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diff --git a/42953-8.txt b/42953-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3fdd44c..0000000 --- a/42953-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7400 +0,0 @@ - THE MOTOR SCOUT - - - - -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: The Motor Scout - A Story of Adventure in South America -Author: Herbert Strang -Release Date: June 15, 2013 [EBook #42953] -Language: English -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOTOR SCOUT *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - -[Illustration: THE GOBERNADOR RIDES] - - - - - THE MOTOR SCOUT - - _A STORY OF ADVENTURE IN SOUTH AMERICA_ - - - BY - - HERBERT STRANG - - - - _ILLUSTRATED BY CYRUS CUNEO_ - - - - LONDON - HENRY FROWDE - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - 1913 - - - - - RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED, - BRUNSWICK STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., - AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. - - - - - CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER THE FIRST - BOMBASTES FURIOSO - -CHAPTER THE SECOND - COMINGS AND GOINGS - -CHAPTER THE THIRD - BENEVOLENCES - -CHAPTER THE FOURTH - GAS - -CHAPTER THE FIFTH - PARDO DISMISSES HIMSELF - -CHAPTER THE SIXTH - TIM IS HELD TO RANSOM - -CHAPTER THE SEVENTH - THE PREFECT MOVES - -CHAPTER THE EIGHTH - SUSPENSE - -CHAPTER THE NINTH - FLIGHT TO THE HILLS - -CHAPTER THE TENTH - CINCINNATUS O'HAGAN - -CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH - THE MOTOR-CYCLE - -CHAPTER THE TWELFTH - FREE WHEEL - -CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH - A COMMISSION - -CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH - HIS FATHER'S HOUSE - -CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH - THE RAID ON SAN ROSARIO - -CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH - A SIEGE AND A SORTIE - -CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH - IN POSSESSION - -CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH - THE ORDER OF THE NASTURTIUM - -CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH - PARDO SCORES A TRICK - -CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH - PARDO LOSES A TRICK - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST - RUN TO EARTH - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND - A PUNCTURE - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD - A LEAP FOR LIFE - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH - FROM DAN TO BEERSHEBA - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIFTH - THE RAVINE - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SIXTH - HANDSOME ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - -THE GOBERNADOR RIDES (_see page_ 10) . . . _Frontispiece_ - -CAPTURED BY BRIGANDS - -HORSEMEN ON THE TRACK - -TIM LEADS A CHARGE - -THE HOLE IN THE FLOOR - -A CHECK AT THE CAVE - - -MAP - - - - - CHAPTER I - - BOMBASTES FURIOSO - - -One hot sultry afternoon in June, the population of the little town of -San Rosario in the Peruvian Andes was struck with sudden amazement at -the sight of a motor-bicycle clattering its way through the main street -with some risk to the dogs, poultry, and small boys who had been lazily -disporting themselves there. It was not the bicycle itself that evoked -their wonder: that was an object familiar enough. Nor was it the youth -seated in the saddle, and steering it deftly past all obstacles. It was -a second figure, mounted uneasily on the carrier behind: a rotund and -portly figure, which shook and quivered with the vibration of the -machine as it jolted over the ill-paved road, maintaining its -equilibrium with obvious difficulty. Children and women shrieked; the -men leaning against the walls took their cigars from their lips and -gasped; and the noise of the engine was almost smothered by the mingled -din of barking dogs and screaming fowls. It was the figure of the -gobernador himself: land-owner, chief magistrate, and father of a -family. - -The wondering populace might have supposed that the gentleman had taken -leave of his senses--for surely no one of his mature years and serious -responsibilities would have risked so much if he had been sane--had it -not been plain to them that he was in desperate distress. His head was -bare; his swarthy cheeks were shining with perspiration; his eyes rolled -with fright; and his fat hands were clasped about the waist of the boy -in the saddle with the convulsive grip of a man clinging for dear life. -The face of the boy was, on the contrary, beaming with delight. His -lips were parted in a wide smile; his blue eyes were dancing; and his -mop of tow-coloured hair waved joyously in the breeze that the motion of -the vehicle created. - -The street filled, and soon there was a mingled crowd pouring in full -cry behind the bicycle. There were young fellows in black coats and -spotless collars--the well-to-do Peruvian is something of a dandy; men -in white ducks and Panama hats; ladies in mantillas; Indians in -bright-coloured ponchos; rough-clad muleteers; bare-legged Indian -children. The rider waved his hand and grinned at a stripling who ran, -pen in hand, from an office, to see the cause of the uproar, and -smilingly watched the bicycle as it bowled along over the cobbles of the -plaza, with much clamorous outcry from the hooter, finally coming to -rest before a large house there. The perspiring passenger having -descended from his uneasy perch, the rider dismounted and offered his -arm as a support to the magistrate, whose legs, cramped by their -unwonted strain, moved very stiffly as he approached his door. - -Young Tim O'Hagan and his motor-bicycle had been for some time the talk -of San Rosario. Tim was sixteen, but he was called "Young Tim" to -distinguish him from his father, and also, perhaps, in the spirit of -kindly tolerance with which elders sometimes regard their high-spirited -juniors. Young Tim had always been what his father's English friends -called a "pickle," and old Biddy Flanagan, the family maidservant, a -"broth of a boy." As a small boy he had been in frequent scrapes, and a -cause of bewilderment and trouble to the grave householders of the town. -More than once they had politely complained to Mr. O'Hagan of his -escapades: scrambling over their roofs, hunting for lost balls in their -gardens without much regard for their carefully tended flower-beds, and -engaging in many other nimble exercises which are natural enough to an -English--or Irish--boy, but are rare with the less active Latins. -Thrashings and admonitions were equally ineffective; he would promise -not to repeat a certain offence, and keep his word, but only to break -out in a new direction. Mr. O'Hagan at last despaired of further -correction, and yielded to his wife's advice, to leave Tim to the -sobering hand of time. - -As he grew older Tim became less mischievous, without losing his wild -spirits and love of frolic. To see him coast down the hills on his -free-wheel bicycle with no hold upon the handle-bar filled the Peruvian -boys with fear and amazement. And when, on his sixteenth birthday, his -father surrendered to his importunities, and presented him with a -motor-bicycle, there were not wanting many who foretold that young Tim -would sooner or later break his neck. Tim laughed at them. He had come -through his most daring exploits without any hurt more serious than -scratches and bruises; and being very clear-headed and possessed of iron -nerves he was accustomed to scoff at the warnings of timid people. - -In spite of his prankishness, there was no more popular person in San -Rosario. Nobody could dislike the boy with his fair Irish face, his -honest eyes twinkling with fun, and the shaggy head that scorned hats -and defied sunstroke. The Peruvian ladies would have made a pet of him -if he would have allowed them; and their husbands, in a country where -everybody, man, woman, and child, smokes, often made him presents of -cigars, which he accepted gratefully, and dutifully handed over to his -father. - -His was the only motor-bicycle in the province, an object of a fearful -awe to the young Peruvians. A crowd of these would surround him as he -prepared to mount, and scatter with shrieks when they heard the clatter -of the engine. Elderly ladies crossed themselves and drew their -mantillas closer as they saw him flashing by, and the authorities of San -Rosario were thinking of framing a bye-law for the protection of the -inhabitants from furious driving. But they were slow to move; to-morrow -would do; and Biddy Flanagan declared that no action would be taken -until the gossoon had killed somebody dead. - -On this June day, Tim had left home early in the afternoon for a -twenty-mile trip into the hills. He was returning, and had just run -down a steep and winding declivity which joined the highroad to San -Juan, the provincial capital, when he caught sight of the gobernador, -Señor José Fagasta, ambling ahead on his mule in the homeward direction. -In half a minute he overtook the magistrate, and being always very -sociably inclined, and having a certain liking for the large -good-tempered gentleman, he stopped his machine, dismounted, and after a -salutation in Spanish stepped on beside the rider, not finding it easy -to keep pace with the mule's rapid march. - -The gobernador was returning from the capital to his own little -township, and it was not long before he confided to the boy the object -and result of his visit. - -"Brigands, my young friend," he said amiably. - -"Are they caught, señor?" asked Tim. - -"No, no; but they soon will be, the rascals!" - -Tim pricked up his ears. Of late the so-called brigands had been very -troublesome. They swept down from their unknown lairs in the mountains, -falling unawares on some remote hacienda, and waylaying the trains of -pack-mules on the roads. Tim, like many another honest boy, felt a -sneaking admiration for these lawless adventurers, and was not wholly -displeased that they had hitherto defied all attempts to track them and -bring them to book. Besides, they were "against the government"; and -there were many good Peruvians who had reason to abhor the officials -under whose exactions they were then suffering. - -"What is going to be done, señor?" he asked. - -"What am _I_ going to do, you should have said," replied the magistrate. -"You will see, my boy. They sent for me to-day at San Juan, and I have -had a long consultation with his excellency the Prefect. 'Señor -Doctor,' said he, 'you are the man to catch these ruffians. I leave it -to you.'" - -There was an accent of pride in the gobernador's tone, and he looked at -Tim with the air of a man demanding admiration. - -"Why do they call you doctor, señor?" asked Tim. "You don't attend us." - -"No, my son. I am a Doctor of Laws of San Marcos University. Yes, they -have confidence in me," he continued. "And the brigands will soon have -me to reckon with." He touched significantly the butt of his revolver. -"I will hunt them down; I will catch them; I shall have no mercy on -them, and they will find that such villainy is not to be allowed to go -unpunished within twenty miles of Señor Doctor José Fagasta. I am a man -of peace; nobody could be more mild and humane; but when I see the -beneficent laws of our republic transgressed and defied, then I remember -that I am chief magistrate; I become severe; I may even be called -terrible." - -"What will you do with them?" asked Tim, impressed by the gobernador's -vigorous words, and fascinated by the shining weapon that peeped out of -his pocket, and the long sword that dangled from his belt. - -"They shall be shot, my boy. Not without trial, no; we shall be just -even to the most villainous desperado. We shall catch them, and bring -them in irons to the town. We shall give them a fair trial, and condemn -them: that goes without saying; then we shall place them blindfolded in -the plaza, and----" - -"Shoot them!" added Tim, as the magistrate paused mysteriously. - -Señor José nodded with official gravity, and for a little there was -silence between the two, Tim conjuring up the anticipated scene, and -wondering what the sensations of a man about to be shot must be. - -[Illustration: CAPTURED BY BRIGANDS] - -Suddenly, from behind a cluster of rocks at their left hand, there -sprang into the road four men, who without a moment's warning flung -themselves on the travellers. Two seized Tim, the other two dragged the -gobernador from his mule, and in a trice had him on the ground at their -feet. The attack was so sudden and unexpected that there had not been -time even to cry out; but now the gobernador raised his voice in -horrified protest, and Tim regained his wits and took stock of the -situation. The men were attired in ragged tunics and breeches, with -sashes about their waists, and feathered hats of varied hue. They were -swarthy wild-eyed fellows; mestizos--men of mixed Spanish and Indian -blood; and Tim knew at a glance that they must be members of the very -gang of outlaws whom the magistrate had so valorously undertaken to -extirpate. They began to talk to one another rapidly in a jargon which -Tim, familiar as he was with Spanish, could not understand. But the -upshot of their consultation was seen in a minute. One of the men who -held the lad brought his face close to his, and said: - -"You go home! We have nothing to do with you. Take your machine and -go." - -Tim glanced at the gobernador, who lay motionless in the hands of his -captors, mingling protests, threats, and offers of money. The brigand -cursed, and declared that the boy had better take his chance of escaping -before they changed their mind. It was clear that nothing could be done -for the gobernador; the brigands had him at their mercy; and Tim -considered that there was nothing to be gained by remaining. Indeed, it -must be confessed that he was a good deal afraid of these -ferocious-looking fellows, and desired nothing better than to escape -from their clutches. So he caught the handle-bar, ran a few feet with -his bicycle, then sprang to the saddle, and in a few seconds was riding -at full speed along the road. - -At first he was conscious of nothing but relief and joy at his own lucky -escape. But he had not ridden far before he began to think of the -gobernador. His conscience pricked him. He felt like a deserter. He -owed nothing, it was true, to Señor Fagasta, who, while genial enough in -private life, had always struck Tim as a ridiculous, pompous kind of -person in his public capacity. But it seemed rather mean to ride away -and leave the magistrate to his fate. There was not time to reach the -town and bring back help; he could not himself do anything for the -gobernador; and he began to wonder what the brigands would do with him. -Perhaps they would rob him of what valuables he had, and let him go. -Surely they would not hurt him! But when Tim remembered stories of the -lengths to which these outlaws sometimes went he grew more and more -uneasy. - -After a few minutes he slowed down, considered for a little, then -dismounted and pushed his bicycle into a thick clump of bushes, where it -was well hidden. He durst not ride back, for though his machine was -furnished with a silencer, it did not run so quietly as not to be heard. -He had made up his mind to retrace his path on foot, and see for himself -what had happened. It was a long tramp uphill in the heat, and it took -him nearly an hour to walk the distance which on the cycle he had -covered in six or seven minutes. Fortunately the track wound so -frequently that he ran no risk of being seen by the brigands. - -As he approached the spot, he moved slowly and warily, peeping from -behind bushes along straight stretches of the track, and glancing up -into the hills to right and left. On reaching the scene of the capture -he found that it was deserted. Nobody was in sight. He looked this way -and that, and stooped to the ground to see if he could discover by their -footmarks the direction in which the brigands had gone. But the ground -was hard; he could scarcely discern the tracks of his own tyres. A -trained scout might perhaps have noticed some slight indication, but Tim -had had no such training. - -"They've hauled him away," he thought, and there flashed into his mind -recollections of fairy stories, in which ogres had carried human beings -to their dens to make a meal of them. Tim had a vivid imagination. - -He was on the point of returning when a sudden loud buzzing struck his -ear. He listened: it was like the sound made by swarms of insects in -the forest. And yet it was different--hoarser, less musical. Somehow it -reminded Tim of the gobernador's speeches on great occasions in the -plaza, He left the path, still on his guard, and scouted to the right -among the trees, from which the humming seemed to come. And guiding -himself by the sound, he presently started back when he saw Señor -Fagasta himself, bound upright to a trunk, bare-headed, his mouth -gagged. - -The humming became very violent when Tim appeared. He noticed that the -gobernador had managed to shift the gag a little. None of the brigands -being in sight, he ran to the tree, removed the gag altogether, slit the -cords about the señor's limbs, and was immediately embarrassed by two -stout arms flung around him, and two hot lips pressing kisses on one -cheek after the other. - -"Oh, I say!" he exclaimed, wriggling. "Steady on, señor." - -"Ah, my dear friend! My preserver! my deliverer!" Here there was -another hug, but Tim evaded the kiss. "Tell me!" whispered the -gobernador, "have those wretches gone away?" - -"Indeed they have," said Tim. "You had better come away too." - -"But they have taken my mule! I am not accustomed to walking. I shall -faint: I shall be seized with apoplexy." - -"I have left my cycle two or three miles away, señor. If you can manage -to walk to that you can mount behind me, and we'll be home in no time." - -"Yes, I will do so. Assist me with your arm. I am on thorns until I am -on the machine; till then I am not safe. Hasten, my son. I have not -walked a mile for twenty years, though in my youth--but no matter: I -will do my best." - -They set off, Tim linking arms with the gobernador, who marched down the -track with the rolling gait of a sailor. Every now and then he stopped -to rest and recover breath, and as at these moments he showed signs of -repeating his embraces, Tim edged away until he was ready to start -again. - -"Ah, my preserver!" said the gobernador once, "you have laid a debt upon -me which a lifetime of gratitude will not liquidate." - -"Indeed it's nothing at all," said Tim. "You would have done the same -for me." - -"That is true; I certainly would; the blood of a long line of hidalgos -runs in my veins. In Spain I might call myself Don José de Fagasta; in -republics, alas! there is no aristocracy. But hasten, my son; I am not -safe until I reach the machine." - -Tim thought from the gobernador's manner that the current of noble blood -must by this time have become a pretty thin trickle. But he kept that -reflection to himself. - -Señor Fagasta mounted behind Tim, proclaiming himself safe. But the -rapid motion of the cycle down the steep and rugged track filled him -with alarms of another kind. In vain he implored Tim to drive more -slowly the boy replied that he would not be secure until he reached the -town, and terrified him with apprehension of sunstroke. It must be -confessed that the spirit of mischief was now fully awake in Tim. Every -sigh, every ejaculation of the stout gentleman behind him gave him a -thrill of joy. As they approached the town the gobernador, mindful of -his dignity, begged Tim to stop and let him finish the journey on foot. -But Tim could not resist the temptation to career through the street and -set the magistrate down at his own door; he relished the idea of the -wonder and excitement he would create. - -"It's hardly worth while to set you down now, señor," he said. "You'll -be home in less than a minute. Hold tight!" - -As Señor Fagasta entered his house, he turned to Tim. - -"My son," he said in a confidential tone, "no doubt you will be asked to -explain this strange occurrence. Do not reveal the cause. I do not -command you as gobernador of this town; I ask as one gentleman of -another." - -"I must tell my father, señor," said Tim. - -"Certainly; your father's discretion is perfect. Not a word to any one -else, then?" - -"Very well, señor. But won't people ask you too?" - -"Undoubtedly. The doings of their magistrate are intensely interesting -to the citizens of San Rosario. I shall explain to them that I felt an -urgent need, a positive passion, to try for myself the qualities and -speed--yes, I may say speed--of your motor-bicycle." - -"And your hat blew off in the wind. I see, señor," said Tim with -twinkling eyes. "And now, of course, you will send the police after the -brigands." - -"I shall never forget that I am gobernador of San Rosario. Good-bye, my -son." - - - - - CHAPTER II - - COMINGS AND GOINGS - - -Tim rode on through the town, soon left the last house behind him, and -came into the open country. A rough track led northward to Mr. -O'Hagan's hacienda, three miles away. Several years before, Mr. O'Hagan -had bought his estate, consisting of some thousands of acres, at a very -low price, and planted it partly with coffee, partly with sugar. His -workers were Cholos (the native Indians) and Japanese. The cost of -living and of labour being low, and the soil very fertile, the -plantations had in a short time brought him wealth. The chief drawback -was difficulty of transport. San Rosario was in a remote province -between the Andes and the forests, far from railways and from good -roads. There were steep hills almost all round the town, crossed only -by rough paths over which goods were carried on the backs of mules. -Some of the planters had tried to introduce wheeled vehicles; but the -customs of the country proved too strong for them, and the arriero or -muleteer, dirty, cheerful, hard-working and incorrigibly unpunctual, -remained the common carrier. - -On first leaving the gobernador, Tim was glowing with pleasure and pride -in his feat. But as he neared his home, his spirits gradually sank. He -did not much relish the coming explanations with his father. Mr. O'Hagan -was by no means strict with his only son as a general rule, but he was -apt to look darkly on escapades which involved the townsfolk. By the -time Tim came to the house he was in quite a sober frame of mind. - -The dwelling was a long, one-storied building of adobe and wood, -constructed in Peruvian style. The entrance hall led into a patio--a -sort of courtyard open to the sky, with palms and boxes of flowers -around the walls. To the right of this were the drawing-room and study. -Beyond was another patio with a well in the centre, and a veranda -looking on the garden. On the other side were the dining-room and -bedrooms, and a small room used by Mr. O'Hagan as an office. Then came -the servants' patio, the kitchen and servants' bedrooms, and at the end -of the house a large enclosure, part vegetable garden, part poultry run. - -Tim placed his bicycle in its shed behind the house, and entered, -resolved to "get it over." He hoped to see his mother in the patio; she -was often a very convenient buffer between him and his father; but she -was not there, and he remembered that this was the time of her afternoon -nap. He went on until he reached the office, where Mr. O'Hagan and a -Peruvian clerk were at work. - -Mr. O'Hagan threw a rapid glance at the boy as he entered, and was -relieved to see no cuts, bruises, or other signs of accident. - -"Had a good ride, Tim?" he said. - -"Pretty good," replied Tim somewhat gloomily. "I saved Señor Fagasta's -life." - -"What's that you say? I suppose you overtook him and didn't run him -down, eh?" - -"It wasn't exactly that," said Tim. "I did overtake him on his mule; -he'd been to San Juan; but we were pounced on by four rough-looking -fellows he called brigands. They let me off, and I walked back and found -the gobernador tied to a tree. I brought him in on my machine." - -"You don't tell me so! This is very vexing; I wish it hadn't happened." - -"But, Father, you wouldn't have left the old gentleman to die!" - -"How do you know he'd have died?" said Mr. O'Hagan testily. "The -fellows probably only wanted to squeeze a ransom out of him. Upon my -word, Tim, you're a great trouble to me, with your machine. You know how -careful I am to keep out of local squabbles, and yet you've run -head-first into one." - -"Really, I couldn't help it, Father." - -"I suppose you couldn't, but it's a pity. You've made an enemy of the -Mollendists, and in this country they may be our governors next week. -You'll cost me a pretty penny. Still, you couldn't help it; only don't -let it occur again." - -Tim heaved a sigh of relief. - -"You'd have laughed if you'd seen him," he said. "We came through the -street in fine style. He was perched on the carrier, clinging on for -dear life, and all the people shouting like anything." - -"You don't mean to say you brought him right through the street?" - -"Indeed I did." - -"Why on earth did you do that?" - -"It was such fun, Father. I really couldn't help it." - -"And don't you know you must never be funny with a Peruvian? He has no -sense of fun, especially when the fun is at his expense. You're -terribly thoughtless. You ought to have dropped the gobernador before -you came to the town. However!" - -Mr. O'Hagan did not continue his rebuke. In his mind's eye he saw the -recent scene, and remembered the time when he himself might have yielded -to the temptation to which Tim had succumbed. Years before, when quite -a young man, just arrived from home, he had thrown himself with Irish -impetuosity into the struggle between Peru and Chile; and having been a -lieutenant of volunteers when living in London, he had made use of his -military knowledge in his new domicile. He had been given a commission -in the Peruvian cavalry, and had led many a daring sortie, many a -gallant charge. With those reckless feats still clear in his memory, he -could not bear hardly on the boy who so much resembled him. "You can't -put old heads on young shoulders," he thought; "but I was a fool to buy -him that motor-cycle." - -The conversation between father and son had, of course, been carried on -in English. The Peruvian clerk, bending over his books, listened -attentively, but could understand only a word or two here and there. -What little he picked up whetted his curiosity, and by and by, when he -found an opportunity of speaking to Tim alone, he tried to pump him. -But Tim did not like Miguel Pardo. He could scarcely have told why; it -was an instinctive feeling which did not need explanation. When the -young Peruvian began to ply him with questions in Spanish, perfectly -polite, but yet, as Tim thought, rather too pressing, he gave short and -vague answers. Pardo saw that he was being fenced with, and presently -desisted, breaking off the conversation with a smile. - -A little later, when the O'Hagans were having tea in the patio, Pardo -spent the last few minutes before closing work for the day in writing a -letter. Then, locking up his books, he left the house by the servants' -entrance and, instead of going to the huts half a mile away, in which -Mr. O'Hagan's employees lodged, he set off for the town. - -He had not gone far when he was met-by Nicolas Romaña, the young -Peruvian who was storekeeper and general factotum of the estate. The -two men were always so excessively polite to each other that Mr. O'Hagan -shrewdly guessed them to be hostile at heart. They never quarrelled; -but it was impossible to be in their company long without feeling that -at any moment sparks might fly. - -"Ah, señor," said Romaña, on meeting Pardo, "you are about to take the -air? Let me give you a friendly warning: beware of a storm. I just now -heard rumblings of thunder." - -"Many thanks, señor," replied Pardo. "I shall not go far afield. -Perhaps to the town. San Rosario is not Lima, unluckily. There I should -have a friend's house at every few yards to give me shelter." - -This, as Romaña very well knew, was a mere boast, an assumption of -superiority: every Peruvian wishes to be regarded as a native of Lima. - -"How strange we never met there!" he said politely. "I myself was born -at Lima, and lived there fully twenty years." - -"What a loss to me!" said Pardo. "I bid you good-evening." - -He swept off his hat and passed on. - -Romaña stood looking after him in some surprise. It was an unusually -abrupt ending of the conversation. Ordinarily the bandying of words -would have been kept up for several minutes. What was the reason of -Pardo's haste? He was walking very quickly, too, as if he had an errand -of importance. - -A man who has weighty secrets himself is very apt to suspect others of -harbouring secrets also. This may perhaps explain why Romaña, instead -of proceeding on his way to the hacienda, turned about, and dogged Pardo -to the outskirts of the town. There the clerk entered a small house--a -chacara belonging to one of the Indian agriculturists of the -neighbourhood. In a few minutes he returned, passed unsuspiciously the -clump of bush behind which Romaña was spying, and retraced the road -homeward. - -Romaña remained on the watch. Presently an Indian came out of the -house, went to his corral hard by, caught and saddled a horse, and rode -off, not towards San Rosario, but along a bridle-path that ran westward -and led into the high road to San Juan. - -The watcher felt that he had not come in vain. Instead of returning to -the hacienda, he walked rapidly into the town, and showed signs of -pleasure on meeting, near the plaza, a thin, wiry man of about sixty -years of age, with whom he entered into earnest conversation. A few -minutes later this man might have been seen riding quickly out of the -town, on the same road as that which the Indian had struck perhaps half -an hour before. - -Next morning, when the workers were busy about the plantation, and Mr. -O'Hagan was engaged with Pardo in the office, Romaña strolled to an -orange orchard a quarter of a mile southward from the house. After -waiting there impatiently for nearly an hour, he was joined by the man -with whom he had conversed in San Rosario on the previous evening. - -"Well, caballero?" said Romaña eagerly. - -"I followed him, señor, into San Juan." - -"Where did he go?" - -"To the Prefect's house." - -"Good!" said Romaña with satisfaction. "Is there any news?" - -"None, señor. The gobernador gives out that he very much enjoyed his -ride." - -Romaña smiled. - -"Very well, caballero. Go back and keep eyes and ears open." - -They parted, and Romaña returned to his work. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - BENEVOLENCES - - -Señor José Fagasta was seated in a deep chair on the balcony of his -house overlooking the plaza. It was a hot afternoon, and he had -exchanged his black coat for a loose jacket of white alpaca. An awning -and his broad-brimmed Panama hat gave shelter from the sun. At his side -was a small table, with a glass and a decanter. Between his lips there -was a long cigar. It had gone out: the gobernador was asleep. - -He was suddenly roused by the sound of cheering up the street. Rubbing -his eyes, and taking automatically a pull at his extinguished cigar, he -let out a smothered ejaculation, struggled to his feet, and hastened -into the house. The cause of these abrupt movements was the appearance -of a party of horsemen trotting into the plaza at the upper end--the -Prefect of the province, accompanied by a small escort. - -The gobernador hurried to his dressing-room, threw off his jacket, and -was struggling into his frock coat when he was summoned to attend the -Prefect below. He durst not delay. He held the Prefect in awe, as was -only natural, seeing that it was the Prefect who had appointed him to -his office, at the cost of a very considerable fee. In his haste and -perturbation he forgot that he wore a Panama, and was only reminded of -it when the Prefect, who was just entering the hall as Señor Fagasta -came to the foot of the staircase, looked with stern disapproval over -his head. - -"A thousand pardons, señor," said the confused gobernador. "I was -taking a brief siesta, and did not expect to be honoured by a visit from -your excellency." - -He swept off his hat, bowed his head before his superior, and politely -invited him to a seat in the patio. - -The Prefect, a tall sharp-featured man of about forty years, with keen -black eyes over which bushy eyebrows met, and a heavy moustache twisted -into long points, accepted the chair, laying his three-cornered hat on a -table. His manner made the gobernador uneasy. - -"An extraordinary rumour has reached me, señor doctor," said the -Prefect, "that you were seen yesterday in a very undignified position, -unworthy of your office, riding on a motor-cycle behind the young -Inglés." - -"It is true, señor," said the gobernador. "I had never experienced that -novel mode of locomotion, and I assure your excellency that I shall -never try it again." - -"Such conduct, señor, is calculated to bring your responsible office -into contempt. It cannot be overlooked: you are dismissed." - -For a moment the gobernador's emotion rendered him speechless. He -thought of the many good English sovereigns with which he had bought his -office, and the terrible eclipse of all his importance in the town. Then -he pulled himself together: perhaps if the Prefect knew all he would -have mercy. - -"Your excellency," he said humbly, "I admit that my conduct may seem -wanting in dignity; but I beg that you will hear my explanation. I was -returning from my interview with you, full of zeal for the duty with -which you had entrusted me, when I was seized by four villainous -brigands in the hills. They bound me to a tree, and but for the -courageous intervention of the young Inglés, who mounted me on his -machine and brought me home, I should probably either not be alive -to-day, or be a much poorer man than I am. Not that I am rich," he -added hastily. "In these circumstances I trust that your excellency -will have the goodness to overlook my unintentional delinquency." - -"That is impossible, señor. Your dismissal is registered. It cannot be -rescinded. Still, as a special act of grace, in consideration of your -zeal, I may authorise your reappointment." - -"Your kindness overwhelms me, señor," said the grateful gobernador, -unaware how truly he spoke. - -"But there is a condition, señor," the Prefect continued. "I am hard -pressed for funds to carry on my campaign against the brigands. Your -zeal is such that you will not refuse to make a small contribution on -behalf of the cause--say £500. I shall then have the greatest pleasure -in reinstating you as gobernador of this town." - -Señor Fagasta writhed. He knew that protest was useless. He must pay, -or be disgraced. How much of his contribution would go to support the -cause, and how much into the Prefect's own pocket, he could only -suspect. The interview soon came to an end, and the Prefect left the -house richer by £500. - -The idlers who had gathered outside cheered him again as he remounted. -They expected to see him ride back to San Juan. To their surprise he -struck into the rough track northward, which led only to the hacienda of -Mr. O'Hagan, to another that lay some few miles beyond, and then to the -hills. Evidently the Prefect's visit was of more than usual importance. - -[Illustration: Map] - -Half an hour later the Prefect reined up at the door of Mr. O'Hagan's -house. The family were at tea in the patio. On seeing his visitor -through the open door, Mr. O'Hagan rose with a muttered exclamation of -annoyance, and went to greet him. He was forestalled by Pardo, who had -run from the office and was holding the horseman's stirrup. Mr. O'Hagan -felt that he could do no other than invite the Prefect to drink a cup of -tea, and that gentleman was soon seated in the patio, stirring his cup, -and talking to Mrs. O'Hagan in the charming manner for which he had a -name among ladies. - -"I wish to thank your son, señor and señora," he said presently, "on -behalf of the government, for his spirited action yesterday in the cause -of law and order. There, my boy," he went on, taking a sol--equivalent -to a florin--from his pocket, "accept that as a token of my high -consideration." - -Tim looked at his father. - -"Pardon me, señor," said Mr. O'Hagan, swallowing his irritation, "your -generosity is quite unnecessary. My son needs no reward." - -"That is very high-minded," said the Prefect, pocketing the coin. "He -will allow me to shake him by the hand and compliment him on his courage -and resource?" - -Tim gave him a limp hand: it was not so bad as the gobernador's hug and -kiss. - -"I am glad to be able to number you and your family, señor," the Prefect -continued, "among my declared adherents." - -"Don't make a mistake, señor," said Mr. O'Hagan quickly. "My son had no -political motive in his action. It was a mere impulse of humanity." - -"The cause of the government is the cause of humanity," said the Prefect -impressively. "The brigands represent anarchy. Brigandage is chaos. I -am determined to stamp it out. My action is in the true interests of -all law-abiding citizens, and especially of such enterprises as yours, -which depend on the reign of law for their prosperity." - -At this point, after an almost imperceptible sign from Mr. O'Hagan, his -wife rose and went with Tim into the drawing-room. The Prefect -gallantly opened the door for her, and bowed with extreme deference: he -was the pink of politeness. Then he returned to his chair. Mr. O'Hagan -guessed what was coming. A few years before this, the Prefect, by -bribery and intrigue, had ousted his predecessor in office, one Señor -Mollendo, and had since maintained his position by corruption, and by -levying forced loans on such of the wealthy men as had not the courage -to resist him. The public taxes were already sufficiently heavy; but -the province was so remote from Lima that its prefect was practically a -dictator, and appeals to the central government would have been -fruitless. - -Señor Mollendo, knowing that his life was hardly safe, had taken refuge -in the hilly district in the heart of the province, and was there joined -by his partisans, who grew gradually in number as the Prefect's -exactions increased. These Mollendists were what we should call a -political party in opposition: in Peru the government termed them -brigands. It was natural enough that they should include among their -number many lawless irreconcilables of the true brigand type; and -opposition which would in England take the form of public meetings and -demonstrations found expression here in raids and robberies. Mr. -O'Hagan had been several times approached indirectly for contributions -to the Prefect's war fund, but he had always refused to comply. - -"As I was saying, señor," the Prefect resumed, lighting the cigar Mr. -O'Hagan offered, "your security depends on the supremacy of law. That -being the case, and my treasury being in temporary need of funds, I have -every confidence in inviting you to subscribe a small sum--say £1000--to -a loan for the more active prosecution of the work of suppressing the -brigands which we all have at heart." - -"I am a man of few words, señor," said Mr. O'Hagan. "I have bought my -land; I pay my legal taxes, which are heavy enough; and I am entitled to -the protection of government. My people are contented; I have had no -trouble with them; the people you call brigands have not molested me; if -they do I shall claim your protection, but I don't anticipate anything -of the kind. I must therefore decline your invitation." - -"I beg you not to be hasty, señor. Your security may yet be rudely -shocked: no man can call himself safe while the brigands are at large; -and I should be very much distressed if you were to suffer loss through -the unfortunate penury of the government. A contribution of -£1000--merely by way of loan--would probably prevent a much greater -loss." - -"Not one peseta, señor," said Mr. O'Hagan bluntly. "I must beg you to -believe that that is final." - -The Prefect smiled blandly. - -"Ah! you Inglésas!" he said. - -"I'm an Irishman, señor: that's worse." - -"Well, señor, I must thank you for your hospitality and take my leave. -I wish you every success, and a large share of the sunlight of -prosperity. I only regret that by your reluctance to support me you are -helping to let loose the forces of lawlessness and giving hostages to -brigandage--in fact, breeding worms that will eat into the tissues of -industrial enterprise. I bid you good-day, señor." - -Mr. O'Hagan was not impressed by the Prefect's picturesque language. -Tall talk is the foible of Peruvians. But after he had seen the last of -his visitor, he returned to the house in a state of intense irritation. -His wife was awaiting him in the patio. - -"He wants to bleed me," he said angrily: "demanded a trifle of £1000. -This country is a hot-bed of corruption. And I wish that motor-cycle -were at the bottom of the sea." - -"Why, dear," said Mrs. O'Hagan placably, "what has that to do with it?" - -"It gives the fellow an excuse for saying that I'm on the side of the -Mollendists. Why do you let me spoil that boy, Rose?" - -Mrs. O'Hagan smiled, remembering that she had begged her husband to wait -until Tim was a little older before giving him the motor-cycle. Wisely -she did not remind him of that, but simply said: - -"Don't worry, dear. Things mayn't be so bad as you think.... And Tim -is not _really_ spoilt, you know." - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - GAS - - -Next day Tim went into the town on an errand for his mother. He was -looking at the window of the only book-shop, when he felt a touch on his -sleeve. Looking round, he saw Alfonso, the gobernador's son, a sallow, -weedy boy of about his own age, whom he had often vainly tried to induce -to have a game at cricket in a field behind Mr. O'Hagan's house. He did -not think much of Alfonso, who always called him señor! - -"Follow me, señor," said the boy mysteriously, "but don't let people -know." - -He moved off at once. Tim might have thought that he was being enticed -away for a practical joke of some kind, only he remembered that the -Peruvians never played practical jokes except in carnival time. "I may -as well go," he said to himself; so, pushing his hands into his pockets, -he sauntered after Alfonso Fagasta. Several persons gave him pleasant -greetings, and he stopped once or twice to exchange a word, always -keeping his eye on Alfonso. - -The Peruvian boy walked past the church in the plaza, and turned into a -narrow street, or rather lane, bounded on one side by the wall of the -presbytery, on the other by a high wall enclosing a garden. Tim knew -the place well; indeed, in days gone by he had sometimes scaled the -garden wall in quest of ripe plums or peaches. He followed Alfonso for -some distance, until he came to the rear of the enclosure, where there -was a dense plantation extending up the slope of a hill. Here Alfonso -made signs to him to wait, and disappeared through a wicket gate into -his father's garden. - -"Why couldn't he tell me where to come?" thought Tim impatiently. -"What's the silly secret?" - -He climbed a tree by way of passing the time, and presently, from his -leafy bower, he saw the gobernador open the wicket gate, glance -cautiously round, and then come swiftly towards the plantation. He -looked this way and that, and gave a jump when Tim called out, just -above his head: - -"Here I am, señor doctor." - -"Ha! my young friend, come down," said the gobernador. - -Tim dropped at his feet. - -"I have something to say to you," continued the gobernador hurriedly. -"Pardon me for not receiving you in my house with the respect due to my -preserver, but there are reasons...." He nodded with an air of mystery. -Then he went on in nervous haste: "Tell your good father to be on his -guard to-night. See that everything is secure. He must be careful not -to arouse suspicion among his staff. Few are to be trusted in these -disturbed times. If he sleeps at all, let him sleep with one eye open." - -"What's going to happen, señor?" asked Tim. - -"I say no more. Perhaps I have said too much. But I owe you so much -gratitude----" - -"Don't mention it, señor," said Tim, backing. "Thanks for your -warning." - -"Do not breathe my name to any one but your father," said the gobernador -anxiously. "I must go. Next time I see you I hope it will be at my -front door, with open arms." - -"I hope it won't," thought Tim. He shook hands with