True, Excellency; but it is above all things essential that the lives -of foreigners should be spared if you wish your Government to be -recognized." - -"Well, we will think of it. Set a guard over them to-night, Senor -Capitan, and take care that none of them escapes. Where is that loyal -friend of the State, Senor Machado?" - -The prisoners' feet were unbound, and they were led away to one of the -tents, so that they did not hear the conversation between the General -and Machado. The upshot of this was that the telegraphist flashed a -message to Bolivar in Mr. Jackson's name, saying that the engine had -broken down, and asking for another train to be dispatched with bridging -materials and other things which he found himself in need of. The -General's aim was to get possession of as much rolling stock as possible -for the transport of his troops to Bolivar when the time arrived. The -city was a hundred and thirty miles distant by rail, though less than -half that distance across country, and the junction was fifty miles from -railhead, so that with care and the assistance of Machado it would be -easy to prevent news of what had happened from reaching the Jefe. The -camp was situated in a part of the country remote from highways, and the -mounted men whom the General had placed at various points would prevent -any messengers from getting through in either direction. - -The prisoners were given a meal; then they were bound again and left in -the tent, a strong guard being posted outside. They spent a most -uncomfortable night. After Captain Espejo's remonstrance they did not -suppose the General would shoot them; but uncertainty as to their fate -and distress at the ruin of the Company's business worried them, and -they were sleepless during the greater part of the night, discussing -their situation in low tones. - -Next day they were not allowed to leave the tent. They saw nothing of -the General, who was in fact busy following up his operations of the -previous evening. He got Machado to telegraph to head-quarters for more -money. The reason given was that a wash-out--one of the sudden floods -to which the country is subject--had destroyed a large quantity of -stores, which must be replaced on the spot by purchases from the -neighbouring haciendados. He impressed into his service such of the -peons and foremen as he thought worthy of it, and drove the rest from -the camp, no doubt feeling confident that by the time any of them could -make their way over difficult country to Bolivar that town would have -fallen into his hands. - -The supplies and money requisitioned arrived late on the following day. -The General had now two locomotives and thirty wagons, including those -that were permanently at railhead for construction purposes. The -personnel of the two trains were kept under guard, to prevent them from -making off with the engines. - -Meanwhile the General, finding the rough camp at railhead little to his -taste, had shifted his quarters to Antonio de Mello's residence about -five miles below. The news of the coup had been conveyed to De Mello -instantly by some of the Indians who had fled from the camp, and he had -hurriedly quitted the place for another estate of his many miles to the -south, where his mother and sister were living. The hacienda was left -in charge of the servants. De Mello knew that he could make no -resistance to the appropriation of his house by the revolutionary -leader; the utmost he could do was to remove his horses. It was not -very patriotic conduct; but patriotism is not a common virtue in that -land of revolution. - -The General took up his quarters in the hacienda with some of his staff, -including Captain Espejo, their horses being placed in the new stables. -The sight of the old stables suggested to Espejo that the prisoners -might be conveyed thither, so that they should be constantly under the -General's eye. Accordingly they were marched in under escort of -cavalry, O'Connor fuming at the indignity, which gave the others a -little amusement. Will even cracked a joke when each was given a -loose-box, remarking that it was the first time he had been in a box, -the dress circle having been hitherto the height of his attainment. - -Unknown to the prisoners, a telegraph cabin had been hurriedly rigged up -for Machado at the railway line within a short distance of the house. -The General had found the man so useful that he deemed it convenient to -have him close at hand. It seemed advisable also that his troops should -be more closely in touch with him than they could be in the old camp, so -he ordered the tents to be struck, and all the stores and other things -that would be useful to be transferred to a new camp about half-a-mile -in the rear of the hacienda. - -Will's box was in the centre, and through the open door he could see two -sentries marching to and fro. Another sentry was posted at the door of -the hacienda. He could see also the comings and goings of the General -and his staff. They often walked up and down on the terrace in front of -the house. The door of the stables was usually open during the -day-time, but it was closed at night, and a sentry came on guard within. -General Carabano had given orders that the prisoners were to be -prevented from communicating with one another. At first they -disregarded the command, but when Captain Espejo threatened to gag them -if they persisted they thought it best to remain silent, irksome though -the restriction was. One of the annoyances of their situation was the -impertinent curiosity of the officers and such of the men as came on -various errands to the hacienda. The former sometimes lolled at the -door, smoking their long cigarros, and jesting among themselves at the -four prisoners, who sat in enforced silence in the mangers. When the -officers were not present, their servants copied them, and drove -O'Connor almost frantic with their insulting remarks. The other three, -not so sensitive as the fiery Irishman, accepted their lot more -philosophically. - -Meanwhile General Carabano's force was increasing. News of his exploit -had been carried through the neighbourhood, and since nothing succeeds -like success, it had had the effect of bringing to his flag many who -hoped to share in his expected triumph. There was at present plenty of -provisions in the camp, and with the serviceable Machado at his elbow, -the General could always telegraph for further supplies. Will hoped -that De Mello would have informed the authorities at Caracas of what had -occurred, and that a Government force would be dispatched to deal with -the General; but De Mello had gone in the opposite direction. Moreover, -the Government had its hands full in the north, and there was no chance -of present assistance from that quarter. - -On the second day of the imprisonment, Will, looking through the -doorway, caught sight of a black figure lurking among some bushes on the -farther side of the lake, not far from the house. It seemed very much -like his negro boy Jose, and to assure himself on the point, he walked -as far as the sentry would allow him towards the door. As he came into -the light the negro apparently recognized him and impulsively started -forward: then, fearing discovery, slipped back again into the bushes. - -"I wonder what he is after," thought Will. - -At that moment he saw Machado leave the house, and walk slowly round the -margin of the lake as if going for an aimless stroll. All at once he -sprang forward, and before the negro could get away, Machado pounced on -him and hauled him to the house. They disappeared through the doorway, -and though Will kept a pretty careful watch on it for the rest of the -day, he did not see the boy come out again. - -That night it occurred to him that, though speaking was forbidden, he -might yet communicate with the Chief, whose box was next to his own. -They both knew the Morse code, though neither had any expert knowledge -of telegraphy, and Will experimented by tapping gently on the partition, -spelling out the words, "Are you awake?" For some time he received no -reply, and thought that the Chief must either be asleep or did not -understand that the taps had any meaning. By and by, however, when the -question was repeated for the fourth time, Will was delighted to hear -answering taps, which he made out to be, "All right: I twig: be -careful." - -The conversation that ensued was a very laborious one. The prisoners -were afraid of attracting the attention of the sentry, and sometimes -tapped so gently that neither could understand the other. At the best, -spelling a message by means of dots and dashes is a lengthy process. But -by and by the snores of Ruggles and the incessant croaking of the -bullfrogs that infested the canal and lake covered the slight sounds on -the partition, and the prisoners conversed more freely. What they said -to each other in this way is as follows-- - -"Machado has caught my boy Jose and lugged him into house." - -"Ware hydroplane." - -"I shall be sick if they find it." - -"They'll make the boy tell." - -"Wish I could get away." - -"Wishing won't do it." - -"No." - -"Door locked, sentry inside and out: no go." - -"Wish I could, though." - -"Impossible." - -"Nothing's impossible." - -"Rubbish!" - -"If I can!" - -"You can't." - -"I might get to Bolivar." - -"No good if you could." - -"They'd send help." - -"They wouldn't. Country disturbed: would have sent escort with train if -could." - -"Can't we do anything?" - -"No: go to sleep." - -"Can't sleep." - -"No such word as can't." - -"I can escape then." - -"Rubbish." - -"Rotten business." - -"Go to sleep." - -But Will remained awake for some hours, beating his brains for some -means of breaking prison. With a brick wall behind him, a sentry at the -door inside, another outside, he had to confess at length that the idea -seemed hopeless, and gave it up in despair. - -Next night again, after a fruitless conversation with the Chief, he lay -awake still pondering the problem. All at once he thought he heard a -slight scratching on the wall behind him. Before he could assure -himself that he was not mistaken the sound ceased. He waited anxiously. -Yes: without doubt some person or animal was scratching on the bricks, -and judging by the sound the wall must be very thin. He tapped gently -with his finger-nail on the brickwork. The scratching ceased for a -considerable time; then began again. Once more he tapped, wondering -whether a friend outside was trying to communicate with him: once more -the sound stopped; it seemed as though the scratcher had given a hint -that he should discontinue tapping. He lay listening. By and by the -scratching recommenced, and went on continuously. Will fell asleep with -the sound in his ears, and when he was waked by the sentry opening the -door, he almost believed he had heard it in a dream. - -The prisoners were taken out for an airing each day, being carefully -kept apart. Will looked around eagerly as he walked along by the side -of the sentry, to see if there was any clue to the proceedings of the -night. Passing along the side of the stables, he glanced at the back -wall, but there was nothing to indicate the presence of any one. -Tropical weeds grew in profusion behind the stables, nothing having been -done to clear the ground since they had been disused. All day he kept -his eye on the front of the house. There was the usual coming and going -of the inmates, but never a sign that any one of them was a friend. - -Shortly after nightfall, the scratching began. It was so quietly done -that there was no danger of the sentry hearing it through the croaking -of the frogs. Will could no longer doubt that some one was trying to -get through the wall. He tapped on the partition. - -"Do you hear scratching?" - -"No. Mosquitoes or ants?" - -"Some one trying to make hole in wall." - -"Rubbish." - -"Fact." - -"Must be a fool." - -Will did not attempt further to convince this doubting Thomas, but -listened hopefully to the continuous scratching. It went on for hours, -and by and by, as it seemed to be coming nearer, he thought of passing -his hand over the surface of the brickwork. It touched, just below him, -the point of a sharp instrument, and he discovered that the whole of the -mortar above two bricks had been scraped away. He wished that he could -have helped his unknown friend, but he had neither knife nor any other -implement. The knowledge that some one was trying to release him kept -him awake all that night, and he perspired with anxiety lest when -morning came the work should be discovered. But the sentry did not -approach the wall. The day seemed to drag terribly, even though he -slept a good part of it. Never in his life had he been so eager for -night to come. - -Before the next dawn there was a gap in the wall almost large enough for -him to crawl through. He bent down to it, and spoke in a whisper; but -the only answer was the thrusting back of the bricks into their place. -Hearing the Chief grunting in the next box, Will resolved to acquaint -him with the progress the unknown worker had made. - -"There's hole in wall nearly big enough to squeeze through." - -"Honest Injun?" - -"Yes. One more night's work will finish it." - -"Who's doing it?" - -"Don't know. Shall I ask him to make one for you?" - -The Chief did not immediately reply. - -"Shall I?" - -"I've been thinking. No." - -"Why not?" - -"We'd want four. Take a fortnight." - -"Couldn't we overpower sentry and all get away through this hole?" - -"No: too risky. Fellow outside would hear scuffle. Certain to. Sure -you can get out?" - -"To-morrow or next day." - -"Make for hydroplane. Less risk for one. Go to Bolivar and get help if -you can. Most likely you can't." - -"Pity we can't tell others. They don't understand code." - -"They'll know soon enough. There'll be a fine hullabaloo when the -sentry misses you. Don't go without saying good-bye." - -In the middle of the next night Will found that the opening was large -enough to admit his body. He tapped on the partition. There was no -answer. He tapped again: still no answer. The Chief was asleep. -Fearing to let his chance slip, Will determined to go at once. Slowly -and cautiously he wriggled through to the outside. A dark form was -crouching among the weeds close to the opening. It gave a low grunt as -Will appeared. Azito rose from his kneeling posture and began to move -away, creeping like a shadow along the wall. Will stole after him. - - - - -CHAPTER VII--CARABANO'S PLANS - - -Azito after a few steps turned aside from the stables, from the other -side of which came the heavy tramp of the sentry's feet, and struck into -the undergrowth towards a small plantation about three hundred yards -from the house. They bent low to avoid observation, but the night was -so dark that they must have been invisible at the distance of ten feet. -Not till they were safe among the trees did either speak a word; then -Will asked the Indian to stop. They looked back towards the house. -Several of the rooms were lit up, and broad beams of light threw a -ghostly radiance on the gardens around. - -"Thank you, Azito," said Will in low tones. - -"I did it, senor, not Jose," replied the man. - -"Ah! what do you know of Jose?" - -"We wanted, both of us, senor, to make a hole in the wall, but we did -not know where the senor was in the stables. Jose tried to find out, -but Senor Machado caught him." - -"And where were you?" - -"I was in the wood on the other side of the lake. I saw all that -happened, senor." - -"Where is Jose now?" - -"I do not know, senor. I did not see him come out of the house." - -Will wished that his rescuer had been Jose rather than the Indian, for -the negro boy had been his servant for many months, and had often helped -him with the hydroplane. To find the hydroplane and set off in it to -Bolivar was the immediate duty of the moment. It would be no easy -matter to find his way to it in the dark, and he felt the lack of Jose's -guidance; but since it seemed impossible to have Jose, he determined to -do his best with Azito. - -They had not gone far, however, when Azito remarked that when hiding in -the wood he had heard Jose cry out, as if he were being whipped. - -"Why didn't you tell me before?" demanded Will, stopping short. - -"It was so little to tell, senor," replied the man. - -It was indeed a trifling matter to Azito. The Indians were accustomed -to being struck, sometimes in punishment for faults, sometimes in wanton -mischief and delight in witnessing pain. But it was no trifling matter -to Will, and remembering the Chief's suggestion that Machado had -captured Jose in order to discover from him the whereabouts of the -hydroplane, Will resolved to retrace his steps, go to the house, and at -least try to find out what was happening to the boy. When he told Azito -this, the Indian said the senor was not wise. - -"It must be done," replied Will. - -"I will go, senor." - -"No, no; stay where you are. You have done enough. Lend me your knife, -and wait for me here." - -He took the Indian's long knife, and having no belt, had to carry it in -his hand. - -"Which room did Jose's cries come from?" he asked. - -"A room in the front, senor." - -This was awkward. In order to get to the front of the house he must -either go past the stables or make a long circuit through the gardens. -Since there were lights in the side of the house visible to him, it was -very probable that the rooms in the front were also lit up. This would -make it difficult to approach unseen, and he thought for a moment of -waiting until the lights were put out for the night; but he saw on -reflection that his chance of discovering the negro in the dark would be -very small. He decided therefore to make for the back of the house, and -to let his future proceedings be guided by circumstances. - -As he left the shelter of the plantation he saw to his right the lights -of the camp, from which came a continuous hum. It was long past the -time for "lights-out" with any well-disciplined force; but discipline -was lax in the army of General Carabano, liberator of Venezuela. Will -moved along rapidly, keeping at a distance from the house until he had -assured himself as to the extent to which the back was illuminated. -There was a dim light in one room: the rest were in darkness. Then he -struck directly towards the house, avoiding, as he drew nearer, the -triangle of ground illuminated by the light in the room, and so came to -the veranda. - -The general construction of the house was familiar to him through having -been several times the guest of De Mello. The rooms opened on to the -patio within, and several had doors of communication between them. The -only door to the outside besides that of the main entrance led from the -servants' quarters on the right-hand side looking towards the lake. De -Mello's own sanctum was the centre room on the left-hand side opposite -the stables. To reach it from the back of the house one had either to -go along the patio until one came to the door, or to enter from the -bedroom adjoining. It struck Will as probable that General Carabano -would have appropriated the private den of the owner, as it was -certainly the most comfortable room in the house, and convenient in -having the bedroom next to it. The important matter at the moment, -however, was not General Carabano's quarters, but Jose's. - -Will stood in the darkness under the veranda, considering what he had -better do. He peeped into the lighted room: it was a small bed-chamber. -A candle-lamp was burning on a bracket. The next room was in darkness, -but the French window was open, and from the patio beyond came the -muffled hum of voices. Evidently some of the officers were taking their -ease there. Listening to make sure that no one was approaching, Will -stepped into the room, stole to the door, and gently opened it an inch, -so that he could see into the patio. It was cloudy with tobacco smoke. -Half-a-dozen officers sprawled in comfortable chairs, within easy reach -of small tables on which stood bottles and glasses. But Will could not -see General Carabano or Captain Espejo. - -He felt himself at a check. Certainly he could not venture into the -patio; the room in which he stood did not communicate with those on -either side of it. He went out again: it occurred to him to try De -Mello's dressing-room, which was on the left-side of the house, next to -the bedroom. From the plantation he had seen that the bedroom itself -was lit up, but he did not remember whether there had been a light in -the dressing-room also. Stealthily creeping round the wall, he came to -the window of the dressing-room, and found that it was itself in -darkness, though a light came through from the bedroom, the door being -slightly ajar. He tried the catch of the French window: it was not -fastened, so that he could enter the room. His heart almost failed him -at the thought of the risk of being discovered, but having come so far -he was not disposed to return without making an attempt to discover what -had happened to Jose. He noiselessly opened the window and stepped in. - -Now he heard muffled voices. He peeped into the bedroom: it was empty. -A lamp stood on a table. The door opening into De Mello's sanctum was -partly open, and it was from this room that the voices proceeded. There -being no sound of movement, he stole across the room on tiptoe and -peeped into the room beyond. A screen stood just within, completely -hiding the occupants. He now distinguished General Carabano's fruity -voice, and it suddenly flashed upon him that he might discover something -even more important than Jose's whereabouts. Slipping back into the -bedroom, he glanced quickly round to learn the position of the articles -of furniture in case he had to escape suddenly; then he turned out the -light and crept back to the door. The General was still speaking. - -"The only doubtful point, Espejo, is whether we can time our attack from -the railway so that it is simultaneous with Colonel Orellana's from the -south-east. The Jefe at Bolivar has no doubt received the message -recalling the reinforcements that have just reached him--that is to say, -if your friend at the central telegraph office is as clever as you were, -Senor Machado. He has something to work for, and be sure neither you -nor he shall be forgotten when Caracas is in our hands." - -"If any one can pull off your little plan, Excellency," said Machado's -smooth voice, "it is my friend Pereira." - -"Good. Now this is the only doubtful spot." Will heard the crackle of -paper: the General had apparently unfolded a map. "Colonel Orellana -should be through the swamps south of Bolivar by mid-day to-morrow. If -our good fortune holds he may get close to the city unobserved. At any -rate, as he will be marching for the greater part of the night, his -movement will scarcely be discovered before the Government troops leave -on their return journey in the early morning. At that time Colonel -Orellana should be about twenty-five kilometres from the city. His -attack from the south-east will be commenced at noon, a good time to -catch them napping. If we start before eight we can run through in four -hours provided the line is clear, and I think we can trust the signalman -at the junction: he has too much at stake to fail me. The only doubtful -point, as I say, is here--Santa Marta. All depends on our surprising -the man there. How much of the line is visible from the station at -Santa Marta, Senor Machado?" - -"About three kilometres, Excellency." - -"A pity. If anything arouses the suspicion of the man there he can send -a message to Bolivar in a few seconds and wreck the whole scheme. How is -it he also is not a friend of yours?" - -"His mother's cousin holds a good position in the administration, -Excellency." - -"That place shall be yours when I form my administration." - -"Is it certain, Excellency," asked Espejo, "that the bridge beyond Santa -Marta is mined?" - -"I can trust my information on that point, and I am pretty sure that our -coup here has not leaked through, thanks to Senor Machado's friend at -the junction and our other precautions. There is one risk: that Senor -de Mello has given information. It was a bad mistake of yours not to -secure him, Espejo, and I am annoyed with you. But it cannot be helped. -The only thing wanted to complete the perfection of our arrangements is -to surprise the station at Santa Marta. How is it, Senor Machado, that -you cannot find the hydroplane about which we have heard so much? If we -had it, it would be quite easy to approach Santa Marta from the river; -they would think it was the mad Englishman on one of his jaunts. If we -could only capture the signalman there, and you took his place, we could -quite rely on your ability to keep the people at Bolivar from becoming -suspicious. I compliment you, senor, on your extreme ingenuity in -conducting the communications with Bolivar during the past few days. It -required a man of genius to prevent the railway people from smelling a -rat." - -"You do me too much honour, Excellency," said Machado, his gratification -manifest in his tone of voice. "But I fear I can't keep it up for -another day. I have to make so many excuses and explanations; and