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diff --git a/old/60941-0.txt b/old/60941-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 98278c5..0000000 --- a/old/60941-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4727 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Jack Straw in Mexico, by Irving Crump, -Illustrated by Leslie Crump - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Jack Straw in Mexico - How the Engineers Defended the Great Hydro-Electric Plant - - -Author: Irving Crump - - - -Release Date: December 16, 2019 [eBook #60941] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JACK STRAW IN MEXICO*** - - -E-text prepared by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -(http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 60941-h.htm or 60941-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60941/60941-h/60941-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60941/60941-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/jackstrawinmexic00crum - - - - - -JACK STRAW IN MEXICO - - -[Illustration: “The door was pushed violently open”] - - -JACK STRAW IN MEXICO - -How the Engineers Defended -the Great Hydro-Electric Plant - -by - -IRVING CRUMP - -Illustrations by Leslie Crump - - - - - - -New York -McBride, Nast & Company -1914 - -Copyright, 1914, by -McBride, Nast & CO. - -Published September, 1914 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I JACK STRAW’S MISSION TO MEXICO 1 - - II “IN SELF DEFENSE” 17 - - III SEASICK 26 - - IV AT ODDS WITH CUSTOMS INSPECTORS 40 - - V IN THE HANDS OF THE SECRET SERVICE 50 - - VI ON TRIAL AS A SPY 58 - - VII OFF FOR NECAXA 67 - - VIII THE CRIPPLED GENERATORS 79 - - IX JACK PROPOSES A TRAP 88 - - X FOOTPRINTS 100 - - XI SEARCHING FOR THE MAN WITH THE SCARRED HEEL 108 - - XII THE DRAWINGS ARE STOLEN 119 - - XIII A WEAKENED GARRISON 129 - - XIV THE NIGHT WATCH 139 - - XV IMPROVISED SEARCHLIGHTS 151 - - XVI A WARNING 162 - - XVII WHO WILL BE FOOD FOR THE VULTURES 174 - - XVIII THE WIRES ARE DOWN 184 - - XIX TO THE RESCUE 193 - - XX “SHOOT! SHOOT!” 205 - - XXI “YES, YES, I DID IT” 216 - - XXII GOOD-BY NECAXA 226 - - - - -THE ILLUSTRATIONS - - - The door was pushed violently open _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - To Jack it all seemed like a horrible nightmare 58 - - They pressed against the barrier like cattle 178 - - The horsemen in green swept down the valley 198 - - - - -JACK STRAW IN MEXICO - - - - -CHAPTER I - -JACK STRAW’S MISSION TO MEXICO - - -Five members of the “D” club had gathered in Jack Straw’s room on the -top floor of Phillip’s Hall the last Saturday afternoon before the end -of the Spring term. They had not assembled in official conclave, indeed -they had not intended to assemble at all. They had merely gravitated -there one by one in search of something to take their minds off the -worst disappointment they had been compelled to face that year. The -Drueryville-Seaton baseball game, the one that was to have settled the -preparatory school championship of Vermont, had been scheduled for that -Saturday afternoon, and, lo and behold, in spite of the importance of the -day, Jupiter Pluvius or whoever it was that controlled the rain supply, -had made the game impossible by deluging everything in sight since early -morning. And there was no chance of postponing the contest either as -school closed the following Friday. The championship would have to remain -undecided. And this was just the year Drueryville stood a better chance -than ever of adding the “prep” cup to her trophy case. It was enough to -make anyone glum. - -“They should have named this place Drearyville instead of Drueryville,” -muttered Toad Fletcher, the stocky little catcher of the team, as he -looked across the deserted campus at the dripping eves of Bradley Hall. - -John Monroe Strawbridge, who was known to every boy in school as Jack -Straw, shifted his position on the window seat so that he could take -another look at the weather. - -“It is pretty gloomy on a day like this,” he answered after searching the -leaden sky for some signs of a break in the low hanging storm clouds. - -Jack and Toad were too dejected in spirit for conversation and since -Bunny Baily was deeply engrossed in a book of fiction and Dick Cory and -Harvey Maston were working out an absorbing game of checkers silence -reigned in the room for some time. In fact a stranger passing the door -would never have suspected that five perfectly normal, healthy boys -were within. But then the “D” club was composed of the honor boys of -Drueryville Academy and for that reason if no other, they were bound -to be more dignified at times. You see the “D” club was made up of the -students who had won the privilege of wearing a white and blue initial, -the insignia of the school, on their caps or jersey; and in order to earn -that distinction a boy must needs work hard both in the class room and on -the athletic field. When a youth successfully attained such laurels the -crown _was_ apt to weigh heavily. - -How long the clicking of checkers would have remained the only sound is -hard to tell had not Tommy Todd happened to see Jack Straw curled up in -the window seat. He paused a moment before Phillip’s Hall and waved his -hand in friendly greeting. Then he splashed across the muddy road and -came up the stairs three steps at a time. Like a small portion of the -storm itself (for Tommy was by no means a big boy) he burst into the -room, his yellow raincoat and rubber hat dripping wet. - -“Say, don’t flood the place!” shouted Jack as he noted two growing pools -of water on the rug. - -But Tommy only grinned as he removed his wet garments and draped them -over the back of a chair so that they would drip on the hearthstone. - -“Sort of hard luck to have a day like this happen along just when it -isn’t wanted,” he suggested to no one in particular. Then without waiting -for a response he looked at Jack and spoke. - -“Say old man, I can’t think what on earth you’ve been up to recently, -but there’s something in the wind. Dr. Moorland wants to see you as soon -as possible. I just came from his house and he asked me to look you up. -I was going on downtown first because the last place on earth I ever -expected to find you was in your own room. What’s the trouble anyway? -You haven’t done something that will keep you from getting through next -week, have you? It’s mighty close to the end of the term and I hope -you’ve been careful.” - -At this Cory and Maston suspended their game for a moment and Bunny Baily -put down his book. All eyes were turned on Jack Straw. And as for Jack, -it must be confessed he looked startled and somewhat worried. Hastily he -ran through his mental diary, but so far as he could see no one entry -stood out above the rest as warranting reprimand from the principal. - -“I haven’t the slightest idea what he can want of me,” he assured his -guests as he hastened into his bedroom and donned raincoat and rubbers. -A few moments later he hurried out into the hall and down the broad -stairs toward the main entrance. As he passed the mail rack in the hall -he noticed a letter waiting for him. Hastily he seized it and crammed it -into his pocket, noting as he did so that the address was written in his -father’s hand. - -Dr. Theodore Moorland, the principal, lived in a modest little cottage on -the north side of the campus. It was almost hidden in a grove of tall -maples and, as if to make itself more inconspicuous, it had permitted -woodbine and ivy to clothe its gray stone walls in a cloak of soft green. -A graveled road that wound between fat old maples showed the way to the -front door, and it was up this much used path that Jack Strawbridge -hastened, his mind still puzzled over the reason for such an unusual -command. The heavy old-fashioned door to the cottage was equipped with -a ponderous brass knocker of quaint design which thumped with such -resonance as to spread consternation in the soul of youngsters summoned -thither. Thus they were thoroughly disturbed before they even faced the -austere old master. - -Such was not the attitude of Jack Straw, however. He had not been able -to remember a single reason why he should expect to face a scolding -from Dr. Moorland. Every examination paper had come back with excellent -markings and his conduct for some time past had been beyond reproach. -He thumped the old door knocker twice in his eagerness to find out just -what the master wanted. Perhaps it was news from home, he thought, and -he comforted himself by the fact that nothing serious had happened to -his father, for the letter in his coat pocket attested to the fact that -he was still well enough to write. But while he was speculating thus the -door was opened by Dr. Moorland himself. - -The dignified pedagogue greeted the boy with a broad smile and a hearty -hand shake. - -“I didn’t know but what you and some of the rest of the boys had about -grieved yourselves to death over your ill luck at having the championship -game broken up by the weather,” he said as he ushered Jack into his study -in a secluded wing of the house. - -“It is rather hard on us,” said Jack with a smile. “Here we’ve been -working since February to get our team in shape for the trophy contest -and then a little thing like the weather spoils it. Next year I think we -will have to arrange to have the championship game a little earlier so -there will be enough time to play it in case of an emergency like this -one.” - -“Never mind, Jack, my boy,” said the principal, “I have a mission for you -that is calculated to take your mind off baseball and similar troubles -for some time to come.” - -The boy was plainly puzzled at this remark. He looked curiously at the -principal who was striding the room nervously. Dr. Moorland was a tall, -broad shouldered man of sixty. His hair was snow white and so long in -back that it curled down over his coat collar. A pair of horn rimmed -spectacles that were constantly sliding forward on his nose made him -appear to be a testy individual, but in reality he was a genial old -gentleman who loved his boys as much as if he was the father of every one -of them. The State of Vermont counted him among the best of its educators -and he was famed throughout the country, indeed throughout the world as a -chemist. - -“Jack,” he said after a long silence, “how would you like to go to -Mexico?” - -“To Mexico!” gasped Jack. - -“Yes, to Mexico. It will be an opportunity for you to see a wonderful -country and also to make enough money to pay your tuition at Drueryville -next year. Do you care to go?” - -“Why—why—Oh, I’d be delighted—but—well I’d have to get father’s consent -first, you know.” - -“Ah, Jack, you don’t suppose I would have suggested the subject before -consulting your father about it, do you? I wrote him several days ago and -asked his permission to let you go. I received word this morning that he -was perfectly willing to have you avail yourself of the chance to see a -little of the world providing you cared to go. I wonder that he hasn’t -written to you about it.” - -“Why, perhaps the letter I have in my pocket now is about that very -thing,” said Jack, searching in his pocket for the envelope. - -“Very likely,” said the principal, “but you can read it after. Let me -explain exactly what I want you to do. When you have heard the details -you can decide better whether you want to go.” - -Dr. Moorland had ceased pacing the room and settled deep in his -comfortable study chair. With what seemed exasperating deliberateness to -Jack, he removed his huge glasses and polished them thoroughly on his -handkerchief before he was ready to talk. Then just as he was about to -begin he seemed to remember something else of importance, for he began to -search drawer after drawer of his desk until he finally brought to light -a large yellow envelope bulging with what appeared to be blueprints. He -tossed the package on the desk before him and once again resumed his -comfortable attitude. - -“Perhaps you never heard of my nephew, Harry Ryder. In fact, I am quite -certain you haven’t, for he has never visited Drueryville since you’ve -been at school. Harry Ryder is the chief engineer of the enormous -hydro-electric power plant at Necaxa where light and power is supplied -for Mexico City, the capital, one hundred and twenty-five miles away. He -was appointed to that important position by President Madero a year ago, -and he has done his best to keep Mexico City lighted in spite of all the -trouble in that turbulent republic, and the recent change to the Huerta -régime. - -“Time and again rebels have tried to break down the four transmission -lines that carry the current to the city but they have never yet been -successful and I judge from Harry’s letters that he never intends they -shall. But besides rebels, Harry has other important things to contend -with. Up there in the mountains where the plant is located, thunderstorms -are quite frequent and lightning is the troublesome element. Lightning -is electricity in its most dangerous form, because of its very high -voltage. Voltage, you know, is the pressure which causes it to travel. -One of our scientists once tried to measure lightning and found that its -voltage mounted well into the millions. This is tremendous force when you -consider that the current used in lighting houses and stores is supplied -at one hundred and ten volts. - -“During thunderstorms the lightning plays about the transmission lines, -often causing a great deal of trouble. If it should by any chance get -into the station it would raise havoc with the generators and other -machinery. To prevent this, lightning arresters have been constructed -that will waylay the lightning, as it were, and send it into the ground -before it reaches the vital machinery.” - -Here Dr. Moorland paused and began to sketch rapidly on a piece of paper -while Jack looked on, still very much mystified. - -[Illustration: Dr. Moorland’s Sketch] - -“The usual transformer is arranged something like this. First a choke -coil is put in the transmission line near the end. When the lightning -strikes this coil it piles up and is forced back exactly like a flying -wedge of football players that suddenly tries to break through an -impregnable defense. The lightning that is thus forced back rushes into -line ‘A,’ which is the point of least resistance, jumps the horn gap and -plunges through the arrester tank and into the ground. When the excessive -electricity has left the line and the flow is normal, the current is -checked at the horn gap and arrested. This combination of gap and -arrester does not permit current to flow into the ground during normal -operation and does not actually become active until lightning gets into -the line and there is danger of the plant being wrecked by an overload of -electricity.” - -“My, but that is interesting,” said Jack Straw as he fingered the -master’s sketch. Indeed, he had been so carried away with the description -of that interesting piece of engineering work that for the moment he had -completely forgotten about Mexico. But Dr. Moorland revived his interest -with his next sentence. - -“And now for my reason for wanting you to go to Mexico. The lightning -arresters now in use are not entirely satisfactory, and Harry Ryder -has been trying to build one on completely new lines. Indeed, he has -perfected the contrivance, except for a neutral chemical solution of a -new nature for which he asked me to construct a formula. He forwarded his -drawings for me to look over and now I am ready to send them back. But a -few weeks ago, Harry communicated with me and asked me to take particular -care that the drawings reach him safely. In fact, he suggested that they -be sent to him by messenger instead of by the mails. You see, Mexico is -in a state of extended turmoil now with Villa, Carranza and Zapata all -carrying on campaigns against Huerta, and under such conditions the mails -are not trustworthy. In fact, I understand from Harry that three-quarters -of the mail is destroyed by revolutionary forces and that the rest of -it is left lying in almost any corner of the republic until it can be -distributed. - -“These drawings,”—Dr. Moorland fingered the bulky yellow envelope as he -spoke,—“are far too valuable to trust to such mail service and since -Harry is willing to meet the expenses of a messenger and at the same time -pay him for his services, I can see no reason why you should not be the -one to take them safely to Necaxa.” - -“Why, I’d be delighted with the undertaking, if you think I can do it -satisfactorily,” said Jack. - -“And why can’t you do it satisfactorily?” demanded the principal rather -bruskly. “Any boy whom the students of Drueryville honor by electing -captain of the football team for two successive seasons certainly must -have some good qualities. You are strong and healthy. You are not a -coward and above all you are reliable. These are qualifications that I -could not find in every man. Will you go, Jack?” - -“Yes, I will. When do I start?” asked the boy enthusiastically, and from -the expression on his face it was evident that he was pleased with the -confidence the old master had in his ability to carry out the mission. - -“A steamer sails from New York on Saturday next. I would like to have you -be on board when it leaves the dock for I am more than eager to have the -drawings back to their owner and the responsibility off my mind. Then, -too, I am afraid the hostilities in Mexico might become more serious. -You will have a week to prepare for the journey, and since I have looked -up all your examination papers and found them above the proper rating I -will excuse you from school for the last week of the term and you can -spend that time with your father, for I know he has many things to say -to you. You can leave Drueryville on the ten o’clock train to-morrow -morning after you have called here to receive final instructions and the -precious drawings. And now you must hurry back to your room and pack. -Good afternoon and good luck to you.” - -It was a rather serious moment for Jack when he shook hands with Dr. -Moorland. He realized that the old schoolmaster was putting great trust -in him. It was in truth a struggle for him to hide his emotions as he -bade the old man good afternoon. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -“IN SELF-DEFENSE OR A CAUSE THAT IS HONORABLE” - - -Townsend Strawbridge, Jack’s father, lived alone in what was left of -a once very large estate in the upper end of the pleasant Champlain -Valley. The old dwelling was located on the outskirts of the village of -Middlebury less than fifty miles from Drueryville, and it was toward -this point that Jack hurried as soon as he received the precious yellow -envelope and final instructions from Dr. Moorland. - -Mr. Strawbridge had in his day suffered a double misfortune through -losing his wife and his money almost at the same time. His story was -the same as that of many others in that region of the country. He had -discovered outcroppings of another section of the rich marble vein that -runs from one end of the Champlain Valley to the other and almost -bisects the State of Vermont. Lured on by the vast fortune that certain -other men were making in marble quarrying, Mr. Strawbridge sought to -develop his own property. All the money he had saved, as well as all -that he could borrow on mortgages, was invested in quarrying machines, -derricks and the like. With these and a force of burly Canadian quarrymen -he went to work, opening quarry holes in what had once been the farm’s -pasture lot. - -But unfortunately he had not been able to gather together money enough -to more than to tide him over the early part of the operation. This -consisted in removing the top soil and breaking away the upper layers -of worthless stone, a condition he had not reckoned with. The result -was that when the channeling machines were finally put to work to get -out the first blocks Mr. Strawbridge found himself unable to finance -the undertaking much longer. He tried to borrow more money, but before -he could successfully negotiate a loan the quarrymen called a general -strike throughout the State and the men at the Strawbridge quarries -went out with the rest. The strike affected the entire valley and every -one was pressed for money. Instead of making new loans old accounts were -called in, and since Mr. Strawbridge had no way of meeting his debts, the -mortgages on his property were foreclosed. However, he had steadfastly -refused to mortgage his house and the property on which it stood. Nor -would he jeopardize his interest in the old pasture lot where the -quarries were located; consequently these sections alone were saved to -him. - -On top of all this trouble Jack’s mother died. This was almost more -than Mr. Strawbridge could stand and for several years he was very much -depressed. But gradually he was mastering his unhappiness. He was, in -fact, working on a plan to organize a company and develop his marble -quarries and this served to keep his mind occupied enough to prevent -unpleasant memories from creeping in. - -Naturally his son was very dear to him. In fact, he and Jack were more -like chums than father and son. In summer, during Jack’s long vacation, -they would go hunting and fishing together and have a thoroughly good -time in general. In the fall and winter, when Jack was at Drueryville, -Mr. Strawbridge made weekly visits to the old academy, just for the -pleasure of being able to chat with Jack and his schoolboy companions. - -Considering this mutual affection it may seem strange that his father -was willing to let Jack spend his vacation in Mexico, but then, as Mr. -Strawbridge said in his letter to Jack sanctioning the trip, “It is an -opportunity that you cannot well miss, as it will give you a chance to -see a very wonderful country. If you do not avail yourself of this chance -you may have to wait a long time before I can afford to pay the expenses -of such a journey. Besides, you will be able to earn enough money to pay -your tuition next year which also counts for a great deal because I am -now using every penny I have at my command to re-establish my fortune.” - -When Jack reached home that Sunday afternoon after leaving the academy, -Mr. Strawbridge was for putting by his plans for organizing a quarry -operating company and devoting the entire week to his son. But Jack -would not hear to this, for he was thoroughly interested in the work of -reopening the quarries. Mr. Strawbridge was well pleased at this and -explained all the intricacies of issuing stock and organizing a company -until the boy had secured an excellent insight into business of this -nature. Many hours were spent in wandering over the old pasture lot and -climbing in and out of the quarry holes. They even visited other quarries -that were being successfully operated in the vicinity of Middlebury. - -But though they were employed in working out the more serious problems of -life they did find time to go a-wandering beside babbling trout brooks -with their fly rods. Altogether they crowded more enjoyment into that one -week than they really expected and Friday morning came all too soon for -both of them. This, in spite of the fact that Jack was looking forward to -his voyage to Mexico with as much enthusiasm as ever. - -After breakfast the last morning before his departure Jack went over -the contents of his valise to see that nothing important had been -overlooked. While he was thus engaged his father asked him to step into -the library for a moment. When Jack entered the room Mr. Strawbridge was -seated at his desk and before him lay a huge blue steel Colt revolver, a -well-worn leather holster and a cartridge belt studded with brass ends -of many cartridges. Jack had often viewed this weapon in his father’s -room and occasionally he had been allowed to fire it at a target when his -father was at hand. - -“My son,” said Mr. Strawbridge kindly as he patted the heavy six-shooter, -“you have been greatly honored by your principal, Dr. Moorland. He has -asked you to undertake a mission of importance. He has entrusted you with -valuable drawings, the loss of which would mean the ruination perhaps of -a man’s most important contribution to the scientific world. All this -has pleased me a great deal for I find satisfaction in knowing others -besides myself have faith in your ability to carry out an undertaking. Do -everything you can, my boy, to have them retain this faith. I realized -when I gave you permission to go to Mexico that I was letting you take -your life in your own hands. This worried me a great deal at first, but I -would not for anything in the world cheat you of the honor of making that -journey successfully. You will be traveling most of the time among people -to whom human life is of little value. These people are violent and -warlike. They are uneducated and untrained, and all the time that you are -in their country your life will be in danger. For that reason I am going -to give you this revolver. Take it and use it only in self-defense or in -a cause that is honorable. If others believe that you are to carry out an -important task I am ready to believe that you are careful enough to know -how to use a weapon of this kind and not misuse it.” - -Jack’s heart beat fast as he took the heavy holster and cartridge belt -from the desk. He always liked to feel it in his hands, and to examine it -closely. He had been accustomed to firearms of all kinds, but this huge -army revolver fascinated him because of its massiveness. - -“Father,” he said finally, “I shall be as careful with this as you have -been, and you can be certain that whatever use it is put to will be -honorable.” - -“Jack, I believe you,” said Mr. Strawbridge heartily, as he grasped his -son’s hand. - -The rest of the day Jack and his father devoted to planning the details -of his trip and at four o’clock Mr. Strawbridge opened the heavy door -of his private safe and took the yellow envelope from the compartment -in which it had been reposing since Jack’s arrival from Drueryville. He -also took a heavy waterproof wallet from the safe and emptying the papers -contained therein gave it to Jack with instructions always to keep the -precious drawings in it. The wallet, with drawings inside, Jack placed -in an inner pocket of his coat, taking good care first to see that there -were no small holes that might become enlarged by the weight of the -package, thereby providing a way for it to slip through. Shortly after -that the village bus drove to the door and Jack and his father bundled -inside. Thus did our hero depart on the first stage of what was to prove -an unusual adventure. - -The express from Montreal that was to take him to New York was in the -station when he arrived and Jack had but a very few minutes to say a last -good-by to his parent. In fact, the train started as they were shaking -hands and Jack just had time to toss his bag to a dusky Pullman porter -and swing aboard. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -SEASICK - - -Fortunately Dr. Moorland had arranged all the details concerning Jack’s -sailing and had forwarded his steamship ticket and stateroom reservation -to him while he was still in Middlebury, otherwise he never would -have made the Pringle Line pier before the sailing hour. Somewhere -south of Albany a freight train had been wrecked during the night and -in consequence the entire line had been tied up for three hours. The -Montreal express had merely crawled along for the greater part of its -journey and when Jack awoke the next morning he found to his dismay that -it had many miles to go before it reached the Grand Central depot. In -fact, when it finally pulled into the train shed the young traveler had a -little more than half an hour in which to reach the Brooklyn dock. - -Valise in hand he stood on the platform of the first car when the long -train rolled in. And while the brakes were yet crunching against the -wheels he leapt down, to the imminent peril of a colored porter whom he -nearly bowled over in his mad haste to reach Forty-second Street. Down -the long concourse and through the waiting-room he hurried until he -finally gained the sidewalk. There he hailed the first taxicab in sight. -Pausing only a moment to give the driver hasty instructions, Jack plunged -inside and immediately was being whisked through New York at top speed. - -But with all this hustle and bustle he came very near to missing the -boat. Indeed he was among the last aboard. All but one gang-plank had -been hauled in and the few remaining visitors were being hastened ashore -by the stewards when he finally gained the deck and paused to catch his -breath. She was a long low white-hulled steamer that sailed under the -name of the _Yucatan_ and her seaworthiness was apparent even to Jack, -who had never before set foot on a ship’s deck. - -The first thing that the boy from Drueryville Academy did after -locating his stateroom was to see that the wallet with its precious -contents was secure in its proper place. His mind at ease on this -point, he immediately returned to the deck, for he was eager to see -the sights of New York harbor. The _Yucatan_ was slipping past the -lower end of Governor’s Island and the entire skyline of Manhattan was -spread out before his admiring gaze. But presently, as the ship passed -Tompkinsville, his attention was diverted to three huge gray vessels with -queer basket-like masts that were anchored just off the Staten Island -shore. He recalled that a United States Navy coaling station was located -in that vicinity and concluded that this was the reason for the presence -there of three of the largest of Uncle Sam’s battleships. - -And as these vessels faded in the distance a new delight was revealed to -him. The _Yucatan_ was steaming down the Narrows toward the lower bay -and on either bank Jack beheld the many innocent looking grass-grown -terraces of Fort Wadsworth and Fort Hamilton behind which the deadly -disappearing guns of the harbor defense are concealed. The mere sight of -these embankments with the Stars and Stripes whipping in the breeze above -them made the young Vermonter thrill with patriotism, and for the first -time in his life he realized fully how glad he was that Yankee blood -coursed through his veins. And as he stood there almost spell-bound by -this picture of silent power, some one at his elbow spoke to him. - -“They look almost impregnable,” said the stranger, whereat Jack turned to -find himself addressed by a tall, good looking man whose face was tanned -to a ruddy brown, and whose eyes sparkled with as much enthusiasm as his -own. - -“Indeed they do, and I am proud of them,” our young friend replied with -feeling. - -“So am I, son; so am I,” said the other with equal fervor. “And every day -I feel more grateful to Providence for making an American of me. You’ll -appreciate it too after you have traveled in foreign lands a little -while.” - -Jack instinctively liked this man. He was so heartily enthusiastic about -America and everything American that the boy could not help but admire -him. Indeed he found him decidedly interesting as a companion and they -chatted away about everything in general until the _Yucatan_ reached -Sandy Hook. Here the stranger brought forth a pair of binoculars and -scrutinized the beach and the Atlantic Highlands beyond until he located -the object of his search. Then he passed the glasses to Jack, saying as -he did so: - -“Here, look at the greatest lighthouses in the world. See those two -towers standing out of the foliage over there on the hill. The reflection -of their lights can be seen seventy miles out at sea.” - -After a search Jack found them. They appeared like the towers of some -medieval castle connected by a long low brick structure. - -“Are those the Sandy Hook Lights?” he queried. - -“No,” said his companion, “they are officially known as the Navesink -Lights. The Sandy Hook Light is that old octagonal white tower over -yonder. That is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, lighthouse in -America. It was built by the British Government in 1764 and during the -Revolutionary War the King’s soldiers used it as a military prison. -Not long ago when they were making some improvements in the foundation -a dungeon was unearthed in which were found several human skeletons, -evidently Colonial soldiers imprisoned there and not liberated when the -lighthouse was abandoned. Now if you will turn your glasses off to the -right you will be able to see the Sandy Hook Lightship. That little -cockleshell of a craft is there winter and summer fighting every storm -and fog that comes up. She’s in competent hands, however, for the captain -is a master mariner.” - -Jack was exceedingly interested. He wondered how his companion came to -know so much about lighthouses and lightships and several times he was -on the point of asking him. This, however, was not necessary, for a few -moments later the information was furnished quite voluntarily. - -“By the way,” said the stranger, after Jack had finished scrutinizing -the tossing lightship, “I’ve neglected to introduce myself. My name -is Warner, James Warner, I am supposed to be a marine engineer. You -understand; a builder of lighthouses, concrete dykes and all that.” - -“And I am John Strawbridge of Drueryville Academy, but since Strawbridge -is a rather large mouthful I suggest you call me Jack Straw. It’s -handier, you know.” - -“Jack Straw, eh? Well, that’s corking,” said Mr. Warner heartily, -clapping the boy on the back. “Where are you bound for, Jack? I’m on my -way to Tampico. President Huerta, of Mexico, has just given me a contract -to rebuild the foundation of the Lobo’s Island Light. That is one of the -most important coast markings in Mexico.” - -“I’m bound for Necaxa, by way of Vera Cruz and Mexico City,” said Jack, -who had already begun to feel like a seasoned traveler. - -“Necaxa,” exclaimed his companion; “why that’s where the big -hydro-electric power plant is located. That’s where Mexico City gets -its light from. Harry Ryder, the engineer in charge of the plant, is an -old chum of mine. In fact, we were classmates at Sheffield Scientific -School.” - -“Why, he’s the man I am expecting to visit there,” said Jack, somewhat -surprised at the fact that Mr. Warner knew Dr. Moorland’s nephew. He -refrained, however, from telling his companion the reason for his journey. - -“Well, that’s mighty interesting,” replied the marine engineer. “I -haven’t seen Harry Ryder in more than two years, though I’ve kept in -touch with him. He’s a very capable fellow, and he deserves the honor -of being in charge of the largest electric station in Mexico. He won -the office, you know, about a year or so ago. President Madero held -competitive examinations in Mexico City. Harry carried off the highest -honors. But from what he told me he was rather hard pressed by several -other good electrical engineers, both Americans and Mexicans. I guess he -expected to lose his position when Huerta won the revolution and deposed -Madero. But the new president reappointed him.” - -Jack was greatly pleased to learn that Dr. Moorland’s relative was so -well liked by his former classmate. It served to increase his interest in -the man whose plans he was carrying and he concluded that his visit to -Mexico was destined to be very pleasant with Mr. Ryder as his host. He -became silent after that, for his thoughts were far away, anticipating -his sojourn in the land that Cortez conquered. The voice of Mr. Warner -interrupted this pleasant mental occupation. - -“Look over there on the horizon. That’s a storm cloud. I rather think -it’s fixing for a blow. Do you ever get seasick?” he queried. - -“Well, I’ve never had an opportunity to find out,” said Jack, “for you -see this is my first experience on salt water.” - -“Well, you’ll know within an hour. It’s freshening up now and before long -the boat will be pitching around like a Mexican burro, a beast you are -destined to become acquainted with before you have traveled in Mexico -very long.” - -Jack smiled at Mr. Warner’s simile, but it was not long before he noticed -that the long rolling swells had changed to white crested waves that -pounded against the steel sides of the _Yucatan_ with a hiss and a shower -of salt spray. The pitching of the ship had increased, too, by the time -he and Mr. Warner went below for luncheon. Indeed, he found it rather -hard to follow his companion across the dining saloon without seeming to -stagger. At the same time he began to feel very peculiarly. It was as if -he had been swinging around and around so violently that he had finally -become very dizzy. He tried his best to hide his feelings from Mr. -Warner, hoping that he would be a little better after he had eaten. But -his companion looked at him sharply as he took his seat at the table and -Jack was certain that he saw the semblance of a smile about the corners -of his mouth. This nettled the boy and he determined that he would master -the peculiar feeling immediately. About that time, however, the waiter -placed a plate of hot soup before him. Jack looked at it once and all his -self-control vanished. Somehow the sight of food made him extremely ill -and without even the formality of excusing himself he pushed back his -chair and bolted for his stateroom. - -Life hardly seemed worth living to Jack Straw during the next three -days for he was so ill that he could not stir out of his stateroom. -The _Yucatan_ pitched and rolled as if she was being tossed about for -a plaything by some very inconsiderate giant, and it frequently seemed -to the boy that the steel hull was on the point of foundering under the -heavy seas that broke against it. Nor did Jack care particularly whether -it did or not. - -Several times he made an attempt to leave his stateroom, believing that -he would feel very much better if he could only reach deck. But each time -he left his berth he became so nauseated that he was glad to climb back -again. Mr. Warner made three efforts to visit him but Jack had bolted the -door against all intruders, including a solicitous steward who tried to -persuade him to drink a cup of tea and eat some hot toast. - -On the morning of the fourth day out, however, he awoke to find himself -much relieved. To be sure he was very weak, but the sea had gone down -and walking was not the effort it had been before. He found himself able -to eat a light breakfast and later he managed to reach his steamer chair -into which he sank with a sigh of relief. He was not the only passenger -convalescing. Indeed all the occupants of the steamer chairs were pale -and weak appearing and Jack found a great deal of satisfaction in knowing -that others had been affected by the storm. - -The _Yucatan_ was plowing her way through the dark blue water of the -Gulf, riding the long lazy swells with graceful ease, and to Jack, who -had never before been out of sight of land, the vast stretch of water -was awe-inspiring. The vessel seemed small and insignificant out there -all alone and he wondered how Columbus and other early adventurers had -ever found courage enough to sail for weeks over untraveled seas knowing -so little of their destination. In fact, how mariners could navigate a -vessel even with present-day charts and equipment seemed a mystery to the -boy from Vermont. - -Late that afternoon while Jack was trying to get interested in a book -that he had brought from his stateroom, Mr. Warner appeared on deck. -“By George,” he exclaimed as he caught sight of Jack, “you’re not the -boy with whom I was talking a day or so ago! Why, you look as pale as a -ghost. You must have had a rather disagreeable few days. Well, we did run -through something of a blow and I guess you weren’t the only one who was -seasick. To tell the truth, I felt a little squeamish myself for a time.” - -“I think it was about the most unpleasant sensation I ever had,” said -Jack. - -“You are right,” said Mr. Warner; “but most of us have to experience -it sometime. Well, you are headed straight for your destination now. I -expect we will reach Tampico by late to-morrow night or the following -morning, and after that it is only a day to Vera Cruz. I am rather -glad I came across you here, for I’ve a lot of figuring to do on some -specifications I brought with me and I may not have an opportunity to see -you again before I land. I’ll say good-by to you now and let me wish you -the very best of luck in Mexico. Be sure and remember me to Harry Ryder -when you see him and tell him also that I may find an opportunity to -visit him if I am in Mexico long enough.” - -Jack shook his hand warmly, for he had come to like the marine engineer a -great deal. - -“I am sure we shall see each other again some day,” he said as they -parted company. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -AT ODDS WITH CUSTOMS INSPECTORS - - -Though it was hardly daylight Jack was up and dressed and on deck when -the Mexican pilot came aboard to take the _Yucatan_ into Vera Cruz. A -filmy blue mist was rising from the broad surface of the harbor, making -the white walled seaport seem like a dream city. Dawn, like twilight, in -the Tropics is of brief duration, and the boy from New England scarcely -had time to mark the fleeting changes of color along the eastern horizon -before the sun came up, dispelling at once the lingering night mist. And -with the coming of day the city and the harbor became alive. Tiny sail -boats put out and from wharves and jetties here and there puffing tugs -made their appearance. - -Jack Straw watched the scene with eager interest. It was all so new and -so very unlike what he had expected that he became thoroughly fascinated. -Off to the right he beheld the frowning walls of the old fortress and -military prison of San Juan de Ulloa. He recalled stories he had heard of -its dungeons where numberless horrible executions had taken place, and he -wondered how many enemies of Huerta lingered there at the present time. -From this grim building he turned his attention to the city. The spires -of the cathedral showed high above the housetops, and as Jack caught -sight of them there arose the most confused jargon of metallic sound that -he had ever heard. It was as if a regiment of blacksmiths were beating -on cracked anvils. He did not learn until he landed that these sounds -emanated from the belfry of the cathedral and were caused by a group of -bell ringers bent on calling the population to early mass. - -In due time, after port inspectors, quarantine officers, and a host of -other uniformed individuals had climbed aboard and inspected every one -and everything in sight, the _Yucatan_ was permitted to make her way -slowly to the Pringle Line wharf. - -Jack, valise in hand, was among the first down the gang-plank, but he had -hardly put foot on the dock before he was accosted by another uniformed -attendant who spoke very poor English. The boy managed after a great -deal of effort to understand that he was one of the customs inspectors -and that he was about to make an examination of the contents of the -valise. Jack willingly unlocked the leather bag and permitted the swarthy -searcher to tumble its contents about until he became convinced that the -youth had nothing on which he could collect duty. But he did not seem -satisfied. He looked at Jack from head to heels, noting particularly each -one of his pockets. Then suddenly he pointed to where the leather wallet -and drawing made the boy’s coat bulge slightly. - -“What—ah—have. Ah—you—ah—er—” he puzzled his brain to know how to finish -the sentence in English. But finally becoming exasperated he tapped -Jack’s coat violently with his fingers. - -“_Aqui! Aqui! Aqui!_” (here! here! here!) he demanded. Jack did not -understand the Spanish, but he knew that the leather wallet interested -the inspector. He hesitated to produce it at first and tried to satisfy -the dark-visaged little man by telling him that it was only a wallet. But -the Mexican would not be contented and in the end the boy had to reveal -to him the contents of the yellow leather case. At the sight of the blue -prints and sketches the native became thoroughly aroused. He tried to ask -questions in English but became so very confused that he resorted to his -native tongue and talked a perfect stream of Spanish. And of course Jack -was unable to understand a word of it. - -Then the Mexican beckoned the young American to follow him, pointing at -the same time to a long low stone building near by which Jack concluded -was the custom house. Together they hurried across the street, the -inspector chattering so hard that Jack’s protests were lost completely. - -The man led the way through several rather poorly kept offices to the -far end of the building, where they entered what was evidently the -room of the Chief Inspector of the port. An elderly and very dignified -old gentleman was the sole occupant. He was seated at a desk in the -far corner, but at their coming he arose and advanced to meet them. -Immediately the little inspector became thoroughly animated. He opened -the wallet (upon which he had kept a firm grip since Jack gave it to him) -and spread the drawings on the table before his superior, talking very -fast all the while. Together the two Mexicans examined each sketch, then -finally the old man turned and spoke to Jack. - -“Do you converse Mexican?” he queried and Jack shook his head. - -The Chief Inspector clapped his hands twice, whereat a servant appeared, -to disappear immediately upon receiving a few abrupt instructions. -Shortly after the servant entered again followed by a light-haired -youth of about Jack’s own age, and undoubtedly an American. The boy -from Vermont was decidedly pleased, but before he could speak the Chief -Inspector addressed the newcomer, pointing to the drawings and the -wallet at the conclusion of his remarks. - -“He wants to know what these drawings are,” said the interpreter; “he -thinks that you are a spy in the employ of the revolutionists and that -these papers are very important.” - -“Please tell him,” said Jack with a smile, “that the drawings are -valuable only to one person and he is the man who is making the -electricity which lights President Huerta’s palace and the streets of -Mexico City.” - -There was a decided change in the attitude of both officials when this -was translated for them. The Chief Inspector bowed and smiled most -apologetically. - -“So, Señor Ryder. He is your friend?” he said; “he is a—” but he could -get no further with his English, so he addressed the rest to the -interpreter who imparted it to Jack. - -“He says that Mr. Ryder is a very wonderful man and that if you are his -friend he is sorry that he detained you. You are free to go now,” said -the American, and Jack, after thanking the dignified old Mexican, tucked -the wallet into his pocket and left the office. In the corridor of the -building he was overtaken by the interpreter, who paused a moment to -speak. - -“My name is Dave Anson,” he said, “and if I can help you any, while you -are in Vera Cruz, just let me know. I always like to help out a fellow -countryman.” - -“You have done a great deal for me already,” said Jack, “for if it had -not been for you I am afraid I would have found myself in a mighty -unhappy position. I certainly am obliged to you.” - -“Oh, don’t mention it,” said Anson, then in an undertone he added, “Don’t -let the old chap deceive you. I could see he was rather skeptical about -what you said, but he is afraid to detain you any longer for fear you -might have a little more pull than he has, so he let you go. Don’t worry; -you’ll be shadowed every minute that you are in Vera Cruz, so mind your -actions. Well, so long and good luck to you.” The two boys shook hands -warmly and parted. - -Jack gave little thought to his recent experience after he left the -custom house, for he had a great deal to attend to. First of all he must -find a banking house where he could get his American money exchanged for -Mexican currency. Dr. Moorland had given him the address of one of the -few honest banking firms in Vera Cruz, and after a long search he located -the place. He was very much surprised to find that for every one of his -American dollars he received two Mexican dollars in exchange. Indeed, his -capital was doubled and when he left the bank his trousers’ pockets and -wallet were weighted down with huge silver coins. Jack’s next object was -to find the railroad terminal, and since an English speaking clerk had -given him explicit directions as to its location he experienced little or -no difficulty in finding the long low building with its dirty trainshed. - -A great many of the railroad men in Mexico above the grade of brakemen -are Americans and the young traveler had very little trouble at the -station. He learned, however, that he had two hours to wait before the -next train to the capital would be made up, and after buying his ticket -and making Pullman reservations he checked his valise and started on a -trip about the city. - -Through hot unshaded streets he wandered, peering into the curious little -shops and watching with interest the swarthy people. Finally he reached -the broad plaza with its imposing cathedral, bandstand and line upon line -of park benches. Here he sat down to rest and watch a score of dirty, -half-clad children playing on the sidewalk. They were apparently taking -part in a game and Jack tried very hard to understand the details of it. -Indeed he became so interested that he did not realize some one had taken -the seat beside him until he felt a hand upon his arm. - -“_Un centavo, Señor, un centavo_,” pleaded a whining voice, and Jack -found himself accosted by a very ugly and dirty-looking Mexican with a -monstrous hat. Though the lad did not understand his language he had -little difficulty in guessing that the man was begging for money. Eager -to be quit of such an uncouth companion he took several small coins from -his coat pocket and dropped them into the beggar’s outstretched palm. -But as he did so he looked up to find a man on a bench not far distant -watching him closely. - -He was rather well dressed when compared to others Jack had noticed about -the city, wearing an unusually large sombrero of much better texture than -that of the beggar’s. The brim and band about the crown was embellished -with Indian beadwork which made it very picturesque. On being observed -this man lowered his eyes and began to roll a black paper cigarette, nor -did he look up again until Jack left the bench and started across the -plaza. However, he watched the lad’s movements from the corner of his eye -until the Vermonter turned toward the street that led to the railroad -terminal. Then he arose and followed at a distance. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -IN THE HANDS OF THE SECRET SERVICE - - -Although the train for Mexico City was due to leave Vera Cruz promptly on -the hour, it was forty minutes late when it started to get underway. This -slight disregard for schedule did not surprise Jack, however, for already -he had discovered this natural failing of all Mexicans. The Pullman -coach in which he had secured accommodations was fortunately one of a -number of American-built cars that had been taken over the Rio Grande -and into Mexico from time to time during the extension of the national -railroad system, and in consequence the young traveler did not suffer -much from lack of comfort. Before he had traveled very long Jack realized -that he had embarked upon the most interesting portion of his journey -to the power plant. The train sped along through the most wonderful -country that he had ever seen. Now he was racing through deep ravines -with perpendicular walls of rock rising so high that daylight was almost -shut out and perpetual twilight reigned. From this he was whisked into -broad valleys with mountain ranges towering on either side. And often -the tracks led high up on the sides of one of these mountains, revealing -a broad panorama of tropical country, with Popocatepetl, the monstrous -volcano, in the distance. - -Now and then Indian villages were passed and Jack caught fleeting -glimpses of a group of thatched huts and adobes and crowds of naked -children and half-clad men and women who stared stolidly at the train -as it shot by. Occasionally a stop was made at some large town and -picturesque groups of Mexicans gathered at the station to stare in -wonderment at the passengers. Always these groups were made up entirely -of men, for the women had far too much to do to waste time idly watching -trains. These men were a motley throng, all wearing high-crowned, -broad-brimmed hats and gaily colored _serapes_, or blankets, which -they hugged close about them in spite of the heat. The better dressed -wore trousers that were extremely tight fitting. The others, however, -wore frayed and tattered garments made of everything from sail cloth to -sacking and ungainly sandals bound across the arch and around the ankle -with long buckskin thongs. Not a shoe did Jack discover among them. - -What with the scenery and the picturesque towns and villages, Jack’s -interest was kept out of doors for several hours. But eventually even -the novelty of traveling through a foreign country grew wearisome and he -turned his attention to a book that he had stowed away in his traveling -bag. He had not been reading long, however, before he began to be -troubled by a strange presentiment that some one was watching him. Quite -involuntarily he glanced up from the page he was perusing and looked into -the bead-like eyes of a native who was occupying a Pullman chair at the -other end of the car. Instantly the Mexican’s eyes were turned away. The -lad became suspicious immediately, for he recognized the man as the one -who had watched him in the plaza at Vera Cruz. There was no mistaking -him, for he wore the same big-brimmed sombrero with its curious beadwork -binding. - -Jack instinctively put his hand to the pocket where he kept the wallet -of drawings, for he had a vague feeling that this man was interested in -them, though he really could not understand why he should be since they -had not been exhibited at any place save in the custom house. Then he -suddenly recalled the young American interpreter’s warning that he would -probably be closely watched at all times! Was this man shadowing him? -Had he been trailed all through Vera Cruz? The thought angered him and -he glanced at the Mexican again. That individual, however, had removed -his big hat and was gazing calmly out of the window, as if he did not -know that Jack Straw ever existed, and his unconcerned manner caused the -young traveler to wonder whether this second meeting was only a strange -coincidence after all. - -Jack tried to resume his reading, but it was not long before his mind -was far from the printed pages and busy evolving a plan whereby he could -become certain as to whether the tall Mexican was watching him or not. -Soon the train began to slow down for another stop and on the instant the -American got an idea. He waited until the train came to a full stop; then -as if he suddenly realized that this was the station he wanted to get off -at he jumped up and seizing his traveling bag bolted for the door. - -It was all done so quickly that the Mexican was taken completely off his -guard. When he saw the boy rush for the door he gave one hurried glance -up the car, then followed as fast as he could. By the time he reached the -door, however, Jack had alighted and was racing along the side of the car -to the rear platform where he swung aboard and returned to the seat he -had just vacated. He had successfully lost the Mexican for five minutes -at least, for the man searched up and down the station platform and in -all directions trying to locate the Vermonter. Then, purely by accident, -he looked toward the train again and saw Jack smiling at him from one of -the windows. - -It was evident from his distorted features that the native was thoroughly -enraged. He plunged for the train which was already underway and swinging -aboard hurried into the Pullman car, brandishing a huge army revolver as -he advanced. Several women passengers screamed and every man in the car -put his hands above his head when they saw the angered native striding -down the aisle. They were certain that the train had been boarded by -highwaymen and that they were about to be asked to turn over their -valuables. But the Mexican disregarded the disturbance he had caused. He -put the muzzle of the ugly revolver against Jack’s breast and hissed: - -“You, gringo, you are arrest for a spy of the revolution. Not holler.” - -But Jack did not intend to “holler.” With the hard nose of the gun -pressed against his ribs he did not hesitate to put his hands above his -head as the other men in the train had done. - -“You are arrest by that great Secret Service of Mexico,” said the native -very impressively; “give me up your guns.” - -“I have no guns that are dangerous,” said Jack Straw, and he spoke the -truth, for the big Colt that his father had given him reposed unloaded -and quite harmless in the bottom of his valise. But the Mexican refused -to believe him. - -“Give up or I make of you an examination,” he said, trying hard to be -courteous in spite of his outraged temper. - -“Search,” said Jack, “only let me put my arms down.” And the detective -forthwith began to go through his pockets while the other passengers, -many of whom were Americans, gathered around and looked on. One of the -first things that the detective did was to confiscate the yellow wallet -with the drawings. His eyes sparkled with pleasure when he opened it. - -“Ah! Señor, it is for these you will be shot, maybe. You are a bad -gringo,” he said with an evil chuckle. - -“They are only working drawings of a machine,” protested Jack. - -“Yes, a war machine, I think,” said the Mexican, continuing his search -for firearms. Finally, after finding nothing more formidable than a -jack-knife, the officer put his own revolver away and informed Jack that -he might sit down and be at ease until they reached Mexico City. He -warned the boy, however, that any attempt on his part to leave the car -would call forth the huge revolver again, and since Jack had no desire -to learn how good a marksman the Mexican was he refrained from rising -from his Pullman chair for the rest of the afternoon. The Secret Service -man sat directly opposite, his dark eyes never moving from the lad from -Drueryville. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -ON TRIAL AS A SPY - - -The lights of Mexico City were a welcome sight to the young American. -Never had a train ride seemed so long. The Secret Service guard refused -to allow him conversation with his fellow-passengers and as the -circumstances were too strained to permit his reading with any degree -of interest, Jack had little to do but gaze out of the window and think -over his misfortune. The moment the train rolled into the station, the -detective hustled Jack to the military barracks in the heart of the city. -It was almost midnight when they were challenged by the white-clad sentry -before the heavy double gates of the enclosure. Jack’s captor answered -with a few brief sentences in Spanish and the gates were unbarred to -let them pass. Inside another sentry located the officer on duty and he -and the Secret Service man held a short conference. A few moments later -two privates were summoned. They took charge of the young Vermonter, -escorting him toward the far end of the long barracks buildings, where he -was locked into a stuffy unlighted cell in the guardhouse. - -[Illustration: “To Jack it all seemed like a horrible nightmare”] - -To Jack it all seemed like a horrible nightmare. Here he was a prisoner -in the capital of a strange country. He had no knowledge of the language -spoken by those with whom he had to deal, nor did he have friends or -relatives within several thousand miles. His only hope in being delivered -from his rather serious position lay in the possibility of calling Harry -Ryder to Mexico City so that he could identify his drawings and explain -how they came to be in the possession of some other person. But Jack was -not altogether certain that this could be done, or if it could be done, -whether his captors would be willing to take that much trouble to prove -him innocent. At first he had taken the arrest more or less as a joke, -but as he reviewed the various stories he had heard of the Mexican idea -of justice, he became very much worried. He knew the punishment meted -out to a spy and he wondered whether that would be his end. With such -thought parading through his brain, he had little chance for sleep that -night. Indeed he heard a big clock beyond the barracks walls toll every -hour from midnight until dawn. - -At seven o’clock breakfast was brought to him by an uncouth looking -private in a dirty white uniform. The meal consisted of _tortillas_, made -of corn flour, and _frijoles_, which are black Mexican beans. There was -not even a cup of water with which to wash it down. Though Jack had had -very little to eat the day before, the sight of the mess brought by the -soldier sickened him, and he put the tin plate aside untouched. - -An hour later an officer with four privates came into the guardhouse -and unlocked the door of Jack’s cell. The lad observed that each of the -soldiers carried a shining rifle at port arms and the officer entered -with sword drawn. At this he became speechless with horror. Was this -a firing squad! Was he going to be executed without the formality of -trial? He was almost too weak to walk when the officer spoke to him in -Spanish and motioned for him to come forth. Silently the soldiers formed -behind him and urged him forward out of the guardhouse and on to the -parade grounds. - -His heart-breaking suspense ended there, however, when he noted the -direction in which the soldiers turned him. Instead of marching out into -the center of the enclosure they headed directly for a building that -looked very much like a large dwelling. To the young American it appeared -as if it might be the home of the commander of the barracks. He hoped it -was, for in that case he could be certain of some form of trial at least, -during which he could doubtlessly explain about the drawings. - -The boy was ushered before the austere old General by the officer alone, -the guard remaining on duty before the door. The commander was seated -at a desk in the center of a well-lighted, cheerful-looking room, a -uniformed orderly at his elbow. The other occupant of the room was -the Secret Service man who had arrested him the day before. Both were -poring over the drawings of the lightning arrester which the detective -had confiscated, while on the corner of the officer’s desk was Jack’s -traveling bag which had been forced open, possibly for the purpose of -finding other evidence against him. - -The detective and the officer looked up as the youth entered. Jack’s -officer escort saluted and retired to the rear of the room, leaving the -lad standing in the middle of the floor alone. The detective cleared his -throat and spoke. - -“I shall be what you call the interpreter. I spik Mexican, I spik also -Inglis. Shall you be content?” he queried. - -“I will be contented if you will believe what I tell you,” said Jack -rather curtly. “It is ridiculous to arrest me as a spy. I am an American -citizen and those drawings are not war plans or details of a ‘war -machine,’ as you suggested yesterday. They are plans for an electrical -appliance that is to be built by Mr. Harry Ryder, in order to give better -light to Mexico City.” - -The detective looked at him with doubt plainly written on his -countenance. Then he turned and in rapid fire sentences imparted Jack’s -story to the general. The officer also appeared to doubt the youth’s -statement. He was silent for a few moments, however, while he pondered -the situation; then through the interpreter he asked: - -“Why does Mr. Ryder trust his valuable papers to you?” - -“Because he didn’t care to trust your unreliable mail service,” said Jack -vindictively. - -The wrath of the detective was stirred immediately. - -“Mexico is a great country. She has a dependability of mail service. You -are a gringo who spies for the revolution. Do not tell me not. I saw you -with my own eyes pass some secret something to a sympathizer in the plaza -at Vera Cruz. Ah, but he are arrest already and your secret is now known.” - -Jack was startled at first. Then as he recalled the whining beggar in the -plaza he laughed heartily. - -“Why, he was only a beggar. I gave him a few coins. You are making a -mountain out of a mole hill, Mr. Detective. Why not have done with all -the foolishness by summoning Mr. Ryder from Necaxa? He will prove that -the drawings are his and that I am no spy.” - -The General and the Secret Service man debated this suggestion for some -time. Evidently they thought it a good idea, for the officer presently -began to use the telephone at his elbow while the detective talked to -Jack. - -“We will call Señor Ryder. General Rodriguez say the great electrical -engineer is in Mexico City now. He spoke with him in the café last -evening. He will come maybe, and then if you can prove, you must prove. -If you don’t, you will be shot to-morrow.” - -The commander ceased his telephoning after a few moments and spoke to the -interpreter, who, turning to Jack, announced: - -“Señor Ryder is at the office of the Compania de Luz y Fuerza Montriz in -Calle de Tetuan. He will be here quite soon.” - -The General and the Secret Service agent spent the next fifteen minutes -smoking numerous black paper cigarettes and talking quite excitedly to -each other while Jack was left standing in the center of the room. The -waiting was ages long for the American. But finally there sounded the -tooting of an automobile horn and roar of a motor from the parade ground -outside and a moment later a tall fine-looking American, clad in linen -trousers and soft shirt, entered the commander’s office. - -Jack stepped forward instantly and held out his hand. - -“Mr. Ryder,” he said, “I am John Strawbridge, Dr. Moorland’s messenger. -I have been arrested and am being held as a spy because I happened to -have your drawings in my wallet. You see it excited the curiosity of the -customs inspector yesterday and the result is I am in the hands of the -Mexican Secret Service to-day. I sincerely hope that you can get me out -of this rather disagreeable position; otherwise I’ll furnish the target -for a firing squad to-morrow morning.” - -“Why, this is ridiculous,” said Mr. Ryder as he saw his drawings spread -out before General Rodriguez. Then he began to talk in Spanish to the -natives. A few moments conversation was all that was necessary to -convince the Secret Service agent and the officer that a serious mistake -had been made, and each was profuse in his apologies to Jack Straw. - -“It is a great regret that I arrest so honorable friend of Señor Ryder,” -said the detective with a sweeping bow. “I hope you will pardon, Señor.” - -And Jack showed the sort of stuff Americans are made of by stepping -forward and warmly shaking hands with the Secret Service agent and the -commander. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -OFF FOR NECAXA - - -Jack was not long in discovering that Harry Ryder was a prince of -companions. After the little incident at the barracks they were fast -friends. Of course the engineer was somewhat older than the boy from -Drueryville, having just turned twenty-nine, but withal he was decidedly -boyish in spirit. The big gray motor car that stood in front of the -commander’s house was the engineer’s latest toy and nothing would do -but that Jack should accompany him on a tour of the capital of “this -benighted country,” as he termed Mexico. And he made an excellent guide. - -Until long after midday they went flying up one street and down another, -while Mr. Ryder pointed out all the places of interest. First they -visited the Plaza Mayor, or Zocalo, as it is frequently called. And -while Jack was noting each interesting detail about the imposing public -buildings, the Cathedral and the National Palace, the engineer explained -the history of that remarkable section of the City of Mexico. - -“This,” he said, “was the heart of the Aztec capital four hundred or more -years ago. Indeed, that building over there, the National Palace, was -constructed on the very site of the splendid palace of the old Indian -ruler Montezuma. And as for the Cathedral, that is built on the very -foundation stones that held the wonderful Tecalli, the Aztec temple, -where from twenty to fifty thousand lives were sacrificed annually to the -powerful Indian deity Huitzilopotchli. The present Cathedral with its -towering spires was erected in 1573 and is the most imposing edifice of -its kind in the whole of North and South America.” - -From the Plaza Mayor they turned to other interesting portions of the -community. The famous tree under which Cortez is said to have wept was -pointed out by Mr. Ryder; also the various monuments and buildings -associated with the old Spanish adventurer. They traversed the causeway -over which Cortez retreated and ultimately visited Chapultepec where the -Indian rulers once maintained magnificent dwellings. - -It was nearly one o’clock when the car rolled into the heart of the city -again and stopped before the door of the American Hotel. There Jack and -the engineer climbed out, but before Mr. Ryder entered the hotel he -inspected his new machine thoroughly. - -“That’s a great plaything,” he said enthusiastically. “I bought it a -month ago, and I usually arrange to get into the city every Sunday to -take a drive. You see I have to leave it here because there is no roadway -out to Necaxa, only a pack train trail and our narrow-gage railroad. -I couldn’t very well use it out at the power plant anyway for it’s a -trackless wilderness there.” - -On entering the hostelry the two Americans lost no time in finding the -dining-room, for the drive had given them both a ravenous appetite. They -ate in silence for a time, for the business of satisfying their hunger -was of great importance. But when coffee was finally served and each -felt that they had done credit to the ample portions afforded to them, -Mr. Ryder began to talk. - -“You know, Jack, I think it was mighty lucky for you that I happened -to be in Mexico City. Otherwise you would probably have been compelled -to spend several days in jail. And it is even possible that they would -not have taken the trouble to send to Necaxa for me. A Mexican’s idea -of justice is rather crude. Frequently they shoot a suspect and then -debate his guilt or innocence over his body. Old Rodriguez and his Secret -Service friend were quite positive that you were a spy, and I am afraid -that the cartridges with which you were to be executed had already been -dealt out, figuratively speaking.” - -Jack shuddered as he thought of his narrow escape. - -“I guess that I _was_ very fortunate having you so near at hand,” he said. - -“Well, I’ll be quite honest with you, Jack, this visit to Mexico City -was not a matter of choice with me. I was requested to appear before the -officials of the company and old Huerta himself. You see things have -been in a devil of a mess at the plant recently and we have had some -trouble in keeping the old city supplied with enough light. I fancy it -has been getting on Huerta’s nerves and he has been calling the company’s -officials to account. They in turn pass the calls along to me. - -“You see some of the hundred or more workmen at the plant have developed -revolutionary ideas. They seem to be Zapata sympathizers and they are -doing all they can to make things unpleasant for Huerta. They have been -crippling machinery from time to time, tampering with the searchlights, -putting dirt in the bearings of the generators and raising the dickens in -general. Of course this reflects on my management and I feel rather ugly -about it all. But the men who do it keep pretty well under cover. I wish -that I could find out just which of the greasers are the trouble makers. -I’d have them line up against the station wall and drilled through with -some of their own soft-nosed bullets. That may sound a little inhuman, -but honestly one cannot afford to treat them otherwise. As a matter of -fact their fate is not in my hands. The moment we discover a sympathizer -the rurales stationed at the plant as special guards take the matter in -their own hands and all that we hear of the case after that is the report -of the carbines. Oh, they make very little bones about human life down -here. And that reminds me, have you provided yourself with a protector in -the form of a revolver? If you haven’t we’ll see that you are supplied -with one before we start back for the plant this afternoon.” - -“I have my father’s big blue steel Colt,” said Jack with pride. “It’s -right here in my traveling bag. But I haven’t much ammunition, only the -cartridges in the belt.” - -“Well, you’d better buckle it on your hip when we start. You will -probably find a great deal of comfort in having it handy all the time -you remain in Mexico. Why, you should see our plant. It’s a veritable -fortress with its rows of trenches, its barbed-wire barriers, its -squadron of rurales and detachment of infantry. And our working force -is drilled to do some fine defense work too. We are all equipped with -Mauser rifles and we have a battery of new French rapid-fire guns and -a three-inch fieldpiece that can throw a shell clean over the top of -the nearest mountain. We know it will do that for not long ago we had -occasion to bombard a handful of Zapatistas from a position on the cliffs -a mile away. The rats had an old fieldpiece and they managed to get a -couple of solid shot down through the roof of a storehouse near the -plant. Oh, we have had an interesting time out there for the last eight -or ten months. The Zapatistas have been hovering around like a swarm -of bees. They haven’t managed to do much damage, however, but we never -know when they will be joined by other mobs of guerrilla soldiers who -are operating in that section of the mountains. When that happens then I -guess we can look for real trouble. - -“I arranged with General Rodriguez last night to have another detachment -of infantry accompany us to the plant this afternoon. I think it would be -wise to strengthen the guard out there at any rate. We are going out on a -train of flat cars that will be ready to move shortly so I guess we had -better be getting ready. I’ll drive you over to a gunsmith’s and you can -get all the ammunition you want, then we’ll start for the railroad.” - -At the gunshop Jack laid in five hundred rounds of ammunition. This -seemed a ridiculously large amount but Mr. Ryder assured him that it -was wise to be on the safe side in such matters. Several other stores -were visited where Jack purchased some clothing suggested by Mr. Ryder -for service at the plant. The most important purchase was one of the -huge sombreros such as the natives wear. This was secured at a little -hat booth on one of the side streets. Jack was amazed at the size -of some of these hats and while he was looking over the assortment -offered, Mr. Ryder explained that the natives were very vain about -their hats. He said that in former days the wealthy Mexicans vied with -each other to see who could wear the hat with the largest brim and the -most costly embellishments. This competition reached the point where it -finally became a public nuisance, for the big hat brims were decidedly -objectionable on crowded thoroughfares or street cars. The federal -government finally took the matter in hand and imposed a tax of a certain -amount for every four inches of brim over a stipulated size. This -ordinance put the hat brims at a universal width. - -After the shopping they hurried back to the hotel where Mr. Ryder always -maintained a room. Their clothes were changed and garments of the -rough-and-ready sort adopted. Jack felt very self-conscious as he buckled -on the heavy revolver and donned the high-crowned sombrero, but he did -his best to hide it from his companion. On his way out of the hotel, -however, he surreptitiously glanced at his reflection in one of the large -mirrors and found to his great satisfaction that such toggery was not at -all unbecoming. He secretly resolved to have some photographs made which -he intended to take back to Drueryville when he returned. - -The train that was to carry them out to Necaxa was, as the engineer had -said, nothing more than a string of flat cars with a yellow caboose at -the end. It was a narrow gage railroad that was built especially to carry -supplies to the power station, one hundred and twenty-five miles back in -the mountains. - -Two of the flat cars were heaped high with boxes of provisions and -barrels of flour, all on the way to the little community at the power -house. Three other cars were occupied by the detachment of infantry from -the barracks. The soldiers were not a prepossessing lot, Jack thought, as -he viewed them. They were uniformed alike, of course, and for the most -the uniforms were in rather good order though somewhat dirty. Their hats -were not unlike the forage caps of the United States troops during the -Civil War, with the exception that they were higher in the crown. The -men were all dark skinned and ugly looking, and the young American was -quite certain that as enemies they would probably be decidedly vicious -customers. - -Three officers accompanied the detachment but they held themselves -aloof from the rest of the soldiers, sharing the caboose with Jack and -Mr. Ryder. They were tall, fine-looking specimens of Mexican manhood, -very jaunty in their gold-braided uniforms, and Jack found them very -companionable after they became acquainted, for they could speak English -after a fashion and some of the war stories they told helped to make the -slow journey into the mountains less tedious. - -On leaving Mexico City the train started to climb immediately for the -way was entirely up grade, the plant being situated at a higher altitude -than the capital. As a result of this and the unusually heavy load, the -little engine made slow progress. Indeed, at some points in spite of its -snorting and puffing it could not go on and the men were forced to get -down from the flat cars and walk, thereby lessening the load. Because -of this slow progress it was long after nightfall when Jack discovered -a long pencil of light reaching out across the sky. It looked weird and -uncanny off there in the solitude of the mountains. But as he watched it -began to move along the ridges, searching out each valley and depression. -Then Jack understood. It was the huge searchlight at the plant, looking -among the hills for lurking bands of Zapatistas. - -The lad watched the light travel from point to point until finally it -located the supply train, which it escorted all the way to the station, -illuminating the tracks just ahead of the engine. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE CRIPPLED GENERATORS - - -It was a veritable fortress that Jack entered when he left the caboose -of the supply train. Before him, on a slight eminence, was the massive -building of the power station with the searchlight mounted on the -roof. The grassy slope below was marred by a double line of trenches -unoccupied, of course, save for one or two white-clad sentinels who paced -back and forth restlessly. On the lawn between the first trench and -the station, the lad noted a bulky object covered with canvas. This he -immediately decided was the three-inch fieldpiece about which Mr. Ryder -had spoken. To the north of the station was the irregular outline of many -small cottages. As the searchlight threw its rays in that direction, the -boy observed that nearly all of them were constructed of wood and erected -after the fashion of the cottages furnished to the quarrymen in Vermont. -There were also several long low shed-like structures which he learned -later housed the soldiers. The entire community did not occupy more than -five or six acres and was entirely cut off from the surrounding country -by barbed wire barricades. Indeed, the place looked well-nigh impregnable -to the American. To approach from the north, south or west, invaders -would have to get through the mass of barbed wire first and carry two -lines of trenches before they reached the station, and as far as the east -side of the plant was concerned, approach in that direction was made -impossible by the roaring mountain stream that furnished water to the -station’s turbines. - -The enclosure became a perfect bedlam a few moments after the supply -train rolled in. To the roar of the river and the grumble of the huge -generators inside were added the shouts of the soldiers detraining and -unloading the supplies. The entire barracks had turned out to welcome the -reinforcements, for it happened that they composed two companies of the -same regiment. Altogether Jack estimated that there were more than 200 -men ready to defend the place against the rebels, not including the squad -of twenty-five rurales who were stationed there to patrol the surrounding -country. The rurales, the lad learned, were not soldiers in the stricter -sense of the word. They are maintained by the Mexican Government to -do practically the same work as that required of the famous Canadian -mounted police; which is to rid the country of bandits, smugglers and bad -men, and run down the outlaws that hide in the mountains. They are far -better drilled than any of the Mexican troops and are well equipped with -clothing and firearms. Their horses are the best that Mexican dollars can -buy. These men ride exceptionally well, shoot almost as accurately as the -Texas ranger and are brave and fearless. A Mexican president who believed -in the old saying that “it takes a thief to catch a thief,” organized -the rurales years ago when the country was infested with bandits and bad -men. Every time one of these men was apprehended he was forced to join -the rurales and hunt down bandits. In this way his vicious nature was -well satisfied and at the same time he was able to consider himself a -law-abiding citizen, which usually appeals to all individuals who have -been outlaws for any length of time. To Jack these soldier-policemen were -very picturesque as they swaggered about in their dark-green, tightly -fitting uniforms and broad-brimmed hats. He noticed, however, that they -did not associate with the white-clad regulars, but stood apart in a -little group by themselves and watched the other men unload the cars. - -Mr. Ryder and Jack lingered long enough to see that the unloading was -well under way before they turned toward the station. - -“I’ve a strange premonition that the troublemakers hereabout have taken -advantage of my absence,” said the engineer as they approached the -office. “I would not be surprised to find the plant dynamited some day. -These rebel sympathizers will go the limit to make it disagreeable for -old Huerta.” - -The office of Ben Nedham, first assistant engineer, was vacant. When Mr. -Ryder saw this he looked worried. Immediately he bounded up the spiral -iron staircase to the balcony-like control room where the switchboards -were located. Allen Lyman, a tall light-haired American in charge of that -section of the plant, advanced to meet him, and his face also bore a -troubled look. - -“They’ve been at it again, Mr. Ryder,” he exclaimed. “We haven’t been -able to carry the load all evening. Machines five and six are out of -commission. Couldn’t even start them. Nedham and a gang are down there on -the generator floor now trying to patch them up.” - -“What is the trouble?” demanded the engineer, his brow wrinkled by a -perplexed frown. - -“Well, some one got in after two o’clock this morning, evidently, and -threw a bucket full of fire sand into the gears of both machines. Nedham -has had only one watchman here and he must have gone to sleep.” - -“Have you heard from Mexico City yet?” demanded Mr. Ryder anxiously. - -“No, not yet, but we can gamble that the lights are mighty dim there. -Shouldn’t wonder but what we’ll get a call before the night is over.” - -He had hardly completed the sentence when the telephone bell on the desk -in the center of the room jangled sharply. - -“Dollars to doughnuts that’s Mexico City now,” exclaimed Lyman as he -removed the receiver. A moment he talked with the man on the other end of -the line; then he beckoned to Mr. Ryder. - -“It’s President Huerta himself,” he said, holding his hand over the -transmitter. “He’s as mad as a Mexican bull too. Wants to speak with you.” - -For fifteen minutes the chief engineer attempted to explain the situation -to the country’s executive, and in the meantime Jack busied himself -trying to puzzle out the reason for all the switches, knobs, handles -and indicators on the huge marble switchboard that extended all the way -around the circular room. He knew that all the machinery in the station -was controlled from that board, but just how it was done he had not the -slightest idea. He decided, however, to take advantage of the first -opportunity and learn the function of each of the mysterious looking -black rubber handles. - -Mr. Ryder left the ’phone apparently thoroughly angry. He paced the -narrow room for some time before he uttered a word. Finally, pausing -before the desk again, he brought his fist down with a resounding blow. - -“By Jupiter,” he thundered, “this _must_ stop or I’ll know the reason -why. The old man is as peeved as a wet hen and I don’t blame him. He -informed me that we had made a failure out of the most important state -function of the year simply because the palace was so poorly lighted. -They had to resort to smoky oil lamps to help out. He was furious. Told -me the city looked like an Indian village, it was so dark. Oh, if I could -only get my fingers on the villains who did this work!” - -Thus did he storm to Jack and the operator until he became thoroughly -out of breath and was forced to pause. Then turning he called Jack and -started down the spiral stairs again. Three flights they descended until -they reached the floor of the generating room. Six huge generating units -occupied the space. They were great black monsters of steel that looked -like so many mastodons chained to the floor. Water was roaring down from -the forebay through four of the massive penstocks that supplied the -turbines, but the other two were silent. Around each of these silent -machines was gathered a group of workmen. They had unbolted the steel -protecting plates and were assiduously wiping the sand from the delicate -armature bearings. Some of these workmen were Americans but there were a -number of Mexicans among them, many of whom were distinctly of the peon -class, with bared feet and shabby garments. - -As Jack and the engineer hurried across the floor a short, dark-haired -American advanced to meet them. - -“We’ve trouble on our hands this time!” he exclaimed. “The two machines -are full of sand and we won’t be able to get them cleaned until long -after midnight.” - -“Well, how did it happen, Nedham?” demanded Mr. Ryder. “You were in -charge while I was away and you are responsible. Are you going to let -this plant go to the devil? I got a good blowing up yesterday from the -board of directors and here to-night President Huerta himself had me on -the long distance telephone. Told me flatly that things would have to go -smoother; and I propose to see that they do go smoother hereafter.” - -“How do I know how it happened? Maybe I was in charge, but they manage to -work the same tricks when you are here too, so you can’t altogether blame -me,” said Nedham indignantly. - -“Well, I suppose not,” replied Mr. Ryder in calmer tones. “I didn’t mean -to accuse you of neglect of duty. I know they work the same tricks on me -too. I hope you’ll pardon my temper.” - -The chief engineer extended his hand in cordial apology and Nedham -grasped it, his anger disappearing immediately. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -JACK PROPOSES A TRAP - - -Nedham was right. It was some time after midnight before the big -generators were in condition to operate again. For hours the men toiled -to get every vestige of the gritty substance out of the machines. Mr. -Ryder went at the task with the rest, and Jack, unwilling to remain idle, -rolled up his sleeves and seized a piece of cotton waste also. With the -steel jacket removed, an excellent opportunity was afforded the lad for a -better acquaintance with the mechanism of a water turbine generator, and -as he worked beside Mr. Ryder, the engineer briefly explained the details. - -“This is not really a generator that we are working on, Jack,” said Mr. -Ryder, “because a generator is supposed to create energy. This does not -do that. The real energy is in the water that turns the turbine, and -this machine merely converts that energy into electric current, so you -see the word ‘generator’ is a misnomer in this case. It is the same in a -steam plant. Steam furnishes energy which is converted into electricity -by the so-called generators. In fact, man-made electricity is nothing -more or less than some other kind of energy in a new and more useful -form. I guess you follow me.” - -“I understand all right,” said Jack, “for it is very simple, though I -must confess I had never considered electricity in that way before.” - -“The energy here comes from the water that plunges over the dam we built -across the river about a mile back in the mountains. The dam is sixty-odd -feet high and the water that is stored up behind it is carried down to -the plant here through a very large flume. The flume is built at the same -level as the dam and brings the water around the mountain to the north of -the plant and into the big forebay or reservoir just back of the station. - -“The water in the forebay is kept at about the same height as the dam -also, so it can get a sixty-foot direct drop to the turbines here in the -building. The stream rushes down through the large penstocks, or feeders, -and strikes against the mass of concaved blades on the waterwheel or -turbine. The blades are set across the drum of the wheel and at a slight -angle, thus giving the turbine the full benefit of the force of the water -striking against them as well as the suction of the water after it leaves -the blades. This is known as the reaction type of turbine and is only -used in plants where the fall of water is less than 100 feet. There is -another type of waterwheel on which buckets take the place of blades. -This is known as the impact type and is driven entirely by the pelting -of the water against the bottom of each cup. This wheel is used chiefly -where the fall of water is more than 100 feet. - -“The armature of the generator is also mounted on the shaft or axle of -the turbine. The armature, you know, is composed of coils of wire wound -very close together on an iron frame, or spider. Since the turbine whirls -around very fast the armature is bound to turn at the same rate of -speed. Now, the armature is surrounded by electrically excited magnets, -which are the positive and negative poles of the generator. And as the -coils of wire on the armature rush past the magnets the attraction -or lines of force between the poles are cut abruptly and immediately -electricity is created. By means of those brass collecting rings which -you see on the armature the coils are connected to the transmission lines -and the electricity flows through them to the lights in Mexico City.” - -Mr. Ryder’s description of the hydro-electric plant was so simple and -so easily understood that Jack was able to follow the entire process of -converting water power into electrical energy. The conversation had also -helped to lighten the rather disagreeable task of cleaning the generator -and it was midnight almost before they realized it. - -At this hour Mr. Ryder gave up all hope of using the generator that -night, for, as he explained to Jack, the lights were fast being put out -in the houses and stores of Mexico City, thus cutting down the load on -the power plant to a point where the supply could be easily furnished -by the remaining four machines. That being the case, he suggested they -quit work and leave the task entirely to the peons and other workmen -under Nedham. Jack’s arms were black to the elbow with dirty oil when he -finally tossed his piece of waste away, and Mr. Ryder’s condition was -little better. - -“Come on, we’ll wash up a bit and start for the cottage; I am rather -tired and I fancy you are too.” - -Together they proceeded to the washroom and a few moments later left the -station building and started up the short dusty street that led between -the two rows of cottages. The searchlight was still playing from the roof -and here and there a lonesome sentinel could be seen silhouetted against -the skyline. Otherwise the little community was quite lifeless. - -Mr. Ryder’s cottage was at the very end of the short street. It was a -one-story affair but somewhat more prepossessing in appearance than the -rest of the dwellings. The engineer lived there entirely alone save for -Tom Why, his aged Chinese cook. In fact, each American at the plant had -a separate cottage, which was usually taken care of by some old Indian -woman. There were only two white women in the village. One was the wife -of Allen Lyman and the other was Mrs. Harriet Clifford, the wife of a -young American foreman in the plant-maintenance department. - -Mr. Ryder’s cottage was no better furnished than any of the rest. The -main room, which was living room, dining room, library and study all in -one, was equipped with several heavy wooden chairs, a square table and -a flat desk littered with old magazines and papers. The remaining three -rooms boasted small iron beds and washstands. Just in the rear of the -cottage was a little house in which Tom Why and his American cookstove -were quartered. Tom was acknowledged to be the best cook in the village, -excepting, of course, the two American women. - -Though it was very late, Tom was up and waiting for the engineer. He had -prepared a rather substantial midnight luncheon and when Jack caught -the odor of steaming coffee he suddenly realized that he was extremely -hungry. Neither he nor Mr. Ryder had tasted food since their dinner at -the American Hotel in Mexico City, and they were both ready to do justice -to Tom’s tempting spread. Between mouthfuls, however, they did find time -to talk over the recent trouble at the plant. - -“I must get at the bottom of this and find out who the rebel sympathizers -are. Of course they are among the peon laborers, at least I think so, -for none of the white employees have the slightest interest in Zapata -and his gang of cutthroats, as far as I know. Still, the way the trouble -makers have tampered with the big switches and other dangerous machinery -that most of the peons are afraid of, makes me believe sometimes that -the culprits are white men or natives who know a little more about -electricity than the peons.” - -“I should think then, that you would try and find out whether you are -dealing with peons or Mexicans of another variety,” said Jack. - -“Find out!” demanded the engineer sharply. “Do you think I have been -sitting with my hands folded all this time? I’ve had the place watched. -I’ve done everything I could to discover who is up to this crooked work. -You see, after two in the morning things slacken down at the plant. There -isn’t much of a load to be carried, only the street lighting in Mexico -City, and one or two generators are enough to take care of that. At that -time most of the men leave the plant. There is only the night operator -and two or three watchmen in different parts of the building, and they -are not always as alert as they might be. Well, between two o’clock -and the time the day force comes on at six o’clock in the morning, -the meddlers get in their best work. The day men usually discover the -trouble, though in a case like to-night, when one of the big machines -have been tampered with, the disturbance isn’t noticed until the operator -tries to start up at nightfall. - -“We’ve watched everything and everybody, but when we are in one place -trouble turns up in an entirely different part of the plant. The -thing that worries me the most about the whole business is that some -night after the meddlers have been at work the rebels out there in -the mountains might take it in their heads to attack. Suppose the -searchlight generator was crippled. In that case we’d have a serious -time, wouldn’t we? Indeed, I would like to find out whom we are dealing -with. But how can I?” - -“Well,” said Jack after a moment’s reflection, “at least we can learn -whether we are dealing with peons or white men. Here’s a suggestion. Why -not sprinkle a little powder or dust around the machines, switchboard and -other apparatus likely to be tampered with? Sprinkle it at two o’clock -every morning and sweep it up again at six. In the meantime if any one -has tampered with these contrivances they are bound to leave footprints. -If the prints show naked feet we’ll know it is one of the peons, and if -we find the trouble maker wears shoes then we’ll know it is a white man.” - -“By Jove, that’s a corking idea,” said Mr. Ryder enthusiastically; “we’ll -do it. We’ll sprinkle cement dust on the floor. Let’s try it out to-night -and keep it up religiously until we get an imprint of the villain’s feet. -We’ll saunter over to the plant after those workmen clear out, which I -judge will be about three o’clock; meanwhile, if you care to, you can -snatch an hour’s sleep.” - -To Jack sleep sounded particularly good and as soon as Mr. Ryder pointed -out his room he tumbled into it without even removing his shoes. But it -seemed to him however that he had only closed his eyes when he felt the -engineer’s hand upon his forehead. - -“It’s after three o’clock,” said Mr. Ryder, “and the workmen have all -left the plant. What do you say to setting our trap now?” - -Jack was on his feet in an instant, for he was as eager as the engineer -to see how his plan would work out. First they visited a tool shed where -they secured a bucket, then Mr. Ryder ripped open a bag of cement with -his jack knife and by the light of an electric pocket flash lamp supplied -himself with a pail of the fine gray powder. - -As they passed the front of the plant they could see Nedham in his office -working over some papers. They continued on around the corner of the -building where Mr. Ryder opened a large door that let them in on the -generator floor. Two of the big machines were running, but there was not -a soul in sight. Through the glass front of the control room, high up -among the girders, they could see Lyman watching the switchboard. - -“Is there any wonder that the rebel sympathizers can tamper with the -machines?” said Mr. Ryder; “there isn’t a watchman in sight, and Lyman -would not be likely to see us down here unless he made a point of looking -out of the window, which is not necessary, for he can see how the -machines are running by looking at the indicators on his board. Nedham is -in his office and the only other man on duty is the engineer and he is -probably in his office watching for signals from Lyman. There should be a -watchman here on the floor, but I guess when no one is looking he steals -off and takes a nap. I’ve fired at least five men for doing that, but you -can’t teach these Mexicans anything. They’ll do exactly as they please in -spite of you.” - -In fifteen minutes Jack and the engineer had set their trap and returned -to the cottage again. They were both thoroughly tired and Mr. Ryder began -to take off his things the moment he entered the house. As he unloosened -the front of his shirt, however, a rather bulky yellow wallet slipped out -and fell to the floor. - -“There are those drawings,” said the engineer. “I’d almost forgotten them -with all our activities to-day. Here’s your wallet, I guess I won’t need -it any longer.” - -He removed the envelope of blue prints as he spoke and opening the top -drawer of his desk dropped it inside, at the same time handing the wallet -to Jack. - -“I’ll be up at six to look for results,” said he as Jack started for his -room, “but I really don’t expect to find any footprints right off. I -rather think the trouble maker has done enough damage to satisfy him for -several days at least.” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -FOOTPRINTS - - -In spite of the fact that he had been able to get but a few hours’ sleep, -Jack was awake before six o’clock. The noise Mr. Ryder made in the -adjoining room aroused him, and when he realized that the engineer was -getting ready to start for the power plant, he dressed with all speed. -But though they were up early, old Tom Why had been awake fully half an -hour before them as a steaming breakfast testified. - -The two did not linger long over their coffee, however, for they were -too eager to reach the station before the day men arrived and tracked -through the cement powder. Indeed, they left the cottage still munching -the last of their meal. The sun had been up two hours, but the mountains -across the river were so tall that its rays were only just getting down -into the broad valley that held Necaxa. Jack’s first view of the place -by daylight pleased him greatly. As Mr. Ryder had said, the country was -wilderness, the only evidence of civilization being the tracks of the -narrow gage railroad and the steel poles that carried the four black -serpent-like transmission lines across the clearing and into the forest -toward Mexico City. Necaxa was completely shut off from the rest of the -world by mountains, the nearest community being a little nameless Indian -village down the river. - -However, the lad had no time to gaze at the scenery just then, for in a -few minutes the workmen would be on the way to the plant. Jack and Mr. -Ryder hurried to the side door they had used but three hours before, -and in a few moments they were looking at their recent handiwork. From -one machine to another they hurried, closely inspecting the dust on the -floor, before sweeping it into the pail again. Though they did not expect -to find traces of a nocturnal visit by the mysterious trouble maker they -were keenly alert for every little clue. They inspected each appliance -in the main room but all seemed to be in good order, nor did the cement -powder reveal a single telltale mark. There remained only the small -generators of the exciter sets to be inspected. Jack hurried forward to -brush up the dust about these machines, for the men were already entering -the plant and he did not care to let them know of the trap. - -And as he stooped over, his eyes caught the distinct outline of a foot -close to the base of the generator! Another and still another were -discovered close by. He could scarcely credit his eyes. But Mr. Ryder, -who was directly behind him, saw the imprints also. - -“By George, we’ve a clue at last!” he exclaimed, leaning forward and -examining the tracks. “They have been made by naked feet too! What do you -think of that!” - -“And I’ll be hanged if that isn’t the mark of a scar on the left heel!” -he ejaculated, as he dropped to his hands and knees and scrutinized the -tracks. “Oh, our task is an easy one now! I’ll guarantee to have the -meddler in the hands of the rurales by sundown with this evidence to -work on. But look how they have riddled the exciter!” - -As Jack bent closer he too could see the mark of a scar. The foot had -removed the concrete dust completely except for a little ridge diagonally -across the heel. This showed plainly that there had been a sharp -indentation in the flesh at that point. And as the same mark showed in -every other imprint of the left foot there was small room for doubt. - -“Well, it looks as if our trap had worked far better than we expected,” -he said jubilantly, as they prepared to obliterate the track by sweeping -up the dust. - -“Indeed it did,” replied Mr. Ryder. “Here’s positive proof that the -culprit is a peon, and with this telltale scar to help out it is only -necessary to inspect every peon in the plant and pick out the guilty -individual. We’ll have them lined up immediately.” - -Together they hurried out of the station and across to the quarters of -the army officers. The captain in command of the post was on the front -porch of his cottage washing his face in a tin basin when Mr. Ryder -interrupted him. The engineer spoke a few words in Spanish and the -officer hastily reached for a towel, at the same time calling loudly -for an orderly. That individual arrived from behind the cottage as if -produced by magic, and after listening to the captain’s brief orders -saluted and hurried to the barracks building, from the door of which the -soldiers were just emerging in various stages of attire. - -He returned presently, to be followed five minutes later by a young -officer in charge of a squad of ten soldiers. Curt instructions were -issued by the commander and the soldiers broke ranks immediately and went -hurrying here and there about the plant, rounding up every peon in sight. - -Some of the native laborers protested violently against being hustled -into line along the south wall of the station, for they were afraid that -they were about to be shot, this being the spot where all the executions -in Necaxa were staged. But their protests were of no avail, for the -soldiers took keen delight in hurrying them along with the sharp point of -their bayonets or the flat stock of their guns. - -In less than no time two score natives were facing the gray stone wall. -They were a heterogeneous assortment of half-breeds and full-blooded -Indians with ragged garments and hair long and unkempt. None wore shoes -or even sandals. - -When every native had been located and the line was complete the soldiers -withdrew a short distance and the captain then turning to Mr. Ryder, -spoke nervously and with great concern: - -“Here are they, Señor, maybe now you find them sick mans, yes.” - -“Why did he say ‘those sick men?’” asked Jack, somewhat puzzled. - -“I told him there was a rumor abroad that one of the peons had leprosy -and that we wanted to find him and put him in a pest house. Though I know -very little about the disease I understand it shows first on the face, -palms of the hands or soles of the feet,” answered the engineer. - -“But why did you tell him that?” demanded the lad. - -“Well, for the simple reason that I do not care to let any one know what -we have discovered. I think the less said about the scar the easier it -will be for us to catch our man. If we keep it to ourselves he will never -suspect that we set a trap for him. Now for the search.” - -Mr. Ryder, Jack and the captain began a tour of inspection. Each Indian -was commanded to lift first one foot and then the other, while Jack and -the engineer scrutinized them closely. The engineer in addition examined -their hands and face as well, though not with as keen an eye as he -watched the feet. The peons all submitted to the inspection meekly, but -it was quite evident from the expression on their faces that they could -not understand the whole proceedings. One by one they were passed and as -Mr. Ryder neared the end of the line his brow wrinkled in a perplexed -frown. Finally when the last man was allowed to go he turned to the -officer in charge of the squad and demanded: - -“Are these all the peons there are about the plant? There must be more!” - -“No more are here, Señor. But maybe those sick mans you look on is -here in the night men. There are—ah—_diez hombres_,” said the officer -excitedly. - -“Jack,” said the engineer, “that fellow may be right. It is possible that -my man _is_ on the night force or he may be a strange peon who gets into -the plant somehow. I think the next move for us to make is to go down to -the Indian village and do some detective work there. Most of the peons we -hire live down there and it is more than likely that we will find the man -with the scarred heel among them.” - -“That sounds reasonable,” said Jack, after considering the question. “Why -not go down there while the trail is hot?” - -“All right,” said Mr. Ryder, “but let me warn you that we will have to -travel through about five miles of country infested with rebels and, as -you know, they do not look upon any of the white men from the plant with -very great favor.” - -“I am willing to take the chance,” said Jack, laconically. - -“Very good, only be sure your gun is in working order and your cartridge -belt is full.” - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -SEARCHING FOR THE MAN WITH A SCARRED HEEL - - -A drove of thirty or more horses and half as many pack mules were -quartered in the large corral behind the barracks for the use of the -rurales stationed at Necaxa. From among them a rather docile mustang was -selected for Jack. While a native was saddling the horse, a _mozo_, or -Indian servant, arrived with the engineer’s steed, a beautiful creature -that had cost Mr. Ryder nearly three hundred Mexican dollars, which is a -very high price indeed to pay for horse flesh in that country. Three of -the rurales were detailed to accompany them as a special guard and before -leaving the enclosure the entire party made a careful inspection of their -firearms. - -For the first two miles the trail skirted the high bank of the river -and was wide enough to permit the men to ride two abreast. The three -soldier-policemen took the lead while Jack and the engineer brought up -the rear, and as their horses jogged along Mr. Ryder explained briefly -the life of the Mexican Indians since the conquest of the country by -adventurers from across the sea. - -“These natives,” he said, “have been veritable slaves since their -ancestors yielded to Spain’s warriors. The peons, who are all Indians or -half-breeds, are the lowest type of