the flurried -gentleman, who, with another cautious look around, returned to the gate -and slipped through into his garden. - -Tim was very thoughtful as he walked home. Such a warning in Spanish -America was not to be disregarded, and he could not help connecting it -with the Prefect's visit, the object of which he had learnt from his -mother. He had a lively imagination. Such a man as the Prefect was not -likely to accept amiably the snub administered by Mr. O'Hagan. He might -use other means than persuasion to enforce his will. - -He wanted money. To-morrow was pay-day at the hacienda, and there was a -large sum in the safe. San Rosario had no bank. The branch of a Lima -bank at San Juan had shut its doors on the accession of the present -Prefect to office: the managers feared that their floating assets would -be attached by the new official, ostensibly for public purposes. Since -then the employers of labour had had to be their own bankers, drawing -cash at intervals from Lima by well-armed convoys. There could be -little doubt that the gobernador had somehow got wind of a plot to rob -Mr. O'Hagan on the coming night. - -Tim wondered what his father would do to defeat the attempt. How would -the burglars go to work? The safe was kept in the office. The key was -on Mr. O'Hagan's bunch. To reach the office the robbers would have to -pass through one or other of the patios. The middle patio had French -doors opening on the garden. They were always locked and bolted at -night, like the main door and the servants' entrance. It would be -difficult to enter without making a noise, unless the servants were in -league with the burglars. Tim thought of each of them in turn, and felt -sure that all were trustworthy. - -All at once a brilliant idea struck him. His father was rather vexed -with him--or with the motor-cycle, which amounted to the same thing; -what a score it would be if he could deal with this matter himself, -without his father knowing anything about it! He chuckled with delight -as he imagined himself telling at the breakfast-table, as calmly as -though it were an everyday matter, how he had defeated an attempted -burglary. But how was it to be done? Mr. O'Hagan was a light sleeper; a -slight noise would disturb him, and Tim was at a loss for any means of -routing the burglars silently. - -He thought of wire entanglements; but he could not erect them without -his father's knowledge. He thought of a booby-trap; but that was bound -to make a noise. He had almost reached home before a plan occurred to -him; it pleased him so much that he laughed. There was a large quantity -of ammonia solution in the house, kept for household purposes and for -use with the refrigerator which was a domestic necessity in this -tropical climate. Tim had only recently left school in England, so that -his knowledge of chemistry had not yet evaporated. If he heated some of -this liquid, and led the vapour into the patio at the critical moment, -the fumes would be obnoxious enough, he thought, to choke off any rash -intruders. - -As soon as he got home, he took into consultation an old mestizo named -Andrea, who was gardener and odd man, a family servant of many years' -standing. Andrea was rather troubled, and advised that the warning -should be given to Mr. O'Hagan; but few could resist Tim's -persuasiveness, and the old man at length consented to assist his young -master. - -Tim's bedroom was next to the office. At the bottom of the wall next to -the patio there was a grating which could be removed. That night, when -all the rest had retired, Andrea brought to Tim's room a large oil-can -with a narrow neck, containing a quantity of the ammonia solution. Tim -had already provided himself with a short length of garden hose, with a -nozzle at the end. Drawing the rubber tubing over the neck of the can, -he placed the nozzle end in the hole from which the grating had been -removed, in such a way that when the cock was turned it would allow the -fumes to enter the patio within a few inches of the office door. Having -lighted a large spirit-lamp beneath the oil-can, he set a chair against -the door, on which he could mount to reach a ventilator above, opening -on to the patio, and sat down on his bed, quivering with excitement, to -wait for the expected attack. - -Hours passed, and he grew fidgety. Every now and then he got on the -chair, and peeped through the ventilator. All was dark and silent. - -"I don't believe they're coming," he whispered disconsolately to Andrea. - -"So much the better, señorito," said the old man. - -But Tim did not agree with that; he did not want to be disappointed of -his fun. - -At last he heard a slight sound from without. Jumping on the chair, he -peered through the ventilator. He could see nothing, but he guessed by -the sounds that the putty was being scraped from one of the glass panes -of the French door. Presently he dimly saw several dark, shadowy forms -pass from side to side. The men were removing the pane. One after -another the intruders stepped quietly across the patio towards the -office door. Just as they reached it Tim slipped off the chair, stooped -to the floor, and noiselessly turned on the cock of the nozzle. - -For a few seconds there was no effect. He heard the slight click of a -key as it was inserted in the lock of the office door. But then, as the -ammonia fumes began to diffuse, there was a sniff, a stifled cough, and -a whispered exclamation. Presently there were louder coughs, long-drawn -gasps, and the men, in the effort to repress these fatal sounds, choked -and spluttered violently, until, half-blinded, half-suffocated, they -turned away, cursing with what breath was left to them, and tumbled over -one another in a rush for the door. - -At the same moment the door of Mr. O'Hagan's room was flung violently -open, and that gentleman, roused by the noise, rushed into the patio in -his pyjamas, a gun in his hand. Seeing that the pane was removed, he -ran to the door, and sent a charge of duck-shot after the dark figures -scampering over the garden-beds. The sound of firing roused all the -household, and the affrighted servants came flocking into the patio. - -"What's this confounded smell?" gasped Mr. O'Hagan, turning when the -marauders had vanished into the night. There was a chorus of coughs -from the servants. - -Tim had turned off the stream of gas, and now opened his door; he felt -very much annoyed with the burglars; why had they made such a silly row? - -"One of your tricks, Tim?" said Mr. O'Hagan. He gasped again. -"Ammonia, begore!" - -"It is, Father," said Tim meekly. - -"What on earth do you mean by disturbing the whole household in this -way? ... Get back to bed," he cried in Spanish to the servants; "all's -well now.... Now, sir, just explain this tomfoolery." - -"May I come into your room?" asked Tim, anxious that old Andrea should -not get into trouble. - -"You may, and apologise to your poor mother for disturbing her rest. -Now, what have you to say for yourself? Were those fellows outside -friends of yours, in the plot too? If so, you're responsible for the -murder or maiming of some of them." - -"Indeed they're not. They are burglars, and I spoilt their game with -ammonia." - -"Burglars, eh? But how did you know they were coming? You must have -made preparations?" - -"I did. Old Fagasta told me to look out for them to-night, and I did -so." - -"Indeed now! What did the gobernador know about it, then?" - -"He didn't tell me. He only asked me to tell you to be on your guard -to-night." - -"Why didn't you do so, then?" - -"I thought I would make them scoot myself, and not disturb you. Who -could know the donkeys would make such a silly row!" - -Mr. O'Hagan's mouth twitched at his son's indignant tone. - -"Well, Tim," he said, "sure 'twas very considerate of you, but next time -you are asked to give me a message, give it. And no more tricks of this -kind, mind ye. We don't wish to be blown up one night." - -"I dished them, anyway." - -"I don't deny it. But 'twas lucky the noise woke me; for a few pellets -in their carcasses will be a more enduring lesson than a stink. Now, to -bed!" - -When Tim had gone, Mr. O'Hagan said to his wife: - -"The Prefect has made his first move, Rose." - -"Tim was quite upset, poor boy!" replied Mrs. O'Hagan. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - PARDO DISMISSES HIMSELF - - -"I am going into the town," said Mr. O'Hagan at breakfast next morning. -"Last night's affair must not be passed over. I shall lay a formal -complaint before Señor Fagasta. It won't be any good, but it would -never do to take no notice. When Pardo comes, Tim, tell him that he -must get the ledger posted to-day; he is rather behind. And if any of -the people are curious about the shots last night--they must have heard -them--don't answer any questions. I have already told the servants to -hold their tongues." - -Setting off on horseback, he rode straight to the gobernador's house. -He noticed that the magistrate greeted him nervously. When the usual -civilities had been exchanged, he said: - -"I have to report, señor, that an attempt was made last night to break -into my house, and to ask that you will do what you can to discover the -villains and bring them to justice." - -"This is very distressing, señor," said the gobernador. "It will give -the town a bad name, especially as it happened the day after the visit -of our illustrious Prefect." - -"Yes, that is decidedly unfortunate," remarked Mr. O'Hagan ironically. - -"I will of course do what I can with the few police at my disposal," the -gobernador continued. "Had it happened on the night before, I should -have been better able to deal with the matter, for the Prefect left a -few of his escort of gendarmes behind. They were quartered on me; but -they departed yesterday evening. Perhaps you will give me full -particulars, which I will draw up in proper form." - -Mr. O'Hagan related the circumstances, which the gobernador wrote down -with great deliberateness and solemnity. While he was doing this, Mr. -O'Hagan had time to put two and two together. He had little doubt that -the attack had been made by men left behind for that purpose by the -Prefect, and guessed that the gobernador had learnt or suspected their -design from something they had let fall while quartered in his house. - -The report having been drawn up, Señor Fagasta gravely stamped it with -the official seal, and said: - -"Be assured I will do what I can, señor. I trust that the señora and -your excellent son are well?" - -"Quite, señor, thank you," said Mr. O'Hagan. - -Neither had mentioned the incident of the bicycle or the warning given -by the gobernador, from whose manner Mr. O'Hagan judged that he did not -wish those matters to be alluded to. On his side, he felt that it would -be indiscreet and probably useless to press the magistrate for -particulars of what he knew or suspected. He had done a good turn in -giving the warning, no doubt risking the vengeance of the Prefect if his -action should come to that worthy's knowledge. - -Taking leave of the gobernador, Mr. O'Hagan rode home and went straight -to the office. It was empty. He called to Tim, who was practising with -an air-gun at a target set up at the end of the lawn. - -"Where's Pardo?" he asked. - -"He hasn't turned up, Father. He sent a kid over to say that he's -grieved to the heart at not being able to attend to his duties, owing to -a painful attack of lumbago. I don't like the chap, Father." - -"Because he's got lumbago?" - -"No; because I think he's a bit of a fraud. Last time he stayed away it -was a sore heel, you remember; but I happened to see him picking oranges -in the evening when the men had gone home, and he walked well enough." - -"You didn't mention it to me." - -"Well, his heel might have been sore, and I didn't want to meddle, -especially as you think a good deal of him, Father." - -"I do. He's the best book-keeper I ever had. I'll get your mother to -send him some turpentine: that'll put him to rights." - -In the course of the day Romaña was despatched by Mrs. O'Hagan with a -bottle of turpentine for the sick man. Pardo was not to be seen. The -old half-breed woman who looked after him told Romaña that her master -had not risen that day, complaining of pains and stiffness in his back. - -"Has he sent for the doctor?" he asked. - -"Not yet. He says it is a chill, and will soon pass." - -"The mistress has sent some stuff to cure him. The instruction is to -rub it into the skin very thoroughly. Take it to Señor Pardo, and ask -if I can do anything for him." - -The old woman went off with the bottle. Romaña had noticed Pardo's coat -lying over the back of a chair. As soon as he was alone, he lifted the -coat, cast a rapid but searching glance over it, and laid it on the -chair again. - -"Many thanks, señor," came Pardo's voice from the inner room. "Thank -the gracious lady for me, and say that I hope to return to my beloved -duty in a day or two." - -"Is the pain very severe, señor?" asked Romaña sympathetically. - -"Not so severe as the stiffness, señor. Take care that you don't take a -chill." - -"Thanks, my friend. I myself am always careful of the night air. -Good-day; I will give the mistress your message." - -Romaña hurried back to the house, and sought his master in the office. - -"Well, how is the invalid?" asked Mr. O'Hagan. "Did you see him?" - -"No, señor: he was keeping his bed. I would suggest that you should -send your own doctor to him." - -"That's not necessary, surely. A good rubbing is all that he needs for -lumbago." - -"If it is lumbago!" said the man. "Will you give me a moment, señor?" - -"Of course," replied Mr. O'Hagan, laying down his pen. "What is it?" - -He leant back in his chair, frowning a little. A most unsuspicious man -himself, he was annoyed at Romaña's suggestion of malingering, coming on -top of the doubts hinted by Tim. - -"On the day when the señor gobernador rode on the bicycle," said Romaña, -"Señor Pardo sent a letter to his excellency the Prefect." - -"What of that? and how do you know?" asked Mr. O'Hagan sharply. - -"I saw his Cholo messenger ride away with it to San Juan, señor, and a -friend reported to me that the Cholo took it to the Prefect's house. As -you know, the Prefect came to San Rosario two days after, and visited -the gobernador. He then rode here. Señor Pardo held his stirrup while -he dismounted. He returned to San Juan, but left some of his gendarmes -behind. Then came the matter of last night. To-day Señor Pardo is not -to be seen." - -"What are you driving at?" asked Mr. O'Hagan irritably. - -"Have patience, señor. I have been ten years in your service, and you -have no complaint against me?" - -"That is true, but I don't like this air of mystery and suspicion. Say -plainly what you have in your mind." - -"I have just seen Señor Pardo's coat--the one he was wearing yesterday: -there were several little black holes in the back. I think if you send -your doctor to him, you will find that he suffers not from lumbago but -from shot wounds." - -Mr. O'Hagan stared in amazement. - -"You suggest that he was among those villains who tried to break in last -night?" he asked. - -"I do, señor." - -"And that the Prefect was concerned in it?" - -"The Prefect's gendarmes, señor. As for the Prefect himself!..." - -He shrugged expressively. - -"And that Señor Pardo is in the Prefect's pay?" - -"That is my belief, señor." - -"Romaña, are you a spy?" - -"Señor, I am a Mollendist," replied the man with dignity. - -Mr. O'Hagan was much perturbed. He was loth to believe that Pardo was a -traitor, but the chain of events as linked together by Romaña was -unpleasantly consistent. Perhaps what troubled him most of all was the -discovery that, careful as he had been to hold aloof from local -dissensions, two of his servants were mixed up in them, on opposite -sides. It was now easier to understand the mutual antagonism between -the two men, of which, though veiled by the outward forms of civility, -he had always been conscious. - -"You have told no one else what you suspect?" he said, after a few -moments' deliberation. - -"Nobody, señor." - -"Then take care not to do so. I believe that you mean well, but I hope -to find you mistaken. We shall see." - -When Romaña had gone, Mr. O'Hagan sought his wife and told her -everything. - -"I have never liked Pardo," she said, "though I can't say why. Perhaps -it would be as well to ask Dr. Pereira to see him." - -"I prefer not to. I shall put it to the fellow direct when he comes -back to work. One thing is certain: Romaña must go. I can't have a -Mollendist about the place. If it became known, the Prefect would make -it another reason for worrying me, or worse." - -"Won't you write to the British consul at Lima?" - -"I'm afraid that would be useless. He's too far away to be able to do -anything. We're in a desperately awkward position, Rose. The Prefect -will have his knife in me, and young Tim has certainly offended the -Mollendists by releasing the gobernador. Whatever they meant to do with -him, they will be furious at being baulked by a youngster. When I send -my next convoy to the capital, I think you and the boy had better go -too. You'll be out of harm's way there." - -"Indeed I will do nothing of the kind, Tim. I will not leave you. And -I can't believe that there's any danger to a British subject here. -Write to the consul at once, dear; it's just as well to be beforehand -with trouble." - -"I will do so. Say nothing to Tim, by the way. He'd only worry." - -Three days afterwards Pardo returned. He looked rather pale, and after -greeting his employer launched out into a voluble description of his -sufferings. - -"But the gracious lady's lotion worked wonders, señor," he said. - -"Rather painful, isn't it?" said Mr. O'Hagan, noticing with misgiving -that the man wore a new coat. - -"Not at all, señor. Its application was most soothing. It is a most -excellent remedy." - -Mr. O'Hagan remembered how, when suffering from lumbago himself, the -friction with turpentine had left his back sore and smarting for days. - -"Sit down, Pardo," he said. "I've something to say to you." - -The man sat down awkwardly on his chair, smiling amiably. - -"You remember the night of the attempted robbery," Mr. O'Hagan went on. -"No doubt my shots disturbed you." - -"Not at all, señor. I slept the sleep of the just." - -"How often do you correspond with the Prefect?" - -The sudden question obviously took Pardo aback. He looked -uncomfortable, but recovered himself in a moment, and said with a feeble -smile: - -"A humble clerk and book-keeper does not correspond with so important a -person as his excellency, señor." - -"Nevertheless, you sent a letter to his excellency a few days ago. He -visited me two days after, and left a party of his gendarmes in the town -when he returned to San Juan. I have reason to suspect that they were -concerned in the attempt to rob me. How did they know that at that -precise moment I had a large sum of money in my safe?" - -"These are very strange questions, señor," said Pardo. His manner was -quiet and restrained, but Mr. O'Hagan, intently watching him, noticed a -look of fear in his eyes. - -"They are," he said. "Here's another: where is your old coat? I mean -the coat you were wearing last time you were here. It was nearly new." - -Pardo started to his feet. - -"Señor, this is intolerable," he cried. "I don't know what you mean, but -your questions are an insult to a perfect gentleman." (Every Peruvian -is a perfect gentleman.) "You will please to accept my resignation." - -"Very well, Pardo: perhaps it is best." He handed him his week's wages. - -"And let me tell you this, Señor Inglés," cried the man furiously as he -pocketed the money: "a Peruvian gentleman does not take lightly such -insults to his honour. You will repent this. You will feel the weight -of my just anger. You treat me like a dog: dogs can bite. I will not -accept your money." - -He took it from his pocket and threw it on the floor. "You shall learn -what it is to insult a perfect gentleman." - -Snatching up his hat, he swept it round in ironical salutation, and -flung out of the room. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - TIM IS HELD TO RANSOM - - -Tim had many acquaintances but few friends among the youth of San -Rosario and the neighbourhood. He often felt the lack of a chum of his -own age, and looked forward eagerly to the time, now drawing very near, -when he would return to England and enter an engineering college. His -most intimate friend in Peru was a young fellow, two or three years -older than himself, named Felipe Durand, who lived on his father's -hacienda, about twelve miles north of the town. Durand had been -educated in England, and being a very fair batsman, he sometimes joined -Tim in getting up a cricket match between elevens of the Japanese -workers. - -On the day after Pardo's dismissal, Tim rode out to Durand's house to -arrange for a match in the following week. The path was only a rough -track; it was indeed not a public thoroughfare at all, but was -maintained by Señor Durand and Mr. O'Hagan for their own convenience. -Much of it ran through woods, and on each side the ground rose gradually -to a considerable height. - -Tim met nobody on the way, but within a few miles of the hacienda he -noticed a group of men at the edge of the wood some little distance from -the path. Thinking that they were peons of Señor Durand he gave them -only a fleeting glance and passed by. He reached his friend's house -about twenty minutes after starting, and discussed the proposed match in -a little summer-house, over a dish of fruit and a glass of lemonade. - -"I say, O'Hagan," said young Durand, after arrangements had been made, -"I wish I had seen your performance with the gobernador. It must have -been great sport." - -The two boys always used English when together. - -"Indeed, it was good fun," said Tim. "The pater was in a bit of a fizz: -he thinks the Mollendists won't like it." - -"I dare say not. He should do as my governor does." - -"What's that?" - -"Pay up. My father gives them a regular subscription." - -"That's rather dangerous, isn't it? The Prefect would drop on him if he -knew." - -"The Prefect has dropped on him as it is. He has borrowed a good deal -that he'll never pay back. My father grumbles, of course; but he likes -a quiet life, and would rather pay than be worried. He subscribes to -the Mollendists' funds for the same reason; they leave him alone. He -says that old Mollendo will get the better of the Prefect one of these -days, and as the old chap is fairly honest he won't be sorry. Your -pater had better do the same." - -"I'm sure he won't. He says corruption is the curse of this country, -and he won't have anything to do with either of the parties." - -"That's very honourable and British, but it won't pay.... Have those -robbers been caught yet?" - -"They have not. D'you know, I believe our man Pardo had a hand with -them; the pater gave him the sack yesterday. He resigned, but only to -avoid a sacking. I'm not sorry.... Well, you'll come over on Monday, -then. It's a holiday, so we'll make a day of it." - -Tim had ridden only a few miles on his homeward way when he was brought -to a sudden check. The path was blocked by a tree which had apparently -fallen since he passed a couple of hours before. He dismounted, resting -his bicycle against the trunk. The tree was obviously too heavy to be -lifted, and he was looking for a way round it when a number of men -rushed at him from the bushes on each side of the track, and in a few -seconds he was a prisoner. Among his captors he saw one of the brigands -who had snapped up the gobernador. - -"You will not get away this time, Señor Inglés," said the man, laughing. -"You will please to come with us." - -Tim was helpless. He could only put the best face on it. The men led -him along the track northward, in the direction of Durand's house, two -following with the bicycle. As they neared the house, they struck into -the woods on the left, not returning to the track until they were some -distance beyond, at a wooden bridge over a ravine. The district to the -north had a bad name. It was the immemorial haunt of outlaws, whether -revolutionist or criminal. The outlawed criminal was invariably a -revolutionist; though among the revolutionists there were many, like -their leader, Mollendo himself, who were quite respectable members of -society. - -After a few miles the country became very wild and rugged. The men in -charge of the bicycle grumbled at their laborious task; they were not -used to wheeling so heavy and cumbersome an object, and in the rougher -places it was difficult to balance. Every minute Tim expected to see -the machine escape from their hands, topple over, and dash itself to -pieces on the rocky declivity. - -The track became steeper and steeper. It wound this way and that, a -rough wall of rock rising high on the left hand; on the right long -slopes and sheer descents, crossed by yawning gullies, stretching -downwards for hundreds of feet. Now and then white gull-like mountain -birds flew screaming in front of the party; hundreds of squirrels were -disporting on the rocky ramparts, darting among the trees that clothed -the ravines when they saw the intruders upon their solitudes. They -marched on for hours, covering, perhaps, a mile and a half an hour, -until night threw its purple shade upon the hills. Then they halted in a -narrow glen. The leader of the party gave Tim the option of being tied -up or passing his word not to attempt escape. - -"You are Inglés," he said. "I can trust your word." - -Tim did not appreciate the compliment; but since it was quite clear that -he could not escape with his bicycle, he gave his word, looking as -pleasant as he could. The men bivouacked, making a supper of parched -maize, which they took from their wallets, and weak spirits from their -flasks. They offered Tim a share of their provisions; he accepted the -maize, but declined the spirits, longing for a draught of water. - -He spent a very uncomfortable night. The rocky ground cut into his light -summer clothes, which afforded but a poor defence against the cold of -this upland region. He slept fitfully, wondering in the wakeful -intervals what was going to happen to him, and thinking of the distress -his parents must suffer at his absence. "Durand was right," he thought. -"When I get free I'll ask Father to give these Mollendists a -subscription. But I bet he won't." - -The march was resumed in the morning. The track still ascended, until it -reached a ridge, from which Tim caught glimpses on the other side of a -river meandering far below between wooded banks. In front the ridge -rose gradually. In about three hours the party, passing between two -tall rocks like gate-pillars on either side of the track, found -themselves suddenly in an encampment of considerable size. Two or three -hundred men were assembled in a sort of courtyard surrounded by -tumble-down buildings of unworked stone. Tim knew at a glance that he -was in the ruins of an ancient Inca fortification, castle, or -observation plaza, built by that vanished race on a hill-top which had -probably been flattened artificially. The men were encamped on two -sides of the enclosure; on the other two sides a number of horses were -hobbled. - -Tim had no time to take in more details of the scene. The arrival of -his captors was hailed with shouts, and he was led through the excited -throng to an angle of the courtyard, where, in a little recess, a -Peruvian between fifty and sixty years of age, and of benevolent aspect, -was reclining on rugs before a slab that served as a table. - -"Señor," said the leader of the party, "this is the young Inglés who -released the man Fagasta." - -Señor Mollendo rose and made a courtly salutation. - -"Good-morning, Señor Inglés," he said. "I have heard of you and your -respected father. It gives me the greatest pain to see you in your -present unhappy plight." - -"You can relieve your pain at once by releasing me, señor," said Tim -boldly. - -Mollendo gave him an indulgent smile. - -"I have to consider the claims of justice, my young friend. See how the -case stands. You were taken with the man Fagasta, the hireling of the -usurping Prefect. You were released, but with rank ingratitude returned -and set free the gobernador, the agent of the odious dictator, the man -who had been heard to boast of his intention to root out the friends of -liberty from this oppressed region. Your offence could scarcely be more -serious. It is dangerous for a foreigner to interfere in our domestic -affairs; especially is it unbecoming in an Englishman, a citizen of that -glorious land of freedom, a lover of liberty and of equal laws, to -associate himself with the agents of a corrupt and shameless tyranny. -It is necessary to signalise the abhorrence with which such action must -be viewed by all right-thinking men. You shall be a recipient of such -poor hospitality as I can extend to you until your unworthy conduct is -redeemed by the payment of £250, and the engine by means of which you -effected your reprehensible intervention on behalf of the oppressor will -be confiscated to the use of the patriots." - -Tim was quite unused to having such eloquence hurled at him. His head -master had contented himself with a few sharp words and half a dozen -swishes--infinitely preferable to such a lot of "jaw." He felt -overwhelmed, and had nothing to say. "Jolly cheek!" he thought, "asking -£250. I wish he may get it." - -His parole was demanded again, and he was strictly forbidden to stray -beyond the limits of the enclosure. He was given a dinner consisting of -mutton boiled with vegetables, and toasted maize, with water from a -stream, almost dried up by the summer heat, that flowed into the broader -river below. Mollendo offered him a Manilla cigar, which he put in his -pocket. - -He was allowed to roam about the encampment. So well placed that one -might approach within a few yards without discovering it, it overlooked -the surrounding country for hundreds of square miles. On the east he -could see the track by which he had come, winding east and south-east -through the hills. On the west a few steps cut in the rock led to what -had once been an Inca road, running into the path that led southward to -the highway to San Juan. Southward flowed the hill-stream, through a -rough and precipitous gully. To the north the ground rose steeply to -inaccessible snow-capped peaks. - -Tim passed a restless and unhappy day. He supposed that Mollendo had -sent one of his men to demand the ransom from his father; but no -information was given him. The only mitigation of his captivity was -afforded by the brigands' experiments with the motor-cycle. None of -them was able to ride it; few were anxious to try. They were good -horsemen, no doubt; but Tim soon came to the conclusion that they would -never make motor-cyclists. He watched with amusement their first -attempts in the middle of the courtyard. One man tried to mount the -bicycle when stationary, and became violently angry at each failure to -maintain his balance. Then he got two of his comrades to support him, -one on each side, and thrust at the handles. No movement resulting, his -supporters pushed the machine for a few yards, then let it go. It -toppled over, and the rider's leg being crushed between the cycle and -the ground, he swore bitterly, and retired to digest his discomfiture. - -Señor Mollendo looked on at all this with much disappointment. The -confiscated machine, apparently, was not to be so valuable an -acquisition as he had supposed. He smiled with pleasure, however, when -the machine was set in motion by a series of accidents. While one man -was in the saddle; held up on both sides, another happened to discover -the petrol tap, and turned it on. The supporters pushed the bicycle for -a few feet, the engine began to fire, and the rider chancing to move the -throttle switch, the machine started forward with a suddenness that -caused the two men at the sides to lose their grip. There were shouts -of delight from the onlookers; but the rider was so much amazed at his -own inadvertent skill that he lost his head, and could neither stop nor -steer his unmanageable steed. Only by sprinting across the courtyard at -full speed did Tim save man and cycle from being dashed disastrously -against the stone wall. - -After this the machine was left severely alone, until Tim, weary for -want of something to do, offered to instruct the men in its -manipulation. This won Señor Mollendo's warm approval, and Tim spent -several hours of that day and the next in teaching the younger members -of the party how to ride. They had no personal feeling against him; and -with the prospect of their lean treasury being increased by £250 on his -account, they began to regard him with even more kindliness than his -willingness and good temper had already won. - -On the third day the messenger sent by Señor Mollendo to claim the -ransom, returned, bringing with him not merely the money, but a rumour -of the manner in which the midnight raiders had been received at Mr. -O'Hagan's house. That they were part of the Prefect's escort was an -open secret. Mollendo called Tim to him and asked if the story was -true. Tim saw no reason to conceal anything, and gave a full -description of what had happened, only suppressing the fact that his -information had come from the gobernador. - -"You showed remarkable ingenuity, my young friend," said Mollendo, -greatly tickled by the picture of the spluttering crew stumbling out -into the darkness. "I quite understand why your good father should -consider you worth £250. He has sent the money; you are free. And as a -mark of my appreciation of your service to the cause of liberty by -discommoding the usurper's minions, I have much pleasure in -returning"--("How much?" wondered Tim in excitement)--"your motor-cycle. -Four of my supporters will assist you to the path below. When you meet -your father, convey to him my salutations, and assure him that the money -will be put to a good use in upholding the flag of freedom." - -He shook hands warmly, bowed with his hat to his breast, and with a -polite _a reveder_, the Spanish equivalent of _au revoir_, he ended -Tim's captivity. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE PREFECT MOVES - - -Tim's adventure caused Mr. O'Hagan to change his mind about dismissing -Romaña. To do so might be a new cause of offence to the sensitive -patriots. - -"You have already proved a very dear son," he said, with a humorous -twinkle that disguised his real feeling. - -"Durand says that his pater gives old Mollendo a regular subscription to -keep him quiet," said Tim. - -"Blackmail! He will soon get tired of that." - -"I don't suppose what he has paid comes to £250." - -"Ah! but he hasn't given his boy a motor-cycle! Young Durand came over -to-day to play cricket, and seemed vastly tickled when I told him where -you were." - -"I could have boxed his ears," said Mrs. O'Hagan indignantly. "It was -no laughing matter to me." - -"Will I challenge him, Mother?" said Tim quizzingly. "I am going to -ride over to-morrow to tell him all about it, and if you like----" - -"Don't tease your mother," Mr. O'Hagan interposed. "She insisted on my -sending the money at once, or I declare I would have been inclined to -let you have a week of it." - -The kidnapping of the young Inglés created much indignation and -resentment among the people of San Rosario. The majority of them, -having little to lose, were staunch supporters of the Prefect, and when -next day they saw a dozen gendarmes ride into the town, they supposed -them to be only the advanced guard of a force sent from the capital to -begin the long-expected operations against the brigands. Some, however, -viewed the soldiers with alarm. To the substantial citizens, a visit of -the Prefect's gendarmes usually spelt trouble. Every man whose secret -sympathies were with the Mollendists trembled in his shoes; even those -who were conscious of innocence shivered if their worldly substance was -large enough to be worth the attention of the Prefect and his harpies. -Many, among them the gobernador, were greatly relieved when the -gendarmes, instead of dismounting, halted only to refresh themselves in -the saddle at one of the albergos, then rode through the town and along -the track leading to Mr. O'Hagan's house. - -Arriving there, the leader sprang from his horse, and strode with -clanking spurs to the door, which stood open. The others formed up in -line along the front of the house. To the servant who came in answer to -the officer's summons, he explained that he wished to see the señor -haciendado. Mr. O'Hagan left the office, where he had been alone, and -invited his visitor into the patio. - -"I regret, señor," said the officer, declining to be seated, "that I -have come on a very disagreeable errand." He took a paper from his -pocket. "You see here a warrant, signed by his excellency the Prefect, -and sealed with the provincial seal, authorising the arrest of yourself -and your son." - -"On what charge, señor?" asked Mr. O'Hagan quietly. - -"On the charge of furthering and abetting the treasonable designs of one -Carlos Mollendo, who is stirring up sedition. It is useless to resist, -señor; I have a sufficient body of troopers outside. I demand that you -surrender yourself and your son to justice." - -"I will come with you," said Mr. O'Hagan, "under protest. You will -please to note that I am a British citizen. My son is not at home." - -"Where is he?" - -"That I must leave you to find out." - -The officer at once called in a man to search the house, himself keeping -guard over Mr. O'Hagan in the patio. The gendarme found Mrs. O'Hagan -coming from the servants' quarters. He bowed respectfully, and asked -her to go to the drawing-room and remain there. - -"I am going to the patio, to my husband," replied the lady stoutly. -"Stand out of my way, please." - -The man tugged his moustache, stood aside, and then went on to complete -his search. The half-minute's delay had allowed Romaña, whom his -mistress had just quitted, to slip out of the house and into a -shrubbery, whence he made his way swiftly in the direction of Señor -Durand's estate. - -He met Tim returning, half-way between Durand's house and the -cross-roads. - -"Stop, señorito," he called; "I have a message from the gracious lady." - -"What is it?" asked Tim, jumping off his machine. - -"The señora bids you come with me," said Romaña. "Gendarmes have ridden -to arrest the señor and you, and the mistress sent me to take you to a -place of safety." - -"I won't go. I will join Father," said Tim at once, preparing to ride -off. Romaña detained him. - -"I beg you to do as the señora wishes," he said. "What is the use of -your going to prison, too? There is more chance for every one if you -are free. You will do better to remain in hiding until we see what is -intended towards the señor. I have friends in San Rosario and the -capital; we Mollendists have our spies, like the Prefect. The señor will -no doubt be taken to San Juan. Nothing will be done immediately. The -Prefect is always very careful to cloak his misdeeds under the forms of -law." - -"I'll go back to Señor Durand's, then." - -"That is unwise, señorito. The gendarmes may come there to look for -you, and then Señor Durand himself will be in danger. I know a better -place, and if you will come with me----" - -"Very well, then; but I don't like it. What is to become of Mother?" - -"The señora will be quite safe: the Prefect is always very polite to the -ladies," said Romaña. - -Romaña mounted behind Tim, and they rode back to the cross-roads, then -turned to the right into a track that was fairly level for some -distance, then ascended gradually. Nearly nine miles from the -cross-roads it wound round a steep cliff. On one side a sheer wall of -rock rose to a great height; on the other a wooded precipice fell away -to an equal depth. A small waterfall plunged from the heights above, -forming a stream across the path, and flowing as a second waterfall over -the edge of the precipice. At this point the hill-side was covered with -scrub, amid which one large tree formed a conspicuous object. -Stepping-stones were laid across the stream, and a few large slabs were -let into the steep bank above the path on the farther side. - -Here they dismounted and made their way along the bed of the stream -towards the waterfall. Then they turned to the right, and proceeded -over more large flat slabs leading into the scrub, Romaña remarking that -their footsteps would leave no traces on the stones. On reaching the -large tree before mentioned, they found themselves at the mouth of a -cavern concealed by the foliage and the scrub. A projection of the -cliff on the right hid the entrance of the cavern from observation by -any one on the upper portion of the path. - -It had been a task of no little difficulty to haul the cycle up the -stream, and both were very hot and tired when they reached the cave. -Drawing aside the screen of foliage, Romaña whispered the word Libertad. -There was no answer. He led Tim inside. - -"That is our password," he said with a smile. "If I had failed to give -it I might have been shot. But there is no one here now. Only three -men know of this place. Here you will be quite safe. You are now a -Mollendist," he added, chuckling. - -"Have you set a trap for me, Romaña?" said Tim indignantly. - -"No, no; all that I mean is that now the señor your father is a prisoner -he must be a Mollendist. All the Prefect's enemies are." - -While speaking he had lit a lamp, by whose light Tim saw an earthen -roof, walls, and floor; two or three stools; a three-legged table; a -large cupboard in which were kept, as Romaña told him, food that would -not spoil, and a few mugs; a large can for holding water, and two long -boxes containing rugs which might serve on occasion as beds. - -"Is there no other entrance?" Tim asked. - -"Come and see." - -Romaña led him for some distance into the cave, which bent away to the -left. The air was very damp and mouldy, and Tim felt that he would not -care to make too long a stay in so fusty a place. Presently he heard a -gurgle and splash of water, and the light of the lamp which Romaña -carried fell on an oblong slab of stone standing upright before them, -about three feet in height. Romaña took hold of the upper part of it, -and lowered the stone to the ground. Then Tim saw the waterfall within -two or three feet of them. They were slightly above the bottom of it; -about twelve feet of the cliff face separated them from the spot where -the waterfall became a stream. Romaña explained that the other entrance -of the cavern was some forty yards away. - -"Now, señorito, you will remain here until I discover what is to be -done. You are not afraid?" - -"What is there to be afraid of? Only the damp, so far as I can see. It -may give me lumbago!" - -"That is better than duck-shot," said Romaña, smiling. "I shall not -have time to explain to my comrades, but if any one comes, he will give -the password, and you will answer Salvatore. You may trust any follower -of Señor Mollendo. The path is open to you; none uses it except our own -people; but do not stray far in case you are seen by an enemy. I will -return as soon as may be." - -"Can't your people make a raid and rescue my father?" asked Tim. "They -ought to do something for the money they have got out of him." - -"I fear we are not strong enough at the present time," answered Romaña. -"But be assured that Señor Mollendo will do anything that is possible. -He holds the señor in high respect." - -Tim grunted. He did not think much of a respect that bled a man to the -extent of £250. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - SUSPENSE - - -Romaña did not return to Mr. O'Hagan's house. He guessed that every -member of the household would be under suspicion; and though his part -with the Mollendists was not known, Pardo, if he came on the scene, -would not hesitate to trump up a charge against him. So he hung about -until nightfall, and then slipped into the town and took shelter with -Pedro Galdos, the agent who had dogged Pardo's messenger to San Juan. - -Galdos was a strange illustration of the irony of circumstances in -Spanish America. At one time, under another name, he had been -sub-prefect of a provincial town; but he lost his office with a change -of government, and drifted into poverty. He now earned a scanty -livelihood by selling lottery tickets and doing any odd jobs that came -his way. No one in San Rosario had known him in his official career; -none would have suspected that the thin, shabby, down-at-heel old man -who haunted the street-corners, pestering folks to buy his grimy lottery -tickets, had formerly held a post of authority. As agent and spy of the -Mollendists he was quite trustworthy. Since his dismissal he was always -against the government; and his services were at the disposal of any -opponent of the present prefect, whether Mollendo or another. - -He lived alone in a little two-roomed mud cottage at the east end of the -town. Here Romaña sought a temporary lodging. Galdos already had some -news for him. Mr. O'Hagan had not been taken to the capital, but was -imprisoned in the town jail. - -"I will tell you why, señor," said the old man. "The Prefect wishes to -manage things quietly. There is too much sunlight in San Juan! The -Señor Inglés has many friends and a few compatriots there, and they -would agitate if the thing were known. The Prefect's own party would be -uneasy, for it is no light matter to oppress an Inglés; the British -Government would say hard things at Lima, and the Prefect might find -himself in hot water. He is a hotheaded, reckless imbecile; but some of -his supporters are more prudent, and they would hesitate to provoke the -anger of the government. But here, in this out-of-the-way town, many -things can be done without making a noise. The Prefect has many -creatures who will do just as he bids them. He needs much money; his -troops are clamouring for arrears of pay, and he lacks arms and -ammunition for the campaign he is meditating against our party. The -Señor Inglés is known to be wealthy; that is his crime." - -"What will the Prefect do with him?" asked Romaña. - -"Who knows?" replied Galdos with a shrug. "We shall see. There was -trouble at the hacienda to-day. When the Japanese workers heard that -the caballero was arrested, they marched to the house and threatened -mischief to the gendarmes. It was only the intervention of the señora -that prevented a fight. She pled with the people to go back to their -work for the señor's sake. The Inglésa is a clever woman. Where is the -boy?" - -"He is in a safe place, where he will remain until we know what is to be -done. If the worst happens he must take refuge with Señor Mollendo until -we can convey him and his mother to Lima. I shall go back to him -to-morrow." - - -Meanwhile Tim had eaten his supper--a tin of beans which he found in the -cupboard--and made himself as snug as possible among the rugs in one of -the box beds. He was not frightened, but he would not have denied that -he felt miserable. For a long time he lay wakeful, wondering how far -the Prefect's tyranny might go, and taking a good deal of unnecessary -blame to himself for having wished for a motor-bicycle. The machine, of -course, was no more the cause of recent events than a ball of worsted is -the cause of a kitten's playfulness. Just as a kitten's native energy -makes the ball the occasion of leaps and gambols; so the Prefect had -seized on Tim's adventure with the gobernador as a pretext for squeezing -the gobernador himself, and for venting his spite on the man who would -not be squeezed. - -Romaña came back on the following afternoon. The news he brought was -not calculated to lighten Tim's heaviness. Mr. O'Hagan was closely -confined; gendarmes were flocking into the town, to overawe any who -might be disaffected, Romaña supposed. He left again at dusk, begging -Tim to be patient. - -Next day his information was even more serious. The Prefect had -arrived, accompanied by a number of officers, and it was rumoured that -the prisoner was to be tried by court-martial. The ordinary process of -law was evidently too slow for the dictator; it left, perhaps, too many -loopholes for escape. With a court composed of his own particular tools -he might depend on the proceedings being short and swift. - -"But it is utterly illegal to try a civilian by court-martial in time of -peace," Tim protested. - -"The Prefect makes his own law," said Romaña. "He has proclaimed -martial law in the town." - -"He means Father to be condemned; what will the sentence be? A big -fine?" - -"Probably, with a term of imprisonment also," replied Romaña. In his -heart of hearts he expected a much more terrible punishment. The -Prefect would not be satisfied with a fine, however large; nor with a -term of imprisonment, however long. Nor would he even stop at -confiscating Mr. O'Hagan's property, and let him go. There is only one -safe way in which tyranny can walk, and that is a road stained with -blood. But Romaña did not impart his anticipations to Tim; there was no -need to wring his young heart before the time. - -He durst not go into the town next day, but waited in the wood for -Galdos to bring him news of the trial. It confirmed his gloomiest -forebodings. Pardo was the principal witness against his master. He -repeated authentic fragments of Mr. O'Hagan's talk, which, harmless -enough in themselves, might be construed as treasonable by prejudiced -minds. He swore, falsely, that he had heard his master declare that he -would not pay the taxes, which were mere extortion. He declared that -the £250 which Mr. O'Hagan had sent to Mollendo was not a ransom, but a -contribution to the brigands' funds. Similar testimony was given by two -former servants of the prisoner. Mr. O'Hagan's denials were scouted. He -was not allowed to employ counsel, and in two hours the sorry farce was -over. He was found guilty, condemned to forfeit his estate and to be -shot in the plaza, three days later. - -Romaña shrank from conveying this heavy tidings to the boy awaiting his -return in the cavern. But there was no help for it. He walked back -slowly, and broke the news as gently as he could. - -Tim was at first utterly overwhelmed. In his most despondent moments he -had never looked for anything so bad as this. When his stupor passed, he -cried out that he must go to his mother; that he would himself seek the -Prefect, and plead with him to annul the sentence; that he must and -would do something, he knew not what. - -"It would be useless, señorito," said Romaña sadly. "You would yourself -be arrested; you might suffer the same fate; then the gracious lady -would be doubly bereaved, left without a protector, and that would -embitter your father's last moments." - -"But I can't sit still and do nothing," cried Tim, walking up and down -in his misery. "Suppose it were your father! Won't your Mollendists do -something? There's a lot of them; wouldn't Señor Mollendo lead them to -the town if I begged and prayed him?" - -"He is not strong enough," answered Romaña. "The town is full of -gendarmes. I don't know the caballero's plans, but he cannot alter them -for a foreigner." - -"He will only send his men to pounce on solitary travellers like the -gobernador," said Tim bitterly. - -"Remember, señorito, that he is himself outlawed, in hiding. The men -you saw in his camp are not numerous enough; they are ill-armed. There -are a crowd of gendarmes and several troops of mercenaries already in -the town, and another thousand men can be summoned from San Juan, and -would arrive within a few hours." - -"But I could get our Japs to join. They would fight like demons for my -father." - -"What arms have they?" said Romaña patiently. "It is useless, señorito. -But there are three days. Perhaps the Prefect will think better of it. -No doubt he is uneasy at not having captured you; he will never feel -safe while you are at large; and he may delay the extreme step. We must -hope for the best." - -As he became calmer Tim recognised the force of all that Romaña had -said, and his own helplessness. He could but wait and hope. - -Very early next morning they were standing near the mouth of the cavern. -Romaña was about to go again into the wood a few miles nearer the town, -to receive any further information that Galdos might have for him. - -"Ask him to go to my mother, and bring word how she is," Tim was saying. - -"Look, señorito; what is that?" said Romaña suddenly, pointing down the -track in the direction of the town. A mounted party of four was -approaching, too far off for the individuals of which it was composed to -be distinguished. - -[Illustration: HORSEMEN ON THE TRACK] - -"They are after me!" said Tim at once. - -"Back, señorito!" cried Romaña, drawing him behind the screen of -foliage, through which they peered anxiously at the advancing party. - -"There is a lady!" said Romaña presently. "They are riding very fast." - -"Is it Mother?" said Tim. "I believe it is! And, Romaña, look; I -believe it's Father too! Isn't it? Isn't it?" - -"For Dios, señorito!" exclaimed Romaña, "you are right! It is the señor -himself. He has escaped! Praise to our Lady and Sant Iago! Come! Let -us meet them." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - FLIGHT TO THE HILLS - - -Tim could hardly contain himself. He raced along the bed of the stream, -leapt across the stepping-stones, and bounded down the rocky track with -small concern for his limbs. When he came in sight of the party he -snatched off his hat and waved it wildly in the air. Romaña followed -less swiftly and with more circumspection. He was smiling at his -thoughts. - -"First the son, then the father--both Mollendists!" - -That was the happy consummation to which he flattered himself events -were leading. - -"Ah, Tim!" said Mr. O'Hagan as they met. "We were one too many for the -Prefect, you see. Your mother was the one, bless her! But she must -tell you all about it herself by and by. The first thing is to secure -ourselves. Many thanks, Romaña. Now, are we going right for that camp -of yours?" - -"Straight on, señor," said Romaña. "You will presently come to the -river. The path runs alongside it for several miles; then it diverges -to the right, and meets the path that goes past Señor Durand's hacienda. -The two paths become one. Keep straight on. The señor capitan will -welcome you." - -"But aren't you coming too, to make the introductions?" - -"The señorito and I will follow. We must fetch the machine." - -"I can't leave Tim," said Mrs. O'Hagan. - -"What's the path like?" cried Tim. "Can I ride, Romaña?" - -"For some distance, yes. There are steep places after the paths join." - -"There are indeed," said Tim. "That's where the brigands--your friends, -I mean--had to haul the cycle. A very stiff job too. Mother, ride on -with Father. I'll catch you in no time. I'll mount Romaña behind me: -he's lighter than the gobernador!" - -"You're quite sure you'll catch us?" said Mrs. O'Hagan anxiously. - -"Quite, so don't worry. Oh! you don't know how jolly glad I am to see -you." - -The other two members of the party, Andrea and another house servant, -rode on with their master and mistress, while Tim and Romaña returned to -the cave for the cycle. They had a good deal of difficulty in hoisting -it up from the bed of the stream on to the path, but when they were once -there, they soon made up on the riders, and went on all together at a -rapid pace. - -"Shall we run ahead and warn Señor Mollendo?" asked Tim presently. - -"No: stay with us," said Mrs. O'Hagan. "I don't want to lose sight of -you." - -"Better not, señorito," added Romaña. "We must be careful as we approach -the place where the paths join. If the escape has been discovered, and -they are pursuing, they will come by the other path: it is shorter. Why -did you choose this one, señor?" - -"It was recommended to us by that ragged old man who sells lottery -tickets. Is he a friend of yours?" - -"He is a caballero, señor," replied Romaña with dignity. "Señor Galdos -was once a sub-prefect." - -"Was he indeed? He has been a very good friend to us, and I hope we may -be able to reward him some day. How much farther is it? The path is -becoming very rough." - -"It is several miles, señor; but if all is well when we come to the -junction of paths, there will be no need to hurry for the rest of the -way." - -Soon after this the path diverged from the stream, which wound away to -the westward. Romaña now recommended that the party should ride slowly, -while he himself scouted ahead on foot. The track here was too rough -for the motor-cycle to gain anything in point of speed. - -"When you come to a large stone, señor, which I will place in the middle -of the track," said Romaña, "then halt. It will be no more than a mile -from the forked path, and you will do better to go no farther until I -return to you, lest the clatter of hoofs should be heard." - -He went on and disappeared. About two miles farther on the riders came -to the arranged signal. They halted, the men dismounted, and Tim, -leaning against the flank of his mother's horse, and clasping her hand, -begged her to tell him how the escape had been contrived. - -"You had heard the result of the trial?" she asked. - -Tim nodded. - -"Were you there, Mother?" - -"I was not. I thought it best for your father's sake to keep out of the -town. Yesterday afternoon that wretch Pardo came and took possession of -our house. He showed me a document authorising him to work the estate -on behalf of the government----" - -"Which means the Prefect, of course," Mr. O'Hagan put in. - -"Then the wretched creature politely turned me out. I told him that he -was in rather too much of a hurry; he might at least have had the -decency to wait until all was over. But of course I didn't squabble -with the worthless fellow. I packed up a few things, got my horse--he -allowed me that!--and rode with Andrea and Juan into the town. Dr. -Pereira was brave enough to take me in. No doubt the Prefect will make -him pay for it." - -"Was the Prefect still in the town?" asked Tim. - -"He had gone back to San Juan, leaving Captain Pierola to carry out the -sentence. I had made up my mind to see your father for the last time, -and when it was dark Señora Pereira lent me a dress and a mantilla, and -the doctor escorted me to the gobernador's house. Of course, his -permission had to be got. He was very much distressed, poor man; he is -terribly afraid of the Prefect: but he promised to admit me to the -prison for a quarter of an hour to-morrow night. I asked him whether he -couldn't let my husband escape, but he went nearly frantic at the idea. - -"I was very much upset, as you may imagine. On the way back Dr. Pereira -noticed a man following us. At first he paid no attention, but by and -by got angry, and turned round upon the man, and asked him what he meant -by it. 'Go on, señor doctor,' said the man. 'Do not notice me, but let -me quietly into your house presently.' We went on, and I had only just -taken off my borrowed things when the doctor brought the man to my room. -It was the little old man who sells lottery tickets. He told me that if -I would give him £200 he would set your father free. 'How?' I said. -'It will be better to ask no questions,' he said. I had no money----" - -"The gendarmes stripped the safe when they arrested me," said Mr. -O'Hagan. - -"But I had brought my jewel-case," his wife went on. "I suppose I -showed my doubts in my face, for the old man said, 'The señora can trust -me,' and, looking at him, I felt that I could. I put my jewel-case in -his hands and told him to take what was necessary, quite expecting that -he would take everything. But he examined the things as if he knew -something about them, and selected my pearl necklace and two bracelets. -'The señora will not like parting with them,' he said, 'but there is no -other way.' I told him he might have everything if he would save my -husband, and he seemed quite hurt. Then he told me that I must not go -to bed, but be ready to leave the house at any moment. He kissed my -hand in the most courtly way and was gone. - -"About two o'clock he came again. 'All is ready,' he said: 'come with -me.' You may imagine what a state I was in. I followed him through the -dark streets until we came out into the country, and there I found your -father and the two men waiting for me with a spare horse. The old man -told us the way to come, and here we are. I love that dear old man." - -"He bribed the jailers, I suppose--jolly old soul!" said Tim. - -"The Prefect's own methods," said Mr. O'Hagan. "I'm afraid the -gobernador will have a bad time of it. He was responsible for me." - -"And won't the jailers suffer, too?" asked Tim. - -"They decamped at once, you may be sure," replied his father. "But -here's Romaña back again. He's in a hurry." - -Romaña was running down the path. - -"We cannot go on, señor," he said. "I crept as close as I dared to the -fork, and caught sight of some men among the trees beyond. I don't know -who they are, but it is not safe to proceed." - -"What are we to do, then?" - -"We must go back until we come to the river. The water is very low, and -we can walk up along the sand at the edge. Presently we shall come to a -stream that flows down the hill-side from near Señor Mollendo's camp. -We can climb up there. It is very steep and rocky, but it is the only -way." - -"Very well: lead on." - -On reaching the river, the party scrambled down the bank to the bottom. -In times of rain the torrent had deposited large quantities of sand in -the bed, which the shrinking of the channel in the summer had left bare -and dry. On this firm floor, level as a billiard table, but ascending in -a gentle plane, progress was easy; but when they reached the stream of -which Romaña had spoken, and had to strike up the hill-side, they found -themselves in difficulties. They had to dismount and lead the horses -over great ledges of quartz, polished to a dangerous slipperiness by the -action of sand and water, and round huge boulders, that offered, at -first sight, insuperable obstacles. Difficult as the way was for the -horses, it was doubly so for the motorcycle, which had to be carried for -many yards at a time, and hauled up and over sharp-edged rocks that -threatened damage to its tyres. Many times they had to stop and rest. -It was now midday, and very hot, and Mr. O'Hagan's party, having had no -food since the night before, were hungry as well as tired. - -"Plucky little woman!" said Mr. O'Hagan at one of these halts, to his -wife who sat beside him on a ledge of rock. - -"Just think of Tim spending nights by himself in a cave!" said Mrs. -O'Hagan. "How horrid for him!" - -"Boys like that sort of thing," returned her husband with a smile. -"Don't they, Tim?" - -"If there's another fellow with them," said Tim. "There's no fun in -camping-out alone. I wish I'd thought to bring some grub. Mother must -be famished!" - -"I confess I hope Señor Mollendo will have _something_ for us," said -Mrs. O'Hagan. "Going long without food is bad for a growing boy." - -"I can eat anything," said Tim, "but I'm afraid you won't like their -grub." - -"My dear boy, I would rather eat parched peas with Señor Mollendo than -sit down to a banquet with the Prefect.... Hark! What's that?" - -She clutched her husband's arm at the sound of rifle-shots far to the -east. - -"We had better get on, I think," said Mr. O'Hagan, rising. "Where's -Romaña?" - -"He has gone ahead to warn Señor Mollendo of our coming," said Andrea. -"He will come back to help with the machine." - -An hour later the whole party, hot, exhausted, and hungry, entered the -enclosure which Tim had described to his parents. The assembled -Mollendists greeted them with loud vivas, and Señor Mollendo's face -beamed as he came forward, hat in hand, to meet them. - -"Welcome to my little castle, señor, señora," he said, with the air of a -potentate. "I rejoice in the circumstances which have given me the -honour of entertaining such distinguished guests." - -"I don't," said Mr. O'Hagan bluntly, "though I thank you for your -hospitality, señor. Do you know what is the dearest wish of my heart at -the present moment?" - -"If it is anything I can do----" - -"A glass of wine for my wife, and then dinner, señor. Your guests, I -should think, never reach you without an appetite." - - - - - CHAPTER X - - CINCINNATUS O'HAGAN - - -"I have an apology to make to you, señor," said Mollendo, as they sat at -dinner in his own little four-square apartment. "I perceive that I was -under a misapprehension when I ordered the arrest of your son. I can -never sufficiently lament my indiscretion, and beg that you will accept -the expression of my profound regret." - -"I quite understand, señor," said Mr. O'Hagan, reflecting that the -indiscretion had cost him £250. "You party men find it difficult to -understand that an action may be dictated by other than party -considerations. My son helped Señor Fagasta because he's a man, not -because he's gobernador." - -"His action does honour to his humanity as well as his courage," said -the courtly host. "In these circumstances I feel that it is -inconsistent with the honour of a caballero to take advantage of a -mistake, and I beg therefore that you will accept restitution of the sum -of money which I demanded of you, but to which I had no just claim." - -"Your suggestion is only what I should have expected from a caballero of -your reputation, señor," said Mr. O'Hagan, politely adopting Mollendo's -formality of speech. Mollendo bowed. "But in the circumstances I -cannot do better than leave the money in your hands. And let me say -that I thoroughly approve of the use to which you will put it." - -"My dear!" ejaculated Mrs. O'Hagan in English. - -"I am going the whole hog now," replied her husband quietly. - -She pressed her lips together, and listened nervously as the -conversation was resumed. - -"I have made up my mind definitely to take sides with you," continued -Mr. O'Hagan. "Hitherto I have held aloof, as you know; but I have always -sympathised with your aims. You stand for political honesty and good -government. That is a motive that appeals to me as a citizen. -Personally, I have a strong inducement to support you; the Prefect has -stripped me of my estate. If you succeed, I shall retrieve my fortunes; -and in assisting you I shall not only consult my own interests, but do -something, I believe, for the good of the country in which I have lived -for so many years." - -"A thousand thanks, señor," said Mollendo, his eyes beaming as he -clasped Mr. O'Hagan's hand. "I rejoice in your generosity, and hail the -approaching triumph of our cause. I remember how, in the brave days of -old, the Roman Cincinnatus was called from his farm to assume command of -the national forces; and how, within the space of sixteen days, he put -the enemy to utter rout and confusion. You, señor, shall be our -Cincinnatus. Caballeros," he cried, rising and addressing the motley -throng in the courtyard, "the Señor Inglés is one of us. He espouses -the cause of liberty; he will strike with us against the tyrant. I call -upon you to acclaim our honoured guest with hearty vivas, and to drain -your copitas to the caballero who will lead us to success." - -Thundering cheers broke from the men, and they were only too eager to -fill their cups and drink the health of the Señor Inglés and confusion -to the dictator. Romaña smiled as he sat with Andrea and Juan at a -little distance from his master. What he had hoped had come to pass; the -señor was now a Mollendist. Tim also smiled, for a different reason. - -"How do you like Cincinnatus O'Hagan?" he whispered slily in his -mother's ear. - -But Mrs. O'Hagan's sense of humour was at the present moment clouded by -anxiety and misgiving. - -"'Tis perfectly horrid," she said. - -Mollendo had, in fact, jumped eagerly at the chance of securing Mr. -O'Hagan as an active associate. He was himself well advanced in years; -and though very popular with his followers, on whom he exercised a -magnetic influence by his personal courage and his oratorical gifts, he -had no military qualities or experience, and was conscious of his own -defects as a leader. Mr. O'Hagan, on the other hand, as he well knew, -had won a great repute as a soldier in the stormy days of the Chilian -war. His advice in matters of strategy and tactics would be invaluable. -He would bring to the cause just those factors of success in which -hitherto it had been lacking, and for the first time Mollendo saw the -gleam of coming triumph. Mrs. O'Hagan suffered many pangs as the -conversation proceeded. The two men were settling the basis of their -alliance. Mollendo was to retain the nominal command; the practical -control of the movements of his little force was to be in the hands of -Mr. O'Hagan. The good lady saw that her husband was back in the days of -his youth. He always threw himself heart and soul into whatsoever he -took up, and he discussed matters now with all the fire and eager -enthusiasm of a boy. His wife was troubled; and when she noticed with -what rapt attention Tim followed the talk, she made up her mind to drop -a word of caution later. - -In the midst of the conversation a man came hurriedly into the -courtyard, and walking straight up to his leader saluted and said: - -"Señor, I have news." - -"What is it, Cristobal?" - -"We were watching on the hills, señor, when we saw two parties drawing -near, the larger on the eastern track, the smaller on the western. We -hastened down to the fork, intending to give battle to them both; but -suddenly we saw the smaller party halt; from it a man came forward, but -presently hastened back again, and all his company retreated and -disappeared. At the fork we met the others, and gave them so warm a -reception that they withdrew towards the town. We followed them, but -they did not halt, so we returned to the fork, and there our people are -still posted." - -"That is well, my son. The smaller party consisted of the Señor Inglés -and his family whom you see here. They are now supporters of our cause. -Carry that news to our men; it will encourage them. The señor was a -great captain in the army of Peru years ago.... Will the señora excuse -us for a few moments?" he asked, when the man had gone. - -"You want to talk secrets, I suppose," said Mrs. O'Hagan; "but unless my -husband objects, I should prefer to know all your arrangements. Tim," -she added in English, "I am not to be kept in the dark. I do not like -your turning yourself into a brigand, but I see your mind is made up. -Only don't do anything without telling me." - -"Señor, my wife and I have no secrets," said Mr. O'Hagan. "You may -speak quite freely." - -"What I had to say concerns the señora herself," said Mollendo. "This -is no place for a lady; nor should she be subjected to the fatigues and -dangers that we shall have to encounter. My wife lives peacefully in a -remote corner of the country some fifty miles from here in the hills, -and if the señora will deign to accept her hospitality----" - -"Not at all, señor; I remain with my husband and son," said Mrs. O'Hagan -firmly. - -"Perhaps the señor will command otherwise," suggested Mollendo, who was -not accustomed to domestic opposition. - -From that moment Mrs. O'Hagan was his determined enemy. Mr. O'Hagan -hurriedly explained that he would discuss the matter with his wife in -private. He found an opportunity of doing so later in the day, when a -corner of the ruins had been prepared for their accommodation. He -pointed out that she would be unable to make the long and rapid marches -which irregular warfare entailed. Her presence, and the necessity of -protecting her, would be a source of weakness, possibly of disaster. -Mrs. O'Hagan recognised this, and after a time reluctantly agreed to -accept Señora Mollendo's hospitality. - -"But I must take Tim with me," she said. - -Mr. O'Hagan stroked his chin. - -"The boy won't like that," he remarked. - -"It will be for his good," she replied. "Surely you admit that fighting -with these desperadoes is not fit work for a boy of his age." - -"As to that, there are many here no older. Age doesn't count in these -matters. He is perfectly healthy; he may be very useful to me, and the -experience will be invaluable to him." - -"Am I to lose both of you?" cried the lady, much troubled. "If it were -for our own country I might endure it, like many another poor woman; but -to think of you throwing away your lives for this miserable country--oh! -it is too much." - -Mr. O'Hagan was inclined to yield the point; but while he was still -hesitating, his wife, dashing the tears from her eyes, suddenly -forestalled him. - -"I am an idiot," she said. "Of course the boy would eat his heart out -away from you. I mustn't look on the black side. But do take care of -him, won't you, Tim?" - -And so it was settled that young Tim should remain with his father. - -Next day Señor Mollendo provided an escort of half a dozen men, with -whom Mrs. O'Hagan set off for the long ride into the hills. Mr. O'Hagan -and Tim on horseback, each having a carbine, accompanied the party, -having decided to go half the way. They left the camp at its northern -side, and followed the track downward for several miles until it crossed -the river by a narrow stone bridge. Then their course led to the -north-west, the path rising steadily as it approached the spurs of the -Andes. Progress was very slow; the day was already far advanced when -they reached a little hut on the hill-side, about halfway to their -destination, where Señor Mollendo was accustomed to break his journey -when going to and fro between the camp and his home. Here they passed -the night. In the morning Mrs. O'Hagan took leave of her husband and -son, who watched her party until it disappeared along the winding track, -then silently sprang to their saddles and rode in the opposite -direction. - -They had come within a few miles of the stone bridge over the river when -they caught sight simultaneously of a number of horsemen strung out -along the path far ahead, and riding towards them. Mr. O'Hagan felt the -lack of one of the prime necessities of a soldier--a field-glass. - -"We must hide up until we see who they are," he said to Tim. "They -don't know how to order a march, at any rate." - -The hill-side provided many convenient nooks for hiding and taking a -look-out. But only a few minutes had passed when Tim, from behind his -rock, called: - -"It's old Mollendo, Father." - -"Take care you don't call him that in the hearing of his men. It would -be a deadly insult. Better call him 'excellency.' I wonder what has -happened." - -They returned to the track, and trotted downhill to meet the horsemen. -There was about them an air of depression which did not escape Mr. -O'Hagan. The explanation confirmed his foreboding. - -"Good-day, señor," said Mollendo, with a graceful salutation as they -met. "I grieve to say that you behold me a fugitive." - -"What, excellency! Has the usurper taken the field at last?" - -"It seems so, señor general." (Tim grinned as these complimentary -titles passed.) "We were surprised at dawn by large numbers of the -enemy who had advanced along the route by which you came to my camp. My -sentries were, I fear, overcome by somnolence. The attack was so sudden -that I had no time to form my ranks; but in the half light some of us -were able to make our escape--some on horseback, others on foot. We are -scattered to the four winds; all our stores are lost; it is a sad -inauguration of our new alliance." - -"Courage, excellency!" said Mr. O'Hagan. "We must consider how to -retrieve this mishap. Are you pursued?" - -"Not for the last five miles, señor." - -"Then we will halt here, and wait for our men to rejoin us. No doubt -some of them will come dropping in by and by. Let us ride forward, -excellency, and choose a position." - -Meanwhile Tim, seeing Romaña among the score of men who accompanied -Mollendo, rode up to him with an eager question. - -"Where is my cycle?" - -"There was not time to bring it, señorito; but I managed to hide it -under a heap of brushwood collected for the fires." - -"They'll find it!" said Tim, his face falling. - -"Perhaps we shall recapture the camp first. It was all I could do." - -Tim thanked him, but felt that the chance of recovering his cycle was -small indeed. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - THE MOTOR-CYCLE - - -Mr. O'Hagan was surprised at the rapidity with which this offensive -movement had been executed. It was a bold stroke on the part of the -enemy to make their way across the hills during the hours of darkness, -and showed that they had among them a vigorous and enterprising leader. -Its effect upon the fortunes of the Mollendists was likely to be -serious. The success of their cause depended on the extent to which -they could enlist active support among the disaffected. They had many -sympathisers in San Rosario and the capital, but the most of these were -too timid or too cautious to carry their sympathy into action. A great -success would no doubt bring an influx of recruits; but a set-back such -as this would not only discourage recruiting, but also dishearten those -who had already taken up arms. Defeat breeds desertion. - -The outlook was very gloomy. But Mr. O'Hagan was a man whose energies -were stimulated by adversity. He had been wont to say that his -plantation was too successful: he was growing soft. The present -situation was a challenge to the qualities that had lain dormant in him -since he hung up his sword at the close of the Chilian war. - -Mollendo expected that some of the fugitives from the camp would in -course of time make their way to the hut in the hills which Mr. O'Hagan -had just left. There he always kept a small supply of provisions. It -was therefore decided to return thither. Several mounted men joined -them on the march, and within a few hours after reaching the hut the -party was augmented by about two score, several of them wounded. These -were attended by a medical student who had thrown in his lot with the -Mollendists. There was great despondency among the little force. Some -were disposed to continue their flight and even to abandon the cause; -but Mr. O'Hagan set himself to rally them, appealing to their courage as -caballeros and hidalgos, a compliment which especially flattered the -mestizos among them. - -Mr. O'Hagan was too old a campaigner to run any risks with a small force -demoralised by their recent reverse. His first concern was to restore -their morale. The great difficulty was provisions. The small supply in -the hut would soon be exhausted, and in the inhospitable hills there was -no chance of obtaining any food except wild fruit from the bushes. The -river swarmed with fish, however, and Mr. O'Hagan, to give the men -employment, set some of them to weave a seine net out of the creeping -plants that flourished along the banks. With this primitive implement -they caught a good number of fish. - -Meanwhile he sent out half a dozen men to bring in any more fugitives -whom they might meet, and Romaña with another man to discover what the -enemy were doing. When these scouts returned late at night, they -reported that the main body of the enemy had withdrawn southward, either -to San Rosario or to San Juan. They were partly gendarmes, the mounted -police of the province, partly the irregular troops which the Prefect -attached to his cause by the hope of plunder. The camp was still -occupied, but Romaña had not been able to ascertain by how many. - -One of the last comers among the fugitives declared that he had seen the -Prefect himself in the action. This seemed doubtful to Mr. O'Hagan, but -Mollendo assured him that it was not at all improbable. The Prefect was -a man of great, if spasmodic, energy, and of much personal courage and -resource. In Spanish America no man could arrive at his position of -virtual dictator without such qualities. He must have guessed that his -escaped prisoner had taken refuge in the Mollendist camp, and having so -much at stake had himself led the attack upon it, instead of leaving it -to the gobernador, of whose prowess he had a mean opinion, by no means -unjustified. Indeed, Señor Fagasta was in disgrace. The Prefect had -accused him of conniving at the prisoner's escape, and put him under -arrest in his own house--a prelude to another demand for money. - -It seemed strange that the greater part of the Prefect's force should -have been withdrawn so soon after the capture of the camp. Mollendo -suggested that he was anxious not to be absent too long from San Juan. -He had many enemies there, secret if not active; and if he allowed -himself to be lured into the wilds he might return from a successful -campaign only to find himself, as it were, locked out of his own house. -No doubt he reckoned on the demoralising effect of his sudden swoop to -break up the Mollendist party, and had left a portion of his force to -harry the remnant at their leisure. - -The position was discussed between Mollendo and Mr. O'Hagan in the hut. -Tim was close at hand, giving eager attention to all that his elders -said. - -"I am much to blame for allowing the enemy to surprise me," said -Mollendo bitterly. "I ought to have guarded my back door more -diligently, but I was relying on the gobernador's known want of -enterprise. He boasts of what he is going to do, but I have never known -him to do anything." - -"Don't take it to heart, excellency," said Mr. O'Hagan. "You were not -to know that the Prefect would take matters into his own hands, nor -would he have done so, I suspect, but for me. It is therefore incumbent -on me, as the cause of your misfortune, to do what I can to retrieve -it." - -"And I trust much in your valour and skill, general." - -"I thank you, excellency. Our most urgent need is food; the next is -arms and ammunition; the next, men. That is the order in which our -fortunes must be built up. And I confess that at the moment I am rather -at a loss as to what steps to advise." - -"We could get a certain amount of food at our own place," suggested Tim. -"There can be no harm in robbing what we have been robbed of." - -"That is all very well, but Pardo is in possession, no doubt with -gendarmes to support him; and the enemy lie between us and home. It is -very necessary to keep a careful watch on their movements, and I -propose, with your consent, excellency, to send two scouts forward -to-night to see what they are doing." - -"Let me be one, Father," said Tim eagerly. - -"You are rather too young," said Mr. O'Hagan, remembering his wife's -injunctions. "Many of his excellency's men are no doubt experienced in -such work." - -"Let the boy go, general," said Mollendo. "I have already formed a high -opinion of his courage. Such a task would give him invaluable -experience. And if you send Nicolas Romaña as the second scout, you -need have no fear; the boy will be safe with Romaña, one of the most -active and trustworthy of my adherents." - -Mr. O'Hagan felt himself in a difficulty. It would certainly weaken his -own position with Mollendo if he refused to let his boy take a share in -the operations. After so direct a proposal he could hardly hesitate to -employ Tim when he would employ any one else. After a brief inward -conflict he said: - -"Very well, excellency; the boy must win his spurs; he shall go." - -Tim was delighted, Romaña scarcely less; he felt much flattered by his -chief's praises. Soon after dark, therefore, the two set off on -horseback. It was a cold night; a biting wind blew down from the -mountains; and the scouts were not sorry when, arriving within a few -miles of the camp, they had to dismount and proceed on foot. They led -their horses some distance from the track, and tethered them in a clump -of trees, placing on their return three large boulders at the side of -the path to mark the place. If they should have to hurry back in the -darkness, without such signposts they might very well overshoot the -spot. Then, keeping on the hill-side above the track, they crept along, -listening for sounds from the enemy's outposts. - -They were within half a mile of the camp when they had the first -indication of the enemy's presence. They heard the sound of horses -champing their bits in the distance, and a low murmur of voices. Moving -stealthily forward, they found that two or three men were posted on the -track. As far as they could tell, this was the only precaution taken by -the enemy against surprise from this quarter. - -The scouts wormed their way foot by foot towards the camp. Their course -was difficult. They durst not advance along the track itself; and the -hill-side above was rugged and broken, littered with loose stones which -had been removed at some time from the Inca buildings. Their route -brought them presently to a spot from which they saw a slight glow -ahead. It evidently came from a camp fire; but the fire itself was -hidden from them by the ruined wall. Skirting the enclosure, they made -their way to the side where, as they knew by the sounds, the horses were -tethered. Here they caught the footfalls of a sentry moving to and fro -outside the wall. They stole past him to a point where the hill fell -away steeply, crawled up the slope until they gained the foot of the -wall, and clambering up its ruined face, peered over into the interior -of the courtyard. The horses just beneath them snorted with alarm; -their movements, quiet as they were, or their scent, had disturbed the -sensitive beasts. The sentry close by stopped; but after a silent pause -of a few moments resumed his beat. - -The scouts clung to the wall, their eyes just above its top. They saw -three fires in the courtyard; all were dying down. Around each lay a -number of men, wrapped in their cloaks. They could not count them; -indeed, only when the breeze stirred the embers could they distinguish -the forms at all. But it was easier to count the horses, ranged in a -close rank with their heads towards the wall. There were ninety. A -similar line stood against the adjacent wall at right angles. -Altogether there must be at least a hundred and eighty animals. - -There seemed to be no chance of making any more discoveries, and the -twain were about to move away, when a sudden gust of wind stirred the -nearest of the dull fires to a momentary flame. By its light Tim caught -a glimpse of his motor-cycle resting against the wall on the far side of -the enclosure. He nudged Romaña's elbow to draw his attention to it. -Neither dared to speak. - -They remained thus for a few seconds; then, by a second nudge, Tim -intimated his intention to retire. They let themselves down silently, -and crept up the hill-side. When they were out of earshot from the camp, -Tim said in a whisper: - -"Romaña, I am going to get my bike." - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - FREE WHEEL - - -Romaña gasped when Tim declared his intention. - -"It is madness," he said. "Your father charged me to have care of you. -I must forbid it." - -"I don't care what you say. I am going to get my bike. Do you know -that it cost £60 in London? Besides, I am not going to let the -Prefect's fellows have it." - -"But consider," said Romaña anxiously. "I don't deny you may steal in -and get it; they are keeping very poor watch; but what then? You would -have to bring it out----" - -"I'd manage that." - -"And then how get it to our camp? The track is very difficult, for -miles too rough for you to ride. There are sure to be sentries at the -eastern entrance; and as for the gully by which we came, you know how -hard our task was in daylight: we could not possibly carry the machine -down in the darkness." - -"All that's perfectly true, but I am not going to leave it with these -rascals, so we've just got to think it out." - -He had to admit that the gully and the western track, by which they had -just come, were impossible. The only other route was the path which he -had travelled when first brought by his captors to the camp, and when he -had returned home after being ransomed. The entrance, as Romaña had -said, would undoubtedly be guarded; and judging by the position of the -outposts whom they had passed on the way up, there would be a -corresponding picket on the path below. - -The path itself was difficult enough. For more than a quarter of a mile -from the camp it was a steep descent. Then for about two miles it -dropped more gradually, becoming from that point onward a sort of -switchback with a generally downward trend until it reached the level -not far from Durand's house. Having twice travelled along the path, Tim -knew it well enough to feel sure that he could ride along it even in the -darkness without much risk. The difficulty was threefold: to secure the -bicycle unnoticed; to pass the sentry at the entrance; and to evade the -picket at the foot of the hill. Romaña, who knew the weaknesses of his -countrymen, admitted that the sentry in all probability would be asleep; -but the members of the picket would certainly be awake: among two or -three there would be conversation. - -"Well then," said Tim, "if the sentry is asleep I'll chance the rest. -But you won't be in it. We came out to scout, and you must get back and -tell them what we have learnt: it isn't much." - -"Your father will blame me severely if I return without you," said -Romaña. - -"You can tell him you protested. Besides, I'll very likely be back -before you. If I get away safely I'll make a round to the river, and -when I get there I can go so fast that I may overtake you somewhere up -the road--provided the petrol lasts out. It must be getting low; I'd -forgotten that; and we've no more. After this the machine will be -useless." - -"Then why not leave it, señorito? It will be useless to the enemy -also." - -"Don't go over it all again! I mean to have the bike; that's settled. -You get back. I'll allow time for you to reach the horses before I do -anything. You had better start at once." - -Romaña knew that further expostulation would be useless. He had had -much experience of his young master's firmness. Reluctantly he took his -leave, and crept back over the hill-side. Tim listened for his -footsteps, and hearing nothing he felt much encouraged. If Romaña could -move silently, so could he. But for assurance' sake he took off his -boots and slung them round his neck by their laces. - -He waited a long time. The sky was moonless, a deep indigo blue, so -dark that the starlight did not enable him to read the face of his -watch. It was essential he should not start upon his own hazardous -adventure until Romaña was out of danger, and he had waited probably -twice as long as was necessary before he ventured to move. There were -no sounds from the enclosure except the occasional stamp of a horse's -hoof or the rattle of a chain. Even the sentry on his right had -apparently ceased to trudge his monotonous beat. The other sentry, if -there was one, at the entrance to his left, had not moved. Once or -twice he thought he heard slight sounds from down the path: the fact -that outposts were stationed below rendered it probable that the sentry -above would not consider it necessary to be on the alert. Perhaps, -thought Tim with a gush of hope, there was no sentry there at all! - -At last, having heard no alarm from the direction in which Romaña had -gone, he decided to start. He stole cautiously along and down the -hill-side until he came to one of the tall rocks that stood at the -entrance. Here he paused a moment to listen. There was no sound. -Creeping round the rock, at two more strides he was within the -enclosure. The breeze no longer woke fitful flames from the embers of -the camp fires. - -It was pitch dark: otherwise he might have seen the form of a sentry -dozing on a ruined buttress near the entrance. In the absence of light, -the only means of finding the cycle was to steal along by the wall until -he came to it. Luckily he had to pass no horses: the animals would have -been more easily disturbed than the men. - -He moved as quickly and quietly as possible, but his heart was in his -mouth more than once as he made the round. It was perilous work, -picking his way in the darkness among the sleeping men. They were -placed irregularly, some close to the wall, some at a little distance -from it, some actually touching it. One man murmured in his sleep as -Tim passed; another, flinging out an arm with a dreamer's sudden -violence, struck it against Tim's leg, and growled an imprecation. But, -no doubt supposing that he had hit a comrade, he suspected nothing, and -rolled over. At the blow Tim felt an impulse to shout aloud and run; -but he kept a tight rein upon his nerves, and went on without further -alarm. - -At last he reached the bicycle. There was no sleeper within a few yards -of it. He passed his hand over it rapidly to make sure that it was -complete. Then, bracing himself for the ordeal, he wheeled it between -several of the men towards the centre of the courtyard. At this tense -moment he had reason to be glad of the care which he had always spent in -keeping the machine well oiled. This, and the fact that it was a -free-engine model, made it noiseless. - -Looking now eastward, he was just able to discern the two pillars of -rock that stood high above the level of the adjacent wall at the -entrance. Guided by them, he pushed the machine straight across the -courtyard, skirting one of the dead fires. He passed between the rocks: -he was now on the track: and the heedless sentry slumbered on. - -Tim was breathing hard in his excitement. The first danger was past: -what was he now to do? He stood beneath one of the tall rocks, -thinking. Should he try to creep past the outpost stationed, as he -suspected, at the foot of this, the steepest part of the track? Or -should he mount and run the gauntlet? The men were probably not asleep: -whether awake or not they would hear his machine approaching. It seemed -perhaps the safer course to wheel the bicycle down at the side of the -track, and not mount until he was within a few yards of them, when he -might hope to dash past before they were ready to deal with him. - -He was moving slowly downhill when an accident caused a change of plan. -A loose piece of rock, displaced by the front wheel, bumped and rattled -down the track, making what seemed a terribly loud noise in the still -night air. The slumbering sentry awoke and let out a shout. There were -faint answering shouts from below. It was Hobson's choice for Tim now. -He vaulted into the saddle, and the cycle sped down the steep descent. -He did not switch on the engine; indeed, he had some trouble in keeping -the machine in hand with the brake. At renewed sounds of alarm ahead he -allowed the speed to increase. It was a gamble with fate. If the -outpost, deliberately or unawares, blocked the track at the foot of the -hill, nothing could save either Tim or any person or thing he might -strike. If the space was clear, nothing could arrest his course but a -shot, so long as he retained control of the machine. Favoured by the -darkness he might escape, even should the men fire at him. - -Down he flew, steering by guesswork. He heard shouts and the plunging of -horses ahead; then saw dimly several dark forms. They appeared to -stretch across the track. He could not have checked now if he had wished -to. He dashed on, as it were into their midst. On the left he grazed a -man about to mount; on the right passed within a few inches of a horse; -and while he was still in the throes of nervous anxiety and even terror, -the machine had borne him safely through the outpost. He could hardly -believe in his good fortune. But there was no doubt about it. He had -now to face only the dangers of the track ahead. - -These were formidable enough. It was a mad ride at the best: a boulder -of any size, and there were many, would hurl him to destruction. -Fortunately the track here was fairly straight. At one slight bend he -narrowly shaved a tree; a little farther on the machine bumped into a -transverse depression, probably the dry channel of a rivulet, and he -just averted a side slip. His fortune held good. As he drew farther -from the enemy he reduced his speed, and when the downward incline -became less steep, and almost insensibly merged in a rise, he jumped -off, lighted his lamp, and for the first time started the engine. - -The men of the outpost, meanwhile, were scarcely aware of what had -happened. The sentry's shout had alarmed them, but they knew not what -to be prepared for. There was no firing, so that the Mollendists could -not be attempting a surprise. While they were mounting, they were -vaguely conscious that something had approached and passed them, -swiftly, with scarcely a rustle. Only when the ghostly object was -already two or three hundred yards down the track did it flash into the -mind of one of them that this must be the machine which he had seen -hauled out from under a heap of brushwood in the camp. None of his -comrades could ride: it must have been purloined by an audacious -Mollendist. Then the pursuit began. But the horsemen had to pick their -way carefully in the darkness. Even before Tim gained the switchback -portion of the track he had hopelessly distanced them. And having now -his lamp to guide him, he was able to avoid obstacles, and dashed up and -down the slopes at a great speed. - -Presently he came to the forking of the paths, and turned to the right, -intending to ride on to the river, and make his way up the channel until -he was several miles west of the camp. He had ridden only a few yards -along this path, however, when it suddenly struck him that the tracks of -his wheels would be clearly visible in daylight, and would guide the -enemy to the situation of his friends. Instantly he slowed down, -wheeled round and, returning to the fork, ran some little distance along -the path in the direction of San Rosario. Then, dismounting, he walked -the cycle a little farther; this would have the effect of making the -wheel tracks more shallow. On reaching a particularly hard stretch of -the path, he lifted the machine on to the rocky ground at the side, and -partly wheeling, partly carrying, made his way slowly back towards the -cross path leading to the river. - -Here he listened for sounds of pursuit. There were none. The horsemen -had given it up. He debated whether to try to obliterate the few traces -he had made before the necessity of hiding his trail occurred to him. -But he reflected that in the deceptive light of the lamp he might leave -still more compromising signs, whereas the obvious retracing of his -course might suffice to lead the enemy off the scent. Accordingly he -let the wheel marks remain, and, carrying or pushing the bicycle over -many yards of the sloping ground above the track, he again mounted, and -hastened on to the river bank. There he turned to the left in the -direction of San Rosario, but after riding a short distance he stopped, -wheeled the machine down the sloping bank between the bushes, and then -started upstream through shallow water. When he had thus covered about -a mile, he pulled on his boots, remounted, and set off along the sandy -foreshore. - -Remembering suddenly that the river was in full view from the ridge on -his right hand, which led directly to the captured camp, he put out his -light. He wished he had done so as soon as he turned northward, and -felt very uneasy lest the enemy should have seen the lamp from above, -and hurried down the gully to intercept him. The sandy bed being -whitish, he was able to ride rapidly without a light. A stream -trickling into the river from the right indicated the gully. He dashed -past, half expecting to be assailed with shots; but there was no sign of -an enemy, and he felt that, except for some unforeseen contingency, his -dangers were over. - -He kept to the river bed for several miles after leaving the vicinity of -the camp. Then, however, he had to mount the bank and take the track -leading to Mollendo's hut. By this time he was very tired, and the -necessity of dismounting frequently, to push the machine up the steeper -and more rugged stretches of the path, taxed his strength severely. To -make matters worse, the petrol gave out, and riding, even in level -places, was no longer possible. But he pressed on doggedly at a snail's -pace. At last, when the sky behind him was beginning to lighten with -the dawn, he saw three figures emerging from the gloom on the track -ahead. In a few minutes Romaña and two other men met him, and relieved -him of his burdensome machine. Soon after, exhausted but very happy, he -dragged himself into the hut, greeted his father and Señor Mollendo with -a smile, and, dropping on to an extended rug, fell instantly asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - A COMMISSION - - -It was high noon when Tim awoke. A breakfast was ready for him; so was -his father. - -"I am very glad your mother is not with us," said Mr. O'Hagan. "She -would have been out of her mind with anxiety about you. Don't you know -that a soldier's first duty is to obey? You were sent to scout: you -exceeded your instructions, and I am not pleased with you." - -"But, Father," said Tim, with his mouth full of beans, "I have often -heard you say that a soldier ought to think for himself. Don't you -remember saying that a man who has to be told everything isn't much -good?" - -"That's all very well," said Mr. O'Hagan, feeling himself on slippery -ground. "I was referring to officers, as you are perfectly aware. If -every private were to think and act for himself it would end in -disaster." - -"Am I a private?" asked Tim innocently. - -"You are a raw recruit, with everything to learn. You are under -discipline: remember that." - -"I don't think it's fair," said Tim. "Señor Mollendo calls you general; -I don't see why I shouldn't be an officer too! You might make me your -aide-de-camp, Father." - -"You are talking rubbish, sir. Understand me: you must do what you are -told, and not go larking about on risky adventures like an irresponsible -schoolboy." - -Mr. O'Hagan spoke rather warmly. He had passed an anxious night. -Secretly he was delighted with Tim's pluck and resourcefulness; but his -pleasure was qualified by misgiving as to future dangers into which the -boy's love of adventure might lead him. Besides, for his wife's sake he -felt it his duty to assume a sternness that was not quite genuine. - -"Aren't you glad I got the bike?" said Tim. - -"Well, yes, I suppose I am," replied his father. "How did you manage -it?" - -Here Señor Mollendo entered, and Tim gave the story in Spanish for his -benefit. - -"I congratulate you, my boy," said the leader warmly, "and you too, -señor, on possessing a son who unites courage with ingenuity, and -caution with daring. He has twice proved himself more than a match for -the enemy, and in recognition of his signal merits and as a mark of my -approval I appoint him a lieutenant in the army of liberty." - -Father and son glanced at each other. This, coming after their recent -conversation, was almost too much for their gravity; they could hardly -refrain from laughter. The contrast between Mollendo's lofty manner and -his low fortunes was very comical. - -"I thank you, excellency," said Mr. O'Hagan, as gravely as he could. "I -hope my son will continue to merit your approbation--and mine." - -The two men consulted together. The continued presence of the enemy at -the Inca camp was disconcerting. By covering the roads to San Rosario -and the capital, and restricting the Mollendists to the hills, they put -an effectual bar upon recruiting. The northward region, sparsely settled -and largely unexplored, was favourable ground for refuge, but for -nothing else. A few more stragglers had rejoined their leader; but the -recent reverse discouraged any large reinforcement. So long as the -little band, now numbering about seventy, was cooped up in the hills, -the cause was at a standstill. They might as well give up the struggle. - -To approach the town with their present numbers would be madness. They -would be opposed by vastly superior forces, and their retreat would be -cut off by the Prefect's men at the Inca camp, who themselves -outnumbered them by three to one. Yet the only chance of bringing about -a general rising against the Prefect was to gain a brilliant success. - -The situation of the Mollendists seemed desperate. There was scarcely -any food left, either for men or horses, and little ammunition. Only -fifty of the men had rifles; the remainder were armed with revolvers and -steel weapons of various kinds, most of them rusty. Their attire was -equally diversified. Some were clad in the ordinary costume of civil -life; a few in the somewhat flashy habiliments affected by professional -brigands; some had the parti-coloured ponchos worn by Cholos. There -were at least a dozen different styles of hat. They were certainly what -Cromwell would have called a "ragged regiment." Mr. O'Hagan felt that -in casting in his lot with them he had sprung from the frying-pan into -the fire. But he reflected that he had had no alternative; and having -accepted the responsibility of organising the paltry army he was bound -to make the best of it. - -The necessity of securing provisions must be dealt with at once. Señor -Mollendo could not offer a practicable suggestion: Mr. O'Hagan recalled -Tim's notion of running off with supplies from his own estate, only to -dismiss it as impossible of achievement. But Tim here made another -proposal. - -"Have you got any money, Father?" he asked. - -"Not a peseta." - -"I have £250," said Mollendo, with a conscious look. - -"Let Romaña and me go down to his cave in the cliff," said Tim, "and see -if we can't get into communication with Galdos. With your money, -excellency, he might purchase stores secretly in the town." - -"Both Romaña and you are marked men," said Mr. O'Hagan. "Anybody else -would have a better chance." - -"I am sorry to differ from my generalissimo," said Mollendo. "On the -contrary, I consider that the excellent qualities already displayed by -Lieutenant O'Hagan and Romaña are guarantees of success. I give my vote -cordially in favour of this admirable proposal." - -Tim could not help smiling. He took a mischievous joy in the overriding -of his father's views. Mr. O'Hagan might be Cincinnatus, but he was -certainly not dictator. - -"Galdos will have no difficulty, of course, in buying provisions," he -said; "the difficulty will be to convey them to us." - -"It is the duty of my adherents to triumph over difficulties," returned -Mollendo. "For £30 Galdos will be able to purchase provisions for three -days. They will form a comfortable load for two pack-mules. As for the -means by which he may secure their safety on the march, that must be -left to the caballero's discretion." - -"We shall have to do the same thing again in three days," said Mr. -O'Hagan. - -"Unless, señor general, we should by that time have won a signal -victory, which is what I anticipate from your military genius." - -"And that will lick old Cincinnatus hollow," thought Tim. - -Mr. O'Hagan saw that to oppose the suggestion further would be to risk a -loss of the harmony which ought to exist between the civil and military -leaders of a community. He therefore yielded gracefully, and bent his -mind on the details of the plan. He determined to send out one or two -small parties to scout in the neighbourhood of the camp while Tim and -Romaña went down the river. It was possible that the Prefect's men, -having failed in what was no doubt their chief object, the recapture of -the prisoner, might leave their present somewhat bleak quarters, and -return to San Rosario or San Juan. If it were discovered that such was -the case, it would be necessary to advise Tim of it, so that he might -beware of stumbling among the retreating enemy. Mr. O'Hagan arranged to -do this by lighting a beacon on a prominent hill-top, which could be -seen from many miles around. One fire would indicate that the retirement -was by the eastern road,--that by which Tim had first been brought to -the camp; two fires, some distance apart, that the western road had been -chosen. No definite instructions could be given for the guidance of the -two scouts: they must act according to circumstances and their own -discretion. - -There was a whimsical smile on Mr. O'Hagan's face as Mollendo took from -a leather case notes to the value of £30, and handed them to Tim. A -strange turn of Fortune's wheel, indeed! - -Tim left the cave to find Romaña, and arrange with him for their -expedition. They agreed that they had better not start until evening; -they were both tired after the work of the previous night; and an -afternoon's sleep would be the best preparation for the task before -them. - -"I will choose two of the best horses," said Romaña. - -"We shan't need them," replied Tim. "You can ride behind me on the -bicycle." - -"But you have no petrol!" - -"That is no matter. It is downhill all the way, and if you hold on -behind me we shall go more quickly and more quietly than on horseback." - -"There is the coming back," Romaña objected. "We cannot ride back -without petrol." - -"True. Your friend Señor Galdos has got to get some petrol. That's -part of his job." - -"I don't believe there is any in the town." - -"Well, if there isn't we must lay up the cycle in your cave until we can -get some from San Juan or elsewhere. The machine is no good up here in -the hills. We might just as well make what use of it we can." - -Romaña said no more. Argument was never effective with Tim when he had -made up his mind. They slept through the afternoon, and started about -an hour before dusk, watched with much curiosity by the motley crew of -Señor Mollendo's adherents. As Tim had said, the track ran generally -downhill, switchbacking here and there, but most of the ascents being -too short to necessitate their dismounting. Occasionally there was a -long stretch upwards, where they had to push the machine. On reaching -the river they descended the bank and pursued their way along the hard -sand. The incline, though slight, was sufficient to keep the wheels -rolling, and their progress was so silent that nobody beyond a dozen -yards could have detected their presence by the ear. - -On approaching the western end of the gully that led up to the camp they -kept a wary look-out in the gathering darkness. At this hour it was -unlikely that the enemy would be abroad unless they had some definite -object in view. They had hitherto shown no evidence of enterprise. The -departure of the Prefect seemed to have robbed them of initiative. -There was some slight risk of their having discovered the wheel marks of -the cycle in the sand if any parties had been prowling in the course of -the day. But when the scouts had passed the junction of the river with -the cross track in safety, they felt secure. A few miles farther down -they left the river and returned to the track. The only danger now was -that they might meet some one coming from San Rosario to the camp; but -the ringing sound of hoofs on the hard track could be heard for a long -distance in the silence of the night, and they would have warning in -time to hide somewhere before the riders drew near. In any case it was -unlikely that horsemen from the town would choose the longer route. - -They had now an easy run down to the spot where the little hill stream -cut across the track. Tim could not venture to light his lamp; but the -sky was not so dark as on the previous night, and he had no difficulty -in dodging the loose rocks which lay upon the track here and there. On -arriving at the stream, they dismounted and carried the machine to the -cavern. This was the most toilsome portion of their journey; the rest -of it had been accomplished almost without exertion. - -Romaña lit his lamp, and brought out from the cupboard a tin of biscuits -and some potted beef. The waterfall gave them drink. As they ate their -supper they discussed their plans. - -"I will walk into the town to-night, señorito," said Romaña, "see my -friend, and commission him to buy the provisions. I shall tell him to -purchase only a small quantity at any one shop, so as not to awaken -suspicion. To-morrow I shall remain secluded in his cottage, and return -here with the mules in the evening." - -"That's all very well, but what am I to do?" said Tim. - -"You will remain here, señorito," said Romaña. - -"Why should I? I had enough of this cave before. If that's all I'm to -do I might just as well have remained in the hills. We were both sent -on this job, remember." - -"But there would be great danger in your going into the town. It is a -needless risk. True, you speak our language perfectly; but your -appearance, your complexion, your hair, señorito, are not those of a -Peruvian. You would certainly be recognised----" - -"So will you." - -"Not certainly. In the dark I shall be like any other townsman; and -though everybody knows me----" - -"Look here, Romaña: old Moll--I mean his excellency--made me a -lieutenant this morning, and if I choose to say I'll go, and order you -to stay here, you'll have to obey." - -Romaña blinked. But he was very patient with Tim, whom he had known -ever since he was a two-years' toddler. He repeated his arguments, and -Tim was not so pig-headed as to deny their force, disgusted though he -was at the prospect of kicking his heels for a whole day while Romaña -was doing the work. - -"I tell you what," he said at length. "I'll agree to what you propose if -you'll try to get me some petrol." - -"How can I do that, señorito?" - -"You won't leave the town till dusk. Slip up to our place and bring a -can from the outhouse. Here's the key. Nobody will be about at that -time, and you can come back through the sugar-canes." - -"The cans are heavy." - -"Well, I'll meet you where the path joins the road to Señor Durand's. -There are plenty of trees to hide amongst. I won't leave here until -it's getting dark, and I'll keep a good look-out. Between us we can -carry a can or two easily." - -Romaña was not unwilling to make the attempt. He knew the ground -thoroughly; it would not be difficult to thread his way secretly through -the plantations to the shed, fifty yards in the rear of the house, where -the petrol was stored; the sugar-canes grew so high that he could pass -among them without any risk of being espied. He agreed to the -suggestion, only impressing on Tim the necessity for caution. Then, -pulling his hat well down over his eyes, and gathering his cloak around -him, he took his leave, and set off on the fifteen-mile walk to the -town. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - HIS FATHER'S HOUSE - - -Tim was not remarkable for patience. The morning and afternoon of the -next day passed too slowly for him. In the cave there was nothing to -do; outside, his activity was circumscribed. He gave himself a bath in -the pool below the waterfall, then returned to the cave for his -breakfast. The empty meat tin tempted him to set it up at one end of -the cave as a target, and practise revolver-shooting. But recollecting -that the shape of this hiding-place might set up tell-tale -reverberations, he abandoned the idea, kicked the tin away, and by way -of doing something went for another bathe. - -While he was still disporting in the water he heard footsteps in the -direction of the path, and scampered back lightly to the shelter of the -leafy screen. Peering out somewhat anxiously, he saw an old Indian -woman filling a pitcher from the brook. She carried it across the track -among the brushwood on the other side, and disappeared. Tim guessed -that she was one of the workers on Señor Durand's estate, which extended -for several miles between the two paths from San Rosario. Some hours -later a Cholo youth walked up the track, carrying a fishing-net and -basket; he, no doubt, was going to the river to catch the family dinner. -Except for these two, Tim saw no human being during the day. A number -of waterfowl settled on the stream when the sun was high, and he caught -glimpses of gaudy parrots occasionally; these were all the signs of -life. - -He had promised Romaña not to start too soon, and meant to keep his -promise. It was twelve miles to the spot where they had arranged to -meet, a walk of less than three or more than four hours according to the -pace. Tim reasoned that by taking the longer period he would have more -opportunities for scouting, and could make up for any time lost if he -should have to conceal himself from passers-by. Accordingly he started, -a full hour before he need have done. When once upon the path he forgot -his intention to go slowly. He kept up a good swinging pace, though -neglecting no precaution. In the plantations on his left hand he saw -the distant forms of several of Señor Durand's workers, but he met -nobody on the path, and nobody overtook him. - -When he arrived at the place agreed upon, it wanted still nearly two -hours of sunset. Romaña could not reach him for at least three hours, -perhaps four or five if he brought petrol. Tim began to wish that he -had not been in such a hurry. The spot was a cross-road--the junction -of the path by which he had come with the track running northwards to -Señor Durand's estate, with that running eastwards to his own home, and -with another going southwards and emerging into the main road from San -Rosario to San Juan. There were trees all around, and Tim decided to -climb into one that gave him a partial view of all the tracks. - -He had not been long settled in his perch when he heard on his left the -sound of a horse trotting. Peering out through the foliage he presently -caught sight of young Felipe Durand, riding alone towards the town. -Tim, as we know, was impulsive; he often acted hastily, and sometimes -repented afterwards, though not so frequently as might have been -expected. When his friend was within a few yards of him, he hailed him -cautiously. Durand reined up with a start, and looked wonderingly about -him. - -"Where are you?" he said, in a tone little above a whisper. - -"Here, up a tree," replied Tim. - -"You _are_ up a tree!" said Durand. - -"Don't be an ass. Ride in and tie your horse up. I'm coming down to -talk to you. There's no one in sight." - -Durand dismounted and led his horse some distance into the copse. There -Tim joined him. - -"You are pretty mad," said Durand, "to come so close to the town. What -on earth are you up to?" - -"Romaña has gone into the town to get some grub. We're very short up -yonder." - -"You'll be shot if you're caught. The Prefect is raging at your -father's escape. He led the raid on Mollendo's camp, thinking to catch -you and your father there." - -"He'd better go on raging," said Tim, with a grin. "What is happening, -Durand?" - -"He has sacked the gobernador, fined him £1000 and put him under arrest. -He has promised £500 to the man who captures you or your father." - -"My price has doubled, then! Where is he now?" - -"He has gone back to San Juan. It's rumoured that as soon as he has -made things secure there he's going to lead an expedition into the -hills. He has sworn to smash the Mollendists, and he'll have no mercy -on Mollendo or your father when he catches them." - -"He should say 'if.' 'Ifs and ans are pots and pans; 'there's a big -difference between 'if' and 'when'--and 'now' and 'never.' What do they -say in the town?" - -"A good many people sympathise with you, but the Prefect has a strong -party, as you know; otherwise he wouldn't have left only a hundred men -behind. There's a big crowd in Mollendo's old camp." - -"I know, and a very poor lot they are. What is happening at home?" - -"Pardo is playing the tyrant. It's rather fun. He cleared out all your -old servants, except the Irishwoman. Old Biddy flatly refused to go, -and I suppose he's afraid of being a laughing-stock in the town if he -sends the gendarmes in with her." - -"He has got gendarmes, then?" - -"A dozen or so. He needs them. He has cut down wages all round, -forbidden any of the workpeople to go into the town, and generally -played the fool. There was a row this morning. The Japs refused to go -to work except on the old terms. The foreman went to see Pardo at the -house, Pardo was insulting, and the Jap flew at his throat. Of course -he had no chance with the gendarmes there. They collared him and -marched him into the town, and he'll have a bad time when the Prefect -comes back. Pardo's a fool. The Japs will bolt in a body if he isn't -careful. They'll easily get work elsewhere, and he'll find it hard to -run the plantations without them. But what are you doing here?" - -"I'm waiting for Romaña. He's coming out after dark." - -"Well, take my advice and don't run any risks. By the way, how is your -mother? My mater was talking about her this morning." - -"She's all right--out of harm's way. Old Mollendo is a funny old chap. -He has made Father a general, and me a lieutenant." - -"You don't mean to say that you have really joined his party?" - -"Indeed we have." - -"That's a mistake. The Prefect has got a real handle against you now. -He'd be justified in shooting you." - -"He must catch us first. You'll see something startling one of these -days." - -"I'm afraid I shall. Well, good-bye. I shan't say I've seen you, of -course. I'm going to dine with Dr. Pereira." - -"You can tell him. He's a good sort. Good-bye; glad I met you." - -Durand rode on, and Tim went back to his tree. But he had not sat there -more than a few minutes before a sudden impulse seized him to go himself -to the house. It was only three miles away; he would have plenty of -time to go there and back before Romaña arrived. He might get some -petrol himself. Romaña had the key of the outhouse; but Tim knew of a -couple of loose boards at the back which he could easily remove and so -gain entrance. He threw a glance along each of the paths; nobody was in -sight. Then he slipped down and hastened into the broken country that -lay between him and the cultivated ground. The hour was drawing near -for the cessation of work on the plantations. He might reach the -neighbourhood of the house without meeting any of the labourers. Even -if he did meet them, what Durand had said assured him that he need have -no fear of betrayal. - -He made all possible haste. No fence separated the waste land from the -coffee plantations. In this region the coffee plants grew to an unusual -height, and he could safely make his way through them without having to -go farther northward to the equally tall sugar-canes. - -He met no one. In less than an hour he came to the rear of the private -grounds. A thick shrubbery enclosed the field on which he was accustomed -to play cricket and lawn-tennis. To the left was the petrol shed. -Between the field and the house were the kitchen garden and an orchard. - -Tim made his way to the back of the shed. It was an easy matter to pull -out the loose boards. He entered, took a can, and returning with it to -the shrubbery, hid it among the dense foliage near the spot where he had -emerged from the plantation. In the course of half an hour he had four -cans ready for removal. By this time dusk had fallen. He heard the -clatter of crockery from the house. It was dinner time. An -uncontrollable desire seized him to look in upon Pardo at the meal. -Carefully replacing the boards taken from the wall of the shed, he -slipped quietly round by the shrubbery towards the end of the house -remote from the servants' quarters. There was now a light in the -dining-room. He stole through the intervening orchard, crept to the -wall of the house; then, going down on hands and knees, peeped over the -window-sill. - -The table was laid profusely; evidently, he thought, Pardo was "doing -himself well." The ex-bookkeeper had the head of the table; there were -two guests, one of them the Captain Pierola who was to have -superintended the execution of Mr. O'Hagan, the other Señor Fagasta's -secretary. The men were on good terms with their fare and each other. -They were chatting in high good temper, and Tim felt a flush of anger as -he saw how free they were making with his father's Burgundy. It was a -good wine, used but sparingly by its owner; these Peruvians had already -emptied one bottle, and two more stood at Pardo's elbow. - -Tim watched them for some minutes, conscious of a mad longing to rush in -and break the bottles on their heads. But the night was deepening; it -was time to get back; and he pictured Romaña's surprise when he met him, -as he expected to do, coming through the plantation. Retracing his -steps as stealthily as he had approached, he returned to the shrubbery, -took up one of the cans, and set off with it towards the rendezvous. - -He had taken only a few steps, however, when he heard a sudden commotion -from the front of the house. Men's voices were raised in angry cries. -He halted, wondering what was happening. After a moment's hesitation, -he ran back, dropped the can in the shrubbery, and again hastened -noiselessly to the house. Looking into the dining-room, he saw that it -was now empty; but the door leading into the patio was open, and through -it he caught sight of a group of gendarmes. At the same moment he heard -the crack of a whip, then a cry of pain, followed by howls of rage and -the crash of breaking glass. - -The patio was brightly lit, but Tim's view of what was proceeding there -was intercepted by the backs of the gendarmes. Throbbing with -excitement, he ran to the side of the one-storeyed house, scrambled up -the wall by means of holes which he had once made when climbing for a -lost ball, and got upon the roof. A few steps more brought him to the -edge of the open patio. Peeping over, he took in at a rapid glance a -dramatic situation. In the centre of the floor lay a Japanese workman, -held down by two gendarmes, while Pardo belaboured him with a raw-hide -whip. In the veranda and on the lawn beyond there was a swarm of the -Japanese labourers, howling with rage, brandishing bill-hooks, and -pressing forward to the patio, the glass door of which had just been -shattered by the men nearest it. Within stood more gendarmes with fixed -bayonets, and just as Tim arrived, Captain Pierola stepped forward and -fired his revolver into the midst of the crowd. A man fell back among -his comrades, shot to the heart. The cries were stilled; the throng -drew away out of the light; and Pardo went on with his thrashing. - -Tim's first feeling was utter shame and indignant wrath. Then he had a -sudden inspiration. Rushing back to the wall, he shinned down with the -speed of a squirrel, ran round to the front, and dashing among the crowd -of Japanese, who were standing in the darkness, enraged but irresolute, -he called on them to follow him. They recognised him, hailed him with a -shout of delight, and next moment the whole eighty were following him in -a yelling horde back to the house. - -He kept out of the light from the patio, until, as he expected, the -gendarmes fired a scattered volley. Then springing on to the veranda, -he discharged his revolver point-blank at Captain Pierola, and brought -him to the ground. The fall of their officer took the gendarmes aback. -Before they could recover themselves, the Japanese burst into the patio -with a shout of triumph. The Peruvians did not await the cold steel of -their flashing bill-hooks. Pardo had already dropped his whip and fled. -The gendarmes flocked after him, across the patio, through the corridor -and out at the main door towards the road to San Rosario. Not all -escaped. The rearmost were swooped upon by the exultant Japanese, who -took an ample vengeance for the death of their comrade and the brutal -treatment of their foreman. - -"Glory be!" said a voice from the rear of the patio, and Biddy Flanagan -came hastily to greet Tim. "Is the master after coming back?" - -"He is not, Biddy, but he and Mother are quite safe." - -He turned to ask explanations of the recent scene. It appeared that the -acting foreman had come to Pardo with an ultimatum from the whole body -of Japanese, that unless he procured the instant release of the man -imprisoned in the town they would at once quit the hacienda. Pardo, -having drunk more than was good for him, forgot that he was not dealing -with the timid, spiritless Indians of the Peruvian Amazon. He ordered -in the gendarmes, and proceeded to flog the man, in full view of the -crowd watching through the door of the patio. No doubt the Japanese -would have had the courage to storm the house even without Tim; but his -opportune arrival had quickened them with enthusiasm; they had the -confidence of men fighting in a cause doubly just. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE RAID ON SAN ROSARIO - - -Tim was flushed with elation at his victory. With boyish impetuosity he -had flung himself into the affair without a thought of consequences. He -had driven away the interloper and regained possession of his father's -house: a feat of which he was inclined to be proud. As to the future -his mind was blank. - -He was helping himself to some of the dainties on the table in the -dining-room when Romaña rushed into the house. - -"I'm here first, you see," said Tim, with a laugh. "Pardo has run -away." - -"Por Dios, señorito! are you mad?" cried the man. "We shall have the -Prefect's men from the town upon us in little more than an hour. Come -away at once. We can take horses and ride into the hills before they -catch us." - -"Wait a little," said Tim, sobered in a moment as he realised for the -first time what his impulsive action involved. "I can't run away and -leave the Japs to face it. It was all my fault." - -"They must take their chance. They can hide in the plantations to-night -and make off to-morrow. There will be no more work for them here." - -"But they can't get away in such a terrific hurry with their families -and belongings. The Prefect's men would hunt them down and serve them -as they've sometimes served the Indians. I'm responsible for them." - -"This is folly!" cried Romaña, who was much agitated. "You can do -nothing for them. There are not enough horses to carry them with us to -the hills, even if they could ride, and they would be overtaken if they -came on foot. Come, señorito, there is no time to lose." - -"Don't talk: let me think," said Tim, leaning forward with his elbows on -the table and his head between his hands. - -He was fully enlightened now. He saw what his rash act had led to. -These eighty Japanese labourers were not merely mutinous "hands"; they -would be regarded as rebels commanded by an acknowledged Mollendist. He -was responsible for them, and he knew enough about the Prefect's temper -to be sure that they would meet with no mercy at his hands. What could -he do for them? As soon as Pardo reached the town and told his story -there, without doubt a company of gendarmes and troopers would ride out -intent on vengeance. The situation seemed desperate. - -Gone was now all feeling of triumph. Tim was simply miserable. It -would be useless to bring the Japanese into the house and attempt to -defend it. Even if they could maintain their position for a time they -could not beat off the enemy with bill-hooks against rifles, and before -long hundreds more would be summoned from San Juan. And then he started -up at a sudden recollection. Durand had told him that there were but a -hundred of the Prefect's men in San Rosario. The others were divided -between San Juan and the camp in the hills. Was it possible to lead the -Japanese into the town, swoop down upon the garrison, diminished by the -despatch of troopers to the hacienda, and at least arm his men? It -would be a desperate adventure, one not to be undertaken in cold blood; -but the men were seething with excitement and jubilant at their success; -and while they were in this temper they might be capable of actions -which at another time would appal them. - -He jumped up and looked round for Romaña. Seeing that he was not in the -room, he ran out into the patio and called for him. Romaña hurried in -from the dark. - -"I have two horses at the door, señorito," he said. - -"Where are the Japs?" asked Tim. - -"Out on the lawn. They are mad with joy. Come, señorito." - -"I am going to lead them to the town," cried Tim, brushing past him and -going out through the shattered door. Romaña stood for a moment -paralysed with amazement, then followed Tim, who was hurrying towards -the crowd. He heard him tell them what he intended to do; he heard them -shout with enthusiasm; then he rushed back to the house, sprang on one -of the horses, and galloped away into the darkness. - -Tim explained to the men in detail, as quickly as the points occurred to -him, what course he proposed to take. He would march rapidly to the -town, enter by the east end, the quietest quarter, and lead them to the -barracks. Only a few men were there; and if the attackers moved -quietly, they might hope to surprise the garrison, seize the building, -and supply themselves with arms from the armoury. He knew that some of -the workers had pistols. These he sent to their huts to fetch their -weapons, bidding them run all the way there and back. There was not a -moment to lose; it was now a quarter of an hour since Pardo fled; by -this time he was probably a third of the way to the town. - -Impressing on the men that haste and silence were essential, Tim -returned to the house in search of Romaña. But Romaña was not to be -found. Seeing one horse where there had been two just before, Tim leapt -to the conclusion that the man had taken fright and made good his own -escape. His lip curled with disdain of his cowardice. He found Biddy -Flanagan, told her to keep the servants quiet and attend to Captain -Pierola, who lay wounded on the floor of the patio, then picked up the -rifles which the gendarmes had cast aside in their hasty flight, and -carried them out to the men. A few minutes afterwards he put himself at -the head of the column, now increased by a score of Cholos, eager to -share in the adventure, and set off at a rapid pace along the track to -San Rosario. - -He had spoken boldly and cheerfully to the men, but his mind was dark -with misgiving. He could not be charged with lack of forethought now. -As he marched his brain was busy. Nobody in San Rosario would dream of -the audacious movement he was leading; no special guard would be -maintained at the barracks; with the advantage of surprise he felt that -a sudden swift onslaught might win the place. But what then? In a day -or two at the most he would be besieged by an overwhelming force, and, -unless aided by a popular rising against the Prefect, his little band of -untrained men must be annihilated. The one consolation was that by a -preliminary success he would certainly gain time; and recollecting that -the Japanese, if they had remained on the plantation, or fled over the -open country, would have been at the mercy of pursuing cavalry, he felt -that the course he had chosen was the wisest in the circumstances. - -After marching for nearly a mile along the track, he struck off to the -left, over a marshy wilderness that lay between it and the highroad east -of the town. By this time, no doubt, a detachment of mounted men was -already riding out to deal with the mutiny. Pardo would have seen to -that. They would follow the direct path; it was essential that they -should neither see nor hear the body of men hastening in the opposite -direction. - -Ten minutes after he had quitted the track, he heard the thud of hoofs -and the clinking of metal in the distance. He instantly called a halt, -waited until the sounds had dwindled away behind him, then hurried on -still more rapidly than before. The diminution of the garrison would -render his task easier; but it was important that he should accomplish -it before the horsemen, finding that the birds were flown, had time to -return to the town. Luckily he knew every yard of the ground, and chose -his route unerringly even before the distant lights of San Rosario came -into view to give him guidance. - -Fifty minutes after starting he reached the eastern outskirts of the -town. This was the best quarter. A few substantial houses were -scattered irregularly, surrounded by their gardens, and separated by -crooked streets and lanes which all debouched upon the plaza. It was in -one of these streets, on the opposite side of the plaza from the -gobernador's house, that the barracks were situated--a large two-storey -building, once a mansion, but now reserved for the accommodation of the -gendarmes and the irregular troops of the Prefect whenever great -occasions brought them from San Juan. The outlying streets were -strangely quiet, though a murmurous hum came from the direction of the -plaza. Choosing the narrowest and least frequented lane, Tim led his -silent force to the end of the street of the barracks. - -Meanwhile the centre of the town was in a ferment of excitement. The -arrival of the fugitives with news of the revolt led by the outlawed -Inglés, the attack on the house, the murder (thus it was exaggerated) of -Captain Pierola, was like the coming of a whirlwind. The wildest -rumours flew through the town, and the whole populace flocked into the -plaza to discuss them. One of the two lieutenants in the barracks -immediately set off with a troop for the hacienda; the other, summoned -from the house where he had been dining, sent a second troop into the -plaza to keep order and check any revolutionary demonstration to which -the news of the outbreak might give rise. Thus all things conspired to -favour the bold plan which Tim had conceived. - -The barracks occupied almost the whole of one side of the short street. -Wide gates gave entrance to an open porch that cut the building in two. -It was flanked on both sides by the lower floor, devoted to stores. -Staircases led to the upper floor, in which were, on one side the -quarters of the men, on the other the guardroom and armoury. Both right -and left a palisaded balcony overlooked the porch. Beyond this was a -long rectangular patio, bounded on three sides by the stables. The -patio was surrounded by a high wall abutting on the gardens of the -surrounding villas. - -During the daytime the front gates were constantly open, and a sentry -marched up and down the porch between the street and the patio. At -night they were shut, and the sentry occupied his box just within. Tim -had debated on the way whether to scale the rear wall or to rush the -front entrance, and decided that the latter course had the better -promise of success. The wall was spiked; if they safely surmounted it, -to descend on the stable roof would cause a commotion among the horses, -and before they could reach the main building they would have to cross -the whole width of the patio, perhaps in the face of a hot fire. If the -front gates were shut, the wicket would no doubt be opened in answer to -a knock. Then his plan was to seize and silence the sentry, and send -his men up the stairs, if possible before the alarm was given. - -He halted at the end of the street, which was not overlooked by houses, -and glanced up it towards the plaza. To his surprise and joy he saw a -bar of light across the roadway at the position of the gates. They were -open: evidently the surprising events of the evening had led to a -modification or the neglect of the usual arrangements. The street was -empty. Passing word along the line that the men were to follow at his -heels as quickly as possible, he rushed along towards the open gates. - -Within the porch the sentry at his box was talking to two of his -comrades who, with their coats loosened, were leaning over the railing -of the balcony on the guardroom side. The attackers had come within a -few yards of the gates before the sound of their hurrying feet was -audible above the hum of the excited crowd in the plaza. It awakened no -alarm or suspicion; but the sentry moved leisurely to the street to see -what was happening. He had just reached the gates when, before he could -cry out, he was hurled to the ground, and a crowd of men dashed past and -over him into the porch. The two men above stared in bewilderment for a -moment; then, partially realising the situation, they ran back into the -guardroom shouting with alarm. - -By this time Tim was half-way up the stairs on that side. Some of his -men followed closely; others were springing up the opposite staircase. -As yet not a shot had been fired. But as Tim reached the balcony half a -dozen mestizo soldiers of the Prefect came tumbling out of the -guardroom, some loading their rifles, some hastily flinging on their -bandoliers. Tim shouted to them to surrender, emphasising the demand -with a shot from his revolver. At such close quarters they could not -fire their rifles. The suddenness of the attack, and the sight of the -swarm of Japanese and Cholos pressing on with billhooks, struck them -with panic. All but two threw down their arms at once; one struck at -Tim with his clubbed rifle; Tim dodged the blow, and throwing out his -left foot behind his opponent, flung himself with all his weight against -the man and hurled him backwards to the floor. The sixth man ran to the -window opening on the patio, and sprang out, falling with a crash. It -was afterwards discovered that his arm was broken. - -On the other side, meanwhile, a brisk fight was in progress. There were -a dozen men in quarters, including the second lieutenant. All the rest -were in the plaza or had gone to Mr. O'Hagan's hacienda. Roused by the -noise, they seized their arms and rushed to the balcony. The officer -reached the head of the staircase at the same moment as the first of the -Japanese, and instantly dropped him with a revolver shot. This -momentarily checked the assailants, giving time to the troopers to come -forward to the lieutenant's support. When Tim, after his bloodless -victory, ran back to the balcony, he saw on the opposite side a confused -mass of men in hand-to-hand fight, hacking at each other with rifles, -swords and billhooks. He could not fire for fear of hitting one of his -own party. Leaping down the staircase, he dashed across the porch, up -the other stairs, and flinging himself into the midst of the mêlée, -brought the butt of his revolver down heavily on the officer's head, at -the same time crying to the Peruvians that all was lost. They were -already hard pressed; seeing their officer fall, and more Japanese and -Cholos mounting behind the lad with the ruddy cheeks and fair hair, they -gave up the unequal contest. - -Locking them in their rooms, Tim hurried down to the porch. He ordered -some of his men to close and bar the gates, and led another party up to -find the armoury beyond the guardroom. The door of it was locked, but -he burst the lock with a shot from his revolver, and, ordering the men -to go in and help themselves, he ran back, recalled by a clamour at the -gates. - -On reaching the balcony, he found his men at grips with a number of the -enemy who had been patrolling the plaza on horseback, and hearing the -shots had galloped down the street to discover their cause. The greater -number of Tim's party being on the floor above, the Peruvians had been -strong enough to prevent the closing of the gates, and some had already -penetrated into the porch. Tim sang out to the men behind him in the -guardroom and armoury to line the balcony, and fired down among the -enemy. He was soon joined by a dozen eager Japanese. At his order they -poured a volley into the crowd below, taking care not to hit their -comrades, who were partially sheltered behind the half-open gates. The -horsemen, thrown into confusion by this deadly attack from above, tried -to wheel their horses and ride back into the street. This made the -confusion worse than before. The horses plunged with fright and pain; -several of the riders reeled from their saddles; in a few seconds the -survivors fled in hopeless rout. The moment the last had gone the gates -were slammed behind them and barred. - -Running to a window overlooking the street, Tim saw more horsemen -galloping from the plaza, followed by a shouting mob. He called his -newly-armed men to his side, and ordered them to fire as soon as the -troopers reached the barracks. One volley was enough. The horsemen -reined up, wheeled about, and rode back in disorder, driving the -shrieking crowd before them. The barracks were won. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - A SIEGE AND A SORTIE - - -Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation. He did not at -the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the -heady incense of success. The flight of the troopers, the secure -barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged -very clearly the dangers of his situation. - -He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated. They -would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party -who had ridden out to the hacienda. How long would that be? Nobody at -the house would tell them in what direction the insurgents had marched. -The Peruvian officer might suppose that they had fled to the hills, and -if he pursued, it would be many hours before he could return with his -troopers to San Rosario. But it was not unlikely that they had heard the -sounds of firing, which would travel far across the open country in the -night. In that case the party would gallop back at once. No doubt a -messenger had already ridden from the town to acquaint them with what -had happened, so that in all probability they would return within two -hours. It was now nearly nine o'clock; by eleven the combined force, -outnumbering Tim's band, would for their own credit's sake try to -recapture the barracks. Behind walls Tim felt that he had a fair chance -against them. - -But this was only the first and the least of the dangers he had to -anticipate. There were two hundred or more men in Mollendo's old camp -in the hills: the news of the outbreak at the hacienda might already -have been conveyed to them, with a summons to ride back to the town. If -they started as soon as the call reached them, they might arrive by six -or seven o'clock; but Tim hoped that with Spanish procrastination they -would put off their departure until the morning. There was a much more -pressing peril. San Juan was only thirty miles away--ten miles nearer -than the Inca camp. The Prefect was there! Doubtless he was possessed -of full information, flashed to him from San Rosario by telegraph. -Spanish though he was by blood and habit, he was prompt and vigorous in -action; and with his present authority and future security at stake he -would surely set off within a little of receiving the news--perhaps was -already hurrying across the hills. The road was bad; a march by night -could not be fast; but even at the worst, by five o'clock an -overwhelming force might be pouring into the town. - -Tim wished that he had had the forethought to send a man to cut the -telegraph wire. That would have gained five hours at the least. But he -could not think of everything; he was as yet a novice in things -military; and he had had no one with whom to take counsel. He reflected -bitterly on Romaña's desertion. Romaña was not a soldier; but he was -twice Tim's age; he had had some experience with the Mollendists, and -was shrewd and far-seeing. Tim was surprised and angry to find that the -man was apparently a coward. - -Thrown upon his sole resources, Tim tried to think of some means of -meeting the threatening dangers. His case would be hopeless as soon as -the Prefect arrived with his main body of troops, unless--Tim grasped -eagerly at an idea that had flashed upon him. If he could send a message -to his father, the Mollendists, though ill-equipped and weak in numbers, -might push down from the hills by way of the river bed and reach San -Rosario in time to give him help. But they were twenty miles beyond the -Inca camp, and could not arrive before the Prefect unless the approach -of the force from San Juan could be hindered. That was not impossible. -A few men posted on the hill road just above the place where the -Mollendists had snapped up the gobernador could hold in check a much -larger number in the darkness, and gain a few precious hours. Tim -resolved to attempt both--to despatch a messenger to his father, and a -little band to the defile on the high road to San Juan. - -He had just risen from his seat in the guardroom to select men for these -tasks when there was a commotion below--a shout of alarm, followed by a -moment's silence, then a cheer. He looked over the balcony, and saw -Romaña pushing his way from the patio through the crowd of Japanese and -Cholos to the foot of the staircase. - -"You are safe, señorito?" Romaña called, seeing Tim looking down at him. - -Tim did not reply: he felt hurt and indignant. - -"You come when the fight is over," he said, when Romaña joined him. "I -thought I could trust you." - -"Caramba, señorito, what do you mean?" cried Romaña, his usual -forbearance giving way under a rush of hot blood. "Do you take me for a -coward? I have saved you from making a thorough mess of your own hasty -scheme. You did not think of the telegraph wire: I did. That is all." - -"You have cut it?" - -"Yes. I galloped straight to the road. I hope I cut the wire before -Pardo reached the town." - -"Forgive me, Nicolas," said Tim penitently, grasping his hand. "I am an -ass. I ought to have known you had not deserted me." - -"Say no more, señorito," said Romaña, cooling at once. "I am rejoiced -at your success. But there is still much to do." - -"How did you get in?" - -"I climbed the wall and got over the stable roof. That must be guarded, -señorito. When the men come from the hacienda they will certainly try to -get in. The Prefect will hang them if they do not recapture the place." - -"It shall be done: I ought to have seen to it before, but I have been -thinking of other things." - -He went on to tell Romaña his recent decisions. - -"I thought of both, señorito," said the man. "I debated whether to ride -at once from the road to Señor O'Hagan; it would have gained much time; -but I felt that I must first see what had become of you. The duty is -mine: I know the way: no one else does. Give me a dozen men; we will -sally out on horseback down the street and get away before the men in -the plaza are ready to pursue us. Galdos has my horse in the wood half -a mile away, but I need a fresh one." - -"What about the supplies?" asked Tim, remembering the errand on which -they had come. - -"I took out two laden mules to the place where we had arranged to meet. -Finding that you were not there, I tied them up in the wood and went to -the house to fetch petrol, as I promised. Little did I imagine what I -should see there!" - -"I got tired of waiting and went myself. There are several petrol cans -in the shrubbery. Of course I had no intention of fighting; but I -simply couldn't stand Pardo thrashing Asumi, and when the other Japs -began to attack I saw a chance. It was a mad thing to do: I didn't look -ahead." - -"It may turn out to be the best thing that could possibly have happened. -But I must go, señorito; time is precious." - -They went down to the stables together, and chose twelve of the best -horses. Then they selected eleven of the Cholos, who were quite at home -on horseback. Tim explained the nature of the service required of them. -They were eager to start. The lamp in the entrance was extinguished. -Tim kept watch on the street from the window of the guardroom, with -several men armed with rifles. The bars were quickly removed; the gates -were thrown open; and the twelve men sallied out, turned to the right, -and galloped at full speed down the street. There was instantly a rush -from the plaza. But a volley from the windows checked the oncomers, and -they fell back. Tim knew that before they could ride through the plaza, -and down a side street in pursuit, the fugitives would have a start of -at least half a mile. The gates were again closed and barred, and -silence fell once more upon the scene. - -Tim had little anxiety about Romaña. On reaching the outskirts of the -town, he would follow a track parallel with a stream--the same which -flowed past Romaña's cave--cross it a few miles to the west, then -proceed across open country until he came to a wooden bridge over the -river. He would then take to the high road, and in the course of little -more than two hours arrive at the defile where Señor Fagasta had been -captured. There posting the men, he would return to the river, and ride -more rapidly upon the hard sand at the edge of the channel. In five or -six hours he should reach the Mollendist camp. With nearly sixty miles -to march, Mr. O'Hagan could not reach San Rosario before late on the -next afternoon, even if he started with his mounted men only. But if -the men posted at the defile were successful in delaying the Prefect's -advance, the time gained might be enough to allow the Mollendists to -secure the town. - -Romaña's forethought in cutting the wire had diminished the most serious -of Tim's anxieties. The telegraphist at San Rosario, of course, would -soon have discovered the damage by the failure of response from San -Juan, and after a certain delay no doubt a mounted courier had been -despatched to convey the news--possibly a considerable party, for -protection against enemies along the road. In all probability news of -the affair at the hacienda had only just reached the Prefect, who might -reasonably regard it as a trumpery disturbance that could be left to his -subordinates. It would be some hours yet before he learnt of the attack -on the barracks, and even if he then started immediately, Romaña would -have placed his men on the defile before the force from San Juan could -arrive. - -When the gates had been secured, Tim had the lamp relit and called a -parade of his men in the patio. His losses had been slight. Of the -eighty-two left to him, seventy-five were still fit for service. All -but eight were now armed with rifles; for the eight there were swords, -bayonets, and lances, if they wished for other weapons than their own -bill-hooks. A large proportion of the Japanese, having served in their -national army, were expert with the rifle; and as there was plenty of -ammunition in the armoury, and food in the stores on the ground floor, -Tim felt himself very well situated, whether to withstand a siege or to -repel an attack. - -After parading the men, he told off a number of them to hold the roof of -the stables on three sides of the patio. The rest were posted at all -the windows overlooking the street. The rooms were left in darkness. - -About an hour after Romaña's departure the sounds from the plaza, which -had died down into a dull murmur, suddenly revived. Shouts and cheers -mingled with the clatter of hoofs and the jingle of accoutrements. The -party from the hacienda had returned. Tim sent word to the men on the -stables to be on the alert. - -Some time passed. The plaza had again relapsed into silence. Tim -guessed that the enemy were organising an attack. He wondered whether -they would attempt an assault on the gates, or trust to escalading the -patio walls. The gates were of hard wood studded with iron; the bars -were stout; it would not be easy to break them down. If the enemy once -forced their way in and made good their position, they would have -command of the stores, for Tim could not risk a hand-to-hand fight in -the entrance porch. The party from the hacienda, combined with those -who had been patrolling the plaza and probably with a certain number of -the Prefect's supporters in the town, would outnumber his own men by at -least three to one. Tim thought his best plan in the event of an inroad -was to hold the balconies and staircases, and keep the enemy at bay -until they were forced to retire by exhaustion of their ammunition. - -He soon found that the danger was to be faced both in front and rear. -Warning came first from the stables. The silence was broken by a sudden -clamour. From the surrounding gardens men were attempting to scale the -wall on all sides--an impossible feat in face of the forty men at their -posts of vantage on the stable roof. But this attack was only designed -as a means of occupying the defenders while the main assault was -proceeding in front. Looking up the street, Tim saw a number of dark -shapes rushing from the plaza along the opposite side. He had ordered -his men to hold their fire until the enemy were well in view. But the -attackers did not come far down the street. They suddenly turned to -their left, and disappeared within a doorway. Their object was soon -evident. In a few minutes there was a burst of flame from the houses -exactly opposite the barracks, and bullets flew through the open windows -at which Tim and his men had posted themselves. At the same moment a -much larger body of men, all on foot, came dashing along from the plaza, -keeping on the near side of the street. It was plain that under cover -of the rifle fire opposite a determined attempt was to be made to break -in the gates. - -Tim ordered half his men, taking what cover was possible, to reply to -the fire across the street, and the other half to be ready to shoot down -upon the enemy below. He saw at once that at the windows his second -party would be at a great disadvantage, because they could not fire -effectively without exposing themselves. So he sent them up a wooden -ladder to the roof, where they would be in less danger themselves, while -better placed for dealing with the assailants. - -Soon both patio and street were ringing with the noise of battle. At -the rear and sides the troopers who tried to mount the walls, some on -ladders, some by clambering up the stonework, were hurled down by the -men above them. In the front, bullets rang across the street in -opposite directions, and poured from the roof upon the dense mass now at -the gates. Tim heard a resounding crash below; the enemy had brought -with them a heavy beam which they were using as a battering ram. In the -almost total darkness it was impossible to discover the effect of the -fire from the roof. That it was comparatively ineffectual was soon -proved. Three times the thundering blows rang on the gates; at the -third one of the wings gave way, and with a yell of triumph men began to -pour into the porch. - -Tim at once called his men from the windows and posted them on the -balconies overlooking the entrance, whence they fired on the crowd -surging in. Some of the men on the stable roof, seeing by the light of -the lamp what had occurred, began to shoot across the patio. Taken thus -between two fires, the front ranks of the enemy lost heart and tried to -push back to the street. They were checked by their comrades still -pressing forward, and for a minute or two the porch was filled with a -solid mass of men, into which the Japanese poured their shot as fast as -they could load. The enemy were thrown into utter confusion and panic. -With yells of rage and pain they struggled among themselves, fighting -each other in their desperate efforts to get through the half-open gate -into the street. But for the steady shooting of the men on the roof, -which cleared the ground opposite the entrance, not one would have -issued forth alive. An advance of their comrades had been checked. The -pressure relaxed; the way was open; and in five minutes after the gate -was broken the survivors of the fight were rushing headlong back to the -plaza, driving the mob before them, and pursued by shots from the men on -the roof. - -Tim ran downstairs and across the patio to learn how his men were faring -there. The assailants had been beaten back all along the wall, and were -slinking away through the gardens to rejoin their friends. There had -been much commotion among the horses in the stables, and a good deal of -damage done by their heels when they lashed out in terror of the shots. -On looking in at the quivering animals Tim was seized with an idea: why -not keep the discomfited enemy on the run? They had had two rather sharp -lessons: a charge on horseback might have at least the effect of -discouraging another attack on the barracks. By starting at once he -might even yet overtake the fugitives before they all reached the plaza. - -He called up the twenty Cholos he had left; in half a minute they had -led all the remaining horses into the patio, and without waiting to -saddle, sprang upon their backs and followed Tim to the gate. As they -came to the street, Tim saw that fortune favoured him. The men who had -been firing from the opposite houses were at that moment issuing from -the doorway some distance away, and moving off towards the plaza. With a -wild whoop Tim led the charge. The enemy instantly picked up their heels -and dashed for safety. Their comrades in the plaza were gloomily -discussing their defeat. Only a few men who had been patrolling the -square were mounted; the horses of the rest were ranged in a long line -opposite the gobernador's house. At the sound of Tim's party galloping -and the cries of the fugitives the whole body made a rush for their -horses; but before they could cross the plaza the pursuers were upon -them. - -[Illustration: TIM LEADS A CHARGE] - -The place was ill lighted; the Prefect's men, even if they had not been -flustered and disheartened, could scarcely have seen how small was the -band clattering across the cobbles. The noise made by Tim's men, -indeed, was worthy of a regiment, and being mingled with shouts and -screams from the people who had been pushed back to the openings of the -streets, the coolest of soldiers might have been deceived. These -hirelings were not cool. One or two succeeded in mounting; the rest -took panic and ran in all directions. Their horses caught the -infection, and galloped riderless across the plaza, dashing in blind -fear among the shrieking people. Men and animals fled helter-skelter -into the dark streets and out into the open country. In a few minutes -the whole garrison of San Rosario as a mounted force had ceased to -exist. - -Tim was prudent enough not to leave the plaza. He did not yet -appreciate the full extent of his success. When the square was clear of -the enemy, he hastened back to the barracks, blocked up the damaged -gateway as well as he could, and then, feeling that he was safe for the -rest of the night, sent his men to find a supper. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - IN POSSESSION - - -Felipe Durand was enjoying an after-dinner cigar with Dr. Pereira when -they heard the first commotion in the town consequent upon Pardo's -arrival from the hacienda. Regarding it as nothing more than a street -brawl they went to a window overlooking the plaza, and watched the crowd -gathering, and the gendarmes come from the direction of the barracks to -keep order. After a few minutes they returned to their chairs. - -Presently a servant entered, and reported what was being said in the -town. A wild and exaggerated rumour had spread that the Mollendists had -swooped in vast numbers on Mr. O'Hagan's hacienda; the Prefect's troops -had been sent to drive them out. - -"Young Tim did not tell me that anything of that sort was in -contemplation," said Durand. - -"It is a mad proceeding," said the doctor. "By all accounts the -Mollendists are a very small party, and badly provided. I am surprised -at O'Hagan." - -"Perhaps it is a move of Tim's," suggested Durand. "He's mad enough for -anything at times." - -"That boy has as many lives as a cat. It's a marvel that he hasn't -broken his neck long before this." - -"He was just the same at school. If he fell from a tree he never seemed -to hurt himself. I remember once at rugger--a sort of football, you -know--he had a terrible collision with a forward twice his size, and we -thought he was killed for a certainty. But he got up after a minute and -rubbed his shins and chaffed the other fellow about his fat. 'Soft as a -cushion,' he said, 'lucky for me.'" - -They sat smoking and talking until a renewed uproar drew them again to -the window. There they watched what ensued upon Tim's capture of the -barracks. They came to the conclusion, surprising as it was, that the -Mollendists had attacked in force. The rumours brought from below stairs -magnified every detail. The numbers of the assailants were greatly -multiplied; Dr. Pereira was inclined to believe that Mr. O'Hagan, of -whose exploits in the Chilian war he knew, had himself organised a -dashing descent on the town. It was only later, when Tim led the charge -into the plaza, that the two onlookers had an inkling of the truth. - -"It's Tim after all, the young demon!" exclaimed Durand. - -"But he must be backed up," said the doctor. "He would never attempt -such a foolhardy exploit unless he could rely on support from his -father." - -"You don't know Tim so well as I do, señor," said Durand. - -"You must stay the night, Felipe. We can't tell what may be happening -on the road, and you mustn't risk being shot. The affair is evidently -much more serious than I thought. In the morning we shall learn the -truth of it." - -A little while after the plaza had been cleared and the excited populace -had melted away, two of the principal men in the town, both strong -opponents of the Prefect, came to see Dr. Pereira. They pointed out -that the town was now without responsible authorities. No gobernador -had yet been appointed in place of Señor Fagasta, still under arrest; -Captain Pierola, in command of the garrison, was reported killed; and -next day the place would be in anarchy. They therefore begged the -doctor to proclaim himself provisional gobernador, and to authorise the -enrolment of special constables to keep order until matters developed. - -"I don't think I can do that," said the doctor. "The town is now -practically in the possession of the Mollendists. Any such action on my -part would be resented by them, unless indeed I issued a proclamation in -the name of Señor Mollendo. Do you suggest that I should do that?" - -His visitors, one of whom was the principal lawyer in the town, -hesitated. They recognised that to take such a step would be a burning -of their boats. The Prefect was still to be reckoned with. - -"My idea was to remain neutral between the two parties, señor doctor," -said the lawyer, "and set up a provisional administration in the -interests of the general order." - -"That cannot be done without the consent of the gentleman now in -military occupation," replied Dr. Pereira. - -"But he is not in effective occupation, señor," the lawyer persisted. -"He has withdrawn his men to the barracks." - -"The Prefect's men are not in occupation, at any rate," said the doctor, -dryly. "They have abandoned the town. The utmost that we can do is to -send a deputation to the Mollendist leader, and ask him to authorise -measures for the protection of the life and property of the civil -population. I am willing to form one of such a deputation, and I -suggest that you accompany me, señores." - -"Let me come too, señor," said Durand eagerly. - -"You had better remain here, Felipe," replied the doctor. "This is a -matter for grave and reverend signors." - -His eyes twinkled. He suspected that his visitors were as yet unaware -of the identity of the "Mollendist leader," and relished the anticipated -scene of Tim receiving the deputation. In a few minutes the three -gentlemen set forth, the doctor bearing a note which Durand had hastily -scribbled. - -Meantime Tim, while his men were at supper, had been taking mental stock -of the position. It did not occur to him that he was master of the -town. No boy of his years and limited experience could suppose that by -a single charge at the head of twenty men he had swept away all -effective opposition. He did not know that the enemy had scattered in -all directions over the surrounding country; and while he felt that they -would probably not attack again during the night, he expected that they -would rally and at any rate keep him closely invested pending the -arrival of the Prefect. Consequently, after arranging for the efficient -guarding of the barracks during the remaining hours of darkness, he -threw himself on Captain Pierola's bed to snatch a rest in preparation -for the anticipated work of the day. - -He was called up about midnight by one of the sentries, who reported -that three men were approaching from the plaza under a flag of truce. -He hurried to the gate, and was surprised to hear Dr. Pereira's voice in -answer to the question he asked through the wicket. - -"We come as a deputation on behalf of the citizens," said the doctor. - -Tim threw open the wicket, and the three gentlemen entered. The lawyer -and his friend stared when they recognised in the "Mollendist leader" -the boy whom they regarded as a harum-scarum young giddy-pate. Tim's -surprise equalled theirs when the doctor, who thoroughly enjoyed the -situation, explained the object of their visit. - -"We have come to you, as the gentleman in military possession of the -town," said the doctor, "to request that you will take measures for the -maintenance of civil order. The official garrison has withdrawn; the -gobernador is unable to act; and we fear that disturbances may arise -among the populace. We offer no opinion and take no sides in the -dissensions which presumably have led to the present circumstances; we -approach you merely in the interests of the general good." - -The doctor's words were grave and formal, but Tim caught the humorous -twinkle of his eyes. He knew that Dr. Pereira was no friend to the -Prefect. Maintaining equal gravity, he tried to adjust his thoughts to -the new situation. If the doctor had been alone, he would have spoken -to him freely, and asked his advice. The presence of the other two -Peruvians, whom he knew only slightly, imposed a reserve. Quick-witted -as he was, for a moment he found himself at a loss. But when he realised -the full import of Dr. Pereira's words, he pulled himself together, and -said: - -"I am honoured by your visit, señores. I will at once send men to patrol -the plaza." A sudden idea struck him. "Perhaps it would be in order if -I issued a proclamation." - -"That is the usual formality, señor," said the lawyer, with professional -approval. - -"Then will you be good enough to draw it up for me, señor? You will -employ the correct forms. Announce that I hold the town in the name of -Señor Mollendo, and that it is under martial law until the civil -government is re-established. You will find paper and ink in the -guardroom upstairs." - -The lawyer and his friend having departed to draw up the document, Tim -was left alone with his old friend. - -"Bravo, Tim!" said the doctor. "You have carried it off well." - -"But is it true?" asked Tim eagerly. "Are we in possession of the town?" - -"Without a doubt. You have only to act boldly. Toujours l'audace! The -garrison have bolted; without good leadership they won't rally, and -Captain Pierola is dead, I hear." - -"He is only wounded," said Tim. - -"He is not here, at any rate. The Mollendists have a strong party in -the town, and if you put a bold face on it the Prefect's adherents will -not dare to rise. Of course your father is near?" - -"I hope so, señor. I have sent a messenger for him." - -"You don't mean to say that you have done this on your own account, -unsupported?" - -"We _have_ been rather lucky," said Tim with a smile. - -The doctor uttered an ejaculation of amazement. - -"You must tell me all about it presently," he said, as the lawyer -reappeared with the proclamation. Tim, with an ingenuous blush, -scrawled his signature at the foot: "Timothy O'Hagan, Lieutenant;" and -with grave salutations the three gentlemen withdrew. At the moment of -parting, Dr. Pereira put into Tim's hand the note written by Durand. -Opening it, he read: - - -"Good old Tim! I wish I had been in the scrum. I am going to ask my -pater if I may join you." - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - THE ORDER OF THE NASTURTIUM - - -Tim sent twenty of the Japanese to patrol the plaza, to be relieved -after two hours. Then he returned to bed, feeling immensely elated at -the astonishing turn of affairs. - -Early in the morning, a group of men were seen approaching under a flag -of truce from the end of the street remote from the plaza. Some were -leading horses. Their leader was alone admitted through the gate, while -a party of Japanese with loaded rifles kept watch on the others from the -windows of the guardroom. The man announced that he had come with his -companions, all members of the Prefect's mercenary army, to offer their -services to the Señor Inglés. They had been for weeks without pay; they -had served the Prefect from necessity rather than choice; and were ready -to strike a blow for freedom. - -Tim had a natural prejudice against turncoats. But he reflected that in -this kind of warfare a wholesale change of sides was not uncommon. His -father had expected that any Mollendist success would immediately result -in a large accession of recruits, and he decided to accept the men's -offer. When, however, later in the day, after his proclamation had been -read in the plaza, more men came in, civilians of San Rosario as well as -troopers of the Prefect's, he felt somewhat embarrassed. To admit more -than a hundred to the barracks seemed to him rather hazardous. Such -volatile soldiers of fortune might change sides again at any moment, and -turn their arms against him. He therefore resolved to take no more than -fifty into the barracks, bidding the rest to remain in their own homes, -and hold themselves ready to take the field when summoned. If he could -have been quite sure of their loyalty he would have despatched them to -reinforce the party at the defile, but he felt that he must not run any -risks for the present, hoping that ere long his father would arrive to -take over his responsibilities, which were beginning to weigh upon him. - -Just before midday a messenger arrived from Romaña. He reported that -early in the morning he had had a brush with a small advance body of the -enemy, who had retired after the exchange of a few shots. Romaña himself -had only reached the spot a few minutes before the enemy appeared. He -had ridden to the Mollendist camp with the news of Tim's movements, and -Mr. O'Hagan, after a momentary outburst of anger, had promised to march -at once for the town. But his progress would necessarily be slow, owing -to the fact that more than half his men were unmounted, and to the need -for care in slipping past the enemy in the Inca camp. - -It seemed to Tim that the most serious element in the situation was the -danger of an advance in force along the San Juan road. The men who had -been checked by Romaña were probably few in number; the passage of a -really strong detachment could not long be seriously disputed by so -small a party. It must be reinforced at once. Here Tim was in a -difficulty. He could not part with his own men; on the other hand, his -new recruits had as yet given no proof of their loyalty. He saw that he -must take risks to avoid greater risks, and decided to send a hundred -men up the road to support Romaña. He arranged also for relays of -mounted men to post themselves on the road and bring him early news of -any fresh attack on the defile. To guard against danger from the Inca -camp he despatched a few mounted men along the road in that direction, -to keep watch and get in touch with the Mollendists as they approached. -The rest of his little force he kept under arms in the barracks, ready -to launch them in whatever quarter their support might be required. - -In San Juan, meanwhile, the news of the successive disasters suffered by -the official troops had struck the Prefect like thunder-claps. He had -been busily organising his forces for a decisive blow against the -Mollendists, and was finding it necessary, much against the grain, to -part with a large portion of the money he had recently obtained from the -gobernador and from Mr. O'Hagan's safe, in making up arrears of pay for -his unruly mercenaries. The messengers and fugitives who had got -through from San Rosario carried with them so startling a story of the -vast numbers who had attacked the town that he hesitated to move out -until he had made careful arrangements for securing his position at the -capital. He had contented himself with sending a single troop along the -road to San Rosario, to feel for the enemy and discover what the -position really was. The speedy return of these men, with report of -having been ambuscaded at the defile, filled him with as much uneasiness -as dismay. Knowing how precarious was his hold upon the loyalty of his -forces, he sought to attach them to him by lavish promises and -considerable advance sums as earnest of his sincerity. As soon as day -dawned he pushed on his preparations with feverish activity. - -At San Rosario the day passed without incident. There was great -excitement in the town, but no breach of order. Everybody knew by this -time that the attack overnight had been led by the young foreigner, and -he was so popular a person that the majority of the citizens were not at -all displeased with his proclamation. The gendarmes who had held the -gobernador captive in his house having fled, Señor Fagasta came forth -into the plaza, and made an attempt to assert his authority. But being -assured by Dr. Pereira that the reins of power were now definitely in -other hands, he retired to his patio, exchanged his official dress for -his old alpaca coat and a Panama hat, and solaced himself with strong -cigars and many copitas of brandy for his compulsory withdrawal from -public life. During the day sundry groups of Peruvian youths and other -idlers ventured timorously along the street from the country end, and -gazed open-mouthed at the gates of the barracks and at the smiling -Japanese posted at the windows; but after a time Tim thought it -advisable to keep the street clear, and posted a couple of his men at -the end to keep off intruders. - -Early next morning word was brought from his advanced scouts that the -Mollendist army had been sighted far up the western track. Every few -minutes further reports arrived. Tim, all tingling with excitement, -paced up and down the guardroom, wondering whether he ought to remain at -his post, or whether he might ride out to meet his father. Presently he -heard that a crowd of the townsfolk were pouring out into the country to -hail the Liberator. At this news boyish impetuosity prevailed over all -considerations of form. Rushing to the stables, Tim sprang on a horse -and galloped out, down the street, and through the rabble. - -He met the ragged company a mile from the cross-roads, marching, horse -and foot, at the heels of Mollendo and Mr. O'Hagan. - -"Hallo, Father!" Tim shouted as he dashed