from -the last two or three messages that have come through from Bolivar I -can't help feeling that the people there are becoming uneasy." - -"The more reason for striking at once. Why can't you find the -hydroplane?" asked the General with some impatience. - -"I have done my best, Excellency. I believe the negro knows where it -is, but he is a perfect mule, and neither starvation nor whipping has -any effect upon his stubbornness." - -"Caramba! are there not other means of taming mules? Fetch the boy. -We'll see." - -Will heard Machado rise from his chair and open the door leading to the -patio. Jose was staunch, then. Will set his teeth at the thought of -the ill-usage the boy had had to endure. His clutch tightened on -Azito's knife, and he scarcely heeded what passed between Carabano and -his lieutenant during the few seconds of Machado's absence. - -"Here he is, Excellency." - -"Ah! this is the mule. Now, mule, answer my question: where is your -master's boat?" - -Will waited tensely: not a word came from the boy's lips. There was the -sound of a blow. - -"Answer me," shouted the General, "or I will have you flogged. Where is -the boat?" - -"I cannot tell, senor," said the boy. - -"Dog, do you call his Excellency 'senor'!" cried Espejo; and again there -came the sound of a blow. "Where is the boat?" - -"I have a thought? Excellency," said Machado suddenly, as the boy was -silent. "I will try the electric battery: that will make him speak." - -"Caramba! you had better make him speak somehow, or I'll flay him alive. -Are my plans to be ruined by a dog of a negro? Take him away, and shock -it out of him." - -Will quivered as he heard the boy cry out: one of the three had struck -him again. But Machado was dragging Jose from the room: where was he -taking him? Will did not know of the temporary cabin erected for the -telegraphist at the railway line a few hundred yards away: surely, he -thought, Machado did not intend to convey the boy at this time of night -to the old camp five miles distant. Yet he had seen no wire connecting -the line with the house. It flashed upon him that if Machado left the -house, and was not accompanied by any of the officers, an opportunity of -rescue might offer. Quick as thought he slipped across the bedroom into -the dressing-room and out on to the veranda. Running round to the back -of the house, he stood in a dark corner to watch. Presently he saw -Machado issue forth with Jose from the door in the servants' quarter. -The boy's hands were tied. - -Machado dragged him across the garden towards the railway line. Waiting -a few moments to make sure that no one was accompanying them, Will -followed quietly, losing them from sight as they passed through a -shrubbery. He could not risk discovery by Machado yet, for a cry would -bring a crowd in pursuit. Quickening his steps, he saw the two -proceeding towards a cabin just below the railway embankment. A light -shone through a small square opening in the wall. Machado lifted the -rough latch, pushed his victim into the cabin, entered after him, and -shut the door. Will hurried to the unglazed window, and just as he -reached it heard Machado say-- - -"Has there been a signal?" - -"No, senor," was the reply. - -Peeping in cautiously, Will saw one of General Carabano's men, left -there, no doubt, to summon Machado if there should come a call on the -wires. - -"Hold this brute," said Machado. - -"What are you going to do, senor?" asked the man. - -"Make a pig squeal. Now, you mule, one more chance before I prick you -with a thousand pins. Where is that boat?" - -Jose was evidently terrified at the unknown torture before him. He -looked wildly around for a chance of escape, and struggled in the hands -of his captor, who, however, held him fast. Meanwhile Machado had -disconnected a couple of wires, and reached up to a shelf to take down a -bottle of acid for re-charging the battery. Clearly he was for no half -measures now. - -[Illustration: ASSAULT AND BATTERY] - -"What's that?" asked the man. - -"Stuff to strengthen the battery," replied Machado. "I'm going to put a -wire on each side of him, and add cells--there are plenty of them--until -he owns up." - -"Will it kill him?" - -"I shouldn't wonder." - -He laughed as he poured acid into the cell. Meanwhile Will had been -worked up to a white heat of indignation. Without stopping to measure -the risk, he slipped the knife into his pocket, sprang noiselessly to -the door, threw it open, and in two strides came within arm's length of -Machado just as he was replacing the bottle. A blow with the right, and -one with the left almost at the same instant, hurled the telegraphist to -the ground. The man holding Jose was for the moment paralyzed with -astonishment. Before he could recover himself, a heavy blow somewhere -about his middle sent him to join Machado. Then Will, catching Jose by -the arm, dragged him through the door and to the rear of the cabin, -where with one stroke of Azito's knife he severed the cords binding the -boy's wrists. - -He had scarcely done so when he heard one of the men run shouting from -the cabin. But, as Will had expected, the man made straight towards the -house. Hurrying along the foot of the embankment for a few yards, Will -struck to the right towards the plantation where he had left Azito, both -he and Jose bending low to get what cover was possible from the long -grass and occasional bushes. Before they reached the plantation they -heard shouts from the house, which were soon answered from the camp some -distance to their left. They ran as swiftly as possible, and Will gave -a low whistle as he approached the trees. It was answered by Azito. -They waited but a few moments, to see whether any of the figures which -could be descried moving near the house were coming in their direction. -Then all three plunged into the depths of the plantation, Jose leading -in as straight a course as he could towards the recess where the -hydroplane was hidden. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--A RACE AGAINST TIME - - -Dark though it was, Jose led the way with complete confidence. But Will -noticed that in a few minutes he left the heart of the wood and returned -to the edge, where it bordered the plain. General Carabano's camp was -now behind them. - -"We might tread on a snake or stumble on a tiger, senor," said the boy. -"It is not safe to go through the wood at night." - -These were perils which had scarcely occurred to Will, but he recognized -that the negro was right. Progress along the edge of the wood, however, -was hardly easier than it had been in the wood itself, for long grass, -bushes, and briars obstructed them at every few steps. After covering -rather more than a mile, as Will guessed, it struck him that they would -get along faster if they mounted the railway embankment and walked along -the straight track. It was unlikely that pursuit would be carried far -that night, since the direction of their flight could not be traced in -the darkness. But there would be danger if the old camp was still -occupied, or if any guards had been posted along the railway. He asked -his companions whether they had any information on these points. Both -assured him that the camp was deserted, and that no sentinels were -posted on the railway, at any rate between their present position and -the junction. Will remembered that the signalman at the junction was in -the pay of General Carabano, so that the omission of what would -otherwise have been an essential precaution was explicable. - -The coast being clear, the travellers struck to the left, and came in -ten minutes to the embankment. - -"Creep up and look along the line," said Will to Azito. "You can see -better in the dark than I." - -The man returned after a few minutes and said that he saw the lights of -the new camp twinkling among the trees, but nothing else was in sight in -either direction. The rim of the moon which was just showing above the -horizon would assist their march, but at the same time reveal their -moving forms to any one who might be in the neighbourhood. - -"Where are all the peons from the old camp?" asked Will. - -"All run away, senor," replied Azito. - -"We ran away too, senor," added Jose, "but came back to find our -master." - -"Have you had anything to eat lately, either of you?" asked Will, a -thought striking him. - -Jose had eaten nothing all the previous day; Azito nothing but some -fruit he had picked in the garden of the house after nightfall. - -"We must get some food to-morrow, or we shall be fit for nothing," said -Will, "though I don't know where it is to come from." - -They were now walking along the railway track, stepping from sleeper to -sleeper. Every now and then they stopped to look behind, but though -they could see farther as the moon rose, nothing was visible along the -line. As they marched along in silence, Will thought over the -conversation he had heard in the house. An attack was to be made on -Bolivar at noon next day, from two quarters simultaneously. Machado's -confederate in the telegraph office had invented a telegram from Caracas -demanding the instant dispatch of reinforcements, so that the garrison -at Bolivar would be much reduced, and the Jefe would be at a -disadvantage. If Will could only get the hydroplane and bring it safely -past the enemy, he would have time at least to warn the Jefe. The -distance by water was about a hundred and sixty miles, thirty miles more -than by rail; but General Carabano did not intend to start before eight -o'clock, by which time, all being well, the hydroplane would be a -considerable distance on the way to Bolivar. As soon as he got to Santa -Marta, a little station twenty miles beyond the junction, he could -telegraph a warning to the Jefe, the signalman being loyal. Everything -depended on his reaching Santa Marta undetected. - -They came at length to the site of the old camp. It was a picture of -desolation. The tents had been removed to the new camp near the -hacienda. A great quantity of debris was littered all over the -enclosure. Tools, barrows, fragments of boxes that had been broken -open; the Chief's safe, which, having been rifled, had been left -standing as too cumbersome for removal: these relics of the raid filled -Will with indignation. He had returned the knife to Azito, and being -unarmed, he picked up a crowbar to serve as a weapon in case of -emergency, and told Jose to do the same. Then, descending the -embankment, all three hurried towards the river. - -Just before they reached it, Will suddenly remembered that the supply of -petrol on board was running short when he made his last trip. This was -a very serious matter. There was no chance of his carrying out his plan -without an adequate quantity of petrol. There had been plenty in a -godown in the camp, it having been used for driving a small electric -engine as well as the hydroplane. Had the cans been carried off with -the other stores to the new camp? If so, the game was up. But Will -hoped that the rebels had not thought them worth removing. The petrol -would be of no use to an army in the field; they were not near a town -where it might be turned into money: the chief danger was that Machado, -who had clearly thought of making use of the hydroplane, would not have -neglected to furnish himself with the necessary fuel. Will wished that -he had thought of reassuring himself on this all-important point before -leaving the camp; but being now so near the recess in which the -hydroplane was laid up, he decided to make sure first that the vessel -was still where he had left it. - -Having come now into the wood, the natives were again afraid of -encountering danger in the shape of reptiles or wild beasts. Fortunately -Will had some matches in his pocket. He got Azito and Jose to collect -some dry grass and twist it up into a couple of rough torches, and -setting light to one of these they hurried to the bank above the recess. -The wood was so thick and the enemy's camp so far away that there was no -danger of the light being seen. Kindling the second torch, Will dropped -the first into the water. The glare caused a great commotion among the -inhabitants; he saw frogs hopping about in all directions, and eels -darting away towards the river. At the further end of the recess, just -beyond the stern of the hydroplane, a cayman slipped off the bank into -the water and swam away. A cursory inspection of the vessel assured -Will that it had not been tampered with. Relieved on this score, he -determined to return at once to the old camp and make a search for the -petrol. - -They lighted their way back through the wood, but extinguished the torch -before emerging into the open. Then, aided by the rays of the rising -moon, they groped towards the godown, a temporary wooden hut, in which -the petrol with other stores had been kept. Just in front of the door -was a petrol can, which Will proved by shaking it to be half empty. -Apparently the rebels had been examining the contents and left it as -worthless to them. Within the hut stood two cans which had not been -touched. All cause for anxiety was removed. - -Will ordered the two men to carry the cans down to the hydroplane. On -the Orinoco petrol was a commodity hard to come by, and though he would -rather not have loaded his light craft with more than was immediately -needed, he thought it advisable to take all that he had while there was -opportunity. The cans were so heavy that only one could be carried at a -time. When they came to the wood Will preceded the two men with a -torch, at a safe distance. On his second return to the camp he sought -everywhere in the hope of finding food; but all the useful stores had -been removed, and he had to resign himself to the prospect of fasting -until he reached Santa Marta. - -It was three o'clock in the morning before Will had overhauled and oiled -the machinery and got the hydroplane ready for starting. He had five -hours before the train conveying General Carabano and his troops would -leave, and since the hydroplane at full speed would travel faster than -the train, he would have had no anxiety about reaching Santa Marta first -if he could have gone at full speed all the way. But the distance to -the junction was not only twenty miles farther by water than by rail: -for the first seven or eight miles he would have to go very slowly, -because it would be impossible to make pace in the darkness on the -narrow, shallow stream that ran past the hacienda. There would be the -danger of striking snags, and the further danger of the throbbing of the -engine being heard in the camp. The second danger was so serious that -Will decided to trust to the current alone until he was safely past the -rebel army. As soon as he should come into the broader stream, which -ran into the Orinoco near the railway junction, he might make full use -of his motor; but the rate of the current was probably not more than -three miles an hour, so that it might be full daylight before he emerged -into the tributary. He would then be only about an hour and a half in -advance of the train, a rather narrow margin when the windings of the -stream were considered. - -At last all was ready. Will had given careful instructions to his -companions as to what they were to do. Jose would remain with him in -the stern of the vessel; Azito was to stand as far forward as possible, -holding a pole in readiness to fend off obstructions. While they were -going slowly he could take up his position at the extreme forepart of -the screen, but when it was necessary to make the vessel "plane"--that -is, rise out of the water and skim along the surface, which was its -special function--he would have to draw back, so that his weight should -not interfere with the planing. Jose was to be ready to oil the engine -whenever his master gave the word. - -They went on board. Will poled the vessel out of the recess into the -little stream, turned her head towards the hacienda, and let her float -on the current. For hundreds of yards at a time she moved in inky -darkness. The trees on both banks, growing far over the narrow channel, -sometimes indeed meeting and forming a tunnel so low that Azito had to -stoop, shut out all light of moon and stars. Now and then they came -into a bright patch where a gap in the foliage let the moonlight -through. At such points Will more than once saw the snout of a cayman; -but there was no fear of molestation from any of the wild denizens of -the stream: the passage of so strange a monster would imbue them with a -wholesome terror. - -As they floated slowly down, Will became possessed with a new anxiety. -Would Machado suspect that he had got out the hydroplane and be on the -watch for him where the canal entered the stream? If that should prove -to be the case he might have to run the gauntlet of hundreds of rifles, -with the smallest chance of getting through alive. Two considerations -gave him hope that he might be spared this ordeal. In the first place, -Machado could not know that he had overheard the conversation with -General Carabano, and might suppose that his first move would be an -attempt to release his friends. In the second place the Venezuelans are -not early risers, and Machado would hardly expect to see the hydroplane -before daylight. Of course, with a momentous expedition afoot, the -Spanish sluggishness might be temporarily overcome: Will could only hope -for the best. If he should be discovered, he determined to set the -vessel going at full speed and take his chance. - -There were already signs of dawn when the hydroplane came silently to -the opening of the canal. The frogs had ceased to croak; but birds were -piping in the trees. From the house, too, and the adjacent camp, came -sounds of bustle. Preparations were evidently being made for the raid -on Bolivar. Will looked round anxiously, half expecting to see, through -the haze, hundreds of rifles pointed at him from the bank. But he -passed the canal in safety; no one challenged him; and he felt a -wonderful relief and hopefulness in the knowledge that the first of the -expected dangers had turned out to be a chimera. - -Day broke when the vessel had reached a spot about a mile below the -hacienda. It was possible now to increase the speed by punting, and -Will ordered Azito to employ his pole in this way. After another mile -he ventured to set the motor going, at first at low speed, since he was -still anxious that the sound of the engine should not be carried to the -camp. If the train had started now, it would have reached a point where -fifty men with rifles, posted on the bank of the stream, could have made -the passage impossible. Will looked at his watch; he had still nearly -an hour to spare, unless General Carabano had altered his plans. - -In a few minutes he came into the stream which ran into the Orinoco -nearly fifty miles beyond. Now with a sense of gladness and -exhilaration he set the motor at full speed, at the same time ordering -Azito to withdraw a few feet towards the stern. In a few seconds the -forepart of the vessel lifted; it skimmed along the surface of the -stream; and the banks began to whizz past at twenty, thirty, and -presently forty miles an hour. At first Azito was somewhat scared at -the pace, but after a few minutes he became possessed by the excitement -of it, and behaved as if he had been born on a hydroplane. The task -Will set him was to keep a good look-out ahead, and give warning by a -gesture of either hand of any obstruction in the river, so that Will, -who from his position in the stern could not see so well, might steer -the vessel, and keep it going at a greater speed than would otherwise -have been possible. Will felt that he was running very considerable -risks, but speed was of the highest importance. If the train got ahead -of him all would be lost: so he cheerfully took chances which he might -have shrunk from at another time. - -To steer the vessel demanded the utmost watchfulness from both Will and -Azito. The river, though broad in parts, was narrow and tortuous at -others, and was here and there intersected by rocks and islands, and -snags in the shape of waterlogged trees. It was these latter that gave -Will the most anxiety. But Azito, who like most Indians was expert in -canoeing, and had keen eyesight and a perfect acquaintance with rivers, -kept a sharp look-out and proved to have great judgment in detecting -snags. With a movement of the right hand or the left he indicated to -which side the hydroplane should be steered, and soon Will trusted his -guidance implicitly, putting the helm to port or starboard in response -to the slightest gesture. Once or twice also, when the rocks were -numerous, Azito cried that it would be dangerous to go so fast, and Will -immediately slowed down, loth though he was to lose a minute. The -engine worked magnificently. The greatest danger to be feared was -overheating; but thanks to the ventilators and Jose's constant attention -in oiling, Will found that even after a good spell at full speed there -was no sign of a breakdown. - -For a long distance they were not in sight of the railway line, which -followed a more direct course than the river, and, even when it -approached it, was concealed by the thick vegetation on the banks. But -they came at length to a more open stretch of country where the line ran -for miles at an average distance of less than a quarter-mile from the -stream. Here Will, slowing down a little, looked anxiously down the -track. There was no sign of the train, which, if it started at the time -arranged, was certainly due to pass within half-an-hour or less. Again -the river wound away from the line, making a bend which involved -probably an extra mile. When they again came in view of the track, Will -could see along it for two or three miles; still there was no sign of -the train. - -For the next ten miles railway and river ran almost parallel; then the -river passed under the bridge carrying the main railway line and joined -the Orinoco. Here the branch line saved two or three miles. When the -hydroplane came into the broad stream of the Orinoco Will kept as close -as possible to the right bank. He was now able to steer a straighter -course than on the tributary, and had no need to slacken speed on -account of bends. Although he believed that he must be still -considerably in advance of the train he kept up full speed for almost an -hour more, and then arrived at a point where he could see the little -station of Santa Marta nearly a mile away to his right. A narrow canal, -just wide enough for the hydroplane, connected the station with the -river. It was used for carrying goods to the railway, and had been -found very serviceable by Mr. Jackson in his work on the branch line, -some of his material having been brought up the river and landed there, -thus saving the heavy port dues that would have been demanded in Bolivar -itself. - -Swinging round into the canal, Will saw that there was no barge either -coming or going on it. If there had been, it would have been impossible -to run the hydroplane to the station. In a few minutes he brought the -vessel to the side of the little wharf below the railway line, and -leaving it in charge of the two natives, hurried on by himself. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--THE ATTACK ON CIUDAD BOLIVAR - - -The station of Santa Marta was so small that its only permanent staff -was the station-master and a boy, the former being also signalman. Will -had seen him several times, and had once before visited the place in his -hydroplane, so that the man was not at all surprised when he entered his -room. - -"Good-morning, senor," said Will, knowing that, however urgent his -mission was, the Spaniard would not pardon a neglect of the customary -civilities. - -"Good-morning, senor," returned the man. "I have easy work to-day. All -traffic is suspended. It would give me great pleasure to be permitted -to enjoy a ride in your wonderful vessel." - -"I am afraid your information is imperfect, senor. General Carabano has -seized railhead, and is coming before long with a train full of soldiers -to make an attack on Bolivar. I have come to warn the Jefe. Will you -send a wire at once giving him information?" - -"This is surprising, senor. I had word from Bolivar that all traffic -was suspended, but no explanation. When will General Carabano arrive?" - -"Really, senor, there is no time for particulars. He is coming now; he -is on the way; he may be here at any minute; and he intends to seize the -station and flay you alive if you don't join him." - -This had the intended effect of overcoming the Spaniard's habitual -sluggishness. He quickly flashed a message to Bolivar, giving Will's -name (ludicrously misspelt) as his informant. In a few minutes he -received an answer, saying that the message was received, and bidding -him secure what cash and valuables he had and leave the station. -Meanwhile his wife, to whom he had explained the situation, got a few -things together, dressed her child, and hurried down to the hydroplane, -Will having offered to give them all a passage to the city. It occurred -to him that the General would be delayed if the train could be switched -into a siding adjoining the station. While the Spaniard was engaged at -the telegraph instrument, Will ran on to the line, rushed to the -hand-switch, pulled it over, and locked it. Just as he was mounting the -platform again, he saw the smoke of the engine about two miles down the -line. - -"There is no time to be lost, senor," he said, running into the -station-master's room. "The train will be here in four minutes or less. -There'll be a smash if it runs into the siding at speed, but the -engine-driver may see that the lever points the wrong way, and that will -give us time to get to the river." - -The two hurried out, and boarded the hydroplane, which Jose and the -Indian had turned round within the narrow limits of the canal so that -its head pointed towards the Orinoco. Will felt that his little vessel -was much overloaded, especially as the forepart could not be used, or -planing would be impossible. He set off down the canal, and was -half-way to the river before the train arrived. The engine-driver had -slackened speed; evidently the General intended to stop and seize the -station, and probably also to question the station-master. A shout from -the train warned Will that he had been seen, and he smiled to think of -Machado's rage and mortification. "He will wish he hadn't said so much -to Carabano," he thought. - -The changing of the points escaped the engine-driver's notice until he -was nearly on the siding. He jammed on the brakes, but was unable to -avoid being switched off the main track; then he had to back out and -alter the points. This took three or four minutes, so that by the time -the train had started again the hydroplane had turned into the Orinoco -and was almost level with it. Will felt all the excitement and -enjoyment of a race, though he was not now specially concerned to get -far ahead of the train: the warning had been given. The train followed -the more direct course, and the smoke of the engine was only -occasionally visible among the trees. Will, overladen as the little -craft was, managed to keep abreast of the train, and so they ran on, -neck and neck, until they were within seven or eight miles of Bolivar. -Then Will heard a muffled explosion. He guessed what it meant, and -found a mile farther on that he was right. One of the arches of a long -culvert had been blown up. There was a six or seven-mile march before -General Carabano. - -Will pushed on. As he drew nearer to the city he heard the sound of -firing. Apparently Colonel Orellana had already developed his attack on -the south-east. "He wants to get in first, and turn liberator of the -Republic instead of Carabano," thought Will. In a few minutes he ran -the hydroplane alongside of the landing-stage, unchallenged: clearly no -attack had been expected on this quarter. He left the vessel in charge -of the two natives and hastened along the Calle de Coco with the -station-master to seek the Jefe. He had already been introduced to that -worthy official; indeed, he had thoroughly enjoyed himself at a ball -given by the Jefe during a short stay in the city with Mr. Jackson. - -There was a great commotion in the streets. Officers and orderlies were -galloping in all directions, troops hastening from one part of the city -to another, many of the men being civilians armed for the nonce. -Shopkeepers were barricading their windows; peons were throwing -barricades across the principal streets; here and there were the -inevitable loafers, lolling against the walls and smoking as if all was -peaceful and serene. Will hurried along, towards the Alameda, and came -to the Town Hall, the portico of which was thronged. He pushed his way -in, with the station-master, and sent up his name. He waited for some -time; nobody came to fetch him; and in fact, the Jefe was so busily -engaged in arranging for the defence of the city that he had scarcely -heeded the functionary who informed him of Will's presence. It was -doubtful whether his name was properly pronounced. Will was, however, -determined to see him. He felt a certain compunction in leaving his -friends captive at the hacienda while he occupied himself with the -affairs of a State to which he owed nothing. He reflected that if he -had lain low until the rebels had started, he might have found an -opportunity of releasing them--unless perchance General Carabano had -brought them with him. Certainly he owed it to them to make an -immediate application to the Jefe on their behalf. - -At last he grew impatient, and asked a passing official whether he could -not go up to the Jefe. - -"His Excellency is too much engaged to give audience, senor," was the -reply, and the man passed on without waiting for more. - -Suddenly remembrance came to Will. - -"Isn't your aunt's uncle engaged in the administration?" he asked the -station-master. - -"My mother's cousin, senor. I was not aware that you knew it." - -"Then please will you send a message to your mother's cousin and see -whether he cannot bring us to the Jefe," said Will, stifling a -temptation to shake the man. - -"But he is a high official, senor; he may be displeased." - -"Good heavens! Don't you see it's the chance of your life! You are the -man who sent the warning telegram from Santa Marta. Get your mother's -cousin to take you to the Jefe: he may make you superintendent of the -line." - -This vision of glory was sufficiently dazzling to overcome the -station-master's reluctance to trouble his relative. Mentioning the -official's name, he was led along a corridor and ushered into his -presence. A few words explained his errand; then the assistant -secretary said he would certainly introduce him to the Jefe as the man -whose timely warning had been so valuable. Will accompanied them to the -room in which the Jefe sat, among a throng of officers. The assistant -secretary presented his relative, magnifying his promptitude and zeal -for the State. The Jefe embraced him: then, recognizing Will, gave him -a finger. - -"The Republic thanks you, senor," he said to the station-master; "the -President will reward you. Your warning gave us time to blow up the -culvert, and if I can hold the rebel Colonel Orellana at bay, I may be -able to vanquish General Carabano himself. By a malign stroke of fate, -scarcely an hour before I received your message, three hundred of my -best troops left by steamer for Caracas, sadly reducing my garrison." - -"Did you not receive a telegram from Caracas ordering the dispatch of -these reinforcements, Excellency?" asked Will. - -"That is true, senor," replied the Jefe, with a look of surprise. - -"The order was fabricated, Excellency," said Will at once. "It was part -of General Carabano's plan, managed with the connivance of one of your -telegraph staff. His name is--let me think: Perugia--no, Pereira." - -"Do you say so, senor?" cried the Jefe, springing up in agitation. "How -do you know it?" - -"I overheard a conversation between General Carabano and my Company's -telegraphist, who has joined the rebels." - -"Caramba! could anything be more unfortunate--or more atrocious! Captain -Guzman, be so good as to have this Pereira instantly arrested. Would -that I could recall the troops! But by this time they are twelve miles -down-stream." - -An idea struck Will. - -"I have my hydroplane at the quay, Excellency," he said, "and if the -steamer left only an hour ago I can easily overtake it if you will give -me an order recalling the troops. In less than three hours they will be -at your Excellency's disposal." - -The Jefe grasped both his hands and shook them warmly. - -"I cannot sufficiently thank you, senor. You will do the State a great -service. If the troops return within that time they will be here almost -as soon as General Carabano; it may be our salvation. Do not delay, I -beg you." - -"I must have a written order, Excellency." - -"Assuredly. Senor Crespo" (addressing the assistant secretary), "kindly -make out the order for my signature at once." - -He turned to speak to his officers. The station-master, finding himself -forgotten, stood looking very ill at ease. In a few moments the order -was signed, and Will took his leave. Hurrying through the streets, he -remembered that he was hungry and stopped at a shop to buy bread and -cheese. But putting his hand into his pocket for the money, he -discovered that he was without a single peseta. - -"I came away in a hurry," he said to the scowling shopkeeper. "Look, -here is an order signed by the Jefe; my mission is urgent, I will pay -you when I get back, at the offices of the British Asphalt Company of -Guayana." - -"Very well, senor," said the man, to whom the name of the Company was -well known: and Will hurried off, carrying enough food to provide -himself and his two companions with a substantial meal. - -Five minutes afterwards he sprang on board the hydroplane, cast off, and -set her going at full speed. The current was with him, and the vessel -whizzed along at forty knots, Azito standing with his pole a few feet -from the wind screen, holding in his left hand a hunch of bread from -which he took a bite occasionally. Will employed his left hand in the -same way, steering with the right. - -Caracas, he knew, was several hundreds of miles distant from Ciudad -Bolivar by water. The steamer would run with the tide to the mouth of -the river, or strike out by one of its arms to the sea, and then follow -the coast-line. Will knew that he could overtake it long before it -reached the mouth. Indeed, in less than half-an-hour Azito reported -that he saw its smoke in the distance. Five minutes afterwards it was -clearly visible as a spot on the river's broad expanse, and in yet -another five minutes the hydroplane was alongside, Will shouting to the -crowded deck that he had a message of recall from the Jefe. The steamer -slowed down and stopped: Will clambered on board and handed the order to -the officer in command. The vessel was instantly put about; the engines -were forced to their utmost, and huge volumes of black smoke poured from -the funnels, the hydroplane being made fast with a rope and towed. - -The steamer was now moving against the current, and it seemed to Will to -go at a snail's pace in comparison with the hydroplane. He became so -bored with the slow progress and the officer's questions about his -vessel that he made up his mind to quit the steamer and hasten back in -advance, to inform the Jefe that the troops were on the way to his -relief. He called to Jose to start the motor and drive the hydroplane -alongside, slipped over by means of a rope, and was soon careering ahead -of the steamer at three times its speed. - -When he arrived within a few miles of the city he heard heavy firing, -and as he drew nearer he recognized that the attack was being pressed in -two quarters. Evidently General Carabano had made a very rapid march -from the broken culvert. On reaching the quay, he left Jose and Azito -in charge of the hydroplane as before, and hurried along the deserted -streets to the Town Hall. The Jefe was absent. He had taken the -command against General Carabano on the south-west, while Captain Guzman -was engaged with Colonel Orellana on the south-east. Will hastened on -to find the Jefe. He discovered him a short distance south of the town, -on rising ground, his front protected by the walls of two or three -gardens. - -The Jefe was decidedly flurried. He had only three or four hundred men -against a force which he estimated to number nearly eight hundred. Will -wondered how so many had been squeezed into the train. They must have -been packed like sardines. Three guns had been drawn to the spot and -unlimbered behind the walls; but the Jefe, when Will told him that the -steamer was coming down at full speed, explained with much vehemence -that when his artillerymen tried to fire the guns they found that the -powder was mixed with sand. Will was not surprised. Some official had -no doubt made a little fortune out of the contract. - -General Carabano's attack had been twice rolled back, but he had now -divided his force into two portions. One threatened the front of the -Jefe's position, from the reverse slope of a hill about a quarter of a -mile distant; the other was working through a small wood to the west, -with the evident intention of taking the position in flank. Indeed, -just after Will arrived, an enfilading fire broke out on the right, and -began to thin the ranks of the men holding the gardens, for the wood -through which the enemy was approaching was at a somewhat higher level, -so that the defenders lost the protection of the wall running at right -angles to their front. The position was already no longer tenable, and -the Jefe, who had no great confidence in his men's steadiness, began to -withdraw them by twenties behind barricades thrown up at the end of two -streets leading towards the middle of the city. The retirement was -hailed with loud shouts by the enemy, who, emboldened by their success, -came pouring out of the wood, pressing the Government troops hard. The -last of these to leave the gardens were closely followed by the main -body of the enemy under General Carabano himself. They came yelling -forward right up to the barricades. Then, however, they were met by a -galling fire from the men already in position; and the General's voice -could be heard ordering them to scatter and take refuge in the gardens -which had lately sheltered their opponents. - -It was obvious that the barricades could not be taken by direct assault -without heavy loss, but the General was equal to the difficulty. While -his men kept up a dropping fire from the garden, the flanking force, -under Captain Espejo, skirmishing along under cover of broken country, -gained a point some hundred yards beyond the barricades, and then, -swinging to their right, charged through a cross lane, a movement which -threatened the rear of the defenders and placed them between two fires. -The Jefe saw his peril in time, and withdrew his men hurriedly from the -barricade, occupying houses commanding the intersection of the streets -with the lane. - -He had barely completed this operation when he saw his mistake. He was -in a trap. His force was no longer mobile. The enemy, protected by the -barricades which he himself had raised, could prevent him from leaving -the houses, while he, though the buildings to some extent commanded the -barricades, was quite unable to bring to bear upon the enemy a fire -destructive enough to drive them away. General Carabano's intentions -were soon clear. He ordered up Captain Espejo, and left him to hold the -Jefe in check, while preparing himself to detach the rest of his men and -press on by a flank march towards the centre of the city, which was -practically undefended. This division of his force, which would have -been hazardous in face of superior numbers, was perfectly safe in the -unfortunate situation in which the Jefe was placed. - -During these exciting moments Will had remained with the Jefe. That -poor harassed man was in great distress of mind at having allowed -himself thus to be cut off. - -"How long will the steamer be?" he asked Will anxiously, standing at a -window. - -"It can't be far off, Excellency," replied Will. "Shall I go and hurry -up the reinforcements?" - -"It is a generous offer, senor, but impossible to carry out. You would -certainly be shot." - -"I am not so sure, Excellency. Captain Espejo's men are all beyond the -barricades: the General is now some distance away; if you pour in a hot -fire on the barricades when I slip out I think I might escape." - -"You are a stranger, senor. You have no reason to imperil your life in -our unhappy cause." - -"But the very existence of my Company depends on your crushing General -Carabano, Excellency. I am willing to take the risk." - -"I can say no more, senor. Give me a signal when you reach the door and -I will do my best for you." - -Will instantly ran down the stairs. He stood at the door for a moment -to make sure that the street to the right was clear; then, shouting to -the Jefe, he sprinted away. Instantly there was a rattle of musketry -from the windows above. Will ran a few yards up the street, one or two -bullets whizzing perilously close, then darted into an alley on his -right and made at full speed towards the river. - -The city seemed to be deserted. All the civilians had barricaded -themselves in their houses. When Will reached the quay, he saw the -smoke of the steamer about a mile away. Springing into the hydroplane, -he started it down-stream, and on meeting the vessel, swung round and -explained in a few hurried sentences to the officer in command what was -happening. The officer, who appeared to be a capable soldier, was alive -to the situation. If General Carabano swooped down on the rear of -Captain Guzman's force, engaged in an unequal struggle with Colonel -Orellana in the south-east of the city, he might easily crush the -defence in that quarter. He could then join hands with Captain Espejo -and sweep the city from end to end. It was obviously the first duty of -the reinforcements to save the garrison on the southeast from being -crushed, and there was no time to be lost. - -Accordingly the steamer went on until it reached the quay. The troops -were landed, hastily formed up, and led up the steep hill streets -towards the danger point, from which the sound of continuous firing, now -much louder than when Will came through the city, showed that Captain -Guzman was being hard pressed. - -The reinforcements had barely begun the advance when a loud outburst of -firing was heard, apparently not more than a few hundred yards away. -There could be no doubt that General Carabano had crossed the city and -was now falling on the rear of the garrison. Will had had no military -training or experience, but he realized how critical the situation was. -If Captain Guzman's defence was broken, it was doubtful whether, even -with the aid of the reinforcements, the city could be saved. The -officer, Colonel Blanco, ordered his men to double and to refrain from -shouting. - -"Go back, senor," he cried to Will: "you will be in danger." - -"Not a bit of it," replied Will, in the grip of intense excitement. - -He ran along beside the Colonel, wishing that he had had the forethought -to borrow a rifle before he left the Jefe. He did not pause to consider -that he was properly a non-combatant; he was in fact too much excited to -think of his own position at all. - -The head of the little column soon came in view of a large plaza, so -full of smoke that it was impossible to see whether the men firing were -friends or foes. But in a few moments Will caught sight of a number of -Indians, wearing green feathers, swarming out of one of the streets -opening on the plaza. - -"They are General Carabano's bloodhounds," cried Will. - -"Charge!" shouted the Colonel. - -With a great shout the men sprang impetuously forward. Behind the -Indians Will saw General Carabano's towering form. He was evidently -taken by surprise at the sudden appearance of a force from an unexpected -quarter; but he called to his men to swing round, and with wild cries, -in no order, Indians and Venezuelans charged straight for the head of -the column. There was no time to fire. The two bodies came together -with a shock, and then began a desperate hand to hand fight in which -bayonets, clubbed rifles, lances, machetes, swords, revolvers, all -played a part. - -Will began to wish he had not been so impetuous. He was in the thick of -it now, pressed upon so closely that it was impossible to escape from -the mellay. For some minutes he dodged this way and that, with no other -thought than to avoid the enemy's weapons. He was in some measure -protected by the very denseness of the struggling mass, which was jammed -so tight that there was little room for wielding arms of any kind. But -presently, as the swaying throng thinned a little, a furious llanero -lunged at him with his bayonet. It shaved his shoulder almost by a -hair's-breadth, only missing his chest because the man stumbled over one -of Blanco's soldiers who had just fallen. Will's blood was up. Before -the llanero recovered his footing, Will let drive at him with his right -fist, at the same time gripping his rifle by the barrel with the left. -A vigorous wrench forced it from the man's hand. Will had just time to -change it to his right hand when two yelling Indians sprang at him with -machetes. He parried the stroke of one, catching it on the barrel, and -dropped on his knee, in the nick of time to evade a sweeping blow from -the weapon of the other, which shaved the top clean off his sun-helmet. - -"Bravo!" shouted Colonel Blanco, felling the first man with his -revolver. Then Will, springing up as the second Indian stumbled past -him, brought the stock of the rifle down on the man's head, and he fell -like a log. - -By this time the rest of Colonel Blanco's column had forced its way into -the plaza and closed round the surging mass of men. Their rifles were -loaded; they fired one volley into the rear ranks of the enemy, careful -not to hit their friends; then they too clubbed their rifles and joined -doughtily in the fray. They were fresh; General Carabano's men were -weary with their forced march and the ensuing struggle. The General's -loud voice could be heard above the din, shouting to his men to reform -their ranks. But he might as well have harangued a flock of sheep. Nor -was there more order in Colonel Blanco's force. There was not so much -method in the fighting as in a Rugby scrimmage. - -Numbers began to tell. There were signs of wavering among the enemy. -Colonel Blanco seized the moment to shout to his men to press home the -charge. Some of the Indians were seen making across the plaza, almost -sweeping the General off his feet. He slashed at them as they passed, -commanding them to stand; but his men were falling back; Colonel Blanco -had succeeded in forming a line; and the General, recognizing that the -game was up, ordered the retreat. Will was amazed to see how fast so -big a man could run. Colonel Blanco set off at the head of his men in -pursuit, but the enemy scattered, running like hares into the various -streets on the south side of the plaza. Several were overtaken and cut -down, but the remainder made good their escape and fled from the city -into the open country. - -There were still sounds of firing to the southeast, and Colonel Blanco -swung his column round to go to the relief of Captain Guzman. He -reached him at a moment when his men, exhausted with their long -struggle, were giving way before the superior numbers of Colonel -Orellana. The sudden appearance of the reinforcements turned the tide. -Seeing Government troops instead of those of General Carabano, which he -had expected, Colonel Orellana recognized that their plan had in some -way miscarried, and drew off his men in good order. Colonel Blanco -deemed it inadvisable to pursue until he had assured himself of the -relinquishment of the attack on the Jefe. Hurrying back across the -city, he found that Captain Espejo had learnt of his chief's -discomfiture, and was already in full flight. The raid had failed -utterly; and Colonel Blanco, joining hands with the Jefe, declared that -the revolution was snuffed out. - - - - -CHAPTER X--SCOUTING - - -The guest of honour at the Jefe's banquet that evening was not the -station-master of Santa Marta, who, it is to be feared, was left out in -the cold, but William Pentelow. His health was drunk (in very bad -wine), and he had to listen, as comfortably as he could, to some very -high-flown speeches, in which he was hailed as the true Liberator of -Venezuela. Will, who was a modest fellow, took all this for what it was -worth, which, he was inclined to think, was very little. - -The truth is that he was not in the mood for junketing. Before the -banquet the Jefe had granted him a private audience, and he related full -particulars of what had happened at railhead. He ended by asking the -Jefe to use his influence and authority to procure the liberation of Mr. -Jackson and his subordinates. The Jefe was very sympathetic, but -confessed frankly that he saw no present means of helping the -Englishmen. - -"It is most distressing, senor," he said, "but you see my unfortunate -position. I am not strong enough to follow up the defeated rebels. I -cannot leave the city totally unguarded, and my whole force is inferior -in numbers to those of General Carabano and Colonel Orellana. I can -expect no help from Caracas at present, and, as you are doubtless aware, -there are no garrisons in the smaller towns touched by the railway. -Besides, I have no doubt that General Carabano has entrained his men, -and returned to the place from which he started, and since the culvert -is broken, it is impossible to follow him up by train. As soon as the -revolt in Valencia is suppressed, the President will certainly take -strong measures against General Carabano, who until then must, I fear, -be left unmolested. A mere remonstrance with him on the treatment of -your colleagues, unbacked by force, would be futile. I will certainly -telegraph to Caracas, giving the particulars I have learnt from you, and -asking for instructions; but I do not expect