Mexicans. They are uneducated and -uncivilized and for that reason they rarely advance above the class of -servants and laborers. Since the day they were conquered they have been -without opportunity, however, so we cannot blame them altogether for -their condition. There is every reason to believe, from the relics that -are left to-day, that the Mexican Indians were semi-civilized at least. -They erected magnificent temples, they laid out large cities, and they -even built aqueducts and sewer systems. Indeed, they were much farther -advanced than the North American Indian of the plains, but with the -advent of the Spaniards they began to deteriorate for the simple reason -that they were not allowed to progress. As you already know, a man or -a nation cannot stand still. It must either develop or retrogress. The -Spaniards made slaves of the Indians and while they are not slaves in -name to-day they might just as well be, for they have not as much freedom -as the negro had in the United States before the Civil War. - -“The peons live as tenants on _haciendas_, or large farms, where they -till the soil and raise crops. For this work they are paid a few -_centavos_ a day which in American money does not amount to five cents; -with this pittance they are supposed to buy food and clothes. But the -hacienda owners sell them food and clothes at a figure far above their -daily earnings and as a result the Indian is always in debt to his -master. And since it is a capital offense in Mexico for an employee to -leave an employer while still in debt to him, the peon is bound to the -hacienda on which he is born for the rest of his life. He can never leave -and he can never cease working for the same man. Whole communities of -natives are often controlled in this way by Mexican farmers.” - -“It seems ridiculous that such conditions can exist to-day,” said Jack, -very much surprised at this revelation. He had always considered the -Mexican Indian as a shiftless being who did not work and lived from hand -to mouth simply because of his own laziness. - -“Do not get the idea that these natives are blind to their present -condition or that they do not care to elevate their general plane of -existence,” continued Mr. Ryder. “They are just as eager for a chance to -advance as is the Jew or other foreigner who immigrates to America. That -is the reason why the present revolution is being waged in the north by -Carranza and Villa, and that is why our bloodthirsty friend Zapata has so -many peon followers. - -“The only trouble is the moment one of these revolutions is successful -and the new leader is in power all pledges to the peon are forgotten -and the native goes back to exactly the same condition that he has been -fighting to clear himself from. It is a very unhappy situation, but some -day, perhaps, a leader will keep his promise to his people. Then the huge -_haciendas_, which often embrace hundreds of thousands of acres, will be -confiscated and this land with the millions of acres of government land -will be cut up into small farms and sold to the natives at reasonable -terms exactly as our country opened up the great West. When this happens -Mexico will develop into a wonderful nation. Give these people public -schools and the other advantages of civilization and you will soon see -what kind of stuff they are made of. The old Indian blood is strong in -them and Indians, properly trained, often make excellent men.” - -Mr. Ryder’s talk had changed Jack’s opinion of the peons a great deal. -Indeed, he soon found that instead of despising them he was sympathizing -with them. He could not understand, however, how the engineer could -feel kindly disposed to the natives when they were causing him so much -trouble. He was on the point of mentioning this thought when Mr. Ryder -spoke again. - -“I feel very sorry for the peons even though I am an agent of Huerta. -But as I have weighed it out, my duty to my employer comes first no -matter whether the employer is a scoundrel or not. It is not for me to -judge. I am asked to keep Mexico City illuminated and I will keep the -lights burning no matter who is in the National Palace, and, moreover, -I’ll do it in spite of this man with the scarred foot, whoever he is.” - -Thus recalled to their mission, Jack instantly became attentive to their -surroundings. He found that the trail had narrowed and that the rurales -ahead had formed in single file. His little mustang was patiently picking -its way through rough places and underbrush to keep beside the animal -ridden by the engineer. - -“I guess we have been talking too much and paying too little attention to -our horses, Jack,” said Mr. Ryder. “Push ahead and get in single file. -This is a section of the trail that carries us over the shoulder of a -mountain and it is rather narrow.” - -Soon the shoulder was topped, however, and the horses began to descend -in single file toward the Indian village. The community was somewhat -larger than the villages Jack had seen from the train window on his way -to Mexico City, otherwise it was the same collection of dilapidated -huts that looked as if they had been literally thrown together by their -builders. - -As they drove down through the single street a regiment of barking dogs -and screaming naked Indian children greeted them. Robust, dark-skinned -men lounged about before the huts (most of them clad in pajama like -cotton garments), while their women folk worked hard at grinding corn -between stones or carried water from the river in tall earthen jugs which -they balanced deftly on their heads. Down at the river bank Jack could -see other women busy washing clothes. This laundry work was accomplished -by pounding the garments between stones much to the detriment of the -garments, for the hard stones rubbed innumerable holes in the cloth as -Jack found later when he gave his linen to a native washerwoman. - -In the village Mr. Ryder took the lead and Jack followed, leaving -the rurales to their own diversions. The engineer drove toward a more -pretentious hut than the rest, where a very much wrinkled old Indian sat -sunning himself before the door and idly watching a half dozen scrawny -razorback pigs rooting in the dirt almost at his very feet. - -The two Americans reined up before the house and viewed the picture that -the old fellow made as he sat there staring absently at the animals. - -“That,” said Mr. Ryder, “is Señor Yuai and his pigs. Pigs and vultures, -as you know, are the scavengers of Mexico. But for their able services -the country would be unfit to live in because of its filth and carrion. -And Señor Yuai, though he is neither pig nor vulture, is also a very -useful inhabitant. He is the Indian doctor who attends to all the natives -in this vicinity. The old fellow is very much looked up to and every one -comes to him for advice. He is aged and very nearsighted but his mind is -as keen as ever. He knows every peon for miles around and I’ve an idea -that he can identify our trouble maker with the scarred foot if he wants -to. Come, we’ll hear what he has to say on the question.” - -The Americans dismounted and after kicking their way through the drove -of grunting pigs confronted the austere old Indian. Señor Yuai peered up -at them with eyes bleared by age and demanded in Spanish to know whose -shadow fell across his doorway. (The following conversation then took -place which Mr. Ryder translated for Jack’s benefit.) - -“It is I, Señor Ryder, from the electrical plant,” said the engineer. - -“Gringo friend come over mountain to see me?” asked the old Indian. - -“Yes, I’ve come to see you, Señor Yuai, but not because I am sick of -_calentura_. It is another reason. Tell me, in all your years do you -remember a peon ailing of a cut heel. Did you ever cure a very deep -wound that would leave a scar across a peon’s heel, thus?” Mr. Ryder -illustrated his question by drawing his finger diagonally across the old -man’s heel. The Indian was silent a long time and while his memory went -slowly back over the many years he had been doctoring the natives, Mr. -Ryder slipped a cigarette between his lean old fingers, saying, “Here, -Señor Yuai, perhaps a little smoke will make you remember better.” - -The Indian accepted the roll of brown paper and tobacco with a grunt of -satisfaction and lit it on the glowing end of Mr. Ryder’s own cigarette -which the engineer held for his convenience. - -For five minutes the old native puffed in silence, exhaling great clouds -of blue smoke from time to time. Finally he spoke. - -“As many years ago as I have fingers came a young man to see me. He had -stepped on a _machette_ and the flesh of his foot was laid open to the -bone. My medicine cured him. Soon he could walk, he could run, he could -swim. He was a fine big fellow. He could shoot well, he could ride well -and he was a good boy except he liked _pulque_ too much. One day he went -away. Two summers later he came back in clothes as green as the banana -palm. He was then a rurale. He went away again and never came again. His -name—ah—his name went with him.” Here the Indian touched his forehead -with his finger as he spoke and this action told the American plainer -than his words that he had forgotten the young man’s name. - -Jack and the engineer looked at each other significantly when Señor Yuai -finished speaking. - -“Can it be that we have traitors among our rurales!” demanded Mr. Ryder -incredulously. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE DRAWINGS ARE STOLEN - - -“Well, this is a mighty serious state of affairs,” said the engineer as -they returned to their horses and prepared to remount. - -“Yes, indeed, and from all appearances we have a real enemy to contend -with,” replied the lad. - -“You are right, we have,” confirmed Mr. Ryder. “If our man with the -scarred foot is a member of the rurales, we are going to have the devil’s -own job locating him too. We cannot accuse at random and moreover we -cannot take our troubles to the captain, for the reason that where -there is one traitor there are likely to be many more. The captain may -be a revolutionist himself, and if he is, heaven help us when he finds -out that we have a way of identifying the trouble maker. We would be -murdered in less than a week. I think we had better feel our way very -slowly before we make an arrest.” - -“But why should a rurale go traveling about in his bared feet at night?” -queried Jack, suddenly discovering a puzzling question. - -“I thought of that myself,” confessed the engineer, “and the only reason -I can give is that the culprit is always afraid that the jingle of his -big spurs will attract attention and rather than remove them he removed -his boots instead and goes about his work silently. That sounds perfectly -plausible, doesn’t it?” - -“By George, that’s capital reasoning! I believe you’ve hit it exactly -right,” exclaimed the lad enthusiastically. - -“I see our three guards over on the river bank,” said Mr. Ryder, abruptly -changing the subject; “we’ll drive over and join them there, for I’ve an -idea that our horses could stand a drink before starting for the plant -again. - -“And by the way,” he warned as they urged their mounts forward, “I -wouldn’t say much about our friend of the scarred foot in the presence -of the rurales either here or at the plant, for you never can tell just -how much English some of these fellows understand. I’m a little worried -over the impression that our search among the peons created, even though -I did tell the captain the falsehood about the suspected leper. Who -knows, perhaps the very man we are after was looking on all the time. In -that case our lives are in danger every moment. He would kill us rather -than run the chance of being identified.” - -It was quite evident to Jack that the engineer regarded the business at -hand as rather hazardous and the lad from Vermont could not help feeling -slightly concerned about his own safety. He put on a bold front before -Mr. Ryder, however, for he did not care to have the engineer think that -he was the least bit worried. - -The river’s course through the valley was broad and the stream ran -sluggish and shallow where it passed the village. Indeed, just below -the point where the women were washing on the rocks was a ford, with a -sloping sandy beach on either bank. Here it was that the pack trains -leaving the valley toward the north crossed the stream. On the bank -opposite, Jack saw several large alligators sunning themselves, and here -and there on the surface of the water he also saw the scaly backs and -heads of others that had come up to rest awhile and get a fresh supply of -air. Some of them were fully ten feet long. - -But in spite of the presence of these reptiles, the horses did not -hesitate to wade belly deep into the stream and cool themselves while -they slaked their thirst. Jack noticed this and remarked about it to Mr. -Ryder. - -“Alligators are not disposed to attack anything very large,” said the -engineer, “although sometimes they do make away with sheep and small -calves that come down for a drink. The ’gator is not as ferocious as his -cousin the crocodile and I have never heard of any natives being devoured -by one, in spite of the fact that the Indians wade the ford here daily.” - -Mr. Ryder had hardly finished speaking when a young Indian appeared on -the opposite bank followed by a full-grown hound dog. The native was -clad only in abbreviated canvas trousers and slung across his back was a -tiny mail bag. Jack learned later that his first name was Miguel and that -his last name was almost unpronounceable, also that he was the official -runner, or messenger, of that section of the country, and that his -forefathers had been runners as far back as the days of Montezuma. - -The native stood knee deep in the river a moment and emitted several -loud whoops at the same time churning the water furiously with his feet. -At this the alligators on the bank slipped into the water with a splash -and every scaly back and head disappeared. Then the Indian plunged into -the stream and waded across, at the same time coaxing the dog to follow. -The hound stood whining at the water’s edge, however, and the messenger -reached the opposite shore before the animal found sufficient courage to -follow. Finally, after much coaxing, he took the plunge and swam toward -his master. But he had scarcely passed the middle of the stream when he -began to whine again, half raising himself out of the water with his -frantic efforts to swim faster. The next instant there was a swirl just -behind him and an ugly head appeared on the surface. The dog fairly -leapt out of the water at this but he could not avoid the reptile whose -dripping jaws closed upon one hind leg. - -The native shouted wildly and plunged back into the river again to rescue -his pet. But before he had gone two steps, Jack, with great presence of -mind, whipped out his revolver. Twice he fired and each bullet found its -way into the scaly body. Instantly the water was lashed into foam by the -death struggle of the monster. The great jaws opened wide and the reptile -awoke the echoes in the hills with a bellow like that of an angry bull. -Then it sank out of sight. - -Half drowned and with one leg dangling limp and useless the hound -dragged itself from the river. The young Indian lifted it in his arms -and caressed it gently, at the same time talking effusively to Jack. Of -course the American could not understand the messenger, but it was quite -evident from the expression on the red man’s face that he was very -grateful to Jack and that he admired his quick and accurate shooting. - -“What is he saying?” asked the Vermonter, turning to Mr. Ryder. - -“He says that you are a very good marksman and that you have a warm heart -for a gringo. He promises never to forget your kindness.” - -Jack smiled his acknowledgment and prepared to remount his horse, -which with the others had withdrawn from the river when the struggling -alligator began its frenzied lashing of the water. - -It was past midday when the five riders started on their return journey -toward the power plant, and the heat was intense. However, as soon as the -horses had climbed out of the valley the trail led through a dense forest -where huge trees and thickly matted vines shut out all sunlight and all -heat as well. Travel, under such circumstances was thoroughly enjoyable, -and the five riders swung along in single file until they reached the -open country in the vicinity of the great hydro station again. - -“Well,” said Jack as he reined in beside Mr. Ryder at the gate in the -barbed-wire barricade, “I thought you said the woods were full of rebels. -We haven’t seen a sign of one all day long. What do you make of it?” - -“It is more than likely that they are off in some other section of the -hills, burning and pillaging. But don’t think that they haven’t an eye on -us, for they have and you’ll see signs of them again before long, I’ll -warrant.” - -The soldier on guard at the gate had unfastened the intricate lock by -this time and the cavalcade entered. The rurales hurried off at top speed -to their long low barracks hall where they hoped to find the remains of -the noonday mess. And as for Jack and the engineer, they were not slow -in reaching the cottage, for they knew that faithful old Tom Why had -something tempting waiting for them. - -A _mozo_ met them as they reined in before the door and when they had -dismounted he took charge of the horses. The few hours in the saddle had -been rather tiresome to the lad, for he was not accustomed to that form -of exercise. Indeed, the shaking up he had received on horseback and the -lack of sleep the night before had made him so thoroughly fatigued that -even the cartridge belt and holster weighed heavily on his hips and as -he walked toward the cottage he started to unbuckle the leather girdle. -Just as he was mounting the steps the buckle opened suddenly and the belt -swung free, upsetting the holster and toppling the revolver to the ground. - -Hastily Jack stooped to pick it up. But as he reached down he caught -sight of a naked footprint in the dust! He bent closer, hardly able -to believe what he saw! The footprint bore the mark of a deep scar -diagonally across the heel! - -“Hi! Mr. Ryder! Look! Our man with the scar paid a visit here as well!” -he shouted to the engineer, who had already entered the cottage. - -Mr. Ryder hurried out and examined the footprint with Jack. - -“By George, you’re right! What could he have wanted up here!” exclaimed -the engineer. - -Jack did not wait to answer the question. He bolted into the house and -rushed to the flat-topped desk, for he had suddenly thought of the -precious blueprints. Eagerly he drew open the top drawer into which he -had seen Mr. Ryder drop the yellow envelope the evening before. But the -compartment was empty! The drawings were gone! - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -A WEAKENED GARRISON - - -With the disappearance of the engineer’s drawings the mystery that -surrounded the man with the scarred foot was doubled. Neither Jack nor -Mr. Ryder could be quite positive of the clue they had been following. To -them the fact that the trouble maker went about without shoes argued that -he was a peon, and they could well understand why a peon, imbued with the -spirit of revolution, should seek to make conditions as uncomfortable as -possible for President Huerta, against whose rule they were revolting. -That the person in question should undertake to wreck the power plant, -or portions of it, seemed quite natural. But when it came to stealing -drawings that were absolutely useless to them the whole affair took on a -different complexion. - -Who was this individual with the scar on his foot? Was he a peon or was -he some one of the other employees about the plant? Or again, was he a -soldier, or a member of the band of rurales, or was he some one of the -bandits in the mountains who ran the guard at night and accomplished -his trickery under the very eyes of soldiers and employees? The whole -situation was thoroughly muddled and Jack and Mr. Ryder spent days trying -to fathom the knotty problem. To a technical man the drawings were of -the utmost value, for they laid bare to him the secret of an invention -that would make him wealthy. But on the other hand it would seem that the -man was moved more by his sympathies with the revolutionists than by his -desire for personal gain, since it was quite apparent that the person who -was so industriously engaged in making things disagreeable for President -Huerta and the man who stole the drawings was the same individual. - -“It is a mighty peculiar situation,” said Mr. Ryder one evening, after he -and Jack had been puzzling over the matter for several hours. “This is -my only conclusion. The man must be a peon, or a soldier, for they are -the only persons hereabout who are interested in the revolution at all. -He has heard of the drawings somehow, and believing that they would be of -value to Zapata or Carranza (or whoever else he favors), he stole them. -Later on he will probably turn them over to some one of these leaders -with the hope, perhaps, that he will be given a commission or some other -form of recognition for his service to the cause. - -“But after I have reached that conclusion,” he added, “I am not -absolutely certain that I am shooting in the right direction.” - -For some time after the disappearance of the papers everything ran -smoothly at the plant. But in the meantime disconcerting rumors were -coming in from the mountains about bands of Zapatistas who were -gathering at all points. The rurales who went out to patrol the hills -and in particular to ride the transmission line to see that it was not -disturbed were the first to bring in reports of skirmishes with these -rebels. Almost daily several of the soldier-policemen would locate a -handful of armed natives somewhere in the hills. Always a fight followed -which resulted in at least one or two fatalities. More than once these -green-clad riders came into Necaxa with dead or wounded comrades in their -arms. And on several occasions they appeared at the power plant with -prisoners bound hand and foot and tied to the backs of horses or burros -like so many sacks of flour. - -Short work was made of these men. Their fate was sealed the moment they -were captured by the rurales. As a matter of form they were given a -drumhead trial; that is, they were taken before the chief officer of -the rurales and asked a number of unimportant questions. No matter how -these questions were answered the sentence was the same. The natives were -always condemned to be shot at sunrise the following morning. - -Jack was present at the trial of one of these unfortunates and after the -rebel was taken to the guardhouse the lad and Mr. Ryder went to visit -him. It gave Jack a rather uncanny feeling when he realized that the man -with whom they were talking would be dead and cold in ten hours. The -Vermonter was up before sunrise to see the prisoner led out and placed -against the gray wall of the power plant. The firing squad was composed -of five men and an officer who stood with sword drawn while a soldier -bound a handkerchief about the eyes of the victim. When this was done the -executioners took careful aim and waited for the abrupt command to fire. - -The five guns roared simultaneously, and Jack grew sick as he saw the -blindfolded figure sway backward first, then recover its balance only -to pitch forward with a groan and become an inert and lifeless mass. -When the smoke had cleared away the officer walked calmly up to the dead -man and drawing his revolver emptied the entire six chambers into the -already lifeless body. This, Jack learned, was prescribed by the military -regulations of Mexico, which state that an officer in charge of a firing -squad, is held responsible for the certain death of the victim. - -The rurales, however, were not the only ones to bring in word of the -gathering of the Zapatistas. One day three men left the plant on a -handcar trip of inspection along the narrow gage railroad track. -One took a Winchester rifle with him while the others carried their -revolvers. On their return journey they were met at a bend in the road -by six rebels. One had a rifle but the others were armed only with -_machettes_, or long brush knives. The men from the plant were ordered to -stop, of course, but they did not obey. Instead they started to pump the -handles harder and since the tracks were down grade at that point their -car had gained tremendous headway by the time they reached the natives. -Fortunately the peons had not had forethought enough to plug the railroad -tracks or loosen a rail in which case the car would have been wrecked and -the inspectors killed immediately. As it was they ran past the natives -at top speed. The Mexican with the rifle opened fire and the man with -the Winchester replied, but he was only able to get in one shot before -the handle of the car knocked the rifle from his grasp. One of the other -men drew his six shooter and emptied it as he went flying past. It was a -narrow escape and the three inspectors were glad when they reached the -power plant. - -Shortly after this experience some excitement was created at the station -when Lyman noticed that one of his indicators recorded a grounded -transmission line. Two linemen and a squad of rurales were despatched to -locate the trouble. Five miles back in the mountains they found a dead -peon clinging to one of the steel transmission poles and the story of -the ground was revealed instantly. This peon had climbed the pole and -with his steel _machette_ tried to cut through one of the transmission -lines. The moment the blade came in contact with the cable a circuit was -formed and the entire 88,000 volts were sent through the man’s body. His -companions, seeing his fate, had fled without even attempting to rescue -him. - -These demonstrations on the part of the rebels did not add to the peace -of mind of the men at the power plant. Indeed every one began to feel -the strain, for the station was veritably in a state of siege. Rumors -came into Necaxa by way of the peons from the Indian village down the -valley, that José Cerro, one of the fiercest of the mountain bandits and -a strong ally of Zapata, was in charge of the horde that was gathering in -the hills in that vicinity. After that no one felt inclined to leave the -station except when accompanied by a guard of rurales and all inspection -of railroad and transmission lines was done with the aid of soldiers. - -Then one day in the midst of it all the officer in charge of the infantry -reported to Mr. Ryder that he had been in communication with General -Rodriguez and had received orders to move his entire detachment back to -Mexico City. The engineer could not believe his ears. With all haste he -called up the capital on the long-distance telephone. - -“Why, you won’t need soldiers out there any longer,” said the military -officer after the engineer had protested vigorously to the removal of the -guard. “You don’t need soldiers because Zapata is moving his whole army -toward the Atlantic coast. He’s evidently heard of the shipment of arms -coming in on the German steamer and hopes to intercept them on their way -to the capital. If he takes the railroad we are lost. That’s why we want -your soldiers. We must have them. The rebel chief has withdrawn all his -men from your section of the country so I’m sure you won’t need them.” - -“Oh, is that so,” said Mr. Ryder, thoroughly angry. “Well, there are a -few hundred lurking out here in the woods just now and I am expecting an -attack almost any time.” - -“You are mistaken, I am sure,” said the officer; “there may be a few -bandits about in the mountains but the Zapatistas have all followed their -leader. I am very sorry, but we need all the soldiers you have at Necaxa. -However, if you are at all alarmed I will leave you a detachment of -twenty-five infantrymen who, with the squad of rurales you have stationed -there, will be able to defend the place against a few bandits. Good-by.” - -The soldiers entrained that very afternoon, much to the chagrin of Mr. -Ryder and the other Americans. - -“By George, this is the queerest piece of work I have ever seen,” said -Mr. Ryder. “If Zapata has moved his men, José Cerro did not follow his -leader, for he’s out there in the mountains with two hundred men and -he’ll swoop down on us in short order when he hears how weak our garrison -is. Just watch how bold those greasers get when they learn that the -infantry has been called back to Mexico City.