up. - -"You young scamp!" cried Mr. O'Hagan, who was nevertheless delighted -with the scamp. He had begun to think that Tim's action in forcing his -hand was going to bear good fruit: he had picked up several recruits on -the way. - -"Thank God you're safe!" he continued, clasping the boy's hand. "It was -terribly rash of you, my boy: what your poor mother would say I don't -know: I don't like to think about it. You have fairly taken the wind -out of my sails; _you_ ought to be generalissimo, bedad! Seriously, you -have set the ball rolling to some purpose. Mollendo is in ecstasies." - -Mollendo had tactfully ridden on, so that the meeting of father and son -might be private. And being met at this point by some of his chief -supporters in the town, he went forward with them, leaving word that he -wished Lieutenant O'Hagan to follow him to the gobernador's house. - -"You had better cut off and get a wash, my boy," said Mr. O'Hagan. -"You're as black as a sweep." - -"I don't wonder. I haven't had time to wash; but I'll ride back to the -barracks and soon follow you. Old Moll looks considerably bucked." - -"He is. A word of advice: don't call him Old Moll in the hearing of the -men, and don't laugh when he addresses you." - -"I don't mind so long as he doesn't kiss me," said Tim, and rode away. - -Half an hour afterwards he rode into the plaza, blushing at the _vivas_ -that burst from the throats of the rag-tag and bobtail who were -assembled at the sides, kept back by the armed Japanese. He found -Mollendo in the official chamber, with Mr. O'Hagan, Dr. Pereira, the -lawyer, and other notables of the town. Mollendo rose from his chair, -advanced to meet Tim, and before the boy could draw back kissed him on -both cheeks. - -"I cannot sufficiently express my delight and gratitude, Señor -Lieutenant O'Hagan," he said. "I heard some particulars of your noble -conduct from Nicolas Romaña; the señor doctor has related your -magnificent defence of the barracks; you have displayed the transcendent -military aptitude of your race, and proved yourself a compeer of the -illustrious Wellington, who so heroically defended the liberties of the -land of my forefathers against the tyranny of the Corsican. I feel that -I can best signalise this great occasion by promoting you to a colonelcy -in the army of liberation. Viva Colonel O'Hagan!" - -Tim had often laughed at the perfervid orations he had heard delivered -by Peruvians, but he felt more abashed than amused now. - -"Old gasser!" he thought. "Why can't he talk sense!" But his reply was -very polite. "Thank you, excellency," he said; "you are very good, but -if you don't mind I will remain as I am for the present. It was all a -sort of accident; there wasn't really much of a fight, and--and----" - -Mr. O'Hagan interposed as Tim found words fail him. - -"Take my thanks also, excellency, for the honour you propose to confer -on my son; but he is very young, and I think he should earn his -promotion gradually." - -"I defer to you, my dear general. I am charmed by your son's modesty--a -virtue that is ever the attribute of great men. But I intend to -establish an order of merit for distinguished service under the new -republic"--here every one started--"it shall be styled the Order of the -Nasturtium; and your son shall be the first recipient of the insignia." - -This announcement fell rather flat after the startling declaration of -Mollendo's intentions, made so casually. Mollendo had in fact -determined to form a republic, independent of Peru, which had always -failed to exercise efficient sovereignty in this remote province east of -the Andes. The audacity of his scheme appealed to the imagination of -the Peruvians present. After the first moments of surprise they hailed -Mollendo as Don Carlos, the first President, and the lawyer asked -eagerly that his excellency would allow him to draw up a proclamation. -That historic document, when it appeared, bore many traces of Mollendo's -own inspiration. He was nothing if not eloquent, and the sounding -phrases which he dictated were calculated to impress a people peculiarly -susceptible to fine language. The proclamation was taken to the only -printing-press which San Rosario could boast, and within a few hours of -Mollendo's arrival the pink leaflets were distributed broadcast. - -There resulted a further rush of recruits. The people were captivated by -the idea of an independent republic. Before evening the President's -army had swollen to nearly five hundred men. This gave Mr. O'Hagan more -pleasure than flamboyant proclamations and the founding of orders, which -he regarded as premature and theatrical. He took up his quarters with -Tim in the barracks, and pleased the boy intensely by discussing the -military position with him. The important matter was to hold the -Prefect in check, and at the same time prevent a junction of his forces -from San Juan with the men in the Inca camp. These latter were probably -now on the move, though they, like the Prefect, might be holding back -through alarm at the exaggerated reports brought to them by any -fugitives who had retreated in that direction. To save their face, -runaways always overstate the numbers of the force that has discomfited -them. - -The fortunes of the Mollendists were decidedly in the ascendant. Their -numbers, it was true, were still much inferior to those at the Prefect's -disposal; but a few hours had already worked wonders, and time was in -their favour--if the time were not too long drawn out. Recruits would -no doubt continue to flock in: Mollendo's would be regarded as the -winning side; but it was necessary to keep the machine in motion. If -once the impetus due to the recent successes was lost, there would be a -tendency to run back in the opposite direction. - -Mr. O'Hagan decided to hold the crossroads, three miles west of his own -house, with a force sufficient to prevent the advance of the enemy from -the Inca camp, and to employ the greater part of his troops in defending -the defile on the San Juan road. - -"You will take command at the crossroads, Tim," he said. "Keep watch on -those fellows from the north; if they try to force a passage, either -this way or to San Juan, prevent them. But sit tight; don't go -adventuring, and don't force an action if the enemy are quiet. I may -need you at any moment to reinforce me against the Prefect. We have the -advantage at present. The Prefect's two forces are separated by fifty -miles of hills; we hold the only practicable routes; to effect a -junction they'll have to make a detour of a hundred miles or more. You -and I will be within touch, and can work together. My plan is to beat -the enemy in detail--just as you have done, my boy." - -"Inherited instinct, Father," said Tim with a sly look. - -Mr. O'Hagan laughed. - -"I don't know what your mother would say," he remarked. "Mollendo is -sure to send his wife word of his new dignity. You'd better write a note -for your mother to go with mine and the President's. Don't say too -much: all that she really wants to know is that you are safe. The rest -won't interest her." - -"I'm not so sure of that," Tim thought. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - PARDO SCORES A TRICK - - -Before putting his plans in action, Mr. O'Hagan went to the gobernador's -house (now styled the Palace of Liberty) to lay them before Señor -Mollendo. He supposed that the President, preoccupied with the -administrative business of the infant republic, would cease to concern -himself with the details of the campaign. A surprise awaited him. -Mollendo approved his plans, but said that he would himself accompany -the main force. His presence and his eloquence were, he thought, -indispensable to success. - -"Moreover, general," he said blandly, "since your son, with commendable -modesty, has declined the colonel's commission which I offered him, it -will be necessary for form's sake to appoint an officer of that rank to -command the second army. I recommend for that honourable post Señor -Zegarra, a gentleman of proved loyalty, upon whom I have just conferred -a colonel's commission." - -Mr. O'Hagan was annoyed. Señor Zegarra, the second of the trio who had -formed the deputation to Tim, was a retired architect, with no military -experience. Still, he was an amiable man, and Mr. O'Hagan hoped by a -little judicious and tactful handling to prevent any interference with -his plans. - -Tim laughed heartily when his father returned and told him of the -President's action. - -"Old Moll means to be boss," he said. - -"Old meddler!" grumbled Mr. O'Hagan. "However, it can't be helped. I'll -get Zegarra to make you chief of staff, and if you go gently with him -you can see that he doesn't upset the apple-cart." - -Tim was secretly not ill-pleased at the change. It would give him, he -hoped, greater freedom of action. As commander of the force he would -have been tied to it. He could not leave his men. And since he had -already made up his mind to fetch the petrol cans which he had concealed -in the shrubbery, and make use of the motor-bicycle again, he needed no -consolation for being superseded. - -Mr. O'Hagan made a point of seeking out old Pedro Galdos, and thanking -him for arranging his escape from prison. Knowing that the caballero, -poor as he was, would disdain a pecuniary reward, Mr. O'Hagan had hit -upon a more excellent way. He asked him to accept the appointment of -commissary-general to the forces, taking care to couch the offer in the -flowery terms that a Peruvian loves. Galdos accepted with dignity, -straightened his shrunken old frame, and went off to harass all the -provision dealers in the town. - -In the afternoon the two forces rode out, Mr. O'Hagan and the President -at the head of about 350 men, Tim and Señor Zegarra with 150, including -his Japanese. These were on foot; all the rest were mounted. Mr. -O'Hagan marched towards San Juan, Tim to the cross-roads north of the -town. On reaching his post, carrying out his father's instructions, he -set his men to throw up a light earthwork at the intersection, and -rendered the woods on each side impassable by an abattis. He sent a -number of horsemen forward for several miles on both the eastern and -western tracks, to watch for the enemy and give timely warning if they -should approach from the Inca camp. - -Señor Zegarra was, as Mr. O'Hagan had said, a very amiable gentleman; -and when Tim, after the bivouac had settled down, announced that he -wished to fetch his motor-bicycle, which might be useful in scouting, -the new-made colonel gave a gracious approval. Tim was rather perplexed -as to the best way to set about it. To begin with, he had no petrol; -but that difficulty was easily solved. He picked out four of his most -trusty Japanese, explained to them clearly where they would find the -cans he had hidden, and sent them through his father's plantations to -bring them in. They would also report what they could discover about -the state of affairs at the house: he thought it scarcely likely that -Pardo had ventured back again. It was probably deserted. - -But, having the petrol, how could he bring back the motor-cycle? To -walk to the cave would be a long and wearisome job: to ride seemed to -mean that on returning he must leave the horse behind. He could not -ride both horse and cycle. He might, of course, take horsemen with him, -and leave his own steed with them; but the existence of the cave was -known only to Romaña and two others, and he thought it would be as well -to keep the secret which was not his own. But before the Japanese -returned laden with the petrol cans he had solved the problem. He would -ride out on horseback, carrying just enough petrol to last for the run, -leave the horse with one of his vedettes some distance from the cave, -and go on alone for the cycle. The horse could be brought back at -leisure. - -When the petrol arrived, he filled two flasks and slung them on his -saddle-bow. The messengers reported that all was quiet at the house. It -appeared to be locked up and uninhabited. Tim suspected that Pardo had -been among the men who had fled from the town, and had very likely gone -to San Juan to stir up the Prefect. The loss of the hacienda would be a -stinging blow to him. Tim wondered what had become of old Biddy and the -other servants, and made up his mind to take the first opportunity of -finding out. - -He set off, rode along his chain of vedettes, and halting at the man -nearest the cave on the San Rosario side, dismounted and proceeded on -foot. In a few minutes he returned on the cycle, much to the surprise -of the vedette. Colonel Zegarra smiled paternally when he rode into the -camp, and made a laughing allusion to the gobernador's ludicrous -appearance on that historic occasion a few days before. To Tim it -seemed to have happened weeks ago. - -The little force was not provided with tents. Men and officers slept on -saddle cloths, spread in glades among the trees. The situation was far -from pleasant. The low ground was infested with mosquitoes and other -insects, whose pertinacious attentions kept awake many more than those -who were on sentry duty. - -During the night Tim resolved to make a circular reconnaissance next -morning, if there was no warning of the enemy's advance. On his cycle he -could cover the ground much more rapidly than on horseback, and, with -the zeal of a novice, he was eager to examine the paths minutely from a -strategical point of view. He would go by the western and return by the -eastern path, trusting to the speed of his machine if he came in touch -with the enemy and were pursued. - -Colonel Zegarra raised no objection when Tim diplomatically suggested -the importance of obtaining a thorough knowledge of the ground. The -nominal commander was in fact a figure-head, conscious of his own -ignorance, and quite content to leave everything to his chief of staff, -and to reap the credit of the successes which he hoped that energetic -young man would gain. - -Tim rode off immediately after breakfast. On the way he passed the -vedettes strung out at intervals of about three miles, and leaving the -last vedette behind, near the cave, sped on beside the river. The only -serious risk he had to guard against until he reached the cross-track -leading to the eastern path was the possibility of meeting a party of -the enemy approaching from round a bend. In such a case he might have -scant time to turn his machine; indeed, in many places he would have to -dismount to do so, owing to the narrowness of the track. If this -occurred on a rising gradient, he might be overtaken before he could get -away. But he had all his wits about him, and reflected that after all -the enemy, if they moved, would probably follow the more direct road -past Durand's house. - -He arrived at the spot where his father's party had halted while Romaña -scouted along the cross-track. Turning to the right, he rode for some -little distance along this track, then suddenly made up his mind to -return to the river, approach a little nearer to the camp, and leaving -the machine well hidden, climb up to the ridge and try to see what the -enemy were doing. From the top there was an uninterrupted view for many -miles. The climb proved an even stiffer business than he expected, and -on gaining the summit, hot, out of breath, and with trembling legs, he -was disgusted to find that the Inca camp was too distant for him to -distinguish anything very clearly without the aid of field-glasses. He -saw figures moving about in the enclosure, but there was no sign, on the -track or in the camp itself, of any general movement. It was quite -possible that the events of the past two days were still unknown there. -The fugitives from the town would naturally have turned towards San -Juan, which was nearer than the Inca camp, and much more easily -accessible. But the lack of communication between the camp and San -Rosario struck Tim, raw hand though he was, as evidence of astonishing -neglect of ordinary military precautions. - -Returning to his machine, Tim rode along the cross-track, reversing the -direction of his night escape, which already seemed ancient history. He -was careful to profit by the screen of trees on his left hand, and so -keep out of sight from the spot where Mollendo's scouts had been posted; -and he approached the fork warily. There was no one in sight, either up -or down the eastern track. He wheeled to the right, and rode on towards -his own camp at the cross-roads. - -Only once before had he travelled this part of the track on his -cycle--when he returned home after being ransomed. He remembered how -difficult he had found it, both when riding down, and when marching up -with his captors. It was uneven, tortuous, and with many gradients. -Its general tendency was downhill, but here and there it rose so steeply -that, in spite of the power of his engine, he had to alight and push the -machine. At similar descents he had some trouble in holding it in with -his brakes, and where the track twisted and ran downhill at the same -time, for safety's sake he dismounted again, and found that wheeling -down was even more difficult than pushing up. But the worst was over -when he arrived within about three miles of Durand's house. From this -point the track ran almost uninterruptedly downhill, and was fairly -smooth, and he sped along gaily at the rate of sixty miles an hour. - -A downward run of about a mile brought him to the wooden footbridge -spanning a deep fissure that cut across the track. For two hundred -yards above the bridge the machine was quite beyond control; even a -slight rise in the last fifty yards failed to check his speed -appreciably. He dashed on to the rough timbers at a force that made him -tremble for the framework of the cycle, and not until he was fifty yards -up the gentle gradient on the farther side was he able to reduce his -speed to a reasonable rate. - -"I must have been going a tremendous lick that time," he thought, after -these breathless moments. "Wonder I didn't come a cropper!" - -When he reached Durand's house he decided to call and ask whether Felipe -had obtained his father's consent to join the President's forces. He -came away with what is colloquially termed "a flea in his ear." Señor -Durand met him at the door, refused to let him see Felipe, and bundled -him off as if he were a tramp. The gentleman acted very conscientiously -on the old maxim that you go safest in the middle. He had subscribed to -the funds of both factions impartially, and having no faith in the power -of either to maintain a permanent superiority he bluntly declined to -allow his son to take any part in the struggle. Tim, as he turned away, -caught sight of his friend looking at him disconsolately from a window, -and with a grimace which meant "Rotten bad luck, old man!" he resumed -his ride. - -It was early afternoon when he arrived in camp. He made a formal report -to his amiable chief, whose wife and daughters had come out to admire -him in his new role. Several other townspeople were chatting with their -friends. Tim was very hungry after his long outing, and extricating -himself from the flattering attentions of the ladies, he went away to -get something to eat. Everything had been quiet during his absence. -Galdos had brought a fresh supply of provisions. No news had been -received from Mr. O'Hagan. - -After a good meal Tim, finding that there was nothing to do except talk -to the ladies, whom he thought quite out of place in a military camp, -decided to ride over to his house, see for himself what his messengers -had reported on the previous evening, and get a much-needed change of -clothes. It was only three miles away. Leaving the cycle to be cleaned -by one of the Japanese, he mounted a horse and set off. He found the -house apparently deserted. The garden was trampled; the place had -already taken on the signs of neglect; doors and windows were closed, -and the shattered glass of the patio entrance had been replaced by -boards. - -Tim wondered what had become of the household. The mestizo servants had -possibly taken, shelter with friends in the town; perhaps old Biddy -Flanagan had sought a refuge with Señora Pereira. He tied his horse to -a post and tried the front door. It was locked. Going round to the -back, he found that the window of his bedroom had not been fastened. He -opened it and climbed in. As he passed through the room into the patio -he fancied he heard a slight sound somewhere in the house: but after -listening for a moment decided that he was mistaken. All the same he -moved on tiptoe, feeling an unaccountable nervousness. - -He went from the patio into the corridor, glancing through the open -doors into the rooms as he passed. They appeared to be just as they -were left, except that the table in the dining-room was cleared. He -came to the office. The door was shut, but not locked. He opened it -and went in. The first thing that caught his eye was the safe, open and -empty. Then he noticed a hole in the floor. The matting had been taken -up, and two or three of the boards removed. At the edge of the hole lay -a quantity of plate, some silver ornaments from the dining-room, the -ormolu clock from the drawing-room, several porcelain vases, and other -articles of more or less value. - -All this he took in at a glance. Before he had time even to guess at -the explanation of the strange scene there was a rush from behind the -door, and he found himself grasped from the rear by two men. He tried -to wrench himself away, dragging his captors about the room. It was -useless to cry for help; he wished he had brought somebody with him. He -managed to get one of his arms free, and twisting himself round, hit out -at the man now in front of him, whom he did not recognise. There was -some satisfaction in knowing that the fellow would have a black eye. -But at this moment the other man flung a cloak over his head. With his -one free hand he tried to tear it away, but it was drawn tighter and -tighter across his mouth. His arm was caught again; he gasped for -breath; his struggles became feebler; and by and by he lost -consciousness. - -When he came to himself, with a racking pain in his head, he found -himself on the floor, gagged and securely bound. Pardo, now alone, was -bundling the valuables together. Tim watched him as he corded them in a -strip of canvas. In a moment Pardo glanced at him, and seeing his eyes -open, smiled, and began to talk, while still going on with his -occupation. - -[Illustration: THE HOLE IN THE FLOOR] - -"Buenos dias, señor capitan," he said with a sarcastic intonation. -"This is a little surprise, is it not? Not very pleasant; no. But -strange as it may seem to you at this moment, I bear you no ill will -personally. Your brigand father, to be sure, has treated me abominably. -He has insulted the honour of a Peruvian gentleman, and that is an -offence which, as you know, is frequently, and justly, avenged with -blood. But you!--you are just a foolish boy; your impulses run away -with you, and one is naturally lenient to the indiscretions of youth." - -He paused while straining at the cord, then resumed: - -"But one has to consider the public interest; and in fulfilment of my -public duty I have felt it necessary to put a check upon your personal -freedom. Having already had experience of similar restraint, you will -no doubt be able to take your present condition with philosophic -equanimity. If I am not mistaken, you owed your release on the former -occasion to the payment of a ransom. Well, events sometimes repeat -themselves. That lies in the discretion of his excellency the Prefect, -whom I am about to join; he shall decide what to do with his prisoner." - -Here he tied the last knot and stood erect, looking down at Tim with a -sardonic grin that made his blood boil. - -"But it would be inconvenient to take you with me," Pardo went on. "We -might meet some of your bandit friends, who would probably jump to rash -conclusions. Having a careful regard for your safety, I must leave you -here, but I trust your solitude will not be protracted. In the public -interest I ought perhaps to shoot you; but perhaps your market price now -exceeds £250; you may be more valuable alive than dead. That thought -will console you during your enforced seclusion. There is one little -difficulty which it would be wrong not to mention. If any misadventure -should befall me on my way to the Prefect, the secret of your -hiding-place will be lost. That would be very regrettable, but I must -ask you to consider that the responsibility will lie with your friends -the brigands." - -At this moment the second man entered. - -"Is all ready?" asked Pardo. - -"Yes; I have secured the horse." - -"Very well. Oblige me by pulling up another board." - -The man wrenched up the plank. Then the two lifted Tim, and bundled him -into the cavity like a sack. - -"_A reveder_, señor capitan," Pardo called through the hole. - -The boards were replaced. Tim was in darkness. For some minutes he -heard the men moving about above him, and the faint sound of laughter. -Then their feet dragged heavily on the floor: no doubt they were -removing the bundle. The footsteps died away; and Tim was left in -solitude and silence. - -The cavity into which Tim had been thrown had been excavated for the -sake of keeping the rooms above dry, and extended beneath the house from -end to end. It was not a pleasant place. The ground was damp; the -atmosphere was stuffy; air could enter only by one narrow grating. Its -humidity and the sub-tropical heat favoured the multiplication of -innumerable insects, and Tim had not been there many minutes before the -voracious creatures discovered him and began to make the most of their -opportunity and their victim's helplessness. They crawled over his -hands, up his sleeves, upon his face, into his hair. He did his best by -shaking his head and twitching his features to rid himself of the -tormenting pests; but they pricked and stung with great determination -and vigour, and he was soon in pain and distress. - -If only he could have removed the gag he would not have felt so utterly -helpless. Not that shouting would have been of any use in an empty -house, but the power to groan would have seemed a luxury. And when by -and by he fancied that he heard shuffling footsteps about the house, he -struggled in his bonds until he felt bruised and lacerated. All was in -vain. His head began to ache; ideas the most incongruous jostled in his -feverish brain. He tried to collect himself and keep his mind fixed; -but he could not control his thoughts. Recollections of the Black Hole -of history came to harass him, and in alarm and terror lest he should -wholly lose his wits he strained his muscles to the uttermost. The -effort exhausted him, and presently he fell into a dull stupor, in which -he was conscious of nothing. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - PARDO LOSES A TRICK - - -At a late hour that night a rather weary horseman rode into the -Prefect's camp, a few miles beyond the defile which Mr. O'Hagan was -holding with his 400 men. News of the Mollendist extravagances in San -Rosario having reached San Juan, the Prefect with a sudden burst of -energy moved out with a motley force of 1500, and established himself on -the hills in readiness to force the passage next day. The horseman -sought out the Prefect's quarters, in a sheltered glade some distance -from the track, and was checked every few yards by sentries demanding -the countersign. The Prefect was always very careful that all proper -precautions were taken for the safeguard of his person. - -Pardo was rather annoyed by these frequent interruptions. He was very -tired. The roundabout route which he had been forced to take by the -presence of the enemy across the road had kept him for many hours in the -saddle. He had hidden the loot from his late master's house; but, like -all traitors, he did not trust the man who had assisted him, and almost -wished that he had not left the spoils and his friend behind. But, -knowing the kind of men who formed the bulk of the Prefect's army, he -had prudently decided not to bring valuables within their reach and -expose them to temptation. - -He came to the last of the chain of sentries, and requested an interview -with the Prefect. - -"His excellency is asleep, señor," said the man dubiously. "It is very -late." - -"Tell his excellency that Señor Miguel Pardo desires to see him," -returned Pardo with impatience. - -The man durst not leave his post, but summoned a comrade, who conveyed -the message. - -"His excellency cursed and declined to see you until the morning, -señor," said the man on his return. - -Now, so far as Pardo knew, there was no need for haste. He had taken -great care to gag and bind Tim very thoroughly. He had left the house -locked up and the windows fastened, and even if anybody should break in, -it was unlikely that the hiding-place beneath the floor of the office -would be suspected and the prisoner discovered. But Pardo was eager to -conclude a scheme which he had ingeniously concocted. He had also a -rather exaggerated notion of his importance. So he sent the messenger -back again, to say that he had something of great moment to communicate, -and begged the Prefect to see him at once. - -After a little delay he was admitted to his excellency, whom he found -reclining on a camp bed in the open air; tents were not required in this -rainless region. - -"What is this important matter that justifies the disturbance of my -rest?" asked the Prefect, rather haughtily. - -"I regret the necessity, excellency," said Pardo, "but I think when you -have heard me you will consider me justified." - -"Well, say on." - -"Your excellency would no doubt be glad to be rid of the man O'Hagan and -his boy?" - -"Caramba! I agree with you. Without them the brigands would be easily -dealt with, and this ridiculous republic would tumble like a house of -cards. You have some plan?" - -"I have, excellency; but I beg you not to demand particulars. I have -means of getting rid of them both. It has cost me a great deal of -labour and not a little danger." - -"Name your price," said the Prefect impatiently. "And I warn you to be -moderate, for this expedition is draining me." - -"It will not cost you a peseta, excellency. All that I ask is that you -will bestow on me, free of taxes, the full ownership of O'Hagan's -hacienda." - -"Por Dios! That is your idea of moderation! The hacienda produces -several thousand pounds a year. Not cost me a peseta, indeed! You are -presumptuous, señor." - -"What I shall do is worth the price, excellency. O'Hagan has great -military capacity. The Mollendist cause is gaining ground. A single -reverse will break up your army, and even if you win you will have -endless trouble while the Inglés is at large." - -The Prefect reflected. He had reckoned on making a large income out of -Mr. O'Hagan's estate. He might still do so, even if he acceded to -Pardo's terms. What he gave he could also take away. When the -insurrection had been scotched, he could squeeze Pardo until he became -troublesome, and then confiscate the property a second time. After a -show of hesitation he agreed to the proposal, and did not demur when -Pardo asked him to sign his name to a paper with which the man with -admirable forethought had come provided. - -Pardo took his leave. He might now have thought himself justified in -seeking repose, but impatient greed still urged him on. He mounted his -horse, rode through the lines, and did not halt until he had reached the -Mollendist outposts, whom he approached under a flag of truce. It was -perhaps fortunate that they were not Mr. O'Hagan's Japanese workmen. It -was fortunate, too, that he did not encounter Romaña. He was taken to -Mr. O'Hagan, who lacked the luxury of a camp bed: his couch was a bundle -of straw. - -"It's you, is it?" said Mr. O'Hagan dryly, as he recognised his visitor. -"Going to turn traitor again?" - -Pardo bit his lips; there was a dangerous gleam in his eyes. But he -curbed his anger: he was a man of policy. - -"I have the honour to inform you, señor," he said coldly, "that your son -is a prisoner." - -Mr. O'Hagan went pale. This was an unexpected blow. But he said -nothing. - -"The Prefect is, as you are aware, not so complaisant as the brigand -Mollendo," Pardo continued. "He will not release the boy for a paltry -£250. He will not accept any sum as ransom for so mischievous a rebel." - -He paused, as a cat releases a mouse for a moment, for the pleasure, it -would seem, of prolonging its victim's agony. - -"What have you come here for?" cried Mr. O'Hagan impetuously. "Merely -to harass me, you----" - -He checked himself. It was no good abusing the man. - -"I come to make a proposal," said Pardo. "Your son is at present my -prisoner; it rests with you whether I hand him over to the Prefect, and -then!..." He expressed his meaning by a gesture. "Or whether he is -released, and allowed to rejoin you. My terms are quite simple, but -absolutely unconditional. They are not open to discussion. You will -make a formal assignment of your estate to me; you will then leave the -country. Your son's life depends on your prompt acceptance." - -Mr. O'Hagan sprang up. - -"What is to prevent me from shooting you, you villain?" he cried, -overmastered by his rage. - -Pardo shrank from him. He felt a chill run down his spine like a -trickle of cold water. But he recovered himself in a moment. - -"The honour of an Englishman will prevent you," he said with an air of -assurance. "Besides, if I die, your son dies. Nobody but myself and one -other knows where he is. He will starve!" - -Mr. O'Hagan shivered. Pardo quailed before his blazing eyes. For a -moment there was silence; then Mr. O'Hagan, putting a restraint upon -himself, said: - -"If I assign my estate to you----" - -"Discussion is mere waste of time," Pardo interposed. "The conditions -are peremptory. You must not only assign your estate to me but leave the -country. That is final." - -"Go away," said Mr. O'Hagan. - -"I cannot go without an answer." - -"I will send for you--presently, when I have made up my mind--in a few -minutes." - -Pardo withdrew, lit a cigarette, and strolled up and down. He felt very -confident, and flattered himself on his astuteness. He was by no means -so sure of the success of the Prefect's arms as he had professed in his -interview with that gentleman, even if Mr. O'Hagan were out of the way. -The Mollendists were growing in number; Mollendo had made a clever move -in declaring for a republic, and the loyalty of the Prefect's troops -hung by a very slender thread. Pardo had schemed to secure possession of -the estate in any event. But it was necessary to get rid of Mr. -O'Hagan. Mollendo, if he gained the upper hand, might in O'Hagan's -absence respect the assignment. He was a stickler for law. But the -Prefect would certainly not do so unless his enemy were removed. Pardo -considered that he had played his cards well. - -Mr. O'Hagan was in a cruel predicament. He could not doubt Pardo's -story. He would willingly have given up his estate to save Tim's life, -but could he also desert the cause which he had taken up? His honour -was engaged. He paced up and down the bare space in front of his couch: -the sight of the red end of Pardo's cigarette a few yards away filled -him with bitter anger. He knew that he must yield. With Tim's life and -his own honour in the balance, there was no doubt which would outweigh -the other. He was too proud to consult Señor Mollendo. The dilemma must -be solved by himself alone. He could only make up his mind, go to the -President, and confess that every other consideration--wealth, success, -honour--must give way before the danger of his only son. - -Out of the darkness Romaña came up to him. - -"A despatch from Colonel Zegarra, señor," he said. "The courier waits -for a reply." - -Pardo saw Romaña, flung his cigarette away, and effaced himself among -the trees. Mr. O'Hagan took the envelope, and tearing it open -mechanically, read the few lines it contained. And then Romaña was -amazed to find his hand grasped and shaken vigorously. - -"He's safe, Nicolas!" said Mr. O'Hagan, working his arm up and down like -a pump-handle. "My boy's safe!" - -"Señor!" - -"Go and kick that villain out," cried Mr. O'Hagan, recollecting himself. - -"Señor, I don't understand!" - -"Pardo! He's over there. Bring him to me." - -Romaña followed the indication of his outstretched hand, and came back -with Pardo, who, watching the scene, had been invaded by a vague -uneasiness. - -"Go and hang yourself; that's my answer," said Mr. O'Hagan, turning his -back on the startled man. "See him safe out," he called over his -shoulder to Romaña. "If the Japs get hold of him they'll throttle him." - -And Pardo, feeling with a sinking heart that something had gone amiss, -was escorted by Romaña to the outskirts of the camp. - -Mr. O'Hagan read again the brief despatch. It was in Colonel Zegarra's -writing. - - -SEÑOR, - -I have the honour to report that the enemy has made no movement. A -reconnaissance has been admirably carried out by Lieutenant O'Hagan -alone, and I hope to report to you to-morrow the measures which I -propose to take for our greater security. - -I have the honour to be, señor, - Yours in the service of the Republic, - P. ZEGARRA, - Colonel. - - -And there was a postscript in Tim's hand: - - -Pardo has been playing tricks. Will write to-morrow, as I'm very tired. -All well. - -TIM, Lieutenant and chief of staff. - - -At the second reading Mr. O'Hagan could smile at the odd subscription. -He saw Tim's eyes twinkling as he wrote. - - -Unknown equally to Tim and to Pardo, the house was not deserted, as they -supposed. Biddy Flanagan, the old Irish maid-servant, had stuck to it -when all the other domestics fled, just as Puss will linger forlorn in -an empty house. She shut herself in her room, and only ventured out to -forage. She had thus sallied forth to make a cup of tea when she saw -Pardo and his companion coming from the direction of the town. She at -once slipped out at the back, locking the kitchen door and taking the -key with her, and hid herself in the shrubbery. Thus she did not see -Tim's arrival, though she heard the hoof-beats, and supposed that Pardo -had been joined by another friend. When, after some time, she heard the -thud of hoofs again, and guessed that the intruders had gone away, she -let herself into the house, put the kettle on, and while she waited for -the water to boil, went through the house to see what the spalpeens had -been after. - -"They've took the gold clock," she muttered, standing with arms folded -at the drawing-room door; "and I wouldn't wonder if it did be after -striking in the bundle, and maybe get them rogues into trouble. And the -mistress's best chainey: faith, 'tis a mercy she took all her jools -along with her, or there'd be none of um left at all." She went on to -the dining-room. "The like of it! Sorra a silver spoon to be seen, nor -the silver jug; I never heard tell of the way them villains have the -place stripped, and that Pardo the master's man and all." - -She made a mental inventory of the missing articles and proceeded to the -office. - -"What did they be after doing here?" she grunted, as she noticed, with -the quick eye of one accustomed to superintend the cleaning operations, -signs of disturbance about the matting. She stooped to straighten it, -and discovered the loosened boards. "I wouldn't wonder but they did be -hiding the things," she said, raising the planks one after another; "and -mighty foolish will they look when they come back, if so be I can get -myself down through the hole and back again. There! the kettle's on the -boil; I'll just be wetting the tea, and fetch a candle for this same." - -The daylight streaming in through the gap had roused Tim from his -stupor, and seeing Biddy above he tried to shout, but could not utter a -sound through the gag. Biddy soon returned with a candle and a kitchen -chair. The latter she lowered into the hole, stepped on to it, carrying -the candle, and so reached the ground. She stooped, to search for the -stolen articles, and started back in a hurry. - -"Holy St. Patrick!" she exclaimed; "but 'tis a man, sure. Is it murder -they were after?" - -Recovering herself, she held the candle lower. - -"Mercy! 'Tis master Tim!" she cried, "and beasties crawling all over on -the poor face of um. The like of it! Divil such a state ever I seen as -the poor boy do be in." - -She bent over him, whipped out a pair of scissors and snapped the cords, -and whisked the insects from his spotted and swollen face with her -apron. - -"The poor lamb!" she said, lifting him. "Sure the life's fair bitten out -of um." - -Tim could neither speak nor use his numbed limbs. The old woman took -him in her arms, climbed up through the hole, and carried him to the -kitchen, where she made him swallow a cup of tea, and bathed his face -with warm water, speaking her mind freely on the iniquities of Pardo. - -He told her what had happened, and what Pardo had said. - -"And is it pay that the master will be giving for a prisoner that is -free!" cried the old woman. "Sure now, cannot ye telegraph to um?" - -"I wish I could; we ought to have repaired the wire. But the Colonel -will be sending a despatch to Father, and his courier will get there -before Pardo." - -"He might," said Biddy. "Faith, I hope the master will shoot the -wretch; he has all the silver stolen, and I don't know what all. And -what did ye be after, coming into this den of lions?" - -"Just a change of clothes, Biddy. I suppose they haven't taken them." - -"Not them. They're not clean inside or out. I will get ye the bits of -things, my dear, and do ye rub this butter on your face. 