that anything practical -will come of it immediately. At present I can only hold this city for -the Government. If I may counsel you, I say, remain here for the -present. I do not anticipate that your friends will suffer personal -harm; General Carabano will certainly have a wholesome respect for the -far-reaching arm of your great country. I shall not fail to represent -your distinguished services in the highest quarters, and without doubt -the President will know how to recognize them adequately. In the -meantime I shall be honoured by your presence at the banquet I am giving -to-night in celebration of our victory." - -This was very cold comfort; but Will was not unreasonable, and on -reflection he acknowledged that the Jefe could not very well take any -active steps on behalf of his friends. He decided at any rate to wait -until an answer had been received from Caracas, which might be expected -during the following day. - -Scouts who had been sent out to watch the retreating columns reported -that the retirement was definitive. Colonel Orellana had marched -southward round the swamps, while General Carabano had entrained his men -beyond the culvert and started down the line, presumably to return to -his camp at De Mello's hacienda. - -Next morning the Jefe decided to send a portion of his troops by steamer -to the junction, to capture the station staff, who had clearly espoused -the rebels' cause. When Colonel Blanco returned in the evening, he -reported that he had found the station deserted. Since the destruction -of the culvert six miles west of Bolivar had rendered the line useless -at present for Government troops, the Colonel had thought it wise to -prevent General Carabano from attempting another dash on the city. -Accordingly he had torn up a hundred yards of the track on this side of -the junction. This left the rebels in possession of the branch line, -which would, however, be of little use to them. The Colonel had not -broken the telegraph wires. The traitor Pereira in Bolivar had been -flung into jail, so that there was no danger of further mischief -concerted between him and his friend Machado. - -Meanwhile Will had spent an unhappy day. Some of the younger officers -seemed disposed to continue indefinitely the revellings of the previous -night, and he had great difficulty in excusing himself from -participation in them without appearing discourteous. He took the -opportunity of paying a visit to the offices of the Company. The agent, -an Englishman, was greatly distressed at what had occurred, and cabled -information to the head offices in London, leaving it to the directors -to make representations to the Foreign Office. He advanced a quarter's -salary to Will, who bought a revolver and a supply of petrol, together -with a considerable quantity of food which he stored in the hydroplane. - -An hour before Colonel Blanco's return from the junction, the Jefe sent -for Will. - -"I have disagreeable news for you, senor," he said. "This afternoon I -received a telegram from General Carabano saying that your superior, -having taken arms against the Liberator, is now held to ransom. He -threatens that unless he receives within three days 60,000 pesos for -Senor Jackson and 12,000 for each of his subordinates they will be -shot." - -Will gasped. He knew without telling that to raise so large a sum as -L7,000 would be impossible. - -"I telegraphed this demand to Caracas, having already informed the -President of what you told me yesterday," continued the Jefe. "I have -his reply here. He says that he deeply regrets the outrage to which -your friends have been subjected, but the permanent interests of your -Company will be better served by strengthening my position here than by -attempting a rescue with a totally inadequate force. He adds that the -payment of a ransom is out of the question. It would merely strengthen -General Carabano's position, and his demand must be resisted on public -grounds ay in the highest degree dangerous." - -"Surely he will not allow three inoffensive Englishmen to be shot," -exclaimed Will, indignantly. - -"It is deplorable," replied the Jefe, "but what can be done? General -Carabano will hesitate before taking so extreme a step, which would -utterly ruin any chance he may have of usurping authority, even if he -could overcome us by force of arms." - -"I am not so sure of that," said Will bitterly. "From what I have seen -and heard of the General I believe him to be utterly unscrupulous and -capable of any atrocity, to satisfy his spite if for no other reason, -for you remember, Excellency, that it was my Chief's firmness that -prevented him from vastly increasing his resources." - -"Senor Jackson indeed merits the thanks of the Republic, senor, and I am -greatly concerned at his unfortunate position. But, as you see, I am -helpless, and I can only hope that General Carabano will be restrained -by considerations of prudence from committing what would undoubtedly be -a most heinous crime." - -Will saw that, had he been in the Governor's place, he could hardly have -done otherwise. But though official action was impossible, he felt that -he could not himself remain securely in Bolivar while his friends were -in dire peril. He was at a loss to think of any effectual means of -helping them, but he could at least return to the hacienda on the -chance, small though it must be, of intervening in their behalf. It -flashed upon him--and the thought was a ray of hope--that the General -had possibly been bluffing, and that the Englishmen were no longer his -prisoners. He could not have left a large guard over them; they might -have escaped. At any rate, Will decided that he must return at once and -see for himself how matters stood. - -Twenty minutes after his interview with the Jefe he was again on board -the hydroplane with Jose and Azito. A few miles up the river he met -Colonel Blanco's steamer returning, and learnt what had been done at the -junction. Then he set off again, hoping to reach the neighbourhood of -the hacienda soon after dark. But reflecting that his supply of petrol -was limited, and he would have no chance of replenishing it, he -contented himself with an average speed of some twenty knots, and it was -dark before he reached the junction. Just at this time it happened that -something went wrong with the engine, and since he did not care to risk -an absolute breakdown, and could not discover the defect in the -darkness, he felt it necessary to lie up until morning. Accordingly he -ran the vessel into a small secluded creek, well sheltered by trees, and -made his way with Jose and the Indian to the deserted station, where -they ate a meal and fixed their quarters for the night, each taking a -turn to watch. - -As soon as it was light they returned to the hydroplane. To repair the -defect was the work of half-an-hour. They were eating their breakfast -on board the vessel when Azito declared that he heard a train -approaching. The creek was so well screened by the foliage that there -was no fear of their being seen from the railway line; but it was -possible to observe through the leaves what happened when the train drew -level. It consisted of three trucks filled with men, and Will felt sure -he saw the burly form of Captain Espejo standing beside the -engine-driver on his cab. He wondered whether they had got wind of the -coming of the hydroplane, and had come to intercept it. This seemed -very unlikely, for the news would not have reached them by telegraph now -that Pereira had been removed and the staff at the junction had -decamped. True, the hydroplane had been seen as it passed river-side -villages, and it had met and overtaken several craft on the way--barges, -skiffs, and Indian canoes. But it had outstripped all vessels going in -the same direction, and it must have been impossible for any of their -occupants to have given information to the rebels. A more reasonable -explanation was that they had heard of the visit of Colonel Blanco, and -Captain Espejo had come to discover what had happened at the junction, -and whether any movement was being made from Bolivar. General Carabano -was probably unaware of the exact strength of the reinforcements to -which he owed his defeat, and would naturally be somewhat nervous lest -he should be followed up. - -The train came to a standstill where the line had been torn up. Captain -Espejo descended from the engine and some of his men from the trucks, -and they walked along the track and into the station. Will had already -decided that it would be inadvisable to continue his journey until the -approach of evening. He chafed at the delay, but there would be too -great a risk of being seen, or of the throbbing of the engine being -heard, to venture further in the daylight, especially as the line was -being used. After the train had returned, therefore--the engine running -backwards, the siding at the station having been destroyed--he settled -himself in the boat to make up for the broken sleep of the night. - -When he awoke, he thought over what was before him. It was impossible -to prepare a definite plan of operations. His first object must be to -discover whether the three Englishmen were still in the camp, and still -imprisoned in the stables. This seemed to him unlikely. His own escape -would probably have led to a change of quarters, unless indeed the -General had adopted the precaution of patrolling all sides of the -stables to prevent a repetition of Will's exploit. He thought with -compunction of the additional rigours the prisoners might have had to -suffer through him. What he should do when he had discovered their -whereabouts must be left to circumstances. He would only have a little -more than one clear day to effect their release before the period named -by General Carabano expired, and he fretted a good deal as he thought of -the possibility that all his efforts might fail. - -After a tedious and anxious day, he ventured to set off a little before -dusk. It was dark when he came into the stream running past the -hacienda. Finding that the wind was blowing strongly from the direction -of the hacienda, he continued to use the engine for a time, not, of -course, planing, but contenting himself with a bare two or three knots. -When this was no longer safe, he stopped the engine and with Azito's -assistance began to pole the vessel up-stream. It was slow and -fatiguing work. But there was no help for it. The hydroplane was too -valuable an accessory to be left where it might be discovered. The first -necessity was to lay it up in security. Then they might go ashore -feeling confident that, however protracted their absence might be, the -vessel would be safe and always available. - -As it passed within sight of the hacienda and the camp Will saw lights, -and suspected from their position that the camp had been shifted. He -would have liked to land and steal up to the stables; Azito offered to -do so: but Will, after a little hesitation, stuck to his resolution to -risk nothing until the hydroplane was in safety. It was fully four -hours before he reached the hollow in the bank. Once or twice in the -darkness the vessel ran aground, and the fear of lurking caymans made -them careful how they moved to get her off. When, shortly after one -o'clock, she was at last moored in the recess, Will was tired out. He -was five miles from the hacienda: by the time he could reach it there -would only be two or three hours of darkness before day broke. It would -be difficult enough to make any discovery at all in the darkness: how -much more difficult when time was limited! In spite of the further -delay involved, Will thought it wise to rest for the remainder of the -night, and to start fresh next morning on whatever course then offered -itself. - -Will had never before spent a night in the hydroplane. Owing perhaps to -his fatigue and his anxieties he felt a little reluctant to do so now, -for though the water in the recess was very shallow, there was a -possibility that a cayman might wander in from the stream, a prospect -not to be thought of without shuddering. Azito and the negro refused -point-blank to sleep in the vessel. The wood had its perils, but they -preferred to rest in a tree. To guard against any danger for himself -Will hit on the plan of tying a string across the entrance of the recess -about a foot above the surface of the water. An empty petrol can was -attached to one end of this, and so carefully balanced that the least -touch on the string would cause it to fall against the bank. The sound -would, he hoped, not only give him warning, but scare away any unwelcome -visitor. However, the night passed without disturbance, and Will, when -he awoke, was ready for anything the day might bring forth. - -It was the third day, the last, of the time allowed by General Carabano -for the ransom of his prisoners. Anything that could be done for them -must be done at once. - -"You and I will go to the hacienda," said Will to the Indian, "and see -if we can find out where the senores are." - -"I go alone, senor," replied Azito. "I can move as quietly as a snake. -No one will hear me. Was it not I that made the hole in the wall? Let -the senor stay here until I bring him word." - -Anxious and impatient though he was, Will had to confess to himself that -Azito's suggestion was reasonable. The Indian was accustomed to the -woods: he might evade observation by a hundred artifices of which Will -was ignorant. In any case one would go more safely than two. - -"Very well," said Will. "Be as quick as you can." - -The Indian slipped noiselessly away. Will spent the first part of the -morning in cleaning the engine. When this was done he moved restlessly -about among the trees, worried because he could do nothing, nor even -form any plans until he had more information. He watched the -bright-coloured birds flitting among the foliage, caught a tree frog, -and examined it with a naturalist's curiosity, followed a cayman as it -hunted for food along the bank; but all this palled upon him after a -time, and as hour after hour passed, and Azito did not return, he became -more and more uneasy. What had happened to the man? Had he fallen into -the clutches of his old master? At the best he would be unmercifully -thrashed; and if by any chance Captain Espejo had learnt of his -association with the Englishmen, as he might do from one of the railway -peons who had been impressed, Will trembled for the poor Indian's fate. - -As the sun rose higher, it became oppressively hot in the moist -atmosphere of the wood. At noon Will and Jose ate a simple dinner; then -the former lay down in the hydroplane to snatch a nap. But the air of -the recess was so stuffy, and insects bit him so ferociously, that at -last he could endure his inactivity no longer. Jose had been several -times to the edge of the wood to watch for Azito's return. When he came -back after one of these excursions, and reported that there was still no -sign of him, Will sprang up. - -"I am going after him, Jose," he said. "You stay here and watch the -boat. Do not leave it until I come." - -He climbed up the bank and set off through the wood. If he went -straight through it, he would emerge almost within bowshot of the -hacienda. It occurred to him that he would run less risk if he came -down on the camp from the opposite side rather than from the river -front. Accordingly he struck off to the right, and presently reached -the margin of the wood near the deserted railway camp. Looking around -to make sure that no one was in sight, he ran across the open space, -still littered with the debris of the camp, and crawled over the -embankment. A few hundred yards on the other side of this was a long -stretch of forest. He entered this, and then turning to the left, -hurried on as fast as he could through the clinging tangled undergrowth. -Here and there the trees thinned and he bent low so that his form should -not show above the vegetation. Sometimes too he came to an expanse of -bare rising ground, and had to go a long way round to avoid it. But the -embankment always served as a screen, and about three o'clock he arrived -at a point where he could hear the distant sounds of the camp and knew -that he was coming within reach of danger. - -Leaving the wood, he climbed the embankment, and lay down at the top to -view the camp. He saw that, as he had guessed when passing it on the -stream, it had been removed, and was now established nearly half-a-mile -away in the grounds of the hacienda, which the tents practically -encircled. He surmised that his escape from the stables had made -General Carabano anxious about his own safety. If a man could get out, -a man could get in, and the General had many enemies. Difficult as -access had been before, it was now immeasurably more difficult, and Will -felt with a sinking heart that his friends' plight was even more serious -than he had believed. - -He was still lying on the embankment, wondering what had become of -Azito, and how he was to do anything for the prisoners, when he suddenly -became aware that he was not alone. He had heard no sound except the -distant hum from the camp. Turning quickly and whipping out his -revolver, but still having the prudence not to rise to his feet, he was -confronted by Azito himself, who had crawled up to his side. He was -conscious now that his heart was thumping wildly against his ribs. - -"I am here, senor," whispered the Indian, unnecessarily. - -The two quickly slid down the embankment and entered the wood. - -"I had given you up," said Will breathlessly. "What have you done?" - -The Indian's story was a very simple and natural one, and Will saw that -his anxiety had been quite baseless. Azito had approached to within a -quarter-mile of the hacienda, and then found himself checked. The camp -was astir; sentries were placed at several points of its circuit; it was -impossible to get in undetected. There was no alternative but to wait. -Will could imagine Azito sitting with the stolid patience of the Indian, -clasping his knees, indifferent to the passage of time. His opportunity -came at noon, when, after the midday meal, everybody but the sentries -retired for a siesta, and even they were drowsy. Slipping round the -camp, he wormed his way through the undergrowth to the back of the -stables. The hole in the wall had not been filled up. There was no -sound from within. Wriggling through the hole, he found that the -stables were deserted. The door was open. All was quiet before the -hacienda. He peeped round to the right. No sentry was posted at the -new stables. Evidently the prisoners had not been transferred to them. -It was impossible to search for them through the camp. Stealthily he -made his way back as he had come, and going a long way round, crossed -the embankment and drew near to the camp again, to view it from the -other side. There was nothing to indicate the whereabouts of the -prisoners. - -"Did you see any one you knew?" asked Will. - -"Senor Machado, senor. I saw him go in and out of the house. Once he -came out with General Carabano." - -"Are there any special guards set in the camp itself?" - -"None, senor, except the sentry at the door. He was asleep against the -wall when I looked out from the stables." - -The absence of special guards in the camp or at the house seemed to -indicate that the prisoners had been removed elsewhere. A horrible fear -that they had already been shot seized upon Will. For a moment he -shuddered in a cold sweat of doubt and dread. But then he remembered -that the period of grace had not yet expired. Furthermore, the -prisoners would be more valuable alive than dead. While they still -lived there was a chance of their being ransomed. General Carabano -would surely, as the Jefe had suggested, hesitate to involve himself in -serious complications with the British Government. A revolutionary -leader can hardly play the remorseless tyrant until success has placed -him beyond criticism. - -But if the prisoners, then, were still alive, as seemed probable, where -were they? So far as Will knew, there was no place in the immediate -neighbourhood to which they could have been taken. He was at a loss how -to make any discovery on this matter without revealing his presence to -the enemy. The camp was astir. To enter it now was impossible. It -seemed that the only thing to do was to return to the recess, and remain -there until night, trying meanwhile to think out some course of action. - -Before he left, however, he determined to climb the embankment once more -for a final look round. Choosing for his ascent a spot a little nearer -to the camp, on gaining the top he caught sight of the small wooden -cabin which had been erected for the telegraphic apparatus. Before, it -was concealed from him by a row of bushes. For a moment he wondered -whether the prisoners had been locked up there, but the notion was -negatived immediately by the absence of a sentry. And then he laughed -inwardly at the idea of the prisoners being within reach of Machado. -The telegraphist would hardly feel safe to perform his duties, if they -were still required of him, with O'Connor near at hand, even though he -was bound. - -There was nothing to be gained by remaining longer, so Will, very -despondent, made his way back with Azito through the wood to the recess -in the bank. Jose reported that nothing had happened during their -absence. They all had a meal; then Will went up the bank and strolled -along where the vegetation did not impede walking, gloomily pondering -his apparent helplessness. - -Suddenly he heard a slight warning sound from Azito. He stepped hastily -back among the trees, and looked up-stream, the direction in which the -Indian was pointing. Coming round a bend some distance away was an -object that looked like a cage or a basket. There was a man in it, -standing in the middle, steering the strange vessel with a short pole as -it drifted down the stream. Azito declared that he was a white man. -Will gazed at him searchingly; then almost shouted for joy. The -newcomer was Joe Ruggles. - - - - -CHAPTER XI--A LEAP IN THE DARK - - -When Ruggles came within a few yards of the spot where the two watchers -stood, Will softly hailed him. He looked round in alarm, and made as -though to beat a summary retreat. Then, lifting his eyes and seeing -Will among the trees, he steered towards the bank, saying-- - -"It's you, is it? I say, do you happen to have a glass of beer?" - -"No, I haven't." - -"Perhaps it's as well, but I am powerful dry." - -"I say, I am awfully glad to see you. Hold on! I'll come down and show -you the entrance to my garage. Are the others safe too?" - -"Not that I know of. I wish they were. Where have you been -skylarking?" - -"Skylarking! Good heavens! I've been worried out of my life. I'll -tell you all about it, but first tell me where the others are, and how -you came here." - -The raft was drawn into the recess, and Ruggles was soon seated beside -Will in the hydroplane, eating bread and cheese, and sighing for his one -glass of beer and a pipe to follow. - -"Not but what it's as well to do without 'em," he said. "If I began -life over again I'd avoid beer and tobacco; at least, I would if I -could. Well, the morning after you went there was a rare shindy, as you -may imagine, when they found your manger empty. They hauled us out and -questioned us, and General Carabano looked as if he could have made a -meal of us. O'Connor and I were as much surprised as he was, and wild -with the Chief for not telling us. However, the General got nothing out -of us, and within an hour we were put on horses and marched up-country -with a strong escort of those ruffians. Our hands were tied behind us, -and our horses were led, the escort being mounted too. - -"I made out from what some of 'em said that their General was going to -make a dash on Bolivar, and didn't think we'd be safe at the hacienda. -He wanted all his men for the raid, you see, and intended to leave only -a few peons to look after the camp and the horses. He couldn't trust -them, of course, and I reckon we'd have got away pretty soon if he had -left us there. I didn't hear where they were taking us, and when I -asked the fellow who led my horse, he only grinned at me like an ape." - -"O'Connor was mad, no doubt," said Will. - -"You'd have thought so, wouldn't you? But he wasn't, a bit; or didn't -show it. He tried to crack jokes with his man, and it was amusing, -though not as he intended, for, as you know, his Spanish wouldn't cover -a half-sheet of note-paper. But all the time I could see he was looking -round for a chance of escape. However, I managed it, and so far as I -know, he didn't. In my case it was sheer luck. Most of the escort were -llaneros, fine fellows, too, as near gentlemen as any Venezuelan can be. -But the fellow who tied me up was a bumpkin, who made a bungle of the -job. I held my wrists so that by giving them a twist afterwards I could -loosen the knots: you know the trick." - -"Rather! I should have thought O'Connor would have known it too." - -"He may or may not. Anyway, we came to a part where the path had a -sheer cliff on the one side and a precipice on the other; a sort of -steep dell, you know, overgrown