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE NIGHT WATCH - - -Mr. Ryder’s prediction came true. It was not two days later when a half -dozen peons appeared on the edge of the forest and occupied their time -shooting out the windows in the workmen’s cottages and sending leaden -greetings to any one who appeared out of doors. They remained in their -positions until the soldiers mounted a light machine gun in the window of -the barracks house and poured a rain of steel-jacketed bullets in their -direction. But José Cerro’s followers were not the only ones who were -made bold by the withdrawal of the troops. The traitor inside the power -plant became active too. - -One evening while Jack and Mr. Ryder were partaking of one of Tom Why’s -elaborate meals, Phil Underwood, the young American whose duty it was to -take care of the huge searchlight, rushed into the dining room. - -“Mr. Ryder,” he exclaimed with a savage note in his voice, “there’s a -peon in Necaxa I’d like to lay hands on. He’s that blasted sympathizer. -If I knew who he was I’d choke him to death. What do you think he’s done -now to help that bunch of cutthroats out there in the mountain? He’s put -the big searchlight out of business! He’s wrecked the entire outfit and -there isn’t a place this side of New York where we can get the broken -parts replaced! It looks as if we were up against it for sure.” - -The engineer looked thoroughly worried. - -“When did it happen?” he demanded. - -“The light was all right up to dawn this morning. I shut it off promptly -at four o’clock, put the canvas jacket over it and went to bed. When I -tried to start it a few moments ago I found the whole mechanism gone to -smash.” - -For a long time Mr. Ryder was silent. His brow was wrinkled and it was -evident to both Phil and Jack that the situation was causing him some -deep thought. Finally he spoke. - -“Look here, Phil, this condition is mighty serious and I am at a loss -to know exactly how to proceed. I think the best plan is not to mention -this last piece of treachery. Merely go to Lieutenant Hernandez and -tell him that the searchlight suddenly became out of order and until we -can repair it or make better arrangements he must keep a double guard -along the barricade and the first trench. If we spread the news about -this broadcast we can’t tell what sort of an effect it will have on the -soldiers. Mexicans are a peculiar lot, you know, and for that reason -alone I think it would be far better for us to keep this incident secret. -In the meantime you and Jack and myself can keep a watchful eye on -everything in general and I’ll try to work out a plan for an improvised -searchlight.” - -“Very good, sir,” said Phil, as he hurried off to the military barracks. - -When the youth had gone Mr. Ryder turned to Jack and said: “I trust you -are still willing to help me in this difficulty, my boy.” - -“You’re right I am,” exclaimed Jack enthusiastically, “I am as much -interested as if I were employed here and I’ll do anything I can to be -of assistance.” - -“Very well then, Jack, I’ll look to you to do a man’s share of the -watching around here until we can get things straightened out. This -trouble with the searchlight may mean that a night attack is impending. I -purpose doing some guard duty myself to-night and I should like to have -you help me out. Will you?” - -“Only tell me what you want of me and I’ll do it without a word of -protest,” said Jack loyally. - -“Well, suppose you buckle on your revolver now and start patroling the -village. Keep an eye out for anything that does not look absolutely -normal. At midnight report back to the cottage here and wake me up. I’ll -do my trick between midnight and dawn, for I do not intend that this -traitor shall get in any more of his underhanded work without being -caught at it.” - -“That’s a capital scheme,” said the young Vermonter and finishing his -coffee he hurried to his room. There he secured his belt and holster -which he had tossed on his bed an hour previous. Also before he left he -rummaged through his traveling bag until he had located a tiny electric -pocket flash lamp which he had brought with him all the way from -Drueryville. Ten minutes later he was sauntering down the single narrow -street toward the power plant. - -Darkness was just coming on as the sentries were changed and the lad -watched the small squad of regulars leave the barracks and take their -places at various points around the tiny village. - -“I wonder,” mused the boy, “how many actually keep awake all night? I’ll -warrant half of them find some sheltered spot and go to sleep after -midnight.” - -For an hour or two the little community resembled the quarry towns of far -off Vermont to such a degree that Jack actually became a little homesick -as he viewed the scene. Every cottage window glowed with cheerful light -and the day men, free from their tasks for a while, were indulging in the -only sociability Necaxa afforded: that was to gather in twos and threes -on cottage porches and spend the evening in telling stories and smoking. -Now and then some one of these groups would burst forth in songs and what -the tunes lacked in harmony was made up for in the enthusiasm of the -singers. Most of the songs Jack recognized as having been popular back in -the States two years before. - -At half past nine the groups began to dwindle, the men going off to their -various cottages. One by one the lights went out and by ten o’clock the -place was in total darkness, save for the lights in the power plant. Jack -felt very lonesome then. Except for the steady grumble of the generators -inside the big gray building, not a sound disturbed the stillness. From -place to place about the village the youth roamed, peering here and there -for signs of trouble. But mostly he watched in the vicinity of the power -plant. - -This constant vigil was very tiresome, however, and several times he -paused in a secluded angle of the building and flashed his electric lamp -on the face of his watch. He was thoroughly glad when the hands pointed -out the hour of midnight. - -He made one more tour of inspection after that, then started up the -street toward Mr. Ryder’s cottage. He had almost reached his destination -when suddenly his attention was attracted by a gray shadow moving -between two cottages some distance to his left. Jack remembered that -both buildings were occupied by Mexican linemen and his suspicions were -aroused immediately. As softly as a panther he moved across the roadway -and gained the corner of one of the buildings. The shadow still lingered -in the alley and the youth softly slipped his revolver from its holster. -But just as he was on the point of calling to the man to throw up his -hands he became aware of another gray shadow moving about. This one was -coming stealthily up the roadway he had just left and Jack thanked his -lucky stars that he had hidden himself when he did. - -It was quite evident to the Vermonter that the two shadows intended to -meet, but in order to accomplish this either one or the other must pass -within six feet of him. For a moment he scarcely knew what to do, for he -realized that he could not handle two men at once. - -The man in the alley had paused, but the one in the roadway came forward -softly and swiftly. When he was within fifteen feet of the crouching -youth Jack could see him quite distinctly. He wore a very broad hat and -the tight jacket of a rurale. Of a rurale! Instantly the old Indian -doctor’s story about a rurale with an injured foot flashed upon him! This -must be the man of the scarred heel! - -Throwing all caution to the wind, Jack dropped his revolver and leapt -toward the shadowy figure. It was a perfect flying tackle and the man -came down with a crash, his legs pinned tightly together, exactly as -Jack had pinned the legs of many an opposing fullback on the field at -Drueryville. - -The attack was so sudden that the man lay stunned for a moment. Then as -if he suddenly realized that it was a human being and not a vice that had -gripped him, the soldier began to struggle. He tried to kick and squirm -his way out of the boy’s arms, at the same time thrashing about with his -fists and cursing lustily in Spanish. He was a big man and exceedingly -powerful and Jack had all that he could do to hold him on the ground. - -The lad had the advantage, however, since the native was almost flat -on his stomach. By careful maneuvering and the help of two or three -wrestling holds that are known to every American boy he was soon able to -work himself astride the prostrated one and pin the refractory hands down -as well. This accomplished, the youth began to shout for help at the top -of his voice. - -Mr. Ryder was first on the scene. He came running across from his -cottage, a revolver in one hand and an electric flash lamp in the other. -The Mexican linemen came tumbling out of their cottages a few moments -later and immediately after two Mexican regulars arrived, all out of -breath. - -“Well, I think we’ve captured our man,” said Jack, panting in his -excitement. “Here, lay hold of this fellow, so I can stand up.” - -The soldiers seized the prostrated one but they still kept him pinned -flat on his stomach, in spite of his protests. - -“Mr. Ryder,” said Jack, “I think this is the man with the scarred foot. -Turn your light this way until we have a good look at his feet. He hasn’t -any boots on, that’s certain, for he moved about like a cat.” - -Hurriedly the engineer turned the light on the native’s naked feet and -there, standing out plainly in spite of the dirt and dust, was a long -scar that extended across the heel and partly up the side of his foot -toward the ankle. The wound looked exactly as if the man had at one time -stepped on a very sharp stone that had laid the flesh open to the bone. - -“By George, you’re right! He’s our man!” exclaimed the engineer -jubilantly. Then to the soldiers in Spanish he said: - -“Hustle him off to the guardhouse, men, and put a double watch over him, -for he’s a traitor. I’ll pay a peso a day to the men who watch him, but -I’ll have the scoundrel shot who lets him get away.” - -Without any ceremony the regulars jerked the big man to his feet and -marched him off down the street, Mr. Ryder and Jack following directly -behind with their revolvers cocked and ready for action. But the heavy -door to the prison pen had hardly been bolted behind the rurale when -the town was aroused by another sensation. From down along the line of -barbed wire fence came the sharp report of a rifle. The first report was -followed by two others in quick succession. - -“What is it! An attack!” gasped Jack as he rushed forward with Mr. Ryder. -The sound of firing aroused every man in the camp and in an instant -half-clad soldiers and workmen came tumbling from barracks hall and -cottage. - -“An attack! an attack!” was the cry they all uttered as they hurried into -the trenches. - -But after the third shot the sentry’s guns were silent so long that Mr. -Ryder and Jack and Lieutenant Hernandez and Captain Alvarez went to -investigate. - -“What was the trouble?” they demanded of the first soldier they met. - -“Shadows came along the fence. Three, four, five of them all came to try -and cut the wire. One dropped this,” said the sentry as he held up an -ugly looking _machette_. - -“That’s mighty bad news,” said Mr. Ryder, “for it looks to me as if the -rebels are planning an attack. But we’ll fix these wire cutters to-morrow -night. In the meantime you fellows keep awake and on the lookout until -dawn.” - -But when the news of the shadowy wire cutters was spread about among -the men there was little need for extra vigilance on the part of -the sentries, for every man in the village stayed up until daylight -discussing the possibilities of an attack. Indeed, the sun was just -rising as Jack and Mr. Ryder turned in for some much-needed sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -IMPROVISED SEARCHLIGHTS - - -“Velly vell, on’y me no likee losee dlishe pans, Misler Lyder. Me no -velly much can usee pailes to washee dlishes in sometimes. Jus’ samee me -no likee losee dlishe pan.” - -Tom Why’s voice accompanied by the clatter of tin pans awoke Jack next -day, from a very sound sleep. The lad at first was thoroughly mystified, -for it was rarely that good natured Tom ever objected to anything either -he or Mr. Ryder did. It was evident, however, from the pitch of the -Chinaman’s voice that he was slightly indignant. - -“Me can no savvy leason to put holes in him dlish pan. Him alle samee no -glood then,” continued Tom. - -“Well, I want to put wires through the bottom of the pans and make -searchlights out of them. What if your old pans are spoiled, Tom. When -the next train comes up from Mexico City I’ll have a carload for you if -you want them,” said Mr. Ryder. - -“Me no wantee clarload. Me wantee tlu dlishe pans, and me no wantee liars -put thlu him bottom, too.” - -“All right, Tom,” laughed the engineer; “you shall have two of the finest -dishpans south of the Rio Grande if you’ll only let me have these two.” - -“Velly vell, velly vell,” said Tom somewhat appeased at such an -attractive offer. - -The conversation had done more than amuse Jack. It had made him -thoroughly curious, for he could not understand how Mr. Ryder could make -a searchlight out of a tin dishpan. He lost no time in tumbling out of -bed and dressing, and five minutes after the engineer had left the house -the youth was ready to follow him. Just as Jack entered the main room, -however, Tom Why came in at the back door. - -“Hello there, Tom, did Mr. Ryder confiscate your dishpans?” asked the -boy. - -“No him no dloo lat. Him just takee him dlish plans. Him get Tlom Why tlu -flines likee clums to Melexeclo,” said Tom with a grin. Then he added, -“Allee samee Jack want him dlinner now?” - -“Dinner?” exclaimed the boy, “why, what time is it? Well, by George, if -it isn’t three o’clock. I’ve slept nearly ten hours. How long has Mr. -Ryder been up?” - -“Him alle samee come from him room an’ slay, ‘Tom, glet my bleckflast!’ -Then him look at him clock him slay, ‘Gleat Clats, him one o’clock. Tom, -glet me my dlinner!’” Tom tried to imitate the engineer as he quoted Mr. -Ryder’s remarks and the result made Jack laugh heartily. - -In a surprisingly short time the Chinaman had the table spread and a -steaming hot meal before the young American. But the lad hurried every -mouthful (much to Tom’s displeasure), for he was eager to reach the plant -and witness the operation of converting tin dishpans into searchlights. -Also, he was curious to know what had transpired since dawn that morning. - -When Jack reached the little machine shop on the north side of the power -plant he found Mr. Ryder in the center of a pile of wire, pieces of iron -pipe, electric light bulbs and all sorts of odds and ends. The engineer -was busily engaged with one of Tom’s precious tin dishpans. - -“Oh! there you are, I thought you were due to sleep all day,” said the -engineer banteringly as Jack arrived. “You are just in time to witness -an attempt to build a genuine spotlight out of the cook’s most cherished -possession.” - -“I heard all about it when you were trying to persuade Tom to be generous -with his pans. What do you mean to do anyway?” said Jack. - -“Why, I intend to spring a little surprise on our wire-cutting friends -this evening if they should happen around, which I expect they will. I’m -going to put a cluster of electric bulbs in each of these tin dishpans, -and put them up on iron rods in position so that they will sweep the line -of barbed-wire defense. I’m going to keep them dark until the sentries -see the ‘shadows’ that visited us last night, then I’m going to switch -them on and have a firing party ready. Oh! the wire cutters will receive -an ideal reception, I’ll warrant. You see, fairly bright tin shaped in -this manner will magnify the light beam from three to five times and -that will throw a spotlight as far as necessary. Tin is an excellent -reflector for all ordinary purposes. With the ten thirty-two candlepower -lamps which I intend to use in each cluster, I will get a beam of light -1600 candlepower intensity. Of course that amounts to very little when -compared with the huge thirty-inch searchlight of ours that magnified a -light several hundred times. - -“These searchlights will be operated by remote control; that is, a wire -will be run from the lights to the roof of the power station where Phil -will be on duty as usual. The moment he gets a signal from the sentries -he will throw on a switch which will connect with both wires and the line -of fence will be lighted from either direction at once. The firing squad -will be just beyond the lower trenches and behind the lights, so that -they will not be blinded by the sudden glare. The bandits on the other -hand will be surprised and made temporarily blind by the sudden flash of -light and before they get away the riflemen will discourage any idea of -future wire cutting parties.” - -“It sounds like a first-rate scheme,” said Jack appreciatively. Then -suddenly remembering the prisoner of the night before he queried: “How is -our friend, the rurale? Have you seen him to-day?” - -“Yes, I’ve seen him,” said the engineer as he paused in his work of -fitting a group of lamp sockets inside the tin pan. “He’s a mighty meek -individual too just now. I guess his thoughts are on the trial he’s to -have to-morrow morning. The chief witnesses over-slept this morning or he -would probably have faced court-martial before this. It was a lucky thing -for him that we did oversleep too, for it gives him a few hours longer to -live at any rate.” - -“What does he have to say for himself?” asked the lad. - -“Well, in the first place, he’s the man whom Señor Yuai described. He did -live in the Indian village over the mountain, and he did cut his foot -by stepping on a _machette_. His name is Alfonso Perro. I asked him why -he was sneaking about the place last night and he said that he had made -arrangements with the peon who keeps the cottage for the lineman to get -some _pulque_ for the troopers. _Pulque_ is the Mexican drink, you know. -It is made from the sap of the century plant or _maquay_ plant and when -properly prepared is a very fiery and highly intoxicating drink. Don’t -ever touch it, my boy, for it has ruined the chance of more than one -American who acquired a taste for it. We do not allow it to be brought -into Necaxa at all, but the rurale says that every time the linemen’s -peon goes to the village he smuggles in several jugs of the stuff. Some -was smuggled in yesterday and the rurale said he was on his way to get it -and bring it back to the barracks when you captured him. Of course I have -had the peon arrested also. He too is in the guardhouse, but he swears -that he has never smuggled _pulque_ into Necaxa. - -“I accused Perro of having tampered with the machinery in the plant from -time to time and also of stealing my plans, and I must say he is a very -good actor, for he feigned surprise wonderfully well. But when I told him -how we set a trap for him and discovered that he had a scar on his foot -he looked even more surprised, and that surprise was genuine. I think -Captain Alvarez, of the rurales, is decidedly angry over the whole affair -and he is determined to have the prisoner face a firing squad as soon as -possible.” - -“Well, I can’t help feeling a little sorry for the man,” said Jack, who -felt rather unhappy when he realized how much he had helped in sending -the man to his end. - -“I feel sorry myself,” added Mr. Ryder, “and if he would only tell the -truth about the plans and give me some idea where they are I’d do my -utmost to save his life. However, the best that I could do would be -of little avail, I’m afraid, for Captain Alvarez takes charge of all -prisoners and the man’s fate is entirely in his hands.” - -The two searchlights were completed late that afternoon, but Mr. Ryder -did not make an attempt to erect them until after dark, for as he -explained to Jack, “Those bandits may have lookouts stationed on the -mountains, and to have them see our new lights would knock the little -surprise party into a cocked hat.” - -It required but a very little time to put the lamps in place, for the -engineer had fastened each tin pan to a section of iron pipe and this -was easily strapped to a tree at either end of the clearing in front of -the plant. The sentries were carefully coached that night before they -were sent to their post, and most of the men in the village as well as -the extra soldiers and rurales, gathered in the trenches to watch for -developments. - -But hours of waiting under such strained conditions was far from -comfortable and after a while the men grew restive. In twos and threes -they began to leave for their cottages, quite disappointed that nothing -spectacular had happened. Jack, who was in the first trench, began to -grow tired of the suspense too. Indeed, he was just on the point of going -back to the cottage himself, when suddenly a rifle shot rang out at one -end of the clearing. This was followed by another further up the line of -fence and instantly Phil Underwood, on the roof, jammed home the switch. - -The flood of light that swept along the barricade revealed almost a score -of bandits, with _machettes_ and big wire nippers. Some were discovered -in the very act of snipping strands of wire while others, thoroughly -frightened, were turning to flee, but they had scarcely moved two steps -before the roar of a dozen rifles burst forth. - -Jack saw two men toss up their hands and pitch forward in the grass. -Another staggered a few steps, then he too fell in a limp heap. Other -shots rang out, but the rebels got beyond the range of the improvised -searchlights and were lost in the dark before any others were brought -down. - -It all transpired so quickly that Jack could hardly believe his eyes. -He felt as if he had been looking at a motion picture of something that -had taken place in a far-off land. But he realized the horror of it all -when several soldiers crawled under the barbed wire fence and picked up -the three lifeless forms. Indeed, he was forced to turn away, for the -whole scene became very repulsive to him. The idea of trapping human -beings like rats and slaughtering them, was hideous. But the other men -laughed and joked over the occurrence exactly as if they had but recently -witnessed a performance at a theater. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -A WARNING - - -“Hi there, Jack, is that you?” called Mr. Ryder as the lad entered the -cottage. - -“Yes, but what on earth are you doing here with all the rumpus down at -the plant?” - -“Oh, I’ve been here for the last hour or more. To tell you the truth, my -boy, I did not have the heart to remain and see the outcome. I knew the -trap would work; in fact, I was afraid it would work too well. How many -men did they kill, Jack?” There was a note of anxiety in the engineer’s -voice as he asked the question. - -“Three,” replied the boy. - -“Well, thank heavens it wasn’t more,” said Mr. Ryder somewhat relieved. -“The riflemen would have had no compunction if the number had been -thirty-three, but I have. It seems wicked and inhuman to sacrifice three -lives in order to teach the beggars a lesson. It makes me very unhappy.” - -Jack was glad to find that Mr. Ryder took this attitude in the matter. -If the truth were known he had secretly felt a little bitter toward the -engineer for concocting such a diabolical trap. But when he saw how -unhappy it had made the man his bitterness turned to sympathy. - -“It does seem mighty hard to kill three men in order to teach the rest -of them a lesson, but I suppose it was absolutely necessary for our own -safety,” said the youth in an effort to relieve the engineer’s feelings. - -“You are quite right, my lad. It is hard, but it had to be done. -Sometimes, you know, the lesson is almost as disagreeable to the teacher -as it is to the pupil. I hope to goodness we’ll have no more of this -slaughter, but the way the rebels are acting I am very much afraid -that we will be in for a real battle before the trouble is settled. I -sincerely hope I’m wrong.” - -The engineer was sitting at the table in the center of the room, a mass -of blueprints, drawings and typewritten data spread out in front of him. -His shirt was open at the throat, for the evening was very warm and his -revolver and cartridge belt had been removed and tossed carelessly on the -table before him. - -“What are all the plans?” queried Jack as he sat down opposite the -engineer. - -“These are the original sketches and preliminary drawings from which I -worked out my lightning arrester,” replied Mr. Ryder. “It begins to look -as if the stolen papers weren’t going to turn up. Our rurale with the -scarred foot denies all knowledge of their whereabouts, which means that -he will never tell where they are, even if he does happen to know, for a -Mexican can be mighty stubborn when he feels disposed that way. Under the -circumstances, I fancy I’ll have to dig a new set of blueprints out of -these old plans. - -“And that isn’t going to be the easiest work in the world, let me tell -you. I have paid very little attention to the preliminary papers since -I worked out the final plans and the consequence is many of the more -important sketches and formulas have disappeared. I am mighty sorry that -I did not make duplicate drawings before I sent the plans to Drueryville. -The worst feature of the whole thing is the fact that I have not yet -applied for patent rights either in this country or the United States. -I could not take this step until I had secured Dr. Moorland’s formula, -you know, because that was one of the fundamental features of the new -appliance. In that case whoever has the plans can very easily apply for -patents in his own name and then all my work will have been for nothing. -Indeed, if I wanted to use my own invention after that I would probably -be forced to pay a royalty to some one else. That would be a fine -how-de-do, wouldn’t it?” - -Though the boy could be of very little assistance to the engineer, just -then, he remained at the table. Somehow, plans and blueprints had a -certain fascination for Jack, who hoped to become an engineer some day. -He spread one of the more simple charts before him and tried to work out -the details for himself. How long he had been absorbed in this task he -did not know, but suddenly, just outside the cottage, sounded a patter -of naked feet, then some one sprang upon the porch in front of the door, -shouting as he did so: - -“_Los Zapatistas! Los Zapatistas! Viene Ellos!