'Tis the good -thing for them bites." - -In an hour or so Tim felt able to return to the camp. - -"You had better go into the town, Biddy," he said as he set off. - -"What for would I be doing that?" she rejoined. "I do not be in dread -of the likes of them villains, and if so be they come back, I wouldn't -say but I tell um what I think of um." - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - RUN TO EARTH - - -Young Tim was at an age when boys are a trifle sensitive about their -personal appearance. He was glad that on returning to camp his ravaged -complexion was obscured in the dark. Nobody seemed at all concerned -about his protracted absence. Colonel Zegarra was playing at cards with -a friend from the town; the other officers and the men were amusing -themselves after their fancy. Tim made a round of the camp, and was -almost surprised to find that sentries were properly posted. The -vedettes along the roads had been changed at the intervals arranged; -military routine had been observed. The only departure from custom, -perhaps, was Colonel Zegarra's allowing Tim to append a postscript to -his nightly despatch. Tim had intended to say nothing of his recent -adventure; but reflecting that Pardo might visit his father for the -purpose of extorting a ransom, he thought it just as well to certify his -safety. - -During the night, when his turn for guard duty came, he pondered the -general situation. With a zeal natural in a young officer, he wanted to -"do something": inactivity was boring; he wished the sluggish enemy -would wake up. He wondered by which route they would march when the -movement did at last begin: by the eastern track or by the western? In -thinking over the probabilities, it suddenly struck him that by -destroying the wooden bridge a few miles beyond Durand's house he could -render the eastern road--the more likely one--impassable. The ravine -was about thirty feet wide. The one other spot at which it could be -crossed was several miles to the east, approachable only over very rough -country. By preventing the passage of the enemy by the bridge he would -compel them to return to the cross-track and come by the western route, -at a loss of many hours. - -To destroy the bridge would be a very simple matter. It wanted only a -good charge of powder. But Tim reflected that it would be a pity to -blow it up prematurely, in case the enemy elected to come by the other -route after all. The bridge might be useful to his own side. So he -decided to ask Colonel Zegarra's permission to mine it, to clear of all -cover a space on each side of the ravine, and to leave a small -detachment of his own Japanese at some distance on the south side with -orders to fire the mine at the critical moment. One of the mounted -vedettes might be posted at the top of the long incline beyond, to ride -at full speed to the bridge as soon as he should discover signs of an -approach in force. Such a headlong gallop would be dangerous in the -dark, so Tim thought of replacing him at night by an infantry outpost of -four men. He would station them say a hundred yards north of the -bridge, and theirs would be the duty to fall back and blow it up if -danger threatened. - -He was explaining the scheme next morning to his complacent colonel when -news arrived through his chain of vedettes that small parties of the -enemy had been seen moving down from the Inca camp towards the upper -junction of the paths. There was no indication of a general forward -movement. They were merely feeling their way, having apparently -discovered, perhaps by the want of news from the town, that something -unusual was afoot. The wooden bridge being only a little more than five -miles from Colonel Zegarra's position, there would probably be time to -make all preparations for the explosion before the real advance of the -enemy began. The colonel agreed to the suggestion. Tim was surprised -at his extraordinary complaisance, his perfect contentment with the -state of figure-head. Afterwards, with more knowledge, he felt -considerable respect for President Mollendo's tact. Zegarra had been -appointed to the command merely for the sake of appearances--to avoid -any discontent among the Peruvians at being led by a foreigner. His -compliance with every proposal of Tim's had been prearranged. - -Tim chose the men for the work, took them out, and explained to them on -the spot what he wished them to do. Then he left them. He had resolved -to ride up the western road again, and see for himself what the enemy -were about. Being convinced that their advance would be made along the -eastern road, he intended to scout as far as the cross-track, and -perhaps to ride some distance along it, till he came to a spot where any -movement from the Inca camp would be visible to him. - -His cycle had been well cleaned by one of the Japanese. He overhauled -it finally himself, tested the sparking and the brakes, assured himself -that the engine worked with the least possible noise, and that there was -plenty of petrol. Having filled the chambers of his revolver, and put -on a well-stocked bandolier, he took leave of the colonel and set off. - -He felt safe for at least a dozen miles. There were four mounted -vedettes along the track, the last of them being posted about a mile -beyond Romaña's cave. If the enemy was moving on this route also, the -fact would already have been reported. - -The day was still young, and Tim, none the worse for his trouble of the -previous afternoon, rode on in high spirits. Though continually rising, -the track was not really steep for the first fifteen or twenty miles. He -kept up a good speed, stopping every three miles to exchange a word with -the vedettes, and had just reached the spot where he expected to find -the last of them, when he was startled at seeing a man lying in a -curiously huddled fashion at the side of the track a few yards ahead. -He was slowing down, intending to stop and look more closely at the -prone form; but suddenly there was a shot, and a bullet whistled past -his head. - -Instantly he clapped on the brakes, brought the cycle to a standstill, -sprang off--for the track was too narrow to turn while riding--and -wheeling it round, ran a few yards, remounted, and set off at full speed -down the incline, bending over the handle-bar. There was a volley -behind him: the bullets pattered on the cliff at his right hand; and as -he wondered whether his pace would carry him out of danger, he heard the -clatter of hoofs and the shouts of men at his back. - -He had no doubt of being able to distance the pursuers. The cycle could -leave the swiftest horse standing. They had ceased to fire, which he -thought foolish. But his assurance was rudely dashed in a few seconds. -A few hundred yards below the stream that crossed the track near -Romaña's cavern, three men stood with levelled rifles, covering him. -They were plainly waiting for him to come close enough to make certain -of their aim. - -It was a desperate situation. On the one side a high cliff; on the -other a steep precipice; behind, an unknown number of galloping -horsemen; before, the waiting marksmen. If he dashed on, the three men -could scarcely fail to hit him; if he stopped, he would be quickly -overtaken by the men behind. - -In that critical dilemma, when a moment's hesitation would have been -fatal, he remembered the cave, some little distance on his right towards -the waterfall. He brought his machine up with a jerk, sprang off, -pushed it into a bush--there was no time to attempt to hide it, still -less to haul it with him--and dived among the scrub and saplings that -fringed the banks of the little stream. Bending double he raced up the -watercourse towards the beacon tree, tore aside the leafy screen at the -entrance to the cave, and plunged breathless into the darkness. He was -like a fox that has run to earth. - -The cave must be discovered in a few minutes. He had no protection but -the darkness and his weapons. Could he block up the entrance? Hurrying -to the wall, he dragged the box-beds over the floor, and placed them -across the gap, just within the threshold. The legs of the table were -so deeply imbedded in the ground that he could not move that; but he set -the stools on the boxes, thus forming a rough and very insecure -barricade. It was the best that he could devise; and, posting himself -in the dark a little to the left of the entrance, he hoped to be able to -hold the enemy at bay for some time with his revolver. - -But it was a ticklish situation. As yet he did not know with how many -men he had to deal; there were probably enough to block up the track -completely in either direction. The vedettes whom he had passed did not -expect him to return by the same route; he would not be missed for a -considerable time, unless they should have happened to hear the shots. -This was unlikely. The wind was blowing from them to him; the windings -of the track and the height of the hills did not favour the travel of -sound. It seemed that the utmost he could hope was to be able to keep -the enemy off until nightfall, and then try to steal past them in the -darkness. They were probably, he thought, merely a scouting party, not -an advanced guard of the main body. Evidently they had fallen upon his -vedette unawares, killed him, and then divided. Seeing the motor -bicycle approach, the three men scouting down the track had hidden until -he had passed, knowing that he would be trapped between them and their -comrades higher up. - -When he had made his flimsy barricade, Tim stole to the entrance, pulled -the foliage aside, and looked out. On the track he saw eleven men -gathered, holding their horses. They were talking excitedly; one man -pointed to the motor-bicycle, another in the direction of the cave. -They must have realised that they had their quarry safe, if they could -get at him. There was no way up the hill-side. He must be concealed -somewhere in the patch of scrub between them and the hill. To escape he -would have to come down to the track within a space of about a hundred -yards above and below the stream. By thoroughly beating the scrub they -supposed they could drive him out. - -The discussion soon came to an end. They tied up their horses; then, -leaving one man to guard the motor-cycle, so that if Tim ran from cover -he could not escape them, they scattered, and began to advance. They -might have been hunters stalking a tiger through jungle. They moved -warily, and only now and then were visible to the anxious watcher at the -cave. With a rifle he could have picked them off; the revolver was -useless until they came to close quarters. He had a fleeting hope that -they might pass the entrance to the cave without discovering it, and as -they drew nearer he slipped back out of sight. His nerves tingled; -minute after minute went by, and he had almost concluded that the men -must have overshot the hiding-place when the curtain of foliage was bent -aside, letting in a gleam of light. The entrance was discovered! - -The screen was dropped again. No doubt the men were discussing what -they should do. The opening was narrow. To attempt to carry such a -place by assault might give the boldest pause. Some one must go first, -and that man, if the defender was resolved to fight, was certain to be -shot. The men were not particularly courageous; but there was a price -on the Inglés boy, and even timorous folk will pluck up their courage -when there is a reward in view. - -[Illustration: A CHECK AT THE CAVE] - -When some minutes had elapsed, Tim ventured to draw near to the entrance -and peep out through the leaves. The men were grouped some little -distance away at the brink of the stream; he heard the murmur of their -voices. In a few moments they separated, and spread out to right and -left of the cave, keeping as much as possible under cover. One climbed -into the tree, and concealed himself amid the foliage. Tim guessed what -was coming, and slipped away to the side of the cave. He was not a -moment too soon. The enemy opened fire, and their shots, coming in -different directions, flew criss-cross into the entrance. Fortunately -the walls were soft, and the bullets dug into them instead of -ricochetting or splintering. One fragment grazed Tim's wrist, a warning -to retreat still farther. - -After two or three volleys the firing ceased. The enemy supposed, no -doubt, that some of their shots had taken effect, or had at any rate -driven their quarry from the entrance. Tim rushed back to his former -post, just in time to fire his revolver as the assailants, shouting to -encourage one another, came with a dash through the foliage. At the -threshold they were checked by the unexpected obstacle of Tim's barrier. -For a few moments they stood there, trying to throw it down, cursing, -yelling with pain as Tim, invisible in the inner darkness, slowly and -deliberately emptied his revolver. This was too hot for them. They -broke away, and Tim, running to the entrance, saw them hurrying down the -slope to find cover. They were carrying one of their comrades; another -lay across the threshold. - -They returned to the track. There was another consultation among them; -then four of them leapt on their horses and rode away northward. Three -went on foot down the track, doubtless to guard against surprise in that -direction; one man still remained in charge of the bicycle, the last -held the horses. Clearly they had not abandoned their purpose. Tim -wondered what their next move was to be. Surely the horsemen had not -ridden back to the Inca camp for help! It was more than twenty miles -distant. There and back the journey would take several hours. They -would hardly spend so much time with the risk of assistance coming up -from the Mollendists. The vedette who had been killed must be relieved -ere long, and for all they knew there might be a numerous detachment of -their enemy within reach. - -Tim was not long left in doubt. In half an hour he saw the mounted men -returning, and recognised the explanation of their absence. One of them -carried an oblong object which revealed itself in a few moments as a -sheet of corrugated iron. Tim wondered where they could have got it, -until he remembered that some distance up the hill there was a deserted -hut, which had probably been at some time occupied by a Cholo shepherd. -He jumped to the use to which the iron was to be put. It was to serve -as a shield against his bullets. - -The riders dismounted at the stream, gave their horses to the man -guarding the cycle, and disappeared into the scrub. Some time passed. -When they emerged again Tim saw that they had surrounded the iron with a -kind of wicker cage. It could now be carried in front of the bearer -without his exposing himself in any way to Tim's fire. Wicker and iron -together would be impervious to a revolver bullet. - -Tim had a few moments to make up his mind how to meet this ingenious -device. He slipped across the cave to the opposite side to that at which -he had formerly been posted. The enemy would probably expect attack -from the same quarter as before, and would turn their shield in that -direction. He had just taken up his new position when bullets began to -fly crosswise through the entrance. After this preparatory move the -enemy made a determined rush. The first man, bearing the shield, came -in and faced to the right, turning his back upon Tim, who had a -momentary qualm about firing from the rear. That moment allowed the two -next men time to pull away the stools. He felt that hesitation would be -fatal, and fired. The first man dropped with a groan, and the shield -fell clattering upon the long box. Before Tim could fire a second shot, -two men had scrambled across on all fours, and the entrance was darkened -by their comrades pressing behind. - -One of those who had entered sprang to his feet and discharged his -revolver at random in the direction of Tim, whom he was as yet unable to -see, having come suddenly out of brilliant sunshine into gloom. Tim -slipped back quickly along the wall until he was in complete darkness, -then ran on tiptoe across the cave. Turning when he reached the wall, -he fired his barrels one after another, slipped more cartridges into the -chambers, and crossed again. By this manoeuvre he bewildered the enemy, -who were now, however, all in the cave, and protected almost as much as -himself by the darkness. - -He did not fire again, lest the flashes revealed his whereabouts. All -that he could hope to do was to find some defensible position in the -interior and sell his life dearly. There was not even a chance of -dodging his enemy and slipping out, for one man had been left near the -entrance. He was determined not to surrender. Even if the men now -hunting him did not butcher him on the spot to avenge their fallen -comrades, the Prefect would have no mercy on his prisoner. He must -defend himself to the last. Perhaps when it came to the final stand he -might have an opportunity of dealing with the four men singly. - -He retreated slowly along the wall, listening for the enemy, whom he was -quite unable to see. All at once he remembered the opening at the -farther end which Romaña had shown him. A last hope flashed into his -mind. If he could slip out there, replace the turning stone before his -exit was discovered, and pass through the waterfall into the open, there -was a bare chance of escape. It was true that he might be discovered by -the man with the cycle, or by the others on the watch down the track. -But it was better to be killed in a dash for liberty than cooped up and -slaughtered like a badger in a hole. - -Now he hastened his steps, creeping as fast as possible along the -curving wall. His hunters were no doubt feeling their way, on their -guard against an ambuscade. Everything depended upon his gaining the -exit before they came to a spot where the removal of the stone would let -a little daylight upon the scene. He ran along on tip-toe, bruising his -arms now and then when he encountered projections from the wall, and -almost dashing his head against the stone when he suddenly stumbled upon -it. Pressing the top, as he had seen Romaña do, he turned the stone, -clambered through the gap on to a ledge, and in ten seconds restored the -strange gate to its place. He reflected that the enemy, if they had -seen the fleeting gleam of light, would take some time to find the stone -and discover its manipulation, or, on the other hand, make their way -back through the cave to the opening by which they had entered. -Whatever they did, he had gained at least a few minutes. - -From the ledge on which he now stood he looked eagerly about him. In -front of him was the waterfall, forming a filmy screen. He could see -through it and around it. There was the man on the track a hundred and -fifty yards away. Farther down the three men were still posted: they -were now on horseback. Tim hoped that they could not see him. He was, -in fact, quite invisible to them, as a person behind a curtain in a room -is invisible to those without; though it is difficult for the one within -to realise this: he feels that, being himself able to see, he must -himself be seen. - -The rough ground and scrub in front of the cave was deserted. The -solitary figure at the end of the watercourse was in charge of the -horses of the men in the cave, and of the three who had fallen to Tim's -shots. Near him, at the edge of the track, lay the man who had been -carried away wounded after the first attack. Tim could not see the -cycle, but he had no doubt that it was there. - -What should he do? The men in the cave must soon discover that he was -gone. If one had the courage to strike a match the discovery must be -made almost at once. There was very little time. The obvious course was -to steal along the watercourse, and gain possession either of a horse or -of the cycle. Escape on foot was impossible. He could not go otherwise -than by the track, and as soon as he appeared there he would be pursued -by the horsemen and overtaken in a few minutes. He resolved to creep -down to the man who stood alone, try to secure the cycle, or, if not -that, a horse, and ride away. - -To reach the watercourse he had to pass through the waterfall, or skirt -it and appear within full view from the track. He decided on the former -course. The magnified shower bath was shattering. Though it was soon -over, he was almost stunned by the pelting water, and emerged breathless -and wet to the skin. Pausing for a moment to recover breath, he crept -down the watercourse. The channel was shallow; he had very little cover; -but he could not waste time in careful scouting. At any moment the men -might return to the entrance of the cave and discover him. But by -taking advantage of every bush and patch of long grass that he -encountered, he at last came within twenty yards of the Peruvian -unperceived. The man had his eyes fixed on the cave, or he could hardly -have failed to see the bent form stealing along. - -Stooping until his eyes were level with the top of the bank, Tim looked -ahead. There was the cycle, propped against a thick bush. It was headed -down the track, as he had left it. He considered rapidly what he had -better do. He could not shoot the man in cold blood. The alternatives -were equally hazardous. He might make a dash for the cycle, start it, -and try to get away before its guardian could seize him. But the man -was only a few yards from it; this plan could hardly succeed. Or he -might wriggle to within a few feet of the watchman, spring upon him with -a sudden rush, and deal him a knock-out blow. He could not fail to be -seen at that moment by the wounded man, if he was conscious; the alarm -would be given; but there might be just time for him to get away before -the three men lower down the track, or the four in the cave, could take -aim at him. - -The latter course was recommended by the fact that the watchman's -attention was divided between the cave and the horses he held by the -bridles. They were restless; the jingle of their harness and the -stamping of their hoofs would mask any slight sound that Tim might make -as he approached. - -He slipped his revolver into his belt and crept along; then, gathering -his strength, hurled himself upon the unsuspecting trooper. At the last -moment of his rush the man half turned, hearing his footsteps, and gave -him the opportunity for getting home a smashing blow on the point of his -chin. He tumbled like a log. But the success of the attack was almost -Tim's undoing. The horses kicked up their heels and stampeded wildly, -some up, some down the track, one of them knocking Tim head over heels. -But there were no bones broken. Springing to his feet, he rushed to the -cycle, and wheeled it round. The engine was still firing; Tim ran a few -yards, vaulted into the saddle, and throwing open the throttle to its -full extent, rode up the hill after the galloping horses. He was -scarcely conscious that the wounded man lying on the grass near by was -shouting at the top of his voice. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - A PUNCTURE - - -Tim's rush had been so swift, so silent, so effectual, that he was -already running beside his cycle and preparing to mount before the three -men down the track, more than a quarter of a mile away, became aware -that something was wrong. The first intimation was the pounding of the -horses' hoofs as they took flight. They looked up to see the cause of -the sudden stampede, but Tim was hidden from them by the galloping -animals, which were dashing downhill at so desperate a pace that the -troopers, if they waited for them, must be almost inevitably swept off -the narrow track over the precipice. Though they now heard the yells of -the mounted trooper above, they durst not delay, but promptly wheeled -round and set off to head the race, intending to pull up as soon as the -frantic beasts behind them had recovered from their fright. - -Meanwhile the shouts of their comrade had brought the other men -hurriedly to the mouth of the cave, which they reached just in time to -see Tim disappear round a curve in the track. They plunged through the -scrub, and screamed with rage when they caught sight of the crowd of -horses headed by the three troopers far down the hill to their right. -Men of southern blood make little attempt to control their feelings, and -these Peruvians, their vision of £500 vanished, stamped and gesticulated -and wept, venting bitter curses upon the hapless trooper whom Tim had -felled, and who was now sitting up and dizzily feeling his chin. - -It was the presence of the three men on the track that had determined -Tim to ride northward. With them waiting for him, ready to shoot as he -passed, or before, there would have been little chance of successfully -running the gauntlet. He had not reckoned on the stampeding of the -horses; nor had it occurred to him at the first moment to follow at -their heels and snatch an opportunity of slipping through in the -confusion. When he did think of it, he felt very much annoyed with -himself for being so stupid. Not that he could have run past them: his -experience on the track soon proved that the attempt would have been -hopeless. Paradoxical as it may appear, this only deepened his -annoyance. Three of the horses had started up instead of down the hill. -The ascent being rather steep, they were more fatigued than frightened -before they had run a mile. The gallop became a trot, the trot a walk, -and they were making up their simple minds to stop and refresh -themselves with herbage from the side of the track when a creature on -two wheels came up to meddle. At the appearance of the bicycle they -kicked up their heels and fled, all their terrors revived. - -It was now that Tim was angry with himself. If this was the effect -uphill, what would it have been in the other direction? Flying downhill -after the troop, with a judicious use of his hooter he might have kept -them all madly on the run, and even driven them before him into the arms -of his amiable commander. It was too late now. Tim was unreasonably -irritated. An older person might have consoled himself with the -reflection that it is easy to be wise after the event. - -He had intended, when he started from camp, to ride northward along this -very track; but he wished now that he had remained at the cross-roads, -even though that might have involved playing nap with Colonel Zegarra, -or making himself amiable to that gentleman's lady friends. There was -danger behind him; there might be still graver danger ahead. Other -parties of the enemy might be coming down; perhaps the junction of the -tracks was held by them. It was a good defensible position, covering -any possible attack on the Inca camp by way of the eastern route. If -there had been any other path home, Tim might have taken it and bolted, -without any reason to feel that he was a coward. But there was none; he -was compelled to follow this only track--committed to an attempt to make -the round. - -There was not much reason to fear pursuit. The men whom he had tricked -at the cave had lost their steeds; the other three would perhaps have to -ride for many a mile in the wrong direction. Like John Gilpin, they -could not help it. By the time they had checked the stampeded animals -and brought them up the hill, a good many miles would separate them from -the quarry who had baffled them. Tim felt quite easy on that score. - -He began to take a little amusement in the chase in which he was, for -his own part, involuntarily engaged. The riderless horses in front of -him were not at all happy. They would gallop up the steeper inclines, -out-distance the strange thudding creature behind them, and when they no -longer heard its snorts, slow down and begin to take things easy. But -on the more level portions of the track, and the occasional downward -gradients, the machine made four or five yards to their one. They had -no sooner settled down into an amble than the pertinacious pursuer came -panting at their heels, and taking fresh alarm, they dashed on -frantically until another rise gave muscle the advantage of mechanism. -So it went on for eight or ten miles, until the horses must have -thought--if horses think--that they were doomed to drop at length from -exhaustion, and fall a prey to the modern centaur. - -But Fate, after all, was kind to them. Tim suddenly became aware of that -unpleasant sensation, abominable to every cyclist, which announces a -punctured tyre. There was no loud bang, like the report of a monster -pop-gun, such as sometimes startles pedestrians in the street, and makes -horses tremble or prance. The air was oozing gradually away; moment by -moment the rear tyre became softer and slacker; and Tim had to stop at -once before irreparable damage was done. - -Here was a disaster, the more serious because the track was no longer -flanked by a cliff on one side and a precipice on the other, but ran -along the crest of an exposed ridge, from which he could see a long way -before and behind and on either hand. He could see--he might also be -seen. The track afforded no cover, the country at either side very -little. If he wheeled the cycle to right or left in search of a -sheltered nook in which to make his repairs, he would spend much time in -getting there and back again. The enemy were doubtless now hot in -pursuit. Missing the tracks of his wheels they would hunt for him, and -here there was no cave, no waterfall, only a scattered bush or two. They -would easily find him, and then!... - -Tim sprang off the machine in a hurry. His only chance was to mend it on -the track. He rested it against a rock, shot a glance around, then knelt -to examine the tyre. Now, as every one knows, it is sometimes not easy -to locate a puncture. Tim hoped that it would not be a case of -immersing the tube in water, for that would involve going down to the -river half a mile away. Luckily the puncture was a fairly large one, -and easily seen. The outer cover of the tyre was cut through for about -two inches, and the perforation had extended to the inner tube. - -He opened the pouch in which he carried a few small tools and material -for making temporary repairs. From it he took a phial of rubber -solution, a strip of canvas, and a "gaiter"--a thickness of rubber -vulcanised to two or three layers of strong canvas, shaped to the tyre, -with hooks at the bottom. The first step was to repair the inner tube. -This he did by smearing the cut with the solution and sticking on a -rubber patch. Then he fastened the canvas by means of the solution to -the inside of the outer cover, over the rent, to prevent the inner tube -from being chafed by the rough edges made by the cut. The last -operation was to fix the gaiter to the rim by its hooks. All this took -some time. In tyre mending, as in other things, the more haste the less -speed. Tim worked with deliberate care, glancing up and down the track -from time to time. At last, after about half an hour's work, he -straightened himself, satisfied that the tyre was good for a few hundred -miles, and much relieved that he had been able to complete the repairs -without interruption. - -It only remained to inflate the tyre. He had just inserted the pump -when a succession of faint irregular clicks fell on his ear. Turning -hastily, he looked down the track. He had a good view of it for half a -mile. At that distance it curved out of sight, but was visible again -for a short stretch a mile lower down, and still farther in patches. -The air was very clear; every tree and hillock was sharply defined in -the sunlight; there was nobody in sight. - -But the clicks were growing louder; they seemed to be the sounds of -iron-shod hoofs upon the rocky ground. He gazed down the track, passing -from patch to patch over the intervening bluffs and the stretches of -rough country where it was not visible. The sounds came beyond question -from his left; still he could see nobody. - -Meanwhile he was pumping hard, keeping his head turned in the direction -of the sounds. All at once he caught sight of six or seven dark specks -moving towards him along the sunlit track. He guessed that they were -about a mile away. There was just time to fill his tyre before they -came up with him. - -The pursuers were now hidden by a curve in the track. He pumped on; the -tyre was almost fully inflated. Suddenly he heard a shout, and saw a -horseman round the bend half a mile below. He instantly whipped off the -pump, turned the petrol tap, and had run a yard or two with the machine -when he remembered that in his haste he had left his pouch on the -ground. He could not afford to lose that. Backing, he recovered it, -thrust it into his pocket, and in another twenty seconds was running -slowly up the hill. - -Glancing over his shoulder, he saw five men galloping after him. They -were no more than a quarter-mile away, shouting, urging their horses to -their utmost speed, gaining on him. But the crest of the hill was near; -then the track was level for a while; then had a downward incline. The -engine worked well; the cycle breasted the slope, gained the flat, and -sped on at forty miles an hour. - -A minute after Tim topped the crest, the horsemen reached the same spot -on their panting steeds. They yelled with rage and disappointment when -they saw their quarry bowling along at a speed that a Pegasus might -envy. One took a shot at him, but Tim, bending over the handle-bar, -offered a low target, and escaped injury. In two minutes he had turned -a corner and was out of sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - A LEAP FOR LIFE - - -When Tim had ridden three or four miles farther, and felt at ease as far -as the pursuers were concerned, he came upon the three stampeded horses -again. They were peacefully browsing on some scanty herbage at the -edge, quite content, no doubt, to be free from their human burdens. At -the sound of the engine they once more took to flight, and the violent -play they made with their heels suggested to Tim that they indignantly -resented the disturbance of their meal. - -He was now riding so fast that he could soon have overtaken the animals, -in spite of the upward gradient. But if he did so, he would either run -the risk of coming into collision with one of them, or drive them over -the edge of the track on the left, and down the somewhat steep and -dangerous slope to the river. It occurred to him that he might do -better to moderate his pace and keep fairly close on their heels. They -might prove useful. The cross-track to which he would come presently -was somewhat looser than that on which he was riding. If the enemy -happened to be at the cross-roads beyond, the horses and the dust they -raised might serve him as a temporary screen. So he opened his air -throttle a little, and closed the petrol throttle to the same extent, -maintaining a speed that would keep the horses on the run without -exposing him to the risk of being overtaken. - -He soon found that there was a certain disadvantage in following upon -the heels of the horses. On coming into the cross-track, he was -enveloped in a cloud of dust, thick enough to prevent his seeing more -than a few yards ahead. The dust and the bodies of the animals -completely shut out the view, and he realised that as he neared the fork -he would be quite unable to tell what awaited him there. He thought it -advisable to drop a little behind. No doubt the horses would turn to -the left when they reached the crossroads, and gallop towards the Inca -camp--the place which for some days past they had associated with -fodder. If the enemy had not actually passed the fork and marched down -the eastern track, he might manage to turn into it unperceived under -cover of the dust-cloud, and soon ride out of danger. - -Slackening down until he had doubled his distance from the horses, he -noticed on his right hand a belt of trees which, if his memory was not -at fault, extended for nearly a mile along the southern edge of the -cross-track until it joined the eastern path. With one eye on the -horses and the other on the trees he watched for the branching of the -tracks. It came sooner than he expected. Suddenly the horses swerved to -the left; a few seconds afterwards he turned to the right, and felt the -machine quicken under him on the downward incline. - -At that instant he heard the loud crackle of rifles behind him. Posted -among the trees just above the fork there was a body of men who, -watching with astonishment the maddened gallop of three riderless -horses, caught a faint glimpse of the motor-cycle as it emerged from the -whirling dust. They fired too hurriedly to hit the mark. At the sound -of the shots Tim bent double and let the machine go. Riding at the rate -of thirty miles an hour he knew that the enemy could not catch him on -horseback on this particular portion of the track. But when he came to -the foot of the hill, and began to climb a long rise, he glanced round -and saw a large troop of horsemen dashing down in pursuit. They were a -long way behind, and unless some accident befell the machine, he was -sure that he could outpace them with ease. - -The track wound frequently. For long stretches he was hidden from the -pursuers. Looking back now and then he noticed with satisfaction, -whenever they came in sight, that he was steadily increasing the -interval between him and them. He might have run away altogether if he -had driven the machine at full speed; but the track was very rough, and -he felt that he must watch it carefully if he was to avoid the risk of a -second puncture, or of collision with some boulder. Downhill he often -had to check his pace, and so could not take full advantage of the -descents to give him impetus for the upward gradients of the switchback. -But as mile after mile was covered he became less and less fearful of -being caught; and when, at the end of a long, straight stretch, he saw -that the enemy were at least two miles behind, he was perfectly easy in -mind, and only wondered why they had not given up the hopeless chase. - -His former journeys on this track had made him pretty familiar with the -landmarks, and as he rode up a long incline, he knew that he would soon -be in sight of the wooden bridge over the ravine, beyond which the party -of Japanese were posted. A few miles of switchback, and then he would -have a downward run home. But on rising slowly over the crest, he was -staggered to see a troop of some twenty horsemen halted no more than -half a mile in front of him. The track dipped to within about a hundred -yards of the spot where they were standing, then bent somewhat sharply -upwards, and disappeared over the brow rather more than half a mile -ahead. - -Tim instantly realised the desperate position into which he had come -unawares. His first impulse was to screw on his brakes and dismount, to -avoid rushing headlong among the enemy. But in a flash he saw that to -do so would be simply to give himself into their hands, or into the -hands of the men behind him. There was no escape either on the right or -the left. The only possible course was to ride on and take his chance. -Setting his teeth, and crouching almost flat over the handle-bar, he -opened the throttle, and shot down the hill, sounding his hooter -violently all the way. - -If he had had the leisure to calculate the possible result he could -scarcely have anticipated the success of his action. The horsemen -instinctively edged away to the sides of the track, and on to the edge -of the rough moorland which bounded it on the east. Some had the -presence of mind to whip out their pistols, but as the cycle raced -towards them with ever-quickening speed they found themselves in trouble -with their horses, which began to quiver and sweat and prance at the -strange sight and the terrifying sounds. Down flew the cycle, Tim -gripping the handle-bar hard, no longer able to pick his course, but -keeping the middle of the track, rough or smooth. He was unconscious of -jerks and jolts; blind to the risk of puncture; in that critical -half-minute he thought of nothing but the task of steering so as to -avoid collision with the enemy, a disaster which they on their part were -no less anxious to escape. - -He was upon them, in a whirl of dust raised by the wind of his flight. -A thrill shot through every fibre as he skimmed danger by a hair's -breadth. One of the horses was cavorting on his hind legs, and his -rider, almost as frantic as the animal, turned him into a whirligig by -hard tugging at the bridle. A few shots were fired by the other -troopers, but no man could take steady aim from the back of a rearing -horse, at an object flashing by at forty miles an hour. With a rush and -a whizz Tim was past. - -But his momentary joy at having got through vanished as he felt the -slackening of speed enforced by the steep incline beyond. On his former -journey he had dismounted and wheeled the machine. There was a great -hubbub behind him. The throbbing hum of his engine was smothered by the -clatter of the horses' hoofs, and the yells of their riders spurring -them on. Short as the ascent was, its angle was so sharp as to -neutralise in great measure the impetus he had gained downhill. Moment -by moment the machine flagged, and, without looking behind, he was -conscious that the pursuers were gaining. He feared that his engine -power would not suffice to bring him to the top, upon which he fixed his -eyes as it were imploringly. How far away it seemed! - -He pressed the pace to the uttermost. The machine toiled up and up; the -uproar behind grew louder. He was beginning to despair. The cycle -seemed to be crawling. Would the engine hold out? At last, with what -appeared to be a final heave, it crept over the crest. The downward -slope had begun, and the cycle dropped down with a rush which carried it -easily to the top of the farther rise. With a sigh of thankfulness Tim -knew that he had now increased his lead. - -At this point the track began to wind round the face of the cliff on his -right. A few minutes would bring him within sight of the bridge. But -there was still one long climb before him, and here, if the pursuers -could last the pace, they would have the advantage of him. He glanced -back; they were just rounding the curve, perhaps a quarter-mile distant. -This was the crisis of the chase. As the cycle laboured up the hill, -Tim was aware that the gap was rapidly diminishing. When he gained the -top, he had scarcely fifty yards to spare. But now for three or four -hundred yards the track was level, and the horsemen yelled with rage as -they saw their quarry once more slipping from their clutches. They had -no chance against him on the flat. By the time he reached the point -where the track dipped to the mile-long descent to the bridge, they had -lost more than a hundred yards. - -The bridge was not yet in sight. The track bent to the left somewhat -sharply. In ordinary circumstances Tim would now have clapped on the -brakes, but he was strung up to attempt any feat of daring, and after -the first hundred yards of the hill he contented himself with closing -the throttle. He swung perilously round the bend, and looking ahead, -saw the bridged ravine three-quarters of a mile away. A horseman was -galloping towards it--doubtless one of his vedettes. But why was he -dashing so desperately towards the bridge? - -Tim lowered his eyes, for he wore no goggles, and the wind created by -his pace made them smart and tingle. He was halfway down the slope when -a dull report below him caused him to look up again. Where, a few -seconds before, the bridge had been, there was now a cloud of smoke. -His orders had been carried out only too thoroughly: the bridge was -blown up! - -He was thunderstruck. Reckless and impulsive as he was, prone to play -many a mad prank on his bicycle, he had never attempted such a feat as -now, in the twinkling of an eye, he saw himself committed to. The ravine -was more than thirty feet across. He would reach it in half a minute. -No power on earth could check his descent. He must either plunge into -the chasm, fifty feet deep, or leap the gap. - -How can his sensations be described! Every second his speed was -quickening. The steepness of the slope induced the feeling that he was -dropping into space. He was conscious of the strange heaving sensation -that a person feels on descending in a rapidly-moving lift. His body -seemed to be flying upward. The air rushed past, scarifying his flesh, -catching his breath, stunning his ears so that he did not hear the -report of a dozen rifles across the gap. Down, down, faster than an -express train, as fast as a racing motor-car, his body rigid, his mind -working swifter than the electric flash--down to he knew not what. - -On either side of the bridge the ground had been cleared. He must avoid -the ruins of the bridge; he would steer to one side of it. As he -swooped meteor-like towards the gap the space on his right widened out, -and the ground made a slight ascent to the brink of the ravine. A touch -on the handle-bar altered his course a point or two. Barely conscious -of the rise, breathless and dizzy, he shut his eyes at the fateful -moment--and the machine shot off the brink of the ravine like a stone -from a catapult. For a fraction of a second he was in mid air, the -wheels whirring beneath him. Then there was a tremendous thud as they -struck the ground 011 the opposite side. The machine raced up the -incline; the speed slackened; instinctively he applied the brakes; and -in a few more seconds he fell rather than jumped from the saddle, and -dropped panting, a mass of quivering nerves, upon the track. - -A group of Japanese flocked about him. One gave him water from a mug. -All were trembling with excitement. When he had collected himself, and -inquired what had become of the pursuers, he learnt that, as they rode -headlong down the hill behind him, two of the horses had slipped and -brought their riders to the ground. The rest had reined up at the -volley from the Japanese. Apparently none had been hit, but recognising -that further pursuit was hopeless, they had stood watching the last few -hundred yards of the cycle's flashing course. The Japanese had been too -much amazed and alarmed to fire again. Both the parties looked on as at -a thrilling spectacle. After the cycle had made its leap their amazement -held them motionless for a while. Then, at a second volley, the enemy -wheeled round and galloped away. - -Tim asked why the bridge had been fired. The vedette explained that, -descrying the heads of a large number of horsemen over the tops of the -bushes on the crest of the hill, he had dashed back to give the alarm -according to orders. The cycle, being lower, had been invisible to him. -His comrades were so eager to carry out their instructions that even -when Tim came into view they were too much occupied to see him, and only -when the match was kindled, and they ran back to a position of safety, -did they perceive with horror that they had, as they thought, cut off -their master's chance of escape. Tim waived away their humble -apologies; they had obeyed orders; and now that the strain of his -nerve-shattering experiences was relaxed, he could afford to smile. The -eastern track, at any rate, was impassable to the enemy. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - FROM DAN TO BEERSHEBA - - -Colonel Zegarra was holding a levee of his admirers from the town when -Tim returned to camp. - -"Well, my young friend, have you made any interesting discoveries?" he -asked, from among a group of ladies as Tim passed. - -"Several, señor," replied Tim. "Among other things, what it feels like -to fly through the air on wheels." - -"Very interesting," said the gentleman in amiable ignorance. "I was not -aware that your machine could fly. How marvellous is the progress of -invention!" he added, turning to the ladies. - -"Wonderful!" they cried, clapping their hands. - -"Will you show us how you do it, Señor Tim?" said the colonel's -daughter. - -"I regret, señorita, that it is impossible here," said Tim, laying his -hand on his heart in the local way. "It requires a hill a mile long; a -number of the Prefect's men pelting down after you, and bellowing like -bulls; a ravine thirty feet wide spanned by a bridge; and some good -obedient fellows who will blow up the bridge at the critical moment. -These conditions do not exist every day, señorita." - -The girl looked puzzled. Then a light dawned. - -"Is it a joke, Señor Tim?" she asked with a smile. She knew something -of Tim's jokes in carnival time. - -"A joke that won't bear repetition, señorita," he replied, and then -bowed himself away. - -The eastern track being now impassable, he thought it sufficient to -leave a few men at the broken bridge to guard against any attempt to -repair it. The rest he withdrew to the camp. One of the vedettes on -the western track having been surprised and killed, he decided as a -precaution for the future to place the men in couples. He did not -enlighten Colonel Zegarra, when the visitors had gone, as to his flight -through the air, but simply informed him that the bridge had been blown -up to check a troop of the Prefect's horsemen. - -Before he retired for the night he thoroughly examined the cycle, and -found that the tyres, though showing signs of wear, were as yet sound. -He gave it to one of the Japanese to clean, and then sought his couch, -worn out by the racking experiences of the day. - -Next morning word was brought that the enemy were advancing in force -along the western track. Colonel Zegarra was not lacking in courage, -and the plan of action to be followed in the event of attack had been -settled in several conversations between himself and Tim. The ground on -both sides of the track for half a mile from the cross-roads was fairly -open, affording a clear field for fire. Though the enemy outnumbered -the Mollendists, the latter had the advantage of being the defenders. -Their position, protected by earthworks and the fringe of wood, was so -strong that an attempt to force it ought not to succeed. To harass the -enemy in flank, Tim had arranged to post himself with a small detachment -in a dense copse on the left of the track about a mile in front of the -camp. With luck he might not be discovered; if he was attacked, the -closeness of the trees would enable him to make a good defence. He -chose thirty of his own Japanese for this duty, knowing their good -fighting qualities and their absolute personal loyalty to him. - -They had been stationed in the copse for some hours before the head of -the enemy's column appeared. The men were on foot. Tim had intended to -worry them as they advanced, but it now occurred to him that he would do -better to hold his hand until the attack developed. If Colonel Zegarra -should be in difficulties, a sudden assault on the enemy from the rear -might turn the scale. - -The enemy opened out as they approached the cross-roads, intending to -surround the camp. They made a concerted rush, but in the lack of -artillery they were seriously handicapped, and after several attempts -had failed, they fell back to cover. Some retreated in the direction of -the copse. Tim saw his opportunity. Bidding his men wait until they -were within a few hundred yards, he then gave the order to fire. In the -shock of surprise the enemy fell into disorder, and fled in all -directions. Their confusion was communicated to the whole force, and -soon the discomfited rabble were in full retreat, suffering severely as -they crossed the line of fire from the camp. - -Colonel Zegarra rose to the occasion. Ordering his men to mount, he led -them in pursuit. The retreat became a rout. Ridden down by the -horsemen, cut up by the steady firing of Tim's men in the copse, the -enemy were a disorganised mob before they reached their horses, which -they had left about two miles down the track. Some succeeded in -mounting, and galloped away. Others were headed off, and were made -prisoners. Within an hour of the first attack the Prefect's eastern -force was shattered, and no longer existed as a fighting unit. - -There was great jubilation among the Mollendists. On returning to camp -Colonel Zegarra at once penned a flowery despatch to Mr. O'Hagan -announcing his victory. The courier had not been gone long when Romaña -rode up in haste, bearing a verbal message from the commander-in-chief. -After long delay the Prefect was making a determined effort to force the -defile, and Mr. O'Hagan asked for a reinforcement of fifty men, if they -could be spared. It was arranged that Tim should start at once with -fifty horsemen. It seemed unlikely that the troops just defeated would -rally, but for assurance' sake he persuaded Romaña to remain at the -cross-roads, to advise Colonel Zegarra if the enemy should attempt any -movement which must be met rather by craft than by courage. - -Tim rode ahead of his troop on the motorcycle. When about a third of -the way to the defile, he suddenly discovered on his left a considerable -number of men on foot descending from the hills towards the highroad. -Their intention clearly was either to take the main Mollendist army in -the rear, or to make a swoop on the cross-roads and then to San Rosario. -Tim guessed that his father was unaware of this complication. The men -must have been for at least two days on the march, for the hills were -generally regarded as impracticable. - -Tim halted for a few moments to make a rapid calculation. His father -and Colonel Zegarra must be warned. If he rode on, the enemy, though at -present a long distance away, would be on the road between him and -Colonel Zegarra by the time he returned. On the other hand he might ride -to the colonel and back before they reached the road, in which case he -would still have a chance of slipping by. - -He remounted and dashed back at full speed, ordering his horsemen when -he met them to halt and be on the alert. Colonel Zegarra agreed to move -out with all his troops, and if he found the enemy on the road, marching -towards the defile, to hang on their rear. Then Tim set off again. He -commanded his horsemen to await Colonel Zegarra; it seemed more -important for the moment that the colonel should have his full number -than that the party should press on to reinforce Mr. O'Hagan. - -The head of the flanking column was only half a mile from the road when -Tim dashed by. To some extent screened by trees and bushes, he became -the target for the enemy's fire as he passed patches of open country. -But he escaped unhurt, thanks to his speed and to the windings of the -road, which caused his direction to alter frequently, and baffled the -riflemen's aim. In a few minutes he was out of range, in a few more out -of sight. - -On approaching the defile, Tim heard sounds of heavy firing. The -Prefect's attack was evidently being hotly pressed. He found the -Mollendist force some distance farther east than he had expected. They -occupied the rocks on either side of the road, and were firing along the -defile. Just as Tim arrived he heard the distant roar of a gun, and a -shell crashed high up among the rocks at his right hand. He slipped off -his bicycle, and hurried to find his father. - -Mr. O'Hagan greeted the boy with especial warmth. - -"Pardo gave me a terrible scare when he told me he had got you," he -said. "What happened?" - -Tim related how he had been dealt with at the house. - -"He had the cheek to come to you, then," he said. "Why didn't he go to -the Prefect?" - -"I suspect he did. He wanted to make sure of his price." - -"The wretch said my price had gone up. What did he ask?" - -"The hacienda!" - -Tim whistled. - -"You kicked him out, I hope?" he said indignantly. - -"Well, Tim, you see Colonel Zegarra's despatch with your postscript came -just in time, or---- But that's all over. How are things going?" - -"We have fairly smashed the lot from the Inca camp. They attacked this -morning. Romaña brought your message, and I was hurrying up with fifty -men when I saw a detachment of the enemy, about two hundred strong, I -think, marching over the hills towards the road, so I rode back and -asked Zegarra to bring up all his men and then came on ahead to tell -you." - -"That's very bad news," said Mr. O'Hagan, somewhat perturbed. "I've as -much as I can do to hold my own here. As you see, they've brought a -couple of guns to bear on us." - -"Where are they?" - -"Up in the hills yonder. How they were dragged there I can't imagine. -They're at least a thousand feet up. The Prefect has more energy and -resource than I expected. When the guns opened fire this morning we had -to abandon the head of the defile. We're pretty safe here for the -moment, and can check any attempt to force the passage; but I dare say -the Prefect will find another position for the guns where they can -command us, and then we shall have to fall back again. With two hundred -men threatening our rear----" - -"Couldn't you spare some men to deal with them?" - -"That's a capital idea, Tim. It will take a long time to move the guns -to a new position. We'll try it. I'll take a hundred and fifty men -myself. You had better stay here; you've done your share." - -"I'd rather come with you," said Tim. - -"I dare say, but you had better go and report to the President what you -have been doing. He's rather down in the mouth, and your victory at the -cross-roads will cheer him." - -Mr. O'Hagan soon set off with his men, all mounted. When he returned a -few hours later, he was flushed with success. The Prefect's hill column -found itself in the position in which it had hoped to catch the -Mollendists--bottled up between two forces, which equalled or exceeded -it in number, and were much fresher. Instead of attacking, the enemy -were attacked. Fatigued after their long and difficult march, they were -in no condition to make a prolonged resistance, and fell back before Mr. -O'Hagan's impetuous onset. They were seeking a strong position when -Colonel Zegarra dashed suddenly upon their rear. Hopelessly entrapped, -they lost heart. Some flung down their arms and surrendered, others -dispersed and sought safety in the hills. - -With Mr. O'Hagan returned Colonel Zegarra and the greater part of his -force, a small detachment being sent back to keep an eye on the road to -San Rosario. President Mollendo, whose volatile spirits had already -been exalted by Tim's report of the morning's success, was carried away -by delight at the Prefect's second discomfiture on the same day. He -insisted on promoting Tim captain on the spot, and made an oration to -the troops which moved many of them to tears, and confirmed their belief -that they had in Carlos Mollendo a statesman of the highest rank. - -While this orgy of sentiment was in progress, Mr. O'Hagan was discussing -matters with Tim quietly in the background. - -"That's all very well," he said, jerking his head towards the spot where -Mollendo was perorating, "but it doesn't prevent the Prefect from -hauling his guns. I quite expect that to-morrow he will begin to shift -them in this direction, and when they begin to play we can't hold the -defile another half-hour." - -"What then, Father?" asked Tim. - -"Why, then we shall be compelled to fall back on San Rosario. The -Prefect has three men to our one; and the moment the tide seems to be -turning in his favour a lot of ours are sure to desert. It's the way of -things here. But for the guns we could hold him off for months, so long -as Galdos keeps up the supplies--though I'm afraid of ammunition running -short. The two checks the Prefect has had to-day are decided set-backs, -but we are not much better off unless we can take the heart out of him. -If we could only capture his guns, now!" - -"Why not?" - -"Well, if you can suggest a way, do so. But don't reckon without your -host. They're at least a thousand feet up, somewhere on that ridge. -The War Office of this republic being unable to supply field-glasses, I -haven't located them exactly. To climb the hill in face of the enemy -would be a pretty tough job in itself, and the guns are pretty sure to -be well guarded." - -"I'll try it to-night," said Tim, "with a few of our Japs. Some of them -were in the war with Russia, and it won't be the first time they've had -such night-work." - -"I don't want to disappoint you," said Mr. O'Hagan, pulling at his -moustache, "but it's too risky--indeed it is. What would your poor -mother say?" - -Tim was so well accustomed to this appeal _ad matrem_ that it had quite -lost its effect. - -"She'd jib to begin with, to be sure," he said, "but she'd give in in -the end; she always does when it's not an absolute question of right or -wrong. You'd better say yes, Father." - -It was on the tip of his tongue to relate the adventures of the previous -day, but he reflected that the story might have quite the opposite -effect from what he intended. Mr. O'Hagan's last instructions to him had -been not to go adventuring, and though he felt that he could hardly be -blamed for adventures which had hurled themselves at him unsought, it -was probable that his father would not recognise any reasoning of that -kind. So he confined his arguments strictly to the matter in hand. Mr. -O'Hagan's opposition was really half-hearted. He had come to have great -faith in Tim's resourcefulness and luck. Ultimately he agreed to let the -boy do what he had suggested; the success of his scheme might prove to -be the turning-point of the struggle. - -Helped by a half-moon, Tim set off about midnight with a dozen of the -Japanese who had served in the army, including three gunners. As -weapons they carried only revolvers and knives, with a good supply of -cartridges. One of them had a dark lantern for signalling the result of -the expedition to Mr. O'Hagan. Slipping down the road for some distance -in the direction of San Rosario, they turned to the right, and roped -themselves together for the climb into the hills. - -It was the hardest job that Tim had ever undertaken. He had no compass, -and could only direct his course by the position of the moon. Its light -was not sufficient to enable him to choose the easiest way. There was -no path. At the head of the line he clambered up wherever he could find -foothold, sometimes, indeed, crawling on all-fours up slippery slopes, -scrambling over or between boulders, now and then brought up by a sheer -wall of rock impossible to scale. The party had often to rest and -recover breath, and the ascent was so arduous and slow that he was a -little uneasy lest the dawn should surprise them before they gained the -summit. To make matters worse the moon was dropping, and its incessant -change of position rendered it a far from trustworthy guide. - -At last, after three hours of fatiguing work, they reached the crest of -the ridge, where they caught sight of the lights in the Prefect's camp -below them far away to the west. Tim guessed that the guns were placed -somewhere along the ridge. He stole along quietly, stopping now and -again to listen for signs of the men in charge. Presently he came to a -formidable buttress of rock projecting over the valley and rising many -feet above the general level. It appeared to be the highest point in -this part of the country, and if the top was flat, was the most likely -place to have been chosen for the gun platform. Whispering to his men -to move as quietly as possible, he led them along a narrow ledge on the -face of the cliff below the buttress, edging into the wall on his left -hand so as to avoid a fatal fall into the depths. - -At the farther end of the ledge he halted. It was now almost dark; the -moon had descended below the hills on the opposite side of the road. -But by aid of the last lingering sheen he detected signs of recent -pick-work on the ground, just beyond the spot where he stood. Evidently -a squad of labourers had been employed to clear a passage for the guns. -There was no sound. Casting off the rope, Tim stole forward alone, and -soon discovered a rough path leading in the reverse direction towards -the rear of the buttress. - -His heart pumping with excitement, he returned to the men, and whispered -his final instructions. There was to be no firing unless they had to -defend themselves against overpowering numbers. Then he led them on -noiselessly up the path. It ended sooner than he expected. He came -suddenly to a level space of some extent, on which he saw two guns, -pointing over the valley. Stretched on the ground behind them were ten -men. They were asleep. Secure in their supposed inaccessibility, they -had posted no guard. - -Tim paused a moment, then ordered his men to steal round until they -completely encompassed the sleeping crew. At a low whistle from him -they sprang forward; there was a brief and almost silent struggle; and -the enemy, only half awake, found themselves prisoners. Not a shot was -fired; scarcely a wound was given. - -Hurrying to the edge of the buttress with the lamp, Tim flashed it three -times into the darkness. He knew that his father at the end of the -defile, more than a mile away, would be anxiously watching. Then he -returned to the guns. By the light of the lamp, carefully screened from -the enemy's camp, the Japanese loaded the guns and swung them round -until they pointed to the west. When he started, Tim had expected that, -if he succeeded at all, he would only be able to spike the guns and then -run for it. But having captured the small party of gunners, he saw no -reason why he should not turn his success to account. It was now nearly -four o'clock. Dawn would break very soon. And he thrilled with delight -in the anticipated surprise in store for the Prefect. - -The men waited impatiently. On this hill-top they would have earlier -light than the troops below. By the time that the first rosy gleam -stole out of the east the gunners were at their posts. This was work -after their own hearts. The guns were not the perfect machines to which -they were accustomed, and they laid them with especial care. The -shadows upon the camp at the head of the defile dissolved. As soon as -there was light enough, the two gunners fired almost at the same -instant, shattering the still morning. A thousand echoes reverberated -across the valley, and rolled diminuendo from crag to crag. Before they -died away Tim caught the faint sound of cheers from his father's camp. - -The two shells had plunged into the centre of the enemy's position, -causing a wild rush for shelter. The Prefect's first feeling was -consternation. There was no artillery in San Rosario; whence had the -enemy obtained the guns? Why had not his own gunners replied? As he -looked up towards the platform on which they were posted he saw two -swift flashes, and two more shells whistled overhead and crashed on the -rocks just above him. His question was answered; the Mollendists, the -despised brigands, had captured his guns and turned them upon him. In -that bitter moment he wished, perhaps, that he had lent a less ready ear -to the suggestions of Miguel Pardo. All the enterprise and daring which -his enemy had recently shown was inspired, not by Carlos Mollendo, but -by the foreigners, and they, but for Pardo, might have been with him, or -at least not against him. - -It was soon apparent that matters were serious. Shells were dropping -into the defile as fast as the gunners could load. Already they had -done much damage, and panic was spreading through the ranks. The men -were seeking cover; some were already running to the rear, where the -horses were tethered; none had any spirit for fight. While this disorder -reigned, there was a sudden cry that the brigands were charging up the -defile. The Prefect's troops vastly outnumbered Mr. O'Hagan's, but he -had no advantage of them now. They had no faith in their cause, no -enthusiasm for their leader. Disheartened by previous failure, -demoralised by the bombardment of their own guns, they were deaf to the -Prefect's passionate entreaties to stand firm. They answered him with -oaths and curses. Nor was the Prefect of the stuff of heroes. He was -not the man to gather about him a few choice spirits and steadfastly -defend the pass. Surrounded, almost swept away by the yelling mob of -his terror-stricken army, he elbowed his way through them, to gain the -tree to which his horse was tied. He had better have allowed himself to -be borne away on foot among his men. Mounted, he presented a -conspicuous object to the head of the eager little force charging up the -road. A dozen rifles were levelled at him; a dozen bullets sang through -the air; and when the Prefect's body was lifted after the defile was -cleared, it was found riddled. - -The attack having been made on foot, no effective pursuit could be -maintained. So precipitate, indeed, was the flight of the cowed troops, -that only the laggards of the rear were in much danger, Mr. O'Hagan's -victory was almost bloodless. The fugitives poured into San Juan; the -wildest reports found easy credence there. It became known by and by -that the Prefect was killed, a piece of news at which more than his -enemies rejoiced. The magnates of the town were hurriedly called -together; they agreed to accept the new republic; and when, in the -course of the afternoon, Señor Mollendo and Mr. O'Hagan rode in at the -head of their troops, they were received with acclamations by the -populace, and with a flowery address by the officials. The wheel of -fortune had lifted the outlaw to the headship of the State. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - THE RAVINE - - -Much to his disappointment, Tim was not a spectator of President -Mollendo's triumphal entrance into his capital. He did not hear the -eloquent oration delivered from the steps of the court house, nor was he -present at the banquet at which the President fell on Mr. O'Hagan's -neck, and kissed him amid the frantic plaudits of the company. When Tim -saw the troops charging up the defile, he set off to join them, leaving -the Japanese in charge of the guns. At some risk to his neck he -scrambled down the face of the hill, and came up with the little army in -time to take a share in the final scenes. When the victory was assured, -Mr. O'Hagan sent him with Romaña and a hundred men back to San Rosario, -to report the defeat and death of the Prefect, and keep order in the -town. - -San Rosario had quietly accepted the new régime. The few well-to-do -people, who had suffered from the Prefect's levies, hoped that the -system of benevolences was buried, and were prepared to give the new -President a chance; the poorer folk cared little who their ruler was, or -what the nature of the government, provided they were able to earn their -living in peace. Señor Fagasta was perhaps the only unhappy man in the -town. - -Finding that everything was peaceful and orderly in the town, Tim -thought he might venture to visit the hacienda, arrange for the -necessary repairs to be made to the house against his father's return, -and reopen work on the plantations, which would soon become a wilderness -through neglect. Accordingly, on the second evening after his arrival in -San Rosario, he rode over on his motor-cycle, accompanied by Romaña on -horseback. Biddy Flanagan was still alone in possession of the house. -She welcomed Tim heartily, but was less cordial to Romaña: he was one of -"them foreigners." Her joy at the approaching return of "the master" -was dulled by distress at the bareness of the rooms. The establishment -of a republic was to her an insignificant event beside the loss of the -best "chainey," and military glory did not compensate the theft of the -silver spoons. And when, early next morning, she carried breakfast into -the dining-room, she mournfully drew attention to the fact that she had -had to make the coffee in a delf jug. - -"'Tis because the silver coffee-pot be took, Master Tim," she said. -"And there's no silver spoons for the eggs, and what will I say to the -mistress when she comes home!" - -"We can get some more, Biddy," said Tim. "And really, I always think -that coffee tastes better out of a jug." - -"'Deed now, that's true, but 'tis not for the likes of me to say so at -all. If there was no difference between the kitchen and the dining-room -of a gentleman's house, what would the country be after coming to? Sure -I hope the villain is killed, and will not be the way of troubling us -again." - -"I wonder what became of Pardo?" said Tim to Romaña when the old woman -was gone. - -"You may be sure he is not killed," said Romaña. "Pardo is not the man -to risk his skin in the fighting line." - -"No, it may give him lumbago," rejoined Tim with a laugh. "I suppose he -has gone off with his loot. A good riddance! After breakfast you might -look round the house and see what repairs are needed, while I go over to -the huts and tell the Jap women that their husbands are on the way home. -It's a blessing none of the married men were killed except the one -Pierola shot." - -Some twenty minutes later Tim set off on foot for the labourers' huts -half a mile across the plantation. He followed a path that intersected -a field of sugar-cane, which grew so high that he was completely -concealed. Presently it crossed a broad stretch of grass land separating -the sugar from the coffee, and here Tim was surprised to see recent -hoof-marks. None of his father's horses remained on the hacienda, and -he wondered who could have ridden in this direction. If the tracks -pointed towards the house he might have supposed that Felipe Durand had -come over to see him; but they all led away from it, as though the rider -had come either from the stables, or from the meadow behind the house. - -Curiosity piqued him to follow up the marks. He took no pains to walk -quietly, but his footfall was silent on the grass. The tracks led -towards the road that ran past Durand's house and ultimately to the Inca -ruins. After about a hundred yards the path bent to the right. On -arriving at the bend Tim started back. A little ahead a horse was -grazing. A bundle was slung from its crupper. Just beyond, there was a -disused well, and here Tim saw a man, whose back was towards him, -turning the windlass. He stood partially concealed among the plants to -watch. Presently a second bundle appeared over the edge of the well. -The man untied it from the rope and turned with it in his arms towards -the horse. Tim had already suspected his identity, and he now saw -without surprise that it was Miguel Pardo. - -Acting on impulse, he dashed forward, hoping to reach the thief before -he could mount. But Pardo caught sight of him, vaulted into the saddle, -and galloped towards the road. It was hopeless to pursue him on foot. -Tim had his revolver, but he was not one to use it in cold blood. -Instantly he thought of the cycle, which was in its shed at the back of -the house. He sprinted back, started the engine, and in a few minutes -was dashing in chase. - -He knew that Pardo, in spite of his start, must soon be overtaken, and -he had little doubt of the direction of his flight. Neither San Juan -nor San Rosario would be safe for him; he would almost certainly choose -the track to the Inca ruins; trusting in course of time to be able to -make his way round over the hills, and seek refuge in another province -where he was unknown. - -Tim flew along to the track, wheeled into it, and looked ahead. Pardo -was not in sight. Suddenly he remembered the broken bridge. It would -certainly not have been repaired. Tim wondered whether Pardo had heard -of its destruction. In that case he would not have come this way, but -would have chosen the western track. If he was in ignorance of what had -happened, he would be checked perforce at the ravine, and the chase -would soon be over. Even supposing he had followed the other track, Tim -thought that the speed of his cycle would allow him to ride to the -bridge, make sure, return to the cross-roads, and still overtake the -fugitive, who would no doubt slacken his pace when he supposed himself -to be unpursued. - -As Tim passed Durand's house, Felipe came down the path. Tim afterwards -discovered that he had seen the horseman dashing by, and wondered who -could be so foolish as to ride along a track which within a few miles -was impassable. - -"Pardo!" shouted Tim as he flashed past, and Durand ran for his horse to -follow the chase. - -A mile beyond the house Tim caught sight of his quarry. In another -minute or two he must turn at bay. No doubt he was armed, and Tim for -the first time realised that he might presently be involved in rather a -desperate struggle. While the horse was galloping, Pardo, encumbered as -he was with his bundle, would be unable to take steady aim. But as soon -as he came within sight of the bridgeless ravine, he would spring from -his saddle and fire. Tim had set off in pursuit with the simple idea of -capturing Pardo, and handing him over to the civic authorities for trial -and punishment as a thief; but he saw now that he was not likely to -succeed without a fight. - -The distance between horseman and cyclist rapidly diminished. The long -hill beyond the ravine came in sight, but the ruins of the bridge were -as yet hidden by the short acclivity beyond which the track dipped. -Pardo was just reaching the top of this ascent as Tim arrived at the -bottom. There were only fifty yards between them. Before Tim was -prepared for the movement Pardo suddenly made a half-turn in the saddle -and fired. The shot flew wide, and Tim, edging in on the near side of -the track, so that Pardo could only use his revolver again if he turned -completely round, or twisted to the left and fired over his shoulder, -rode relentlessly on up the ascent. In a few seconds he expected the -final tussle. - -On gaining the brow of the hill Pardo checked, drew his restive horse -across the road, and pointing his revolver steadily, fired. Tim had -guessed his intention, and his own shot rang out almost simultaneously. -Pardo, not allowing for his altitude, fired too high: Tim's aim was -spoilt by his bobbing movement on the machine, and his shot wounded the -horse instead of the man. Before either could fire again, the situation -was changed with a suddenness that for a moment took him aback. The -horse, already alarmed by the clatter of the engine and the sound of the -shots, was rendered frantic by its wound. Springing round on its hind -legs, it took the bit between its teeth and bolted down the slope -towards the ravine. - -When Tim gained the top, he realised with horror the desperate peril of -his enemy, and instantly forced down his brakes and stopped the machine, -in the hope that with the cessation of the noise the animal's terror -would lessen in time for its career to be checked. Pardo, a moment -after the descent had begun, saw the hideous gap in front of him, and -made a desperate effort to rein up. But it was too late. The maddened -horse galloped on blindly, came to the edge of the chasm, and -instinctively made a frantic leap for the opposite bank. It jumped -short by several feet. Then, with a scream that rang in Tim's ears for -many a day, horse and rider plunged to the bottom. - -Tim had already leapt off his machine. He ran forward and at no small -risk clambered down the steep side of the ravine. Both horse and -horseman were dead, amid a litter of broken pottery and scattered plate, -which had burst from the bundles. Tim shrank from touching any of the -stolen property. White to the lips, he climbed up to the track, and -staggered into the arms of Durand, who had followed on horseback. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - HANDSOME ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - - -One evening, a few weeks after the close of the brief campaign, the -town-hall of San Juan presented a picturesque and even brilliant -spectacle. All the important people, and a good many of the -unimportant, of the capital and of San Rosario were assembled in -response to the President's invitation, to celebrate the foundation of -the Republic. Two long tables ran the length of the hall; at the top a -cross table was ranged beneath a shield bearing the Mollendo arms. The -President occupied the centre seat. On his right hand sat General -O'Hagan, on his left a young captain of the same name. Next in order to -these were the principal actors in this little drama: Colonel Zegarra, -his friend the lawyer, Dr. Pereira, Nicolas Romaña, Pedro Galdos, the -Durands, father and son--for Señor Durand, having contributed to the -Mollendist war-fund, had apparently determined to get something for his -money. - -Two personages whom one would hardly have expected to see there were -Señor Fagasta and Captain Pierola. Señor Mollendo had been informed by -Tim of the warning given by the gobernador, which had resulted in the -discomfiture of Pardo's night attack on the house. The President argued -from this that Señor Fagasta had his good points; and being anxious to -conciliate the officials under the old régime he reinstated the burly -gentleman in his former office. For the same reason he offered to -Captain Pierola, now recovered of his wound, the command of the -republican forces, which Mr. O'Hagan, deaf to all entreaties, had -relinquished. - -In a balcony at the opposite end of the hall sat a bevy of ladies, to -watch the feasting in which they, angelically, were not to partake, and -to hear the speeches that would follow. Mrs. O'Hagan sat in the centre -beside Señora Mollendo. The younger ladies, dressed with all the grace -and charm of which the Peruvian belle is mistress, were impatient for -the end of the tiresome preliminaries: the banquet in which they could -not share, the speeches which some of them had already heard rehearsed, -had less attractions for them than the dance which was to round off the -proceedings. - -The table decorations were unusual. The vases were filled with leaves, -blossoms, and berries of the nasturtium, of which homely plant every -guest had a flower in his button-hole. - -The courses were handed round; the glasses of wine and pisco were filled -and emptied and filled again; and then the President rose. A smile -beamed upon his benevolent features as he surveyed the cheering company. -A broad band of orange satin formed a graceful loop over his white -waistcoat, and a large diamond in his shirt-front flashed as it caught -the rays of the innumerable candles. He was a dignified and impressive -figure. - -When the cheers had subsided, he began to speak. After a few -introductory sentences, he launched into a summary of the events which -had led up to this culminating scene. He described the birth of the -Republic, enunciated with great eloquence the principles which would -govern his administration, and then, turning to personal matters, -announced the honours and dignities which he had conferred on certain of -the gentlemen whom he saw on either side. He made graceful references -to the legal attainments of Señor Fagasta, to the military abilities of -Captain Pierola, to the loyal services of Señores Pedro Galdos and -Nicolas Romaña, whom he had appointed respectively treasurer and -secretary of the Republic. Then, after an expressive pause, he -proceeded: - -"Gentlemen, on this great and auspicious occasion I have a duty to -perform---a duty of which I acquit myself with all the ardour of an -overflowing heart. There are epochs in the life of nations when the -firmament is obscured by dark aggregations of cloud, which exclude the -radiance of heaven's bright luminaries, and among which the thunder -rumbles with awful and portentous reverberation. At such a period of -distress and gloom, when Rome, the heart and centre of the ancient -world, saw herself threatened by pestilent hosts of waspish barbarians, -the eyes of men turned in their trouble towards a simple farmer, who -pursued the avocations of bucolic life in his rural retreat, amid sounds -no more horrific than the lowing of his cattle and the guttural -ejaculations of his swine. To him repaired a deputation of his -despairing countrymen, who found him cleaving the stubborn soil with his -labouring plough, and besought him to quit those haunts of industry and -peace, and, exchanging the gleaming ploughshare for the well-tempered -sword, the smock of Ceres for the shining corslet of Mars, to return -with them and save the State. - -"You know, gentlemen, the sequel of that momentous domiciliary visit. -You know how Cincinnatus marshalled his hosts, led them against the -enveloping invaders, and having smitten Volscians and Æquians with -irresistible might, laid aside the implements of war, and withdrew to -replace the yoke upon his toiling oxen, and ruminate in rustic -simplicity upon the vicissitudes of mortal things. - -"Gentlemen, we too have our Cincinnatus. We have in our midst a -gentleman who, driven from his peaceful fields by the shameless greed of -tyranny, threw in his lot with the despairing victims of a rapacious -despot: who, having laid down the sword which he had wielded with -conspicuous dexterity in his youth against the enemies of his adopted -country, girded it on in his maturer years at the call of an oppressed -and suffering community. Gentlemen, it is to him we owe the inception -of the reign of peace and prosperity in this elevated region. I bid you -raise your glasses and drain them to the health of our illustrious -friend and liberator, our Cincinnatus, Señor General O'Hagan." - -The President's speech was hailed with a chorus of vivas as the company -sprang to their feet to honour the toast. Handkerchiefs fluttered in -the ladies' gallery. Tim, catching Durand's eye, winked, and his friend -responded with a look which meant "Look out! The old buffer hasn't done -yet." Tim wondered what his father would say in answer to this -effusion. He found that the President, instead of resuming his seat -when the cheers had died away, remained standing, took a sip from his -glass, and went on: - -"History does not record whether Cincinnatus was a married man, but, -indulging our imaginations, we may suppose that he had a wife and -family. We may see with our mind's eye the homely Roman matron, leaving -the meal-tub when her husband broke to her the fateful news, and wiping -the flour from her industrious hands that she might gird him with the -sword, and furbish his shield, and arrange the folds of his toga in -comely dignity. We may picture his sons and daughters gazing with -admiration not unmixed with awe at their heroic father, watching him as -he bestrode his fields with the proud senators who had brought the -people's summons, gazing with longing eyes day after day into the misty -distance, wondering with anxious fears how their beloved progenitor was -faring in the stress and heat of strife. We can imagine their pride and -gladness when he returned, crowned with the laurel wreath of victory, -and, so far as history relates, without a wound. We can see them -gathered about his knee, on the winter nights when the pine-logs -crackle, and the wolf's long howl undulates across the marshes, and hang -upon his lips as he relates the story of great doings on the stricken -field. - -"These, I say, are the pictures which imagination paints for us; but we -need no aid from imagination to behold the domestic life of our own -Cincinnatus. _Integer vitae, sceleris purus_, as the great Roman sang, -he has lived among us, in a home graced by the presence of a beauteous -spouse, and brightened by the lively merits of a gallant youth. Such -praise and gratitude as we owe to the father we owe also in no small -measure to the son, who sits beside me in all the glow of healthy -juvenility, blushing with ingenuous pride in the achievements of his -noble sire. What need to recount, gentlemen, the exploits of this -youthful warrior! Modestly as he himself has veiled them, the admiration -of his devoted men could not be silenced, and they proclaim his prowess -with unbated enthusiasm. Picture the scene, gentlemen, when, pursued -for long miles by the mounted warriors of the tyrant, our dauntless -friend sped on unfaltering on his matchless steed, and was not abashed -when he beheld the yawning gulf unbridged before him. For him Fate had -not ordained the sacrificial leap of Marcus Curtius; the safety of the -State did not demand his death. Flashing like a meteor to the very brink -of the abyss, he defied the laws of Nature, and soared through the -startled air with the swift legerity of a mountain bird. Thus -wonderfully preserved from peril behind and before, he played a manful -part in the final scenes of this glorious revolution, and, in the words -of the august orator of Rome, _de republica bene est meritus_. I bid -you raise your glasses, and drain them to the health of Señor Capitan -O'Hagan." - -The toast was hailed with thunderous applause. Tim sat with downcast -eyes, wishing that the floor would open and swallow him. "I hope to -goodness the old josser is done now!" he thought. But the President -waited with a benignant smile until silence was restored, then went on: - -"It is known to you, gentlemen, that the Señor Capitan is the first -recipient of the Order of the Nasturtium, which I have founded in -celebration of the new era upon which we have entered. Since it becomes -us to invoke the gracious countenance of feminine loveliness upon the -order, I have inscribed at the head of the roll the name of the Señora -O'Hagan." - -Here he bowed very gallantly towards the balcony, and Tim, glancing up, -saw his mother incline her head, and raise her handkerchief to her -mouth, as if to hide a smile. - -"It is known to you also, gentlemen," the President continued, "that in -deference to the unanimous wish of the citizens, I have consented that a -statue of myself shall be erected in the plaza of this town, not in any -spirit of vainglory, but as a permanent witness of the triumph of the -principles which I profess. But I deemed it unfitting that the sister -town of San Rosario should be without a similar memorial, and I have -therefore taken upon myself to order, from Paris, the home of art, two -other statues, to stand in the plaza of our neighbour. The one will -represent the Señor General as Cincinnatus, garbed in the toga of -ancient Rome, with a sword crossed upon a ploughshare at his feet. The -other will exhibit the effigy of the Señor Capitan. It was a matter of -much deliberation how to mould this second statue that it might form a -harmonious companion of the first. As you are aware, the Romans did not -anticipate the triumphs of the inventive modern mind. They did not -possess the motor-bicycle. But by dint of much thought I have reconciled -the old with the new. The Señor Capitan will appear as Mercury, the -messenger of the gods, with his caduceus in his hand, and his winged -feet planted on a globe. These statues will face each other in the -public square, and proclaim to future generations the features and the -characteristics of the two gentlemen whose achievements and merits we -honour so heartily to-night." - -The President at last sat down. Mr. O'Hagan, looking supremely -uncomfortable, thanked him and the company, for himself and Tim, for the -flattering honours that had been paid to them; and after speeches from -Señor Fagasta, Colonel Zegarra, and half a dozen other notables, the -proceedings came to an end, and the hall was cleared for dancing. - -"I say, old chap," said Durand, when he had an opportunity of speaking -to Tim, "won't you feel rather cold as Mercury?" - -"Shut up!" growled Tim. "Old Moll's off his chump. But he doesn't mean -it." - -"But he does!" - -"Well then, I'll waylay the silly old thing on the road, and smash it to -bits. I never heard of such silly rot." - -But these violent measures were not necessary. Every now and then -during the next few months Durand put Tim in a rage by announcing that -the statues had left Paris, that they had reached Lima, that they were -on the road. But the truth is that the financial straits to which the -new republic was soon reduced have hindered the realisation of President -Mollendo's generous dream, and up to the present the plaza of San -Rosario is destitute of classic statuary. Cincinnatus lives very -contentedly on his farm, and Mercury is now leading a grimy existence in -some famous engineering shops on the Tyne. - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MOTOR SCOUT *** - - - - -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/42953 - -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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