with trees and shrubs. The path was so -narrow that we had to go in single file, and, as luck would have it, I -came last, except one man riding free behind me. Just as we came to the -precipice I kind of saw there might be half a chance, so as my bumpkin -drew ahead of me--he'd lengthened the leading-rein--I managed to give -his horse accidentally a kick in the flank that rather upset his temper. -The fellow was in a fright; it looked a nasty drop to the left. Being -busy with his horse he dropped the leading-rein. I wrenched my hands -free, brought my horse round on his hind legs--for an instant his -forelegs were fairly dangling over the precipice--and then drove him -straight for the man behind, wedging in between him and the cliff. - -"The path was narrow, as I said. There wasn't room for two, and as I'd -got the inside, the other fellow simply had to go over the precipice. He -went. There was plenty of green stuff to break his fall, and I don't -wish him any particular harm. You may guess I didn't wait to give him -my kind regards, but made off like the wind. The Chief gave me a cheer. -Before I turned the corner that would hide me from the rest, -half-a-dozen shots were flying after me, and one of them struck my -horse. But he kept on. I got safe to the end of the ledge, and then -dived into the forest, where they might have hunted for a month of -Sundays without finding me. - -"I dismounted as soon as I was pretty safe, and led the horse, but the -poor beast was done, and dropped after a few miles. I didn't feel very -happy. You know what these forests are. Let alone the chance of losing -yourself, there are too many jaguars and pumas and snakes to make -travelling on foot very pleasant. All I'd got to defend myself with -was--what do you think?" - -"What was it?" - -"A two-bladed pen-knife, one blade broken, that had slipped into the -lining of my pocket and wasn't discovered when they searched us before -tying us up. It wouldn't have scared a toad. However, I've roughed it -all over the world too long to grizzle over what can't be helped. My -game clearly was to make for the Orinoco. All roads lead to Rome, they -say: it's certain that all streams in these parts lead to the Orinoco. -It struck me I'd be safest on water, so I made up my mind to stop at the -first stream I came to and build myself a raft. Floating down with the -current I couldn't fail to strike the Orinoco sooner or later." - -"A queer thing, this raft of yours." - -"It served my turn. You see, I was in a quandary. When I came to a -stream it was swarming with caymans, and, what's worse, watersnakes. I -dursn't make a raft in their company, and yet I must make it on the -brink of the stream, for I couldn't have carried down one big enough to -float me. There was plenty of material, of course--dead branches, and -bejuco for fastening them together. After a power of thought I hit on -the notion of rigging up a sort of cage in which I could make the raft -without the risk of having reptiles closer than I liked. I did that on -the bank out of range of the caymans--they're not partial to journeys on -land. I pushed the cage--it was light enough--down to the edge of the -stream, and brought down my materials, and put the raft together inside -the cage, where I was safe. It was a longish job. I had to push it out -into the stream bit by bit as I finished it, and was always in a stew -when I left it in case the current carried it away before I was ready. -However, the current was sluggish at the bank, so I was spared that -calamity." - -"But how have you lived? It's four days since you went away." - -"I've lived in this country long enough to know what forest plants are -good for food. Not that they're very staying, nor to be compared with -bread and cheese. I slept in trees, and here I am, thank God! though I -hadn't a notion I had got into this particular stream." - -"How far away were you when you escaped?" asked Will. - -"Thirty or forty miles at a guess. We marched all the first day and -bivouacked for the night at a deserted estancia. I made a bolt for it -about ten next morning, struck the stream in the afternoon, and got -together the material for the raft before nightfall. I finished it next -day, but had to spend another night in a tree, and the stream winds -about so much that it has taken me all day to get here." - -"I'm glad you've come, but it's a bad look-out for the others. General -Carabano has threatened to shoot you all to-morrow if he doesn't receive -L7,000." - -"The villain! He won't get it. I don't know what you think, but we're -not worth all that. How do you know?" - -Will then related all that had happened to him since he left the -stables. When Ruggles heard of General Carabano's defeat he looked very -grave. - -"He'll be in a beastly temper," he said. "You and the Chief have dished -him between you. He's not the man to have any mercy on folks who have -stood in his way, and if he hears that I've escaped he'll be madder than -ever. I don't fancy they'll let him know, though." - -"But he'll find out when he sends the order to shoot you, if he doesn't -go himself. Time's up to-night. If he means what he says it'll be all -up to-morrow, unless we can do something. Do you think we could go up -in the hydroplane to the place where you struck the stream and then -track them across country?" - -"I doubt whether we could do it. You see, I wandered about in the -forest, and it might take us a week to find the precipice, even with -your Indian." - -"Did you follow a road when you went off?" - -"Not so much as a bridle-path." - -"Could we lie in wait for the General's messenger to-morrow?" - -"We might do that. I know the main direction from the camp. But where -should be we if the General goes himself? He's pretty sure to, and of -course he would take an escort. We couldn't tackle a crowd." - -"I've got a revolver." - -"One revolver wouldn't be much good. You might bring down the General -and another, but then you'd be set on and done for. No: that's no good, -and I can't see for the life of me that we can do anything." - -"But we must, Ruggles. Isn't there some way of finding out where the -Chief is?" - -"You can go and ask the General, and then he'd raise his terms to -L12,000." - -Will was silent. It seemed, as Ruggles said, that the case was -hopeless. For some time he sat thinking, thinking hard. Suddenly he -got up. - -"Ruggles, I'm going to the hacienda." - -"Nonsense! I didn't mean it," said the man. - -"I shall go. I got into the house before; I'll do it again." - -"But what if you do?" - -"I might hear Carabano talking." - -"And you might not. It was a pure fluke before: luck won't play into -your hands again." - -"Wait a bit. There's Machado. Ten to one he'll be at his cabin -sometime to-night waiting for an answer. The General demanded a reply -by midnight. If we could only catch Machado we could wring out of him -where the Chief is, and I wouldn't stick at a trifle in dealing with the -wretch. He's the worst of the lot, playing the traitor in our camp, and -torturing Jose. He deserves to be paid back in his own coin. I'll do -it, Ruggles. It's a mercy you are here. I'll take Azito; you bring the -hydroplane down with Jose, and wait at the end of the canal in case we -have to dash for it. Once on board the hydroplane we might defy them -and chance snags." - -"It's dangerous, but if you're set on it I'm not the man to stay you. -I've been in tight corners myself, and I'd stretch a good many points -for the Chief and O'Connor. But for any sake be careful. If they are -to be shot we can't alter it, and what's the good of three being -murdered instead of two?" - -"All right. I won't run my head into a noose if I can help it. I'll -start just before dark. You'll take care how you go down, won't you? It -would be a disaster if you were wrecked." - -"Trust me, Mr. Pentelow. I hope you'll have as easy a job as I shall." - -In half-an-hour Will set off with Azito. They went, as they had gone in -the morning, across the old camp to the farther side of the railway -line, but instead of plunging into the forest, ventured to steal along -at the foot of the embankment. It was pitch dark by the time they -arrived opposite the new camp. Crawling up the embankment, they lay on -the top to take a good look around before going farther. There were -fires in the camp, but these were beginning to die down: apparently the -men had already cooked their evening meal. They could see the dark -forms of the sentries as they passed between the tents. The house was -lit up. - -They crept along the embankment until they came to the spot below which, -about twenty yards from the line, stood the telegraph cabin. Will told -Azito to go forward until he could see the side in which the window was. -In a few minutes the Indian returned and reported that there was no -light in the cabin. Will supposed that he had come too early: the -message was not expected before midnight. Yet it was strange that a man -had not been left at the cabin to give Machado notice if any -communication was made. It was strange, indeed, that Machado himself, -considering the importance of the expected message, had not thought it -worth while, or been ordered by the General, to remain constantly on -duty. Will was so much surprised that he determined to creep down to -the cabin and see for himself. Perhaps Machado might be taking a nap in -the dark. If he were not there, Will thought it possible to remain in -hiding between the cabin and the line, seize Machado when he arrived, -and wring out of him the information he desired. - -Bidding Azito remain on guard and warn him if he saw any sign of danger, -Will descended the embankment on hands and heels and stole forward to -the cabin. He listened at the wall. There was no sound from within. -The door faced the hacienda. Will peeped round the corner. The nearest -tents were at least a hundred yards distant, and the fires were so low -that they seemed to make the darkness only the more intense where their -light did not directly fall. He crept round to the door, noiselessly -lifted the latch, and, listening with his heart in his mouth, stepped -in. It was pitch dark. There was not a sound. Grasping his revolver, -he moved forward on tip-toe. He remembered clearly the position of the -table and chair, and groped towards them, putting out his feet -stealthily so that he should not knock against them and make a noise. -The table and chair were not where they had been. He touched the wall, -and moved along inch by inch. To his amazement, the cabin was bare. -Table, chair, telegraph instrument--all had been removed. - -What could be the meaning of this? Moving now without such extreme -care, Will passed out again and looked up to see if the wire still ran -into the cabin. He could just distinguish it against the starlit sky. -He crept back towards the embankment, following the wire to the place -where it left the telegraph line; and then he saw that another wire had -been connected, and ran across the gardens. Evidently after what had -happened at the cabin, General Carabano had taken the precaution of -removing the instrument. Will peered into the darkness to see if the -wire entered a tent or another cabin, but after a few yards he lost -sight of it. Returning to the spot where he had left Azito, he asked -him if he, with his sharper sight, could follow the course of the wire. -The Indian stood looking for a few seconds: then he said that he saw a -pole about thirty yards from the house. It had not been there before. -He went a few yards farther along the embankment, and declared that the -wire stretched from the pole to the house, where it ran through one of -the windows in a room at the side just behind the servants' quarters. -The window was half-closed, and within the room was a light. Will could -no longer doubt that this was the place where Machado was awaiting the -message from Bolivar. - -Difficult as Will had known his task to be, it now seemed impossible. On -the former occasion of his nocturnal visit to the house the camp was -half-a-mile distant. Now the tents formed the arc of a circle about it, -the nearest of them being not more than a dozen yards away. Only -through the camp could the house be approached. Sounds of laughter and -conversation could be distinctly heard: it was clear that the men were -as yet very lively. Even had they turned in for the night there were -still the sentries to elude. But when Will thought of Machado sitting -at his instrument in that little room, almost within stone's throw of -him, he could not bring himself to give up all hope of helping his -friends. Five minutes with Machado, unless he had entirely mistaken his -man, would be enough to wring out of him the information he so earnestly -desired. Failing that information, he felt that the Chief and Jerry -O'Connor were doomed. Was there not, even now, a chance? - -He resolved to wait. Nothing could be attempted while the camp was -still awake. Perhaps when the men had gone into their tents for the -night an opportunity for slipping past the sentries might offer. So he -lay down on the embankment, with Azito beside him, to keep vigil. - -Waiting is always tedious, and Will's impatience was such that he found -the enforced delay almost unendurable. It was too dark for him to see -his watch, and he durst not strike a light. The fires sank lower and -lower, but it seemed hours before there was any sensible diminution of -the sounds in the camp. It was, in fact, nearly half-past ten before -silence reigned and Will thought it possible to leave his post. Bidding -Azito in a whisper to follow him, he crawled down the embankment with -great caution, so as not to disturb a single stone or clod of earth, and -stole as softly as a cat to the part of the encampment nearest to the -house. - -When within a few yards of the tents, he lay on the ground to watch his -opportunity. He could just see the dark form of the sentry passing to -and fro beyond the line of tents. The man's beat appeared to extend for -about fifty yards, and at the end of it farthest from the house he -stopped to talk to the sentry next him. Will heard the low hum of their -voices. All was quiet within the house. To get into it he must pass -the lighted window of Machado's room. The sentries were bound to see -him. What could he do? - -He lay for some minutes in sheer perplexity. The sentry passed more -than once. Suddenly he made up his mind to a desperate venture. The -room next to Machado's was in darkness. It was, he knew, a cloak-room. -There was a door between them. He would enter the enclosure boldly -between the nearest tent and the house, when the sentries were next -engaged in chatting. They would never dream that an unauthorized person -had dared to come into the very jaws of the lion. There were many -Indians among General Carabano's men, so that the sight of Azito would -not necessarily alarm the sentries. He would walk with Azito openly -along the back of the house, get beneath the veranda, where it was even -darker than in the camp enclosure, and by hook or by crook find an -entrance. - -He explained his plan softly to Azito. The Indian was timorous, but -after a few moments' thought he agreed to accompany his master. They -crawled to the right until they came just behind the last tent of the -line, and waited until they heard the low hum of the sentries' voices. -Then they stepped round the tent, and walked slowly towards the house. -Will's heart was thumping violently, but he walked steadily on until he -reached the steps leading up to the veranda. He saw with joy as he -passed the lighted window that a thin curtain hung across it. The -sentries gave no sign. He mounted the steps, Azito close behind, and -stood by the window of the room next to Machado's. He waited for a -moment, then gently tried the latch of the French window. It was not -secured. He opened the door, and they stepped noiselessly in. - - - - -CHAPTER XII--THE KIDNAPPERS - - -The door between the two rooms was closed. That into the patio was -ajar. Will stole across the room and peeped into the patio. A small -lamp was burning at the farther end, near the front door. A man sat -dozing on a chair outside De Mello's room, which was no doubt occupied -by Carabano. Another lay fast asleep on the floor at the patio door of -Machado's room. But for these the patio was empty. To enter it seemed -too risky; Will stepped back into the cloak-room and listened at the -door of communication. There was no sound. He waited, pressing his ear -against the door. Now he heard slight snores: somebody was in the -farther room, asleep. He gently tried the handle. The door was not -locked. Grasping his revolver, Azito having his machete, he quickly -opened the door and went in. Machado was asleep on a long cane chair. -The telegraphic instrument stood on a table at his left hand. Will -softly closed the door behind him, and motioned to Azito to stand at the -door opening into the patio. A clock on a shelf told the hour: it was -five minutes past eleven. - -Machado was fast asleep and did not stir. Was it possible to wake him -without causing him to cry out or make some sound that would alarm the -men in the patio? Will went to the foot of the cane chair, and pointing -his revolver full at Machado's head, he gently touched him. The man -moved uneasily. Will touched him again. He drew up his legs slightly. -Another touch, and his eyes opened. For a moment Will thought that the -shock would itself force a cry from him, but at a warning hiss his jaw -dropped, and a look of terror distorted his face as he saw the shining -barrel of the revolver within two feet of his eyes. With a gesture of -warning Will allowed him a few seconds to collect himself: then in tones -so low that they could scarcely have been heard outside he said-- - -"You are awake?" - -Machado's swarthy face had gone grey with fear. He did not reply. - -"It depends on yourself whether you awake again. Do as I bid you and -your life is safe. At the least sign of treachery I shoot you like a -dog. You understand?" - -Machado's lips moved, but no sound came from them. - -"I have some questions to ask," Will continued rapidly, but in the same -quiet tone. "If your answers are contrary to what I know to be fact you -are a dead man. Where is Senor Jackson?" - -"At Las Piedras," said the man in a whisper. - -Will started. This was the name of General Carabano's hacienda nearly -fifty miles away. - -"What is to be done with him and Senor O'Connor?" - -"They are held at ransom." - -"And if ransom is refused?" - -"Then they will be shot." - -"How do you know?" - -"The General says so." - -"Will he keep his word?" - -"Yes." - -"How do you know?" - -"He has sworn it." - -"When is it to be?" - -"To-morrow." - -"Why are you here?" - -"I am waiting." - -"What for?" - -"A message." - -"From where?" - -"Ciudad Bolivar." - -"What message?" - -"A reply." - -"What?" - -"To the General's." - -"What was his message?" - -"If the ransom is not promised by midnight the prisoners will be shot -to-morrow." - -"Has he had no message before?" - -"Yes." - -"What was it?" - -"The President refused to pay a ransom." - -"The General repeated his demand?" - -"Yes." - -"Does he expect consent?" - -"No; it is a last attempt." - -"You are speaking the truth?" - -"Yes." - -There was no doubt of it. The man's terror was so evident that he would -scarcely have had the wits to invent a falsehood. Nor could he know -what information Will already had. His answers indeed gave Will nothing -of which he was not already aware, except the whereabouts of the -prisoners. - -Will stood for a moment thinking, still pointing his revolver at the -abject Spaniard. A desperate scheme had suggested itself. He had -already risked much: was it not possible to risk still more? His task -with Machado had been unexpectedly easy: might not a greater task prove -feasible? It was clear that unless the ransom was agreed to by the time -stated, the fate of the prisoners was sealed. It was clear also from -what the Jefe at Bolivar had told him that there was not the slightest -likelihood of the Government yielding on this point. He knew roughly -the direction of General Carabano's hacienda, but recognized how little -chance there was of doing anything to help his friends. He could not -reach them during the night: the journey was long and dangerous. There -remained, as it seemed, one chance: that of intercepting the General's -messenger in the morning. He asked another question. - -"If the reply from Ciudad Bolivar is unsatisfactory, the General will -send a messenger to Las Piedras?" - -"He will go himself." - -The answer disposed of Will's last hope. The only means of saving the -prisoners was to deal with the General himself. It was a desperate game -to play in the midst of a hostile camp, but his first move, with -Machado, had been successful, and the man was so cowed and -terror-stricken that he might prove a serviceable instrument in the -larger scheme. Time was running short; it was a quarter past eleven. -Will made up his mind to risk all. - -"Dismiss the man at your door," he said. "Tell him that you need him no -longer. You will take the message to the General yourself. Attempt no -treachery. I will keep my word." - -He motioned to Azito, of whose presence Machado seemed to become aware -for the first time, to stand behind a clothes-press near the camp-bed. - -"Open the door only a few inches," he continued. "Now!" - -He stepped behind the door, allowing room for it to open about twelve -inches. He could not be seen by the man in the patio, but was able to -cover Machado with his revolver. The telegraphist lay for a few moments -as though hesitating. - -"Quick!" said Will in a fierce whisper. - -Machado rose unsteadily and, walking to the door, opened it. In a low -voice he called to the sleeping man. There was no reply or movement. - -"Kick him!" whispered Will. - -Machado touched the man with his foot. He started up. Machado gave him -the instruction Will had dictated, and he went off at once, glad enough, -no doubt, to find a more comfortable bed. When he was gone, Will closed -the door. - -"Now, the password," he said. - -"_Bolivar_," replied Machado. - -But Will marked a slight hesitation before the answer was given. - -"Are you sure?" he said fiercely. "A mistake will cost you dear." - -"A slip, senor," said Machado, quailing. "Bolivar was last night's -password: to-night's is Libertad." - -"Make no more slips. Now go to your table." - -On the table, close to the instrument, lay a number of telegram forms -plundered from the railway, and a pencil. Pointing to these, Will -said-- - -"Write what I say. 