_” - -“The rebels, they are coming! What can he mean!” shouted Mr. Ryder as he -leaped from his chair and reached for his revolver. The next instant the -door was pushed violently open and an Indian exhausted and with blood -dripping from an ugly wound in his shoulder, plunged into the room. - -“It is Miguel the Indian runner, and he’s wounded,” exclaimed Jack, -immediately recognizing the red man as the one whose dog he had saved -from the alligator several weeks before. - -Clutching the end of the table for support, the native began to talk very -rapidly, and as the engineer listened, his face took on a startled and -somewhat puzzled look. - -“He says that he has run ten miles to warn us that José Cerro and his -band are planning to attack us to-night!” explained Mr. Ryder when the -native finally ceased talking. “He says that they are on the way now -and that we must hurry and prepare to meet their attack or we will be -overwhelmed!” - -“How does he know this?” demanded Jack, thoroughly excited. - -“He carried mail to Los Angeles to-night,” said Mr. Ryder, “and while he -was lingering in the village a native told him that the famous bandit -José Cerro was there. The native pointed out the very house where José -Cerro was drinking _pulque_ with some of his lieutenants. He became -curious to see a man of such a villainous reputation and crept close to -the shack and peered into the window. He not only saw the villain but -he heard most of their conversation. He was startled, for he realized -that he was overhearing the plans for an attack on the power plant. He -heard José Cerro say, ‘The fence wires are all cut by now and the big -searchlight crippled. Everything is ready for the attack. Our men need -only to rush in, seize Señor Ryder and carry him off. Then I will collect -three thousand pesos from our benefactor before we start to join Zapata -and capture the railroad. Then if we play our part right we can hold -this great electrical engineer for a ransom from his friends in America -perhaps. If we can’t do that we can kill him at least, though I’d much -prefer to hold him and collect gringo gold for his release. How say you, -men?’ At this there were many cheers. - -“Miguel became less cautious for he wanted to hear more. The result was -that José Cerro saw him through the window and fired his revolver at him. -The bullet hit him in the shoulder. The town was in an uproar immediately -but the runner did not wait. As fast as he could he ran toward the power -plant, glad, he says, of an opportunity to be of service to the gringo -who saved his dog from the alligators.” - -The Indian had stood by the table during Mr. Ryder’s recital, his -face distorted with the pain of the wound in his shoulder, and as the -lad looked at him he realized just how much hardship the red man had -withstood to repay a debt of kindness. - -“We must prepare to meet the attack immediately,” said Jack calmly, “but -before I move a step I am going to bind up this poor fellow’s wound and -see that he is comfortable.” - -“Fine! Take care of him and I’ll go and spread the alarm. Hurry down to -the trenches when you’re through,” said Mr. Ryder as he seized a rifle -and rushed out the door. - -Although Jack could not talk to the Indian, he soon made the red man -understand by motions that he wanted to take care of the bullet wound. -The native smiled gratefully at this and sat down in Mr. Ryder’s chair -while the young American hastened out to Tom Why’s cook house. The lad -routed the worthy Chinaman out of bed and bade him heat some water -immediately. In the meantime, he found some clean linen with which to -make bandages. - -Tom Why was a willing assistant and in short order all blood stains -had been wiped from the runner’s chest and arm and the wound bathed. -Then Jack bound a bandage tightly about the injured shoulder and after -preparing a cup of steaming hot coffee, showed the native to one of -the bedrooms and insisted that he lay down and rest for a while. During -all this, the tawny yellow hound which had followed the Indian into the -cottage, kept close to his master’s side. The animal seemed to appreciate -everything that Jack and Tom did for the redman, for his tail wagged -furiously all the time. And when the runner lay down upon Jack’s bed the -hound curled himself up in the doorway as if to keep guard while Miguel -was sleeping. - -When the Indian was comfortable, the Vermonter buckled on his own -revolver, and slinging a heavy cartridge belt over his shoulder seized -one of the rifles in the corner and hurried out to the trenches. - -At the plant every one was in a state of excitement. The ugly-looking, -three-inch fieldpiece had been unjacketed and made ready for action. The -battery of French machine guns, those death-dealing instruments that -fired more than four hundred shots a minute, had all been mounted and -manned, and soldiers and workmen alike all fully armed, waited crouching -in the trenches. The two improvised searchlights were still burning and -by their light the whole scene looked weird and uncanny. - -Mr. Ryder was as active as the rest, directing the position of the -defenders and arranging other details. But in the midst of it all he -found time to call Jack aside and hold a brief conversation with him. - -“That Indian’s story has me thoroughly puzzled. If all he says is true, -and I have no reason to believe otherwise, some one is certainly plotting -for my downfall. Whom do you suppose José Cerro’s ‘benefactor’ is anyway? -This is the most mysterious situation I have ever been mixed up with -in my life. It certainly has me guessing. I wonder if—Look! Look! See -that flash over there! On the mountain! Listen! Hear the roar! It’s the -rebels! They’ve lugged their old fieldpiece up there again. They are -trying to drop shells down here! Ho, boys! Bill! Joe! Did you see that -flash! Throw a shell or two up there the next time they fire!” The last -was addressed to the men in charge of the three-inch gun. - -Again came the flash, then the far-off roar and Jack heard the shell go -humming high in the air above the plant and burst against the mountain -across the river. But this time the gun on the mountain was answered -by the one at the plant. The battery belched forth a cloud of fire and -smoke and a moment later Jack saw a flash of fire in the woods across the -valley where the shell exploded. The fieldpiece at the plant was of the -quick-firing variety and four shots were hurled up on to the mountain -before another one was sent toward the station. - -Twice shells burst within the inclosure about the plant, one carrying -away a section of the rurales’ barracks hall and setting fire to the -rest of it. The flames added to the excitement of the occasion but were -quickly extinguished by two men with a hose, held in readiness for that -very kind of emergency. Until just before daylight, the firing kept up, -then the gun on the mountain became strangely silent and the men at -Necaxa concluded that their shells had put it into disuse forever. But -when the first golden streak of morning showed above the mountain tops, -and the valley became light enough for the men to see any distance, -a new terror took the place of the gun on the mountain. From here and -there in the underbrush across the valley bottom came tiny jets of -smoke, and Jack for the first time in his life heard the ominous hum of -bullets fired with deadly earnestness. José Cerro’s sharpshooters seemed -everywhere and the flying pellets of lead and steel kicked up the dust in -all directions. For a long time the rifles in the trenches were silent, -for the men could locate no one to fire at. The fieldpiece, however, kept -shelling the forest but with little effect, for the gunners could not see -the enemy. - -Then suddenly two natives showed themselves on the edge of the wood. -Instantly, a volley rang out from the defenders and the French machine -guns began to rattle viciously. The battle was on! - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -“WHO WILL BE FOOD FOR THE VULTURES!” - - -Of the two men, one advanced. The other lay writhing in pain on the -ground, but his place was taken by twenty more, forty more, eighty more, -a hundred, two hundred. They emerged from every bush, from behind trees, -they arose from the long grass, they appeared as if by magic. On they -came, yelling, screaming; swarthy faces distorted, the lust of battle in -their eyes. - -“Here they come, boys! Steady! Keep cool and fight, _fight_, FIGHT!” -screamed Mr. Ryder to the men in the trenches. - -His instructions were answered by a mighty cheer; a war-cry that sent a -thrill down Jack Straw’s back. - -All thoughts of danger, all thoughts of everything but the fight, were -driven from the lad’s brain by that cheer. In his hands he gripped a -rifle. About his shoulders were two hundred rounds of ammunition. With -these he must fight, _fight_, FIGHT! - -He was surprised to find how calm and collected he felt as he crouched -there in the first trench, shoulder to shoulder with a rurale on one -side and Harvey Carroll on the other. Over his head whistled a thousand -screaming messengers of death. They plunged into the earthy embankment -in front of him and threw dirt and pebbles into his eyes and mouth. -They whistled past his cheeks and thumped against the wall of the power -station behind him. Yet for all he was calm, insanely calm, it seemed to -him. - -Carefully and methodically he slipped a shell from his cartridge belt -and held it between his teeth while he threw open the breech block of -his rifle. Without any apparent haste he slipped the brass thing home, -closed the breech and put the piece to his shoulder. Then with the utmost -deliberation he selected one of those ugly distorted faces for his target -and taking careful aim pulled the trigger. - -Thus did the boy load and fire, load and fire, a dozen times while the -screaming mob came on. All along the double line of trenches, workmen -and soldiers were doing the same as he. And behind him the battery of -French machine guns, two on the roof and the others against the wall of -the power station, spat vehemently four hundred times a minute. Yet with -all this stubborn defense the motley mob advanced. They rushed, shrieking -and screaming, across the valley bottom toward the barbed-wire barricade, -pausing only to reload and fire. They came on, on, on, sombreros and -jackets flapping, red lips parted and white teeth showing like a pack of -bloodthirsty wolves. Two men reached the barbed-wire fence, one began to -climb but he stopped at the second strand and his bullet-riddled body -hung on the fence for the rest of the battle. The other hacked away with -a _machette_, trying hard to sever the wires. Jack was surprised to see -how long he remained exposed to the grueling fire before he fell. - -Others reached the fence; one man clutched the top strand and vaulted -clear, but he did not stand on his feet when he landed. Another climbed -a post only to pitch backward, bowling over two men directly behind him. -But they came so thick and fast after that, that Jack could only see them -as a mass. They pressed against the barrier like cattle; they raged, they -cursed, they screamed, while the bullets from the machine guns mowed them -down like rye before a scythe. But the press was too great! The fence -came down with a crash and the way to the plant was cleared for them! - -A groan arose from the trenches when the men saw this, for the Necaxa -force was outnumbered five to one in spite of the havoc of the machine -guns. Jack’s spirit sank with the rest, for he realized that the end -was near unless they could stop the rush of that bloodthirsty mob. But -suddenly he heard a voice above the roar of battle and looking in the -direction from whence it came, he saw Mr. Ryder standing exposed on the -embankment of the first trench. - -“Boys, boys!” he shouted; “look overhead! The vultures! Shall they feed -on us or the greasers to-night?” Jack looked aloft, there in the blue -heavens were two huge birds circling slowly around over the battle -field. It was dramatic! It was hideous! Others looked, too, and the grim -specter had its effect. - -“The greasers! the greasers! let them be food for the vultures! Make -them carrion, fellows!” was the cry that went up from the trenches, and -some men in their anger stood bolt upright to load and fire. The rain of -bullets that swept down the grassy slope was annihilating. The oncoming -mob stopped! The rebels’ dogged rush was checked! For five minutes they -tried to hold their ground against the withering fire. Then suddenly they -broke and ran for cover. - -[Illustration: “They pressed against the barrier like cattle”] - -At this a shout of triumph went up from the trenches. The men all stood -upright then and pumped bullets after the scattered force of José Cerro. -Jack discarded his rifle entirely and drawing his revolver leapt to the -top of the breastworks and fired, round after round at the tattered -brigade that was hurrying across the valley, until the last of the -Mexicans was lost in the forest. Then he paused and as he wiped the -perspiration from his brow, he remarked to no one in particular: - -“By crackey, for excitement this beats all.” - -Harvey Carroll overheard him and smiled. “So it appeals to you, eh?” he -queried. - -“Appeals to me? No, not exactly, but nevertheless it’s exciting! How long -did it last? About fifteen minutes, I guess.” - -But Jack was disillusioned on this point when he looked at his watch. He -could hardly believe it but he had been in the midst of death for two -hours and had come through it all without a single scratch. This was -not true of others, however. From here and there in the trenches came -groans of anguish, telling plainly that more than one of the murderous -soft-nosed Mexican bullets had found its mark. Jack saw many motionless -forms too, and he knew that the power plant would be short handed for a -while. - -The lad did not have long to view the situation, however, for soon -he heard the voice of the engineer giving commands in English and -Spanish. These were to the effect that every man should get busy and -repair the broken-down barricade before the rebels rallied and began -another assault. Rifles were discarded immediately and axes and shovels -substituted. With these, soldiers and workmen alike began to reset the -broken-down posts and restring the wires. Jack and Mr. Ryder did their -part. They worked side by side with the rest, in spite of the fact that -they had been longer than twenty-four hours without sleep. - -Once Jack paused in his work and standing erect, viewed the valley. Dead -men lay everywhere. They were piled thick along the line of fence and -scattered broadcast from the bottom of the slope to the edge of the wood, -and though the bodies were not yet cold the vultures were feeding. The -scavengers of Mexico were already at work clearing the battle field. - -As soon as the fence was repaired and reinforced with hundreds of feet -of extra barbed wire which the workmen brought from the storehouse, -Mr. Ryder appointed a hospital squad and a burial squad from amongst -the infantry men. They were detailed to go across the valley gathering -up the dead and the wounded. When this was well under way the engineer -returned to the plant, to look after the hospital work there. Lyman, -Carroll and several other Americans who were not needed inside the plant -at that time, had gathered up the injured and taken them inside a big -well-lighted toolhouse. - -Mr. Ryder glanced about the room; he studied the faces of the wounded and -scrutinized the attendants closely. Finally, he turned to Jack and said: - -“Say, son, have you seen my assistant? Nedham, I mean. I haven’t seen him -since last night. I was looking for him in the trenches, but couldn’t -find him. Thought maybe he was wounded early and brought here.” - -Jack could not recall having seen Nedham. So Mr. Ryder called Lyman. - -“Hi, Lyman, come here.” - -Lyman made his way between the prostrated forms to his chief’s side. - -“Have you seen Nedham, lately?” queried the engineer. - -“Why—er—ah, why I think the last glimpse I caught of him was when the -three-inch fieldpiece opened up. He came through the operating room. -Said he was on his way to the roof to look after some machine guns up -there. Haven’t seen him since.” - -“Well,” said Mr. Ryder, “that’s a peculiar place for my assistant when I -need him alongside of me all the time. If you see him again tell him I -want him. He’ll find me here with the wounded.” - -Jack was surprised to find out how many had been injured in the battle. -There were more than a score of workmen and soldiers stretched out on the -toolhouse floor, and the few Americans available had all they could do -to care for the wants of the wounded. Jack noted that one of the busiest -of the attendants was the Indian runner whom he had left in his room -before the battle started. The red man was going about among the wounded -with a gourd of water in his right hand. His left was bandaged tightly -across his breast and entirely useless because of José Cerro’s bullet. -Jack learned later on that the messenger had entered the trenches at the -opening of the battle and all through the conflict had handled a huge -six shooter which he had found in Mr. Ryder’s cottage. - -The youth and the engineer turned to with the rest and tried to make -things more comfortable for the sufferers. They had not been at work -long, however, before Arthur Strong, the tall, light-haired day operator, -came rushing in. The moment he saw Mr. Ryder he began to shout: - -“The lines are down! The lines are down! Mexico City’s service is cut -off.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE WIRES ARE DOWN - - -The news was staggering! Mr. Ryder stood blinking at the man for fully -a minute before he could comprehend the situation. Then as he realized -that his one desire, to keep the current flowing uninterruptedly into -Mexico City, had been thwarted, his face grew very white and tense, but -instantly this expression changed to one of determination. - -“We’ll put these lines back again in the face of every obstacle,” he -thundered. Then, turning, he addressed the men in the room. - -“Boys, the lines are down! For the first time since I’ve been in charge -of Necaxa, Mexico City is without juice! I’m going to open the service -again! Who is going to help me!” - -“I am!” came the chorus and every man who could stand crowded about the -engineer and pleaded to be taken along. Even some of the wounded men -raised themselves on their elbows and begged to be permitted to help in -the crisis. - -Quietly and methodically Mr. Ryder went about picking out his assistants. -Two burly Mexican linemen were the first selected, then Harvey Carroll of -the maintenance department under whose jurisdiction came all the repair -work along the transmission line, and last of all a swarthy rurale, known -among the men as the best rider and best marksman of all the Necaxa troop. - -“You five will be enough. Carroll, you and the linemen get your -repair kits and have the _mozos_ saddle five horses. We’re to start -immediately.” Then as the men were turning to go, the engineer called -them together again. - -“Perhaps I should warn you boys of the dangers that face us. I have -an idea that this breaking down of the transmission lines is nothing -more or less than a trap. Where we find the trouble we will also find a -swarm of rebels ambushed. They may shoot us from the poles just as they -would shoot so many pheasants. In fact, the more I think of it the more -confident I am that they have pulled the wires down for the very purpose -of luring some of us out into the mountains so that they can square -accounts. Considering the situation in that light, do you all feel just -as enthusiastic about going?” - -“You bet we do,” came the hearty response and the five men hurried out to -get their equipment together. - -“Fine,” said Mr. Ryder, then turning and addressing the rest of the men -in the toolhouse he said: - -“It will be up to you fellows to guard the place from an attack until we -return. I know your number is small now and some of our best fighters -are out of commission, but just the same you must hold the place against -any further assault. I don’t expect you’ll have much trouble after the -way we treated José Cerro and his rebels this morning, but nevertheless -you can’t afford to have your eyes closed. Clear up the place and get -everything shipshape and ready for instant action. - -“And as for you,” he continued, turning to Jack Straw, “you’ve acquitted -yourself well to-day and I must compliment you. Now, to top off all -this, I want you to keep your eyes on the clock. It is exactly eleven -o’clock. If we are not back or you do not get word from us by three this -afternoon, arrange with Captain Alvarez, of the rurales, to have the -whole squad ride the transmission line in search of us. They may get -there in time to find our dead bodies, but anyway we can feel certain of -a decent burial, can’t we, my boy?” - -“You’re right you can, but I certainly hope that we’ll be able to locate -you before burial is necessary, if we have to look for you at all,” -replied Jack. - -A few moments later the four other members of the repair squad rode up -to the door of the improvised hospital, leading Mr. Ryder’s mount. The -engineer shook hands with all his friends and bade them good-by while his -assistants did likewise. Then when all were mounted and ready, word was -given and the five horses went racing across the enclosure, through the -gate and on to the trail that followed the line of transmission cables. -For half an hour they pushed ahead at a steady canter, keeping a careful -watch on the shrubbery and underbrush for signs of the enemy. They saw -any number of dead rebels. All along the trail were bodies of men who had -been wounded in the recent battle and who had followed their companions -until they dropped from sheer exhaustion. - -About four miles from Necaxa they located the break. The four large -cables were completely down, but fortunately the parallel telephone wire -was still in service. At first Mr. Ryder was at loss to know just how the -peons had done the work until he examined the cable and discovered bullet -marks. - -“I have it,” he exclaimed suddenly; “the greasers have pumped shot into -the cables and insulators until the lines simply couldn’t stay up. I -guess the telephone wire was too small for them to hit. I’m mighty glad -they are such poor shots. They have done very little damage for the -cables are not cut to amount to anything. All that is necessary is some -new porcelain insulators on the poles and a little patchwork on the lines -and we will be able to give Huerta his service in an hour. Come, boys, -up the poles there and get the insulators in place. Cut in on the ’phone -line and tell the station we’ll have the work done in an hour.” - -The men became active immediately, even the rurale taking a hand in the -work. From the four repair kits enough insulators were secured to equip -the pole. The two linemen were sent aloft to install these while Mr. -Ryder, Carroll and the rurale stayed on the ground to repair the lines. -They were all so thoroughly busy and so absorbed in their work that none -of them heard the soft patter of naked feet on the trail and in the -underbrush about the pole. Indeed, they were surprised almost to the -point of speechlessness when a wicked-faced little Mexican, revolver in -hand, stepped into full view before them and requested them in Spanish to -hold up their hands. - -Mr. Ryder and the rurale jumped up simultaneously and reached for their -guns but the ugly-looking Mexican merely smiled as he turned his revolver -to cover them completely. - -“Ah, Señor Ryder, I would not try to shoot if I were you, the woods are -full of rifles,” he said very politely in Spanish. And it was true. Mr. -Ryder could see a peon behind every bush and tree. - -“It is José Cerro,” hissed the rurale as he put his hands above his head. - -“Yes, it is I, José Cerro,” answered the Mexican calmly. Then turning to -the engineer he said, “I hoped to get some of you in this trap, but I -never expected to have the good fortune of capturing Señor Ryder, I am -sure. I am indeed honored to have you as my prisoner. I am also pleased -for other reasons, for your capture means three thousand pesos to me and -perhaps more, who knows.” - -“Three thousand pesos! Who will give you that amount?” demanded the -engineer. - -“Ah, señor, would it be loyal of me to reveal the name of my benefactor, -especially when he does not want his identity known?” asked Zapata’s -lieutenant suavely. Then he answered the question himself by saying, “No, -no, that would not be kind. I cannot tell you, Señor Ryder, but I can -tell you that you must come with me. You must hurry too, before your -rurales hear of this trap. For my force is far too small as it is, thanks -to the excellent fighting of you gringoes. Ho! men! come, take these -monkeys from their perch on the pole. We must away with our prisoners. -Come!” - -A horde of battle-scarred peons appeared immediately, and with -threatening speech and gestures managed to persuade the two Mexican -linemen to climb down from the pole. Each of the five prisoners -was commanded to mount his horse, then according to José Cerro’s -instructions, peons bound their feet together under the horses’ stomachs -and tied their hands behind their backs. This done the leader gave a -few brief commands and the band started to move, striking off at right -angle to the trail that followed the transmission line. They seemed to be -following an invisible path through the thicket that led into a narrow -ravine between the mountains in the direction of the broad valley where -Los Angeles was located. - -But they had hardly left the tiny clearing about the pole when the -figure of an Indian and a tawny hound crept out of the bushes. The redman -was clad only in canvas trousers that were rolled up to his knees, and -his left arm and shoulder was swathed in bandages. A moment he paused -while his black eyes searched the ground and the surrounding shrubbery. -Suddenly he caught sight of the narrow trail left by the cavalcade. - -“Ugh,” he grunted, “they have gone toward the sunrise. They have no -horses. We shall easily catch José Cerro.” He paused a moment longer to -examine the trail, then, standing erect, he mused: - -“I am right. Only so many horses as I have fingers, no more. Those are -Señor Ryder’s.” - -And he disappeared as silently as he came. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -TO THE RESCUE! - - -It was some time before Jack and the rest of the Americans were able to -make the wounded comfortable in the makeshift hospital. When the task was -accomplished, however, Phil Underwood and Lance Carpenter were put in -permanent charge of the toolhouse. Their first action was to bar everyone -else from entering the building and disturbing their patients. - -Since nothing remained for Jack to do but obey these orders, the lad soon -left the place and sought employment with the men who were engaged in -eliminating the evidences of the recent battle from the vicinity of the -power house. In the meantime, however, he kept careful track of the time -and constant watch for some message from Mr. Ryder and the repair crew. - -As a result of the industriousness of the regulars, the dead and wounded -were fast being removed from the valley. Those who still showed signs of -life were carried to the toolhouse to be cared for by Phil and Lance. The -dead men were carried into the forest to the west. This puzzled Jack for -he could not understand why graves were not dug in the open. Indeed, he -became so curious about the whole thing that he finally asked Lyman what -the regulars did with the bodies. - -“In Mexico,” explained Lyman, “they don’t bother to bury dead men after -a battle. They merely gather them all in one pile, saturate them with -kerosene and touch a match to them. You see, bodies must be removed -quickly in the Tropics or serious disease will be spread immediately. The -funeral pyre is the quickest and best method of avoiding this danger.” - -“Goodness, but that’s a gruesome way of caring for the dead. But then, I -suppose, it is best from a sanitary standpoint and it certainly is far -better than leaving the remains for the vultures.” - -“Si, señor, it es best zan ze vultures,” said some one in broken English, -and Jack and Lyman turned to find Captain Alvarez, of the rurales, -addressing them. “I hear your remarks what you say about dead mens and I -agree. Fire es best zan ze vultures. Oh; ze vultures zay are ah—what you -call—ah—higeous, eh!” - -“Indeed they are hideous. They are the most repulsive creatures I have -ever seen,” said Jack. - -“Ah, you are right, Señor Jack, but it is not of vulture I wish to see -you for. It is of my mans Alfonso Perro, the one wiz ze scar foot which -is in ze guardhouse now. We mus give him ze court-martial soon and ze -execution. Also his peon assistant must we shoot. Will you and Señor -Ryder be ready for ze court zis evening?” - -“I think so,” replied Jack. “I will be ready and I think Mr. Ryder will—” - -“Who is that,” interrupted Lyman, pointing across the clearing in the -direction of the trail that followed the transmission line. - -Jack beheld a swarthy, long-haired individual clad only in white trousers -running toward the power plant, a dog loping along at his heels. The -man’s stride was long and regular, like that of an experienced distance -runner, and the lad recognized him immediately as the Indian messenger. - -“Why, it’s the runner. I saw him here at the plant only an hour ago. I -wonder where he’s been? I’ll warrant he has word about Mr. Ryder.” - -Together Jack and Lyman hurried to greet the messenger who by this time -had crawled under the barbed-wire fence and was swinging up the slope. -But while he was still some distance away he began to call in Spanish. - -“What does he say?” queried Jack of Lyman, who had been listening -intently to catch every word. - -“Quick, call out the rurales!” replied Lyman; “he says that the repair -crew has been taken prisoners by José Cerro himself!” - -“But how does he know? How did he get the information?” demanded Jack. - -“Don’t know, he must have slipped out and followed Mr. Ryder and his men. -Hurry, we’ve no time to lose. He will guide us.” - -But Captain Alvarez had followed them down the slope and he needed no -persuading. He had understood everything the Indian said and even while -Lyman was urging him to hurry the officer drew a tiny silver whistle -from his pocket and blew three shrill blasts upon it. A moment later an -orderly appeared running toward the commander. - -Brief instructions were given and the soldier hurried back toward the -plant again. Five minutes later the clear notes of a bugle echoed and -re-echoed through the valley, calling the troopers to saddle. - -By the time the three arrived at the corral the rurales were ready. There -were other horsemen, too, eager to go to the rescue of Mr. Ryder, for the -news had been spread throughout Necaxa and all the Americans who could be -spared and who could find horses or mules to ride upon had gathered with -the troopers. - -_Mozos_ found mounts for Jack and Lyman and the Indian runner, and in -less than twenty minutes after Miguel appeared upon the trail the troop -was galloping out of the enclosure and along the path that followed the -transmission lines. Captain Alvarez, the Indian, Jack and Lyman were in -the lead and the rest of the band was strung out behind, their position -depending entirely upon the speed of their horses. And as they galloped -toward the break in the transmission line the wounded Indian explained -how he had left the toolhouse hospital and followed the repair crew at -a distance, hoping to be of assistance in case of trouble. But soon -he began to find traces of the presence of rebels along the trail. He -tried to reach Mr. Ryder and warn him of the ambush, but he said that -the woods in the vicinity of the pole on which the men were working were -so full of José Cerro’s men that he could not get through their lines -without running the risk of being shot. Quietly he waited until he could -be certain of the direction José Cerro and his men would lead their -prisoners. Then he returned to Necaxa as fast as he could run. - -[Illustration: “The horsemen in green swept down the valley”] - -Half an hour after the rurales left the plant they arrived at the point -where the transmission line was down. Here the Indian dismounted and -looked over the ground carefully. - -“They are many peons,” he said laconically to Captain Alvarez as he -remounted and started toward the trail that led into the ravine. In -single file the horsemen followed their guide, for nearly an hour before -they reached the end of the rocky pass, from the mouth of which they -could look down into the broad valley that held Los Angeles. Off in the -distance Jack saw a line of soldiers winding its way toward the little -community. - -“There, there, over there! Those are José Cerro’s men with their -prisoners!” exclaimed Captain Alvarez in Spanish. “Come! At them, men!” - -The call of the bugle trumpeting the charge sounded through the -valley. José Cerro and his men heard it and began to hurry forward at -double-quick time. But they soon saw that escape was impossible, for the -horsemen rushed down upon them swiftly. All that remained for the peons -to do was stand and fight. Hurriedly they formed a circle about their -prisoners and with guns pointing on every side prepared to repel the -rurales. - -The horsemen in green swept down from the ravine ’mid the thunder of -hoofs and the shouts of infuriated men! Indian fashion the squad split, a -wing skirting either side of the valley. On they came firing from their -saddles with carbine or revolver and menacing José Cerro’s men from every -side. But the little knot of peons were courageous. They loaded and fired -in lightning fashion and the rattle of their musketry sounded like a -battery of machine guns in action. They were making a last and desperate -stand and they fought doggedly! - -Round and round the little group of men swept the cavalry, making the -circle ever narrower. Jack rode with the rest of them, lying close to his -horse’s neck and firing his revolver. But in the heat of it all he never -took his eyes from the prisoners in the center of the circle of rebels. -There were Mr. Ryder and his assistants exposed to the fire of the men -from the plant. Jack expected to see one of them topple from his horse at -any moment, pierced by the bullets of their friends. - -But gradually the nerve of the fighting rebels began to go. Three of them -left their companions and tried to break through the line of horsemen. -Jack saw a rurale ride one of them down. The other two were shot before -they had gone a dozen yards. Two more tried to get through, only to -be trampled down by the flying horsemen. José Cerro and his men were -trapped. There was no way for them to get beyond the circle of horsemen. -Some threw down their arms and cried for mercy while others broke and -ran; ran as far as they could go before a bullet brought them to the -ground or a horse trampled them under foot. - -Then in the midst of it all, while Jack was still keeping a watchful eye -on Mr. Ryder, the lad saw the engineer suddenly jerked down from his -mount, and in his place on the horse’s back appeared a wicked-looking -little Mexican. The man set spurs to the horse immediately and tried to -ride through the crush of humans about him. He cursed and shouted for his -men to make way and those who did not move fast enough he beat over the -head with the butt of his revolver. - -“Look! look!” shrieked Jack; “their leader is getting away! José Cerro -is escaping!” Then rolling his spurs across his animal’s flanks he gave -chase. But others saw the escaping leader and more than one horseman -turned his mount down the valley after the fleeing rebel. - -It was a short race. José Cerro had hardly time to get his steed down to -its pace before Jack and two rurales reached his side. One man seized the -horse’s bridle and threw the animal back up on its haunches. With a curse -the Zapatista drew his revolver. But Jack happened fortunately to be on -the right side of the rebel. His revolver spat fire twice before the -Mexican could raise his arm. José Cerro shrieked with pain. The revolver -dropped from his helpless fingers and he reeled in the saddle. The other -rurale caught him as he was falling and steadied him on the prancing -horse. - -The fighting had ceased by this time for most of the peons, seeing -their leader in full flight, had surrendered. The Mexican linemen and -the Americans who were still tied to their horses had been liberated -immediately and the rurales were busy forming the remainder of the rebel -band in a double line and disarming them. - -Jack and Mr. Ryder greeted each other warmly when the former drove up, -escorting the wounded leader. - -“By George, boy, I’m mighty glad you got the rurales out when you did. It -began to look to us as if we were in for a rather disagreeable time with -José Cerro. José, you know, is a dangerous individual at best, and any -one who is unfortunate enough to become his prisoner is very liable to -suffer.” - -“Yes, I am glad I arrived before it was necessary to superintend your -‘decent burial,’ but the credit is not due me. Miguel, our Indian runner, -once more appeared in the nick of time. He saw you leaving for the -mountains and all unknown to us he trailed you. He saw you captured and -hurried back to the plant and spread the news. Where is he now?” - -“There he is yonder on his horse, looking like a bronze statue. I’m -going over and shake hands with him. He’s a brave boy,” said Mr. Ryder. - -To have the great gringo engineer shake hands with him and compliment -him pleased the Indian runner a great deal in spite of the fact that he -became very self-conscious when Mr. Ryder told him how brave he really -was. - -“I’m not brave,” he said in Spanish. “I merely repay a kindness. Also, I -am glad to see José Cerro captured. If he is not killed by the rurales I -myself will kill him for this.” The Indian pointed gravely to his wounded -shoulder as he spoke. - -But Mr. Ryder did not hear all that the Indian said for the grounded -transmission line was worrying him. He looked at his watch then hurried -off to where Carroll and several men from the plant were standing. - -“Come, we’ve still time to fix up that transmission line before -nightfall. Get the linemen together and we’ll start back through the -ravine. The Indian will lead us and if we hurry we will be able to put -things in condition so that Mexico City can have light to-night.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -“SHOOT! SHOOT!” - - -It was long after sunrise next morning when the cavalcade of horsemen -and their prisoners appeared at the station. Though the wires had been -restrung and service started at nightfall the previous evening, the -rescuers and rescued as well were too tired even to make the four-mile -ride back to the plant. They had all been without sleep for practically -forty-eight hours and even while the lines were being repaired many -of the rurales tossed themselves on the ground and promptly became -unconscious. The result was a night camp along the transmission line -trail with no guard except that maintained over the prisoners, and this -was hardly necessary for the rebels had been awake as long, if not -longer, than the men from the power house, and were equally as tired. - -Necaxa was not awake either when the rurales arrived. Aside from the few -regular soldiers who were doing sentry duty, no one seemed to be stirring -about the little town. The night men, who had been forced to stay awake -longer than the rest, had already left the station and crawled into bed -thoroughly weary. But the clatter of hoofs and the shouts of the soldiers -greeting the returning fighters awakened many of them and attracted the -attention of the men at work in the power station. Soon the community -was alive with curious soldiers and workmen, all eager to hear of the -adventures of Mr. Ryder and his repair crew. But when they saw the line -of prisoners and beheld José Cerro, helpless on a stretcher made of one -of the rurale’s blankets, they cheered lustily, for the capture of the -rebel leader meant that the country was rid of one of its most vicious -bandits. - -Arthur Strong, the day operator, was one of the first to greet the -engineer. The moment he heard the soldiers arrive he left the control -room in charge of his assistant and hurried downstairs. - -“By Jove, we were mighty pleased to get your telephone message last -night,” he said to Mr. Ryder. “We thought that Cerro had done away with -all of you. I am glad to see you again. You too, Jack, old boy.” Strong -shook hands with his superior as he spoke. “And, say, perhaps you don’t -think we’ve had one fine time around here since you left yesterday -afternoon,” he continued, to Mr. Ryder. “Things nearly went to the devil -until we locked that man Nedham up.” - -“Nedham,” exclaimed Mr. Ryder; “what’s he been doing?” - -“Doing?” exclaimed Long; “why the man’s been drunk on _pulque_! You know -what that stuff will do with you. I hadn’t seen him since the battle -until last night after the rurales cleared out. About eight o’clock he -came stumbling into the control room. His eyes were bulging out and his -face was red and ugly. I was on duty and I had about made up my mind to -stick through the night, since Lyman had gone with the rescuers. Nedham -came staggering in just when I was busiest. He said _he_ was going to -run the plant for the night. I could see that he was in no shape to run -anything nor to issue orders either, so I told him to get back home and -sleep it off. Then he got ugly. But I knew he was drunk so I did not -bother with him. Then he became insistent and noisy and when he tried to -punch me I had to call in two soldiers. They took him to the guardhouse. -He was in there all last night. This morning I let him out. I think he is -up at his cottage now, very much the worse for his spree.” - -“What a fine assistant I have!” said Mr. Ryder sarcastically. “Tell Lyman -to go and rout him out. I want to talk with him.” - -While the engineer and the operator were talking, Captain Alvarez and -his rurales arranged their prisoners in line along the south wall of the -power station. This scene had interested Jack far more than the recital -of Nedham’s drunken actions for it began to look to the lad as if a -wholesale slaughter was about to take place. - -“Heavens, I hope Captain Alvarez doesn’t intend to execute them all,” -said the youth to Mr. Ryder when the day operator ceased talking. “That -would be hideous. It would be brutal murder. You can’t countenance such -actions, Mr. Ryder?” - -“Indeed I can’t,” said the engineer, hurrying toward Captain Alvarez, -“and besides I want to have a word with Cerro before any execution takes -place. I think that man knows some things that will help clear up the -mystery that surrounds all our recent trouble.” - -To do justice to the Mexican commander it must be said that he had not -intended to have a wholesale execution. He explained this to Mr. Ryder -quite frankly and stated that he merely intended to make the rebel leader -face the firing squad while his followers looked on. He thought that -it would be a capital way of teaching a lesson. After the execution he -purposed sending the whole horde of prisoners to Mexico City, where they -would be turned over to General Rodriguez to be confined in the military -prison. - -“If it is all the same to you,” said Mr. Ryder, “I would like to have a -few words with Cerro before he is shot.” - -“Certain,” said the officer, “only et ez not so easy to mek him to talk, -he is ah what you call—ah—to handle hard you know.” - -The rebel leader was lying on the ground near the entrance to the -guardhouse. His wounds had been bound up the evening before by one of his -followers, but in spite of all efforts to ease him, it was quite evident -that the man was suffering a great deal. - -Mr. Ryder bent over the prostrate form and spoke in Spanish. “José Cerro, -you are going to die. You will soon face the firing squad. Tell me who -would give you three thousand pesos for my capture.” But in spite of his -pain the little black-haired Mexican smiled grimly and shook his head. - -“No,” he said. “I cannot tell, no, no.” - -Mr. Ryder was about to press his question again, however, when Lyman -appeared, leading a very white and very nervous-looking individual whom -Jack recognized as Nedham. - -“Here’s your assistant, Mr. Ryder; you said you wanted to see him,” said -Lyman. - -But before the engineer could speak Nedham caught sight of the man on the -ground. He shrank back in terror and gasped. - -“Oh, it’s José Cerro!” - -Mr. Ryder looked searchingly at his trembling assistant, for he could not -understand what made the man so frightened at seeing the wounded rebel -leader. He did not have long to speculate on the reason for such strange -actions, for Captain Alvarez came to speak to him. - -“You could no make José speak?” queried the officer. - -“No, he refused to answer my questions.” - -“Ah-ha, did I not tell you zay all are so like that.” Then turning to -José Cerro, he said in Spanish, “You are to die. Can you stand up to face -the firing squad or must we prop you against the wall?” - -“I shall die standing,” said the rebel proudly, “and you shall not -blindfold me either.” - -“All right, get up; we have not time to lose, two others are to be shot -after you. Perro, our traitorous rurale, and his peon companion die -to-day,” said Captain Alvarez brutally. - -“Carlos! Jesus! come, help your leader to rise; he must die standing,” -called José Cerro to two of the peon prisoners. - -The faithful followers left their places and raising the wounded man to -his feet, assisted him to the spot designated by the commander of the -firing squad. That his effort to walk was causing the rebel excruciating -pain was evident from the expression on his face. It took him some time -to limp across the space in front of the firing squad even with the help -of his men. - -While he was taking his place before the five executioners, a hush -fell over the scores of men that stood about. Every one was tense and -silent. José Cerro’s attendants shook hands with him solemnly and left -him standing there alone. Slowly the five riflemen brought their guns to -position and took aim. Then just as the officer was raising his sword to -give the firing signal, José Cerro spoke. - -“A moment,” he said in Spanish, “just a moment. I wish to speak—” - -“No! No! Shoot! Shoot! Don’t let him speak,” screamed a voice in English. - -It was Nedham, trembling and on the point of collapse. His face was -distorted with fear and he was forced to cling to Lyman to keep from -falling to the ground. - -“So, Señor Nedham, you turn against me now,” hissed the rebel leader. -“You would have me shot without speaking my last words. You thought me -a traitor who would tell your plot. That was not intended. But now I -will tell. Come, Señor Ryder, listen. It was Señor Nedham who plotted -against you. He it was who offered three thousand pesos for your capture, -I—I—was—.” The sentence was cut off abruptly for the wounded man, weak -with the exertion of standing, suddenly pitched forward on his face. - -The rebel leader’s two loyal followers hurried to his side to lift him -back up on his feet, but he was only semi-conscious and it was evident to -both that in a few moments more the firing squad would be cheated of its -work. - -In the meantime, Nedham, regaining some of his shattered nerve, tried to -bolt through the crowd but Jack and Lyman seized him and threw him to the -ground. - -“Hurry, Mr. Ryder, take off his left shoe,” cried Jack. “I have an idea -that this is the man who stole your drawings and tried to wreck the -plant.” - -The shoe and stocking were quickly removed and much to the engineer’s -amazement a deep scar was revealed running diagonally across Nedham’s -heel. - -“But—but—why I thought we had the man with the scarred heel under -arrest,” said Mr. Ryder thoroughly mystified. - -“Yes,” said Jack, “but it flashed upon me a moment ago that the rurale’s -scar was on his right heel, while the scar mark in the dust was on the -left foot. Don’t you remember? Here comes the rurale now, go look for -yourself.” - -Two men were leading Perro from the guardhouse toward the firing squad. -He was still barefooted for no one had been considerate enough of his -comfort to return his cavalry boots to him since his arrest. - -“Let me see your left heel,” said Mr. Ryder in Spanish, and obediently -the rurale raised his foot. - -“By George, there’s no scar there! Is it on the right foot? Let me see! -But it was not necessary for the rurale to raise his right foot for the -scar extended half way up the man’s ankle and was plainly visible from -the right side. - -“Well, this came near being a fatal mistake,” exclaimed the engineer. -Then to the rurale in Spanish he said, “I’m glad to know you’re not a -traitor anyway, my man.” - -And the Mexican grinned for he could see by the expression on Mr. Ryder’s -face that he was not to be executed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -“YES, YES, I DID IT!” - - -Nedham’s _pulque_ drinking had completely shattered his nerves and the -effects of the liquor combined with the revelation of José Cerro had -well nigh made a physical wreck of the assistant engineer. Indeed, as he -stood in the center of the room in Mr. Ryder’s cottage, where he had been -brought by Lyman and Captain Alvarez, he swayed backward and forward, -and if Jack had not brought him a chair in all probability he would have -collapsed completely. - -He looked at his inquisitors with staring bloodshot eyes, and his fingers -worked nervously at the buttons on the front of his shirt. His condition -was pitiable and Jack and Mr. Ryder both felt sincerely sorry for him. - -“Nedham, where are those plans you stole from my desk! You are the -thief, aren’t you?” demanded Mr. Ryder. - -“Plans?” said Nedham, trying his best to feign ignorance. “What plans? -I—I—know—” - -“Stop,” roared the engineer, “don’t lie, we know you are the guilty man.” - -“I tell you—I—I—Oh, God, yes, yes, I did it! It’s true.” Nedham could -control his shattered nerves no longer. He broke down completely. “I -stole the plans! I stole them! They are under the mattress of my bed! -They’ve been haunting me ever since I took them! Curse the things! If I -had had the courage I’d have burned them long ago! I did the rest too! -I crippled the generators! I smashed the searchlight! I offered the -three thousand pesos for your capture! I did it all—all—and now, thank -goodness, I’ve confessed! It’s all over! The strain! The strain! It was -horrible! I had to get drunk—beastly drunk.” - -Thus he raved until he was almost completely exhausted, and his physical -self, unable to bear the strain any longer, caved in completely. His -head dropped forward on his chest and his hands fell helplessly over the -arms of the chair. He was unconscious for nearly a quarter of an hour -and it was only by administering violent restoratives that Jack and the -engineer managed to make the man himself once more. - -For some time the four sat staring at the helpless engineer. Finally Mr. -Ryder spoke. - -“Why did you do this deviltry, Nedham?” he asked with a trace of -disappointment in his voice. - -“I—I—well I was ambitious—and—I guess a little jealous of you too,” -said Nedham weakly. “You know you only beat me out by two points in the -competition for chief engineer and—well—I couldn’t help feeling bitter -toward you. I wanted your job, and I wanted it badly, and from the time -you appointed me your assistant I started to scheme ways of getting you -out.” - -“But what good would all your plant-wrecking have done? Why did you put -sand in the generators and disrupt the place in general?” queried the -engineer. - -“Well, first off I hoped to frighten you into resigning. I—I—thought -perhaps when you found you had traitors among the men at the plant you -might fear for your own safety and resign, but when I learned how angry -Huerta grew with each new occurrence and how often he called you on -the telephone and raised the devil with you I saw a new way of getting -your job. I concluded that if the trouble was kept up long enough the -President would dismiss you entirely as an incompetent manager and put -me in charge. The day they called you down to Mexico City and had you up -before the directors I felt mighty confident that you would not last long. - -“You brought this youngster back with you and from then on my plans -began to go wrong. I saw you two pass the office the first night Jack -was here. I followed you into the generating room and hid behind one of -the machines. I saw you sprinkle the cement dust and I knew you were -setting a trap. But as I watched it suddenly occurred to me that you were -unconsciously giving me a capital opportunity of throwing you off the -trail entirely. Thereafter I decided to work with my feet bared so that -you would think a peon was doing the damage. I forgot completely about -the scar on my heel until it was too late.” - -“But the plans; the drawings of the lightning arrester. How did you even -know of their existence? I kept my work on that appliance very secret -indeed,” interrupted Mr. Ryder. - -“Well, after I watched you set your trap I followed you back to the -cottage for I was curious to hear what you might have to say about the -situation. I saw the bundle of drawings drop from your shirt. Also I -saw where you put them. And although I did not have the slightest idea -what the plans were about I decided that so long as I had gone that far -I might just as well take a look at your private papers too. I thought -perhaps they were orders or instructions you had received from Huerta -that day. - -“I waited until you were both sound asleep, and slipped into the room -and opened your desk. It did not take me long to learn that the papers -were drawings of a lightning arrester of a type I had never seen before. -Then it occurred to me that the appliance was one of your own invention. -I looked for patent marks and could find none and on the impulse of the -moment I slipped the yellow envelope into my pocket and went back to the -plant. I figured that I had made a double coup, for if you were to build -that lightning arrester and install it here you would win the favor of -President Huerta and consequently my efforts would all be wasted. Also I -was dishonest enough to think that perhaps I