'Release prisoners: will send----' Stop there, and -add, 'Message interrupted.'" - -Machado wrote the words. His fingers trembled so violently that the -strokes were like those of an old man. Then Will, telling Azito to -stand over Machado with his knife and to kill him if he moved, he turned -the handle at the side of the instrument that switched off the current, -and worked the operating handle for half-a-minute. The clicks could be -distinctly heard in the patio, but the current being switched off, no -effect was produced at the other end of the wire. - -Giving the telegraph form to Machado, he said-- - -"Where does the General sleep?" - -"In a room on the other side of the patio, near the door." - -"The man outside the door is an orderly?" - -"Yes, senor." - -"You will take this slip and hand it to the orderly. Say you must hurry -back, and return here." - -Will thought he detected a gleam of relief and hope in the man's eyes. -But if Machado fancied he saw a chance of escape, he was disappointed by -the next words. - -"I shall stand near this door, with my revolver. It has six chambers. -Beware how you hurry or stumble. If you delay one instant longer than -is required to repeat what I have said----" - -He looked significantly into Machado's eyes. The man opened the door -and went along the patio. Once he half turned, as if to see whether he -was watched, but thought better of it and went on: it was nervous work, -walking with a revolver pointed at his back. He reached the door, -handed the slip to the orderly, said a few words, and returned at once. -Will saw the orderly knock at the General's door, and just as Machado -came into the room, the General called to the man to enter. - -Will closed the door. There was no time to be lost if the effect of the -message was what he hoped it would be. The clock said twenty minutes to -twelve. - -"Sit in your chair," he said to Machado, "and occupy yourself with your -instrument. Make believe that you are sending a message and awaiting -the answer." - -Machado sat as directed, with his back to the door. Then Will took -Azito's knife and cut down the cord that drew the jalousies across the -window. - -"Tie his legs to the chair," he said to the Indian, adding to Machado: -"You will suffer no harm if you do not resist. Work the instrument." - -Will was now in a fever of uncertainty and apprehension. Would the fish -rise to the bait? He knew the cupidity of the Liberator. If he was the -man Will believed him to be, he would not wait to receive the completed -message in writing, but would come across the patio to be at hand when -the instrument spelled out the words promising the addition of 60,000 -pesos to his chest. There was one thing to fear: that he would not come -alone. He might waken his lieutenants on the way; then the game would -be up. But Will reflected that a refusal had already come from Bolivar. -Probably neither General Carabano nor any of his officers expected a -favourable reply, otherwise they would not all have gone to bed. -Machado had been left on the chance of the Government relenting, and he -had done his duty, the General would think. - -For a few moments there was no sign. Will began to fear that the trap -would not work. He said a few words to Azito, who tore a long strip -from the bottom of the curtain and rolled it up. The instrument clicked -on, Machado never turning his head, but looking out of the corners of -his eyes. At last there was a footfall along the patio. Will slipped -behind the door. Immediately afterwards it was burst open. - -"Well, what do they say?" - -General Carabano took two strides into the room. Noiselessly closing -the door with his foot, Will sprang to the Liberator, threw his arms in -a strangling embrace about his neck, and pulled him backwards to the -floor. The General struggled and spluttered, half-choked. He was a -powerful man, and in a wrestling match on even terms Will would have -come off badly. But while the General was striving to regain his -footing Azito glided from his place of concealment, forced a gag between -his teeth and helped Will to bear him to the floor. Then, while Will -held him firmly, the Indian deftly bound his arms and feet with the -remainder of the cord. By the time this was done the General was black -in the face with his frantic efforts to rise and to cry out. Meanwhile -Machado, who had stopped the clicking when he heard the General enter, -had watched with a look of horror all that went on. He dared not raise -his voice, knowing full well that before he could release himself one or -other of these desperate visitors would be free to deal with him. - -The Liberator of Venezuela was now in bonds. There had been so little -sound that the orderly at the farther end of the patio could have heard -nothing. The other officers in the house were asleep. If only Fortune -would smile a little longer, Will felt that the game would be absolutely -in his hands. - -Bidding Azito keep guard over the General, prostrate on the floor, Will -went to the chair and released Machado. - -"Stand up, senor," he said. "I have to ask a little more of you, and so -long as you do exactly as I tell you, you will come to no harm from me." - -"I had no hand in this, Excellency," the unhappy man blurted out, -addressing the General. - -"Silence!" said Will. "I will make that clear. You shall be released -presently beyond the reach of General Carabano or any of his officers. -You shall not suffer for double treachery. Stand still!" - -He quickly tied Machado's ankles together with a short piece of cord, so -that he could walk but not run. - -"Now listen very carefully. We are going to pass out of the camp. We -shall probably come to the front of the house. The sentry will -challenge you. You will give the password, and your name. He will ask -you what we are carrying. You will say: 'His Excellency sends a spy to -feed the caymans.' Say it now." - -"But--but--" stammered the man, "you will not----" - -"No, I shall not harm his Excellency. Repeat what I said." - -"'His Excellency sends a spy to feed the caymans,'" said Machado. - -"That is right. The sentry may ask questions. You must answer him: say -what you please, but do not play me false. The sentry may wish to see -the spy. You must keep him off. If you cannot do so, so much the worse -for you. You cannot run, you are unarmed--I will make sure of that; and -if you attempt to give the alarm be sure that you, at any rate, will not -escape. You understand? Your safety depends on ours. And it will be -well to remember, too, that if we fail, nobody will believe all this was -done without your connivance. Is it clear?" - -"Yes, senor," murmured the man. - -Will searched his pockets for arms. He had none. But he shot a -momentary glance towards a long cape hanging from a peg on the wall. -Will saw the glance, and feeling the garment, discovered a revolver. -This he put in his pocket. Then, opening the door into the adjoining -cloak-room, he ordered Machado to take the General's head and Azito the -legs. The General writhed and heaved, until Will slipped under his -knees a short board that held his legs stiff. The two men lifted him. -When they stood in the doorway Will turned out the light. Then he bade -them carry their bulky burden into the next room. - -From the window Will saw that the camp was in utter darkness. No lights -from the back of the house shone upon the ground. He opened both leaves -of the window and passed on to the veranda. The others followed him -slowly as he made his way to the right-hand corner. There he stopped -and peeped round. The stables were opposite this face of the house, and -a light shone upon them from the General's bedroom. It would be unsafe -to pass that way. They must descend from the veranda, cross a few yards -of ground, and come to the rear of the stables. Between these and the -last of the line of tents, on this side, there was a gap of perhaps -fifteen yards. Will listened for the footfall of a sentry. All was -silent save slight sounds from the stables: probably the man was asleep. -Bidding the others follow him he went down the steps and walked on. It -was very dark: their forms could scarcely have been seen if the sentry -had been alert. - -They came to the back of the stables, and, striking to the right, -reached the end of the wall. Here they halted for a moment, while Will -glanced around. A light through the open door of the house was -reflected on the surface of the lake. To his joy he saw that De Mello's -little sailing yacht lay at the jetty. He had feared it might have been -removed. Creeping along by the front wall of the stables he came to a -spot whence he could see the door. A sentry was sitting on the ground, -leaning against the wall, his head bent forward as in slumber. It might -be possible to get to the jetty without waking him. Will returned to the -men, and whispering "Remember!" to Machado, he led the way towards the -terrace whence a few steps led down to the jetty. - -They were half-way there when, just as they came within the illuminated -space, the sentry in a sleepy voice cried, "Who goes there?" - -"A friend!" answered Machado at once. - -"The word?" - -"Libertad!" - -The General began to struggle, and Will pressed the cold muzzle of the -revolver to his brow. - -"Who is it?" said the sentry. - -"Stop, and answer him," whispered Will. - -"Miguel Machado: you know me," said Machado. - -"Ah, Senor Machado, it is you. What have you got there?" - -"His Excellency sends a spy to feed the caymans." - -"A spy!" cried the man, more wakefully. "Who is it?" - -"A wretched Indian, once in the service of the Englishman." - -"Is that all? I hoped it was the Englishman who escaped. I was coming -to have a look at him, but if it is an Indian it is not worth while. I -shall hear him squeal. Is there any news from Bolivar, Senor Machado?" - -"None." - -"Then the Englishmen will be shot to-morrow," said the man. "A good -riddance. Come and have a chat on your way back." - -During this conversation Will had stood behind Machado so that his face -could not be seen. The lamp in the hall was a small one, and the light -revealed little. They moved on again, came to the steps, and descending -these reached the end of the jetty. The General had been passive since -he felt the cold steel against his brow; but now, feeling that his last -chance had come, he gave a sudden jerk with his legs which threw Azito -down. Instantly Will was upon him, but he was a very powerful man, and, -bound though he was, he wriggled and heaved his body with such violence -that it was difficult to hold him. In the struggle he managed by some -means to get rid of the gag, and shouted at the top of his voice-- - -"Help! help! I am General Carabano." - -His voice was of peculiar timbre, and even the slowest-witted sentry -could not have failed to recognize it. A moment after he had cried out, -the sentry fired off his rifle and shouted into the hall of the house. -At once Will and Azito caught the General by the feet and began to drag -him as fast as possible along the jetty, Machado still holding his head. -They were below the level of the terrace, so that none of them was at -present in danger of being shot. The General was still shouting; the -sentry, having given the alarm, was reloading as he ran towards the -terrace. - -The fugitives had now reached the yacht. Will released his hold of the -General, and drew in the painter. While he was doing this, the sentry -reached the head of the steps and fired. But the darkness and his -flurry combined to spoil his aim. Realizing that he had missed, he -sprang down the steps, and ran along the jetty, clubbing his rifle. -Machado saw him coming, and shrank away; but Azito, dropping the -General's feet, waited in a crouching posture, and, parrying the blow -with his machete, drove at the man with his head and butted him into the -water. - -The General, left thus momentarily unguarded, struggled vehemently to -break or shake off his bonds. His wriggling brought him to the edge of -the narrow jetty, and when Will, having loosed the painter, turned to -secure his prisoner, he saw him roll over into the lake on the opposite -side. Instantly he flung himself at full length on the jetty, peering -into the water for the prize he was determined not to lose. The lake -was shallow. In a few moments the General rose spluttering from his -immersion, and yelled again for help. Will grabbed him by his wholly -hair: Azito plunged into the water, and together they hauled him on to -the jetty and threw him into the yacht. Machado had already jumped into -it. Will and the Indian followed. The latter seized a paddle, Will -pushed off, and the little vessel began to move down the lake towards -the canal. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--A SNAG - - -The kidnappers were not a moment too soon. The sentry, dazed and -half-drowned, struggled from the muddy bottom of the lake just as the -yacht put off. Scrambling on to the jetty, he filled the air with his -cries. While Azito paddled the boat towards the canal, Will looked back -towards the house. Figures were pouring out, some in their night -attire, others pulling on their coats as they ran. The air rang with -their shouts. They all made for the jetty. One or two fired aimlessly; -the little vessel must now be invisible to them in the darkness, and -until they inquired of the sentry they would not know what had happened. -There were no other boats at the jetty, so that pursuit by water was -impossible, but Will wondered anxiously whether he could reach the -stream at the end of the canal before the men could gain it by running -along the banks. If they posted themselves on the banks of the narrow -canal, he would be at their mercy. - -The boat was small. It would carry no more than two comfortably. -Overloaded as it now was--the General alone was no light weight--it -could not make anything like the speed of a man running. But it was -taking the diameter of the lake; the pursuers would have to run round -the circumference: and Will remembered that when they reached the canal -they would find their course checked by the vegetation, the banks having -been allowed to return to their primitive wildness. This would give the -boat a little time. - -It entered the canal from the lake. The shouts of the men drew nearer. -They came from both sides. General Carabano cried out continually. The -gag was lost, and Will had nothing at hand with which to silence him. -Azito plied his paddle desperately, and Machado, as anxious now as Will -himself to escape, seized a second paddle and helped to propel the boat. - -Had Ruggles brought the hydroplane to the end of the canal? What would -happen if he was not there? The pursuers were probably numbered by -hundreds, and even if they fired at random across the stream, so many -could hardly fail to hit one or other of the occupants of the boat. Will -peered anxiously into the darkness. If Ruggles had come, surely he must -have heard the noise. Then why had he made no sign? Had the hydroplane -broken down? All at once from down the canal came the throb of the -engine. Will looked over the bow of the boat. He could just see, on -the faintly shimmering surface of the water, a dark shape approaching. - -"Ruggles!" he shouted. - -"Ahoy!" came the reply. "Look out, Mr. Pentelow, I'm stern foremost." - -"Good man! Catch the painter when I throw it. Don't come any farther." - -Azito was paddling more slowly now, fearful of dashing into the -hydroplane in the darkness. The shouts of the pursuers sounded nearer -than ever: Will heard the men crashing through the undergrowth, -regardless of snakes, as of all the dangers that beset the unwary by -night in tropical jungle. The boat came to a stop within a yard of the -hydroplane. Will flung the painter on board: Ruggles seized it and -instantly started the motor. At the same moment a shot rang out from -the right; another on the left; then there was a fusilade, and Will -heard the bullets splashing into the water and singing through the air. -The pace of the vessel was quickening; but Ruggles could not drive the -hydroplane at speed, for though he was able to steer safely between the -banks of the canal, it was so short, and the stream beyond so narrow, -that there was a danger of running the vessel against the farther bank -if he went too fast. But the speed was great enough to shake off the -pursuers, and in another minute the hydroplane swept round the corner of -the canal, her head turned in the direction of the tributary of the -Orinoco. - -"Go on slowly," cried Will to Ruggles. "They won't dare to pursue us -now. We are safe till the morning." - -"Will you come aboard?" asked Ruggles. - -"Not at present. I have got a prisoner." - -"Machado?" - -"He has been my right-hand man." He was speaking in English, so that -Machado did not understand him. - -"You don't say so! Who's your prisoner, then?" - -"His Excellency the Liberator of Venezuela, General Carabano." - -"By gosh! this beats cock-fighting. How on earth did you do it?" - -"I'll tell you all by and by. It's the greatest piece of luck. We'll -hold him as hostage for the Chief and O'Connor." - -"Did you find out where they are?" - -"At the General's own hacienda, Las Piedras, fifty miles up-country." - -"In any danger?" - -"Not now. He was going to shoot them to-morrow--to-day, I should say. -But nobody will touch them while we have the General in our hands. We've -smashed this revolution, Ruggles." - -"Don't hallo till we're out of the wood, as the Chief would say. They'll -come after us in the morning." - -"We'll be out of their reach. We can go faster as soon as we reach the -tributary--but not too fast, for goodness' sake: we don't want to strike -a snag. At ten miles an hour we shall be at the junction by the time -it's light, and then we shall have a straight run to Bolivar." - -"But suppose they run to the junction by train and get there before us?" - -"I hadn't thought of that. What a fool I am! That would be the end of -us. We shall have to go pretty fast after all. Not yet; this stream's -dangerous. It's lucky we haven't far to go before we get to the -tributary." - -"Look out!" cried Ruggles. "I've just got a whack in the eye from a -branch." - -His warning came too late. The yacht stopped with a jerk as its mast -came into contact with an overhanging mass of foliage. The light pole -snapped and fell into the bottom; at the same time the painter broke. - -"It doesn't matter, luckily," said Will. "We can drift down-stream. -When it begins to get light we'll all board the hydroplane, though it -will be a tight fit. Have you got a match?" - -"Not one. Why?" - -"I wanted to see the time. We ought to get into the tributary by about -half-past one. There's plenty of time." - -General Carabano had been very quiet since the boat left the jetty. But -while Will talked to Ruggles, he had been speaking in a low tone to -Machado. - -"You shall rue this, Senor Machado," he said fiercely. - -"Excellency, I am not to blame." - -"You expect me to believe that? Could these villains have committed -this outrage upon me without your help?" - -"They stole into the house, Excellency----" - -"What were you about?" - -"I was at my instrument, according to your instructions, Excellency. -They came in when I was taking the telegram to you." - -"That is a lie," said Azito, with a grunt. - -"What do you say, dog?" demanded the General. - -"I say nothing," replied the Indian. "This man lies: that is all I -say." - -"You will tell me the truth, Senor Machado. You played the traitor to -the Englishmen; if you have also played the traitor to me I vow you -shall pay for it." - -Machado hesitated. On the one hand the General was a prisoner, on his -way to Ciudad Bolivar, where unsuccessful revolutionist leaders usually -had short shrift. So far as appearances went, he had nothing to fear. -On the other hand, prisoners sometimes escaped; it had occurred to him, -as it had to Ruggles, that a train might be sent in pursuit: it might -reach the junction first. General Carabano at large would be a foe -whose revenge it would be wise to shun. - -"I will tell you the whole truth, Excellency," he said. "I was asleep -in my chair: a click would have awakened me. These villains stole upon -me, threatened me with death, and forced me to invent the telegram to -decoy you from your room." - -"It was false?" cried the General. - -"Every word of it, Excellency." - -The General gave a gasp of relief. One of his bitterest reflections had -been that he had lost 60,000 pesos. Then his anger blazed against -Machado. - -"You are a cur as well as a traitor, I see," he said. "A man of any -courage would have defied these wretches. If I had my hands free I -would whip you like a dog." - -"It is easy to talk like that," said Machado, stung by the General's -contemptuous tone. "Would you have done otherwise with a pistol at your -head? At least our lives are safe, and I may yet do you a service." - -"How?" - -"Captain Espejo will certainly send a train in pursuit, Excellency. Even -now I doubt not the engine is getting up steam. The hydroplane cannot -go fast in the dark. The train will be first at the junction. We shall -be rescued." - -"That will be Captain Espejo's service, not yours." - -"But we shall be taken on board the hydroplane, Excellency. The painter -is broken; they cannot tow us, or if they can, they will not wish so to -check their speed. Suppose I am able to damage the engine, Excellency?" -he whispered, so that Azito could not hear him. "Then their chance of -outstripping the train is gone." - -"Could you do it?" - -"I could try, Excellency. Such engines are very delicate; a trifle puts -them out of order; and we shall have several hours." - -"Do it, Senor Machado," whispered the General eagerly; "and when I make -myself President you shall be--yes, you shall be my postmaster-general. -Say no more: the Englishman has stopped talking." - -Hydroplane and yacht drifted down on the slow current through the -darkness. Now and then one or the other would run aground, which caused -delay, but no danger, the speed being so low. None of the party knew -what hour of the night it was when they came into the tributary, the -scene of Will's first meeting with Azito. It was, in fact, nearly two -o'clock--time to transfer the prisoner to the hydroplane and increase -the speed. Ruggles threw out the little anchor, to allow the yacht to -draw alongside. - -"There are six of us. We can never all squeeze into the hydroplane," he -said, when Will was only a foot or two away. "General Carabano will -take room for two." - -"I'm afraid you're right," replied Will. "We shall have to make a -hawser out of the halyards, and tow as before. It will put more work on -the engine, but I think it can stand it, and if we can get to the -narrows safely we shall be all right." - -"Won't it take longer to plane?" - -"It won't be safe to plane at all, but that won't matter. The current -is with us." - -"Have you got enough petrol?" - -"Yes, I bought some in Bolivar. I came up very slowly, so as not to use -too much, and there should be enough to carry us to Bolivar, or at least -to the broken culvert, especially as we needn't go fast when we are past -the junction." - -"That's all right, then. My notion is that I had better board the yacht -and look after the General. You will want Azito to pole, and you had -better have Machado with you. I wish I had a pistol: it might come -handy." - -"I've got a spare one: took it from Machado's room. Here you are. Your -plan's all right. We must take care that the hawser is firmly fixed." - -"All right. I'll keep my eye on the General. He shan't slip his bonds, -and won't want to: he could only escape by swimming, and I guess he's -too scared of caymans to try that." - -The transfers were soon affected. Machado exchanged a meaning glance -with the General as he left him. The General for the first time made a -formal protest. - -"I warn you," he said to Ruggles as that worthy stepped to his side. -"You have committed an unpardonable atrocity in laying violent hands on -the Liberator of Venezuela. I demand that you set me ashore at the -earliest possible moment, otherwise you will have a heavy reckoning to -pay when I establish my authority." - -"Don't you worry, General," said Ruggles consolingly. "You wanted to -get into Bolivar, I understand. Well, we'll take you there, free of -charge. Couldn't be a fairer offer." - -The General muttered an oath and relapsed into silence. - -The hawser having been made fast, Will started the motor and set the -hydroplane going at a speed of about ten miles an hour. To go faster -while it was still dark was unwise: he hoped also unnecessary. Azito -stood forward with his pole: Jose was at the engine with his oil-can; -Machado, to his disappointment, was given a seat beside Will at the -steering-wheel. In that position he was unable to interfere with the -machinery. But he still hoped that an opportunity might offer before -the night was over. - -It was more than fifty miles by river to the junction. Will had -pondered his task as the yacht drifted down the smaller stream, and -recognized the dangers. First, there was the navigation of the river in -the darkness; but the danger of this might be avoided with Azito's care, -and by maintaining only a moderate speed. The second danger was that -Captain Espejo might run a train to the narrowest part of the river some -forty miles away, where the bank was fairly clear of vegetation and the -railway line was near the stream. That spot would be reached about -dawn. If the enemy got there first and lined the bank, they could -riddle the hydroplane with bullets, and a single well-planted shot would -cripple the engine, to say nothing of the risks to which the occupants -of the vessel would be exposed. The third danger was that Captain -Espejo might run the train beyond the narrows to the junction. At this -part of its course the river made a wide bend, while the railway ran -fairly straight; so that if the hydroplane got safely past the narrows -there was still a possibility of the train outstripping it before the -junction was reached. But the train, consisting as it must do of heavy -goods wagons, could not approach without noise, which would give warning -of the necessity of increasing speed. Nor did Will suppose that the -Captain would venture to drive the train at full speed in pitch darkness -over a new track, in which there were many awkward curves before it -reached the straight run to the junction. On the whole, Will felt -fairly easy in mind, and since the safety of the hydroplane was -all-important, he contented himself with the moderate speed of ten -knots. - -The voyage had been in progress little more than an hour when Azito -suddenly turned round, and said-- - -"I hear a train, senor." - -Will instantly stopped the engine. While it throbbed he could hear -nothing else. The hydroplane drifted silently on the current. From the -far distance, on the right bank, came the characteristic rumble of a -heavy train--a sound impossible to mistake. Ruggles heard it at the -same moment. - -"We must cut and run for it now," he said, "and no mistake." - -"Yes, and we must have the General aboard. It will be a near thing at -the best. We must make room for him somehow." - -As he said this he backed the vessel to allow the yacht to come -alongside. Then he gave the wheel to Jose, turning to help Ruggles to -lift the General on board. Machado thought his chance was come. He -took up the light anchor, as though to throw it over and hold the vessel -while the transfer was made. He really intended to dash it into the -machinery. But just as he was on the point of hurling it, Azito sprang -at him and brought his pole down with tremendous force on his forearm. -He dropped the anchor with a howl of pain. At the same moment the -General was hauled over the side and laid just in front of the engine. -Ruggles cast off the hawser and stowed himself near Jose; Will returned -to his seat; and opening the throttle little by little he set the -hydroplane going, at ten, fifteen, and finally twenty knots. The extra -weight she carried depressed her in the water, and more power than usual -was necessary before she would plane. - -Will had heard Machado's cry, but was too intent upon his task to pay -any heed to it. He knew full well the frightful risks he was running in -pressing the engine so hard in the darkness, but there was no -alternative. He must reach the junction before the train. Alarmed at -the speed, Ruggles suggested that it would be better to lie up until the -morning, but Will would not hear of it. - -"We couldn't get past them. It's neck or nothing," he said shortly. - -The vessel whizzed along. The rumble of the train seemed to draw no -nearer. Azito stood forward, but the pace was so great that in the -darkness it was tremendously difficult to give the course. Suddenly -there was a jolt and a jar. Azito shot forward on to the wind-screen; -those who were seated were jostled violently against one another, and -Will narrowly escaped a collision with the steering-wheel. After the -momentary jerk the hydroplane rushed on, but only for a few seconds. -Then the engine stopped dead, and the vessel was once more drifting at -three knots down the stream. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--REPAIRS - - -"What's happened?" asked Ruggles anxiously. - -"We struck a snag: goodness knows what damage is done. We shall have to -run into the bank and wait till morning. Can't see to do anything in -the dark. Was there ever such beastly bad luck!" - -"Well, you couldn't expect everything to go smoothly. You haven't had -much to complain of so far." - -"That's true; but just at this moment, when everything depended on our -keeping ahead of the train! Listen to it. We must be close on the -narrows, to judge by the row it's making." - -"It's lucky we hadn't got any farther, then." - -By this time Will had steered the vessel to the left bank, running under -the overhanging branches of a large tree. Before it came to rest, Azito -beat the bank with his pole to scare away any alligator that might lurk -there. - -"Water's coming in," said Will. "But I'm afraid that's not the worst. -We can stop a leak, but we are done if there's anything seriously wrong -with the engine. We haven't even got the yacht now." - -"Better lift the craft on to the bank, so that she doesn't become -absolutely waterlogged," Ruggles suggested. - -Everybody got out, Azito removing the small stock of food left in the -vessel, and Ruggles and Jose lifting the General between them. - -"Shall we untie his cords?" said Will. "He must be pretty stiff and -uncomfortable." - -"It depends what you mean to do. Will you still have a try at getting -him to Bolivar?" - -"Without a doubt. There's the Chief to consider." - -"Then you mustn't loose him. It won't be safe. By the way, what was -that howl I heard as we hauled him into the boat?" - -"I don't know." - -"Senor, it was this man," said the Indian, pointing to Machado. "He was -going to hurt the engine." - -"It's a lie!" cried Machado, in abject fear. - -"Tell us what he did, Azito," said Will. - -The Indian explained that Machado and the General had conversed in low -tones while on the yacht, arousing his suspicion. He told how he had -prevented the man from carrying out his intention when the Senor's back -was turned. Will caught Machado's arm, and he winced. - -"Tie him up," said Will. "He shan't have another chance." - -Machado was bound and laid beside the General. Food was distributed, -but sparingly; the supply brought from Bolivar would soon be exhausted. -Then they sat down to wait for daylight, not daring to sleep, in case -danger in the shape of beast or man should come. They heard the train -rumbling along to their left, until by and by the sound died away. - -The dawn stole upon them. They all presented a sorry and woe-begone -appearance, none more than General Carabano. When captured he was -wearing a long flowered dressing-gown, the colours of which had "run" -through his immersion in the lake. He had lost the well-fed and -arrogant look which he habitually wore. He made no further protest, but -accepted in sullen silence the meagre portion of food allotted to him, -and meekly allowed his arms to be rebound when the brief meal was -finished. - -Will and Ruggles lost no time in making an examination of the -hydroplane. They found that a sharp branch of a submerged tree had -penetrated the bottom and pierced the petrol-tank, where it had snapped -off. The pressure which usually fed the petrol up to the engine had -forced it out of the tank, and Will realized with despair that the -hydroplane was now of no more use to them than a raft. All the petrol -that was left was about a gallon in one of the cans. - -"We are clean done, Ruggles," he said. "There's not the ghost of a -chance of our getting to Bolivar." - -"Except at three miles an hour," said Ruggles. - -"With the river closely watched, as it will be, we can't even drift -down. Espejo will know we can't have passed. No one but a madman would -attempt to go at any pace in the dark, and then he'd come to grief. I -was a fool not to take your advice." - -"It's no good crying over spilt milk, as the Chief would say. I can -manage to patch up the hole, if that's any good." - -"Well, it would keep the thing afloat, but that won't help us much. -Without petrol we're stuck." - -"Is there none left at the camp?" - -"Not a cupful. I brought away the last cans before I went down to -Bolivar." - -"This is a real fix. That Espejo fellow will begin to search the river -when he finds we don't pass; he can easily get canoes from some of the -natives down the Orinoco. He's bound to find us if we're still on the -river, and then with only two revolvers and a couple of knives between -us we shall be at his mercy. Seems to me, as soon as I've patched up -the hole, we'd better pole up the river and go straight on instead of -turning up the stream towards the hacienda. They might not look for us -there." - -"There seems nothing else. But it'll take a week to get so far. We've -got the current against us, and with our load we should do about one -mile an hour. Besides, what's to happen then? They can search for us -and keep a watch on the river for any length of time, and our food won't -last more than two days on the shortest commons, and precious stale it -will be, too." - -"The only other plan would be to march along this left bank till we come -to a village, and then promise the natives a reward to guide us to -Bolivar." - -"And let Espejo collar my hydroplane! Not if I can help it. Besides, -we've got to rescue the Chief." - -"Well, you can think it over while I am stopping the leak." - -There were a few simple tools on board, and Ruggles, not belying his -reputation as handy man, succeeded after an hour's work in making what -he called a good temporary job of it. Will watched him for a time; -then, seeing from the General's look that he had taken the full measure -of the situation, and expected to be rescued by his lieutenant before -long, he said to himself fiercely that he would not be bested, and -walked away to think quietly how the disaster might be retrieved. - -The want of petrol was the only difficulty. When Ruggles had finished -his task the hydroplane would be quite capable of continuing the voyage -if fuel could be got. He would, of course, not again attempt to proceed -by night; and by day Azito could be trusted to avoid snags. But petrol -he had none, nor could he get any; and without it he saw no possible way -of working the engine. Was there a substitute? - -Suddenly he remembered that the Indians were accustomed to use for their -torches a resinous liquid made from a kind of pine-tree that grew in -certain districts. Would not such a wood-spirit be quite as good for -his purpose as petrol? Full of the idea, he hastened back to consult -Ruggles. Ruggles shook his head. - -"I am up to most things in the machine line," he said, "but don't know -more than a baby about distilling or chemistry and such. Still, it's a -fact, what you say. The Indians do get a sort of benzine from the -trees, and benzine and petrol are first cousins, at any rate. There's -no harm in trying. But do you know whether these trees grow -hereabouts?" - -"No, I don't," confessed Will, with misgiving. "I'll ask Azito." - -The Indian's reply was cheering. There was a forest of the right kind -of trees some miles inland from the left bank of the river. It could be -approached by a creek, not very far from the scene of his adventure with -the jaguar. This was fortunate. The spot was a good many miles from -their present position, and if Captain Espejo did undertake a systematic -search of the river, it would be long before he came to the upper -reaches. Will decided to set off at once. The petrol tank having been -repaired, he could make use of the last gallon of spirit contained in -the almost empty can. It would suffice to carry the hydroplane at a low -speed perhaps a dozen miles up-stream; then they must trust to their -poles. Will made sure that the sparking apparatus was in good order; -the whole party went aboard, with two prisoners now instead of one; and -while the morning was still young the hydroplane started for the upper -river. At first Will hesitated to set the engine going, in case it was -heard by the enemy; but reflecting that they had almost certainly run on -to the junction several miles below, and would scarcely have begun to -search yet, he decided to get as far from them as he could. There would -probably be greater danger if the throbbing were heard as they -approached the neighbourhood of the hacienda. - -A few miles up Azito caught sight of the little yacht, which on being -cast off had drifted for some distance and then run into the bank, where -it had wedged itself among the lower boughs of a large tree. Will hailed -this as a fortunate discovery. By dividing the party the labour of -ascending against the current would be considerably lessened. The boat -was hauled off and towed until the petrol gave out; then once more -General Carabano was transferred to it, with Ruggles as punter and -guardian. Keeping both vessels as near to the left bank as was safe, in -order to avoid the full force of the current, Ruggles in the yacht and -Jose and Azito by turns in the hydroplane steadily poled along. It was -slow and tiresome work. In two hours they covered a distance less than -the hydroplane in good trim would have accomplished in ten minutes. -Indeed, it was late in the afternoon when they came to the little -stream, running into the left bank, from which they could gain the creek -that Azito had mentioned. - -They made their way slowly up this stream for some three miles, passing -many small creeks on both sides. At last they reached that which would -bring them to the spirit-yielding trees. Their progress now was even -slower than it had been. The creek was shallow and very weedy. More -than once the vessels were brought up by clinging masses of aquatic -vegetation. Not till the short dusk was beginning did they reach the -neighbourhood of the wood. Here they found a little sandy strip on -which they ran the vessels and disembarked, tired out. After a meagre -supper they lay down on a stretch of green sward to pass the night, Will -arranging that they should take turns to watch against intrusion by wild -beasts. - -Early next morning Azito led Will and Ruggles into the wood, and showed -them the trees to tap for the spirit. Then he said that he would paddle -himself some miles further up the creek in the yacht, until he reached -an Indian village where he might obtain food. The others set about -rigging up a benzine distillery. This was naturally of the most -primitive description. Will first made a clay crucible in which he -collected the liquid obtained from the trees; then, connecting this by -means of a metal pipe from the engine with a water-bottle he was -accustomed to take with him on the hydroplane, he lit a small fire, -borrowing a box of matches from Machado, and distilled over the vapour -from the crucible to the bottle. It occurred to him to hasten the -condensation by placing the bottle in the flowing water of the stream, -propping it up with two stones. As soon as he had collected a small -quantity of the spirit he tested it, and found that it had all the -volatile and inflammable qualities of petrol. - -"I'd never have believed it," said Ruggles; "but it will take a month -before we get enough to carry us to Bolivar." - -"So it will if we don't make more crucibles. There's plenty of clay." - -"But what about pipes and bottles?" - -"There are plenty of reeds at the edge of the creek: they'll do for -pipes. As for bottles, we've got two petrol cans, and we shall have to -make some clay bottles. The sooner the better." - -They set to work at once with Jose to make, first, crucibles out of the -white clay which formed the subsoil, and as these were finished, they -took them into the forest and set them down at the trees they tapped. -While the liquid was collecting they gathered reeds from the border of -the stream, and fashioned clumsy clay bottles as receptacles of the -vapour. By the afternoon they had a dozen pieces of apparatus at work, -and Will was in high spirits at the prospect of filling his tank with -the all-important fuel. He found the moist heat of the forest very -trying, but willingly endured the discomfort and fatigue. - -In the evening Azito returned, staggering under a basket loaded with -yuca, a root from which a capital bread could be made, and a goat-skin -filled with resinous liquid, purchased in the Indian village. He -reported that he had seen, as he came by the edge of the forest, a sloth -clinging to the branch of a tree, and several tapirs grubbing for roots, -and wished Will to return with him and kill one of the animals for -supper; but Will did not care to risk a revolver shot, which might be -heard by the enemy if they were coming up the river, and so he decided -to make a meal of yuca bread alone. - -Next day he set up more crucibles, and then, having at work as many as -could be conveniently tended, he adopted Ruggles' advice and rested -during the hottest hours. But he grew restless in inaction, and by and -by strolled into the forest, whose gloomy depths had a fascination for -him. He marked signs of the great struggle for life going on all -around. Innumerable creeping plants twined about the trees, striving to -force a way to the sunlight in which their gorgeous blossoms might -expand, and stifling the vitality out of the forest giants. Beetles and -termites scurried hither and thither: birds flitted from bough to bough, -pecking at the ripe berries, and carrying away seeds which would -germinate in some other part, to be strangled ere they came to maturity, -or to grow into stranglers in their turn. Among the other trees the -palms rose straight and lofty, their branchless trunks defying the -murderous creepers, their leafy crowns dominating as if in contempt the -lowlier competitors beneath. - -Here he caught sight of a cavy nibbling a nut, there a peccary hunting -among the undergrowth for seeds. Moving cautiously among the trees, he -had a glimpse of a labba peeping out of a hollow trunk, and disturbed a -deer which was lying amid the bushes, its colour harmonizing so well -with them that he had not distinguished it until it moved, though it was -within a few feet of him. In the foliage overhead howling monkeys kept -up their resounding notes, and tree-frogs boomed and whistled -incessantly. As evening drew on, the forest was filled with the -continuous hum of multitudinous insects; owls hooted, goatsuckers -flitted from bough to bough uttering their weird cry, and snakes -uncoiled themselves from the branches on which they had taken their -siesta. Will would have liked to spend days in studying these creatures -of the forest. - -Returning to the camp, he discussed with Ruggles what should be done -when the cans were filled. - -"It will be two days more before we have enough spirit," he said. "I -think we should start from here in the early afternoon, run down to the -narrows at half-speed, and try to rush them at dusk. No more night -running for me. We might strike a snag again, and we can't risk it a -second time." - -"Couldn't we simply drift?" suggested Ruggles. - -"Too risky--not from the river, but you may be sure that Espejo will -watch it day and night. He will know we haven't got past him." - -"You had better send Azito out to scout, then, before we start." - -"A good idea. But I am sure we shall have to trust to our speed alone. -We can't fight them with only two revolvers between us. Our only chance -is to get to the narrows before we are seen, and then go at top speed. -A quarter of an hour would do it." - -On the second night thereafter the petrol tank was full, and there was a -considerable quantity of spirit left over in one of the cans. Will -ordered Azito to go out in the yacht as soon as it was light, and see if -he could discover the movements of the enemy. While the Indian was -absent the others prepared for the adventurous voyage. The two -prisoners, who had sullenly watched the making of the benzine, were laid -in the bottom of the hydroplane: Will and Ruggles thoroughly overhauled -and oiled the engine, and cleaned the planes and the propeller of the -weeds which had already begun to cling about them. - -About nine o'clock Azito returned. His report was that he had seen a -boat filled with armed men coming slowly up the stream, searching the -creeks on either side. There were twelve men, all armed with rifles. - -"We must get out before they come up here," said Will. "Otherwise we -shall be like rats in a trap. How far are they down, Azito?" - -"About three twists, senor." - -This was not very enlightening. The Indian's "twist" may be of any -length, according to circumstances. But Azito went on to explain that -the enemy were not far below a creek that ran into the stream from the -opposite side, which, as nearly as Will could recollect, was about -half-a-mile from that up which the hydroplane had come. He had little -doubt that if the enemy were proceeding systematically they would search -the opposite creek first. Accordingly he ordered all on board. The -yacht was left. Will promised it as a present to Azito when his work -was over, having no doubt that Mr. Jackson would purchase it of De -Mello. Then they poled the hydroplane down the creek until they came -within a few yards of the point where it entered the stream. There they -drew into the bank, where they could not be seen until the enemy came -right opposite the mouth. - -Many tall trees grew at the edge of the stream. - -"Climb up, Azito," said Will, "and tell us when the boat enters the -creek on the opposite side." - -In a few minutes the Indian was snugly perched among the thick foliage -at the top of one of the loftiest trees. - -"We'll start as soon as we know they're in the creek," said Will to -Ruggles. "That may give us time to get several miles down before we're -discovered." - -Several minutes passed. Then they saw Azito sliding down the tree with -the agility of a monkey. - -"They have gone into it, senor." - -"Very well. Pole us out. It's neck or nothing, Ruggles. Have you got -your revolver handy?" - -"Trust me. You'd better give me yours. You can't use it and steer too, -and I'm rather a dab with my left hand." - -"Here you are, then," said Will, smiling as he handed the weapon to him. -"But I hope we shan't come to close enough quarters for you to use it. -We're off, and good luck to us." - - - - -CHAPTER XV--HYDROPLANE _VERSUS_ LOCOMOTIVE - - -Captain Espejo thought himself to be very hardly used. He had expected -to be by this time Jefe of Guayana. That was the office promised him by -General Carabano in reward for his services in the "liberation" of -Venezuela. The General had not kept his promise. That was a clear -breach of faith. Nay more, so far was he from acting up to his -self-assumed title of Liberator, that he himself needed liberating. That -was most annoying. Really, he ought to have been more careful. His -capture was a malign stroke of Fate, but since Fate was inaccessible, -Captain Espejo vented his annoyance and disappointment on his -subordinates, which did not improve matters. - -Success is the best credential of a revolutionist, and the General's -want of success bid fair to ruin his cause. There was no moral -enthusiasm to buoy up the spirits of his men. Quite the contrary, -indeed: the triumph of General Carabano would be the triumph of -corruption. The bonds linking them to him were of the slightest, and -when with his disappearance their prospects of sharing the spoils of -victory vanished into thin air, they began to ask themselves whether it -was not time to disband. Perhaps in a few years another Liberator might -arise who would not so easily be snuffed out. That was how the -Venezuelans looked at the situation. The Indians of the force had -already made up their minds that General Carabano was a bladder, and -betaken themselves to their own place. - -Captain Espejo was worried as well as annoyed. Food was running short; -the exchequer was empty; the men had not received the pay promised them; -and the Captain was not at all happy at the prospect of having to deal -with a mutiny. He had declared, to be sure, with great vehemence, that -the audacious kidnappers of the Liberator had not gone down-stream; he -had no doubt that the detestable machine which had proved such a -troublesome instrument in the hand of Fate had broken down, and the -Englishman was hiding somewhere in the neighbourhood. But machines could -be repaired, and when the repairs were made the Englishman would -probably make another attempt to carry off his captive. If he could be -intercepted all might yet be well. Captain Espejo used this argument to -some effect with his men, and they had agreed to wait a week, and to -keep a careful watch on the river meanwhile. The locomotive was kept -constantly under steam, so that, immediately the discovery of the -fugitives was signalled, the train might start for the junction. It -could surely outstrip an overladen hydroplane, and then the Englishman -might think himself lucky if he escaped a bullet through the head. It -would give the Captain great pleasure to accompany the Liberator-General -to his hacienda of Las Piedras, and witness the shooting of that -impertinent engineer who had dared to flout him. - -The Captain was ruminating thus when there fell upon his ear the report -of two rifles, fired in quick succession. Springing up from the chair -which the General had lately filled, he ran into the camp, summoned a -hundred men from their _dolce far niente_, and with much excitement -ordered them to board the three wagons coupled to the engine. - -"They are discovered!" he cried. "We have them!" - -He climbed into the cab beside the engine-driver. - -"A thousand pesos," he shouted, "if you reach the junction before the -Englishman!" - -The driver opened the throttle, the wheels spun round, and when they -held the rails the train started with a great rumbling and clanking -towards the junction. - - ---- - -The hydroplane had floated only a few yards down the stream when there -was a shout from the bank opposite. Looking round, Will saw, at the -embouchure of the creek, a man wearing General Carabano's green feather -in his sombrero. He held a rifle. The enemy had clearly taken the -precaution to post a look-out, so that while their boat was searching -the creek, the hydroplane should not pass undiscovered. - -One glance, then Will started the engine, and the hydroplane shot -forward. - -"Not too fast," said Ruggles anxiously. - -"All right. Ten miles an hour till we see how she goes. Keep your eyes -open, Azito." - -The Indian grunted. He stood as far forward as was convenient, holding -his pole, and fixing his eyes on the course. He meant to earn the -little yacht that lay snugly beached in the creek behind. - -The man on the bank shouted again. In less than two minutes the -hydroplane was level with him. He knelt on one knee, lifted his rifle, -and fired. - -"Through the wind-screen," said Will, not turning his head. "No harm -done. I'll make it fifteen." - -The hydroplane swept round the first "twist" in the stream, and passed -from the sight of the look-out. Another shot rang out, and -half-a-minute later two more. - -"A waste of ammunition," said Will, smiling. - -"Stop, senor!" cried Machado in terror, from his place in the bottom. -"We shall all be killed. His Excellency will be shot." - -"Hold your tongue," growled Ruggles, "or we'll set you and his -Excellency up as targets." - -From some spot down-stream came the crack of another rifle, and then a -second. Half-a-minute later there seemed to be an echo from a point -still lower, and Azito declared that he heard two more shots even -farther away. - -"They're signals," said Ruggles. "Confound 'em, why are they so -careful?" - -"I daren't go any faster yet," said Will. "The stream's too narrow. We -shall get to the tributary directly, and then I'll make her go." - -A few minutes brought them to the broader stream. Then Will opened the -throttle further, increasing the speed to twenty miles an hour. More -shots sounded faintly in several directions. Ruggles turned his head -and glanced up-stream. - -"There's a canoe after us," he cried. "Indians paddling like mad, and -half-a-dozen fellows with rifles." - -"They can't hurt us," said Will, and laughed as he heard the rattle of -an ineffective volley behind. - -"It'll be a near thing, though, if they've got other canoes waiting for -us down-stream. Is she going all right?" - -"Perfectly. Twenty-five now, and planes beautifully. They won't hit us -unless they've had practice with partridges, and if they get in the way -they'll come off no better than the jaguar I ran down." - -The vessel was skimming along as lightly as a bird. Ruggles gripped the -side; he had no experience of this kind of navigation. - -"The canoe's out of sight," he said, looking round. "We're level with -the hacienda now. Two shots again. They've put a chain of lookouts all -down the river." - -"Thirty," replied Will, his eyes fixed on Azito, his hands firmly -gripping the steering-wheel. - -"A canoe putting off from the bank, senor," cried Azito. "Four men in -her." - -"Right bank?" - -"Yes, senor." - -"We'll go straight at her. Revolver ready, Ruggles?" - -"For goodness' sake be careful!" gasped Ruggles. "She may capsize us." - -"Thirty-five," said Will. - -On flew the hydroplane. - -"Are we near the canoe, Azito?" asked Will. - -"She goes back, senor: better get out of the way." - -"Very sensible. Duck, Ruggles: they may send a shot at us." - -Next moment four bullets whizzed overhead. - -"A thousand pesos if you stop!" cried the General, terrified alike by -the speed of the hydroplane and the risk of being shot by his own men. - -"Not for a million," said Will. "Are we near the narrows, Azito?" - -"Not yet, senor." - -"By Jove!" exclaimed Ruggles, "they've sent the train after us. I can -see smoke through the trees." - -"Forty," said Will. - -He had now attained the maximum speed. He had seldom ventured to keep -it up for more than a quarter of an hour at a stretch, but he was grimly -determined to beat the train. No engine had yet run over the newly-laid -track at a greater speed than twenty-five miles an hour: surely the -driver would not risk a smash. But Captain Espejo was at the man's -elbow, continually urging him to go faster. The heavy wagons rattled on -behind, the men swaying this way and that, shouting, peering through the -trees to the left to catch a glimpse of the hydroplane. - -The sun beat down fiercely. Hot though the air was, it blew cold upon -the occupants of the hydroplane as she whizzed along. Will and Ruggles -were bathed in perspiration. Jose was oiling the engine. - -"How are we now?" asked Will. - -"I can't see for the trees. Aren't we near the narrows?" - -He was answered by a volley from the bank. He ducked instinctively. -Will did not budge; his whole mind was given to the hydroplane. Would -the engine stand the strain? He heard bullets slap into the -wind-screen, and trembled lest one should strike the engine or find its -way into the petrol tank. - -"The train's almost level with us," said Ruggles. "Not more than a -hundred yards behind." - -At this point the railway track emerged upon the river, coming to within -a quarter of a mile of it. Here the bank was clear of trees. - -"How many trucks?" asked Will. - -"Three, full of men. They're levelling rifles at us." - -"Won't there be a smash when they come to the curve!" - -"We're gaining a little, but they'll make up on us when we come to the -bend." - -"We must go faster. I can't leave the wheel. Ruggles, go to the -exhaust valve and double the pressure." - -"Good heavens! It won't stand it." - -"It must! Hurry up, man." - -Ruggles, as an expert mechanician, knew the risk involved. By adjusting -the valve admitting pressure from the exhaust to the petrol tank it -could show double the pressure on the tank gauge. By this means the -explosive mixture would be enriched and more power gained. But there -would be an immense risk of over-heating the cylinders. - -"I don't think----" he began. - -"Quick! quick, man!" said Will. - -Hesitating no longer, Ruggles did what was required of him. The -hydroplane flew on. In half-a-minute it had gained a furlong on the -train. Fearing that their prey was escaping them, the men on the trucks -fired a volley, some resting their rifles on the sides, others even -venturing to mount, being held up on the jolting vehicles by their -comrades. More bullets struck the windscreen; Will did not notice that -Azito's right arm dropped by his side. The Indian did not utter a -sound. - -With every second the hydroplane increased its lead. At last it came to -the bend, which made its course longer by over a mile than the straight -track of the railway. This was the critical part of the race. Will knew -that, if the train maintained its speed, he could not expect to reach -the farther end of the curve before his pursuers. It was impossible to -increase the pressure by an ounce. His only hope was that the train -would not have time to pull up, so that the men could steady themselves -for firing, before he shot past. - -As he rounded the bend into the straight again, he saw that the train -was leading by about two hundred yards. It did not appear to be -slackening speed. And here he recognized with a throb of delight that -there was a point in his favour that had not occurred to him. For -nearly a mile the bank of the river was lined with a thin fringe of -trees. This explained the fact that the train had not pulled up. Even -if the men could alight in time, the trees must completely spoil their -chance of pouring in an effective volley. The hydroplane was skimming -along at such an enormous speed that they could no more have taken good -aim at it through the trees than if they had been park palings. In -half-a-minute the hydroplane was once more forging ahead. A scattered -volley flashed from the trucks; Will paid no heed to it; he did not even -notice that a bullet had flown up from the wind-screen and struck his -cheek. All that he knew was that the hydroplane was drawing away, and -that in another mile or so the train would arrive at a dangerous curve. - -"They're putting on more steam," cried Ruggles, "and coaling like the -very dickens." - -"Shall we do it? I can't keep this up for more than another minute." - -"In another minute they'll come to the curve in the cutting," said -Ruggles, "and then nothing can save them if they don't slacken." - -A few seconds later a loud grinding shriek came from the right. - -"They've clapped on the brakes," said Will. "'Twas time. Reduce the -pressure, Ruggles, or the whole concern will burst up. There's no hurry -now." - -[Illustration: THE RACE TO THE SWIFT] - -Ruggles screwed back the valve. Will gradually closed the throttle -until the speed was reduced to twenty miles an hour. The bridge was in -sight. Just as they reached it there came a crash from the line. Will -reduced the speed still further, and looked round. The driver had put -on his brakes too late. Rounding the curve, the engine had left the -rails and the wagons were overturned. - -"Not much harm done," said Ruggles. "Lucky she slowed down when she -did, or there'd have been a horrible mess." - -"Thank goodness we've got through in time," said Will, mopping his -steaming brow. "We can take it easy now, and get to Bolivar before it's -dark." - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--THE END OF A REVOLUTION - - -The hydroplane was now on the broad bosom of the Orinoco, floating down -with the tide. Will thought it time to stop for a meal. - -"We'll run into the bank, and Azito can cook us some yuca," he said. - -"A glass of beer, just one, would satisfy me," said Ruggles. "But, -bless us! you've got blood on your cheek." - -"So I have!" cried Will, brushing his hand over it. "Any one else -hurt?" - -There was no answer, but looking round, he noticed that Azito's right -arm hung limp at his side. As soon as the vessel was beached, he -examined the wound. - -"You're a plucky fellow," he said. "Do you know that your arm's -broken?" - -"It's nothing, senor," replied the Indian simply. - -"Isn't it? We'll see what the surgeon says when we get to Bolivar. -Ruggles, you can do most things: can you make a bandage?" - -"I've washed and dressed a week-old baby," said Ruggles, "and there's a -bit of bandaging in that." - -"Well, see what you can do for Azito. Jose must bake our bread, and I -think we might release our prisoners now, don't you?" - -"You won't let the General go, surely?" said Ruggles. - -"Not I. But we can untie him now. He must be pretty uncomfortable." - -The two prisoners were released from their bonds. They looked very -woebegone. Machado began to protest. - -"You said no harm should come to me if I did your bidding, senor," he -said. "This is how an Englishman keeps his word!" - -"You haven't much to complain of," said Will bluntly. "Many a man would -have shot you for your treachery." - -"But you will not take me to Ciudad Bolivar?" said the man, beginning to -whine. "They will shoot me there." - -"And you would deserve it. But since it was by your help that I secured -the person of your General, I'll see what I can do for you. Perhaps they -won't trouble about you when they have the arch-rebel in their hands." - -Then General Carabano thought it time to say a word. - -"You have no right to meddle in the affairs of Venezuela, senor," he -said. "My cause is a good one: I have half the country at my back: -and----" - -"We won't go into that, General," interrupted Will. "You ventured to -meddle with the servants of a Company protected by the laws of your -State. You have got the worst of it, and that's all there is to be -said." - -"Not all, senor," said the General, changing his tone. "You forget that -your friends are still in captivity, and be sure that if any harm befall -me, my adherents will exact retribution." - -"I doubt whether you have any adherents now," replied Will. "At any -rate you will go with us to Ciudad Bolivar." - -"If you release me, senor, I will undertake that your friends shall -rejoin you in three days, and your Company shall be no further -molested." - -"Sorry I can't oblige you, General. You can't repay my Company for -their loss of business: you can't repair the railway line that your -adherents have smashed up. The less said the better, I think." - -The General glared at him, but seeing that there was no hope of his -relenting he held his peace. - -After a meal, Will started the hydroplane, and ran down the river at a -speed of about fifteen knots. - -"What about the Chief and Jerry O'Connor?" said Ruggles, sitting at his -side. - -"I'm rather bothered about them," replied Will, "though it wouldn't do -to let the General think so. They're out of reach, and we can't get at -them easily. But I hope they won't come to any harm. It is quite clear -we can do nothing at present. We can't go across country while Espejo -and his crew are still at large. Perhaps the Government will do -something for them in return for our capture of Carabano: that's my -hope." - -Suddenly there was a loud splash. Looking round, Will saw that the -General had flung himself overboard. No doubt he expected to meet the -fate of rebels when he came into the President's hands, and preferred to -seek his own death. Will instantly stopped the engine and sprang into -the river. For a few moments the General did not reappear, and Will -feared that he had gone to the bottom; but swimming along, he caught -sight of the woolly head emerging a few yards away, and three or four -swift strokes brought them together. The General fought stubbornly -until Will in desperation called Ruggles to his assistance. Between them -they managed to haul their prisoner to the vessel, by which time he was -almost unconscious. Again his hands and feet were bound, and Will set -the engine going at a higher speed. - -It was near dusk when they came in sight of the white cathedral tower of -Ciudad Bolivar. Soon after they entered the narrow part of the river. -There was the row of black rocks rising out of the water near the right -bank. There was the Piedra del Medio--the large rock rearing itself in -the middle of the stream. And there at last was the stone quay, not -deserted, as it had been at his last visit to the city, but now thronged -with idlers watching the progress of the strange vessel about which -their curiosity had long been unsatisfied. - -Will steered the hydroplane alongside the quay, and sprang out. Ruggles -untied the bonds about the General's feet, and together they lifted him -on to the quay. The onlookers were at first silent in sheer amazement; -then the cry arose that the rebel General had been brought a prisoner to -the city. Each taking an arm, Will and Ruggles marched the General -along the Calle de Coco. - -"What about Machado?" said Ruggles a few seconds after they had started. - -"We'll let him go," answered Will. "I fancy he has had a lesson. He'll -keep out of the way of the authorities, and after what has happened -he'll beware of the rebels. Perhaps he'll try to earn an honest -living." - -Followed along the street by an ever-growing crowd, mocking and jeering -at the General, they came at length to the Town Hall. The Jefe was -beyond measure amazed and delighted when he saw his prisoner. - -"The President shall hear of this at once, senor," he said, shaking Will -warmly by the hand. "It is you, senor, that are the Liberator of -Venezuela, and your name will be honoured in the annals of my country. -You must tell me at leisure how you succeeded in capturing this -notorious enemy of the State. I will at once issue invitations for a -banquet." - -"Pardon me, Excellency; as you perceive, I am not presentable." - -The rough life of the past few days and his immersion had indeed given -him a disreputable appearance. - -"That is a trifle, senor," said the Jefe. "My own tailor shall provide -you with garments within an hour or two. The whole city will be eager -to hear your story, and I cannot be denied." - -Will accepted his fate philosophically. The General was put into safe -quarters in the city jail: a telegram was immediately sent to the -President at Caracas, telling him the news and asking for instructions: -and then the Jefe himself took Will to his tailor's, and gave orders -that he should be becomingly arrayed. He would have done the same for -Ruggles; but that worthy, at the first mention of a banquet, had quietly -slipped away. He told Will next day that he couldn't trust himself at -such a festivity. - -"You see, they wouldn't have beer," he said, "and wine would bowl me -over in no time. Besides, their champagne is filthy stuff." - -There is no need to relate what happened at the Jefe's hospitable table. -Will was the hero of the hour, and supremely uncomfortable. It was very -late before the party broke up, and it is a regrettable fact that the -Jefe, when he took Will home as his guest for the night, talked a great -deal of nonsense. - -"Ah!" said Ruggles, when Will hinted at this next day, "there's nothing -keeps a man so safe as having two pounds a week and no more." - -In the morning an order came from the President that General Carabano -should be immediately sent to Caracas. He gave at the same time a -cordial invitation to Senor Pentelow to visit him. This Will promptly -and gratefully declined by telegraph. He had had a conversation with -the Jefe. It appeared that a few days before, scouts had reported that -Colonel Orellana's force had broken up. No doubt news of General -Carabano's abduction had reached them, and they recognized that the -revolution had fizzled out. Being relieved of further anxiety on this -score, the Jefe readily acceded to Will's request that he would send a -small force by steamer up the Orinoco, in order to effect the release of -the prisoners. General Carabano's hacienda was about a hundred miles -from the junction, and remote from the railway. It could best be -reached by ascending the tributary until it ceased to be navigable, a -few miles beyond De Mello's hacienda, and then by riding across country. -The journey would be too hazardous for Will and Ruggles to attempt alone -while Captain Espejo still had any force at command; but a small party -under Colonel Blanco could no doubt easily dispose of them, and then the -way would be open. - -Accordingly a steamer left Bolivar at ten o'clock, carrying Colonel -Blanco and fifty well-armed men, together with the two Englishmen and -their native helpers. Will had not forgotten to have Azito's arm -properly attended to by a surgeon, nor to buy a good supply of petrol. -The hydroplane was towed. With some difficulty Will had persuaded the -doctor to accompany the expedition in order to assist the men who had -been injured when the train was thrown off the rails. The doctor was -doubtful of getting his fees. - -At the junction Colonel Blanco disembarked with Will and some of his -officers to view the scene of the smash. Engine and trucks lay, of -course, where they had fallen, with broken rifles and other evidences of -the catastrophe. Steaming along the river again, they came to a halt -where there was no longer sufficient draught for the vessel, and marched -over the few miles to the hacienda. Here they found all the rooms -occupied by a score of injured men, attended only by Indians. They had -been brought in a few hours before, after a terrible night in the woods. -Captain Espejo was one of the most seriously injured, as was only to be -expected from his perilous position on the cab of the engine. All the -men who were able to ride had decamped. Colonel Blanco was much -interested in seeing the hole in the stable wall by which Will had -escaped, and the room where General Carabano was captured. - -Next morning Will and Ruggles set off on horseback with a dozen of the -Colonel's men, under Azito's guidance, for the General's hacienda. It -was a long and fatiguing journey, through woods, across streams, now on -bare rock, now in swamp whose squelching ground covered the horses' -fetlocks. When they arrived at the precipice where Ruggles had escaped, -nothing would satisfy him but to halt and scratch his initials on the -cliff. - -"Just like a tripper," said Will, laughing. - -"Well, as your name is to be written in full in the State records, you -won't grudge me my simple initials on the rock," replied Ruggles. "And -I shouldn't wonder if they last longer." - -They had ridden but a few miles farther when Azito pointed to the right, -and declared that he had seen three horsemen coming towards them. -Nobody else could distinguish the figures. Colonel Blanco decided to -halt in a clump of trees until the strangers came up. Will thought they -might bring news of the prisoners, or that two of them might be the -prisoners themselves; but Azito said they were coming from the wrong -direction. - -In twenty minutes the three riders came clearly into view. Then Will -saw that one of them was Antonio de Mello. The others were strangers to -him. He went out to meet them. - -"Hallo, old chap!" said De Mello. "What are you doing here?" - -"I'm going to pay a visit to General Carabano's hacienda." - -De Mello laughed. - -"What is this I hear about the Liberator?" he said. "My Indians--I have -had spies at my place all along--told me that he was abducted in the -middle of the night. Is it true?" - -"Perfectly," said Will. "Your place is just now a hospital." - -"What! Has there been a fight?" asked De Mello, grimacing. - -"No: a smash on the line. I suppose you are on your way there?" - -"Yes. With Carabano gone I thought I might venture back to my own, and -two friends accompanied me to see fair play." He introduced the -strangers. "But why are you going to the General's house?" - -"To release a couple of friends of mine. Didn't your Indian tell you -what happened to us?" - -"They told me a great deal that I didn't believe. What's the truth of -the matter?" - -"It's a long story, and if you don't mind I'll keep it till I get back. -Colonel Blanco is waiting in the wood yonder, and we want to get to Las -Piedras before night." - -"Colonel Blanco! The revolution is broken, then?" - -"Smashed." - -"That's good news. I hope they haven't damaged my stables." - -"No, your stables are all right," said Will with a laugh, wondering at -his friend's strange lack of patriotism. "No Englishman," he thought, -"would think first of his stables." Was he right? - -Having been introduced to Colonel Blanco, De Mello rode on with his -friends towards his hacienda. The others resumed their journey in the -opposite direction. - -It was getting dark when they reached General Carabano's estate. The -house was lit up. Passing the window of the dining-room, and looking -in, they saw the Chief and O'Connor seated at table with half-a-dozen -Venezuelans. They were talking cheerfully, and seemed to be in the best -of spirits. Hearing the jingle of bridles, the whole party started up -and came to the window. The Venezuelans looked alarmed. - -"How are you, Chief?" Will called through the window. - -"It's the boy!" cried Mr. Jackson. "It's all right, O'Connor. Come in, -Pentelow; you'll find the door open. Who've you got with you?" - -"Colonel Blanco, of the State army." - -He entered the house with Ruggles and the Colonel. - -"You don't look much like prisoners," said Will, laughing. - -"Prisoners? We're gentlemen at large. We've heard all about it. A -messenger came up the day after the General disappeared, and we guessed -you were at the bottom of it. These gentlemen here offered to escort us -to Bolivar, but it's two hundred miles and a trying journey; and as -we're living on the fat of the land and having a better time than we've -had for months, we decided to stay here until we got word of you." - -"But I don't understand," said Will. "Aren't these gentlemen -revolutionists?" - -"No longer, my boy. They threw over the General at once, and are now -the loyalest citizens of the Republic. That's revolution in Venezuela." - -Colonel Blanco was chatting very amiably to the Venezuelans. It was all -very amazing to Will, whose knowledge of the revolutions of history -included recollections of bitter enmity, murderous passions, -proscriptions, massacres. - -He told the whole story, to which his friends listened with as much -amusement as surprise. O'Connor sighed because he had not been with -Will in the race with the train, but the Chief looked grave when he -heard of the smash on the line. - -"We'll get no compensation," he said. "However, all's well that ends -well. We shall no doubt get the line finished before the next -revolution." - -Next day they all returned to railhead. Already the scattered peons -were flocking back, and in the course of a week work was in full swing -again. - -When De Mello heard all that had happened he was inclined to be envious -of Will. It occurred to him apparently for the first time that he had -played a rather sorry part in deserting his hacienda, and leaving to -strangers the task of making head against the rebels. In course of -time, perhaps, men of his class, who at present look on matters of State -with indifference, will learn to take an interest in them, and develop a -patriotism which will raise their country to its fitting rank among the -nations of the world. - -A fortnight after his return to the camp, Mr. Jackson was informed by -his new telegraphist, an Englishman, that General Carabano had not been -shot, the President having commuted his sentence to permanent exile. -Will received an autograph letter from the President thanking him for -the great services he had rendered to the Republic, and some weeks later -the secretary of the Company in London cabled to the effect that the -Board of Directors had unanimously resolved to grant him an honorarium -of a hundred pounds in consideration of his zeal for their interests. -His hydroplane became the talk of the country, and an enterprising -Yankee in Bolivar organized weekly trips by steamer to the scene of his -adventures for the benefit of curious sightseers, and incidentally for -his own. - -Of all the actors in this little drama, Azito was perhaps the best -satisfied at its conclusion. In De Mello's yacht, purchased for him by -Mr. Jackson, he often sailed on the creeks and streams in the -neighbourhood. His wants were simple and few, and he earned the little -that sufficed to supply them by occasional attendance upon the senor who -had saved him from the jaws of a jaguar, and whose hydroplane was only -second in his estimation to his own yacht. - - - - THE END - - - - - _Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, London, and Bungay._ - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SWIFT AND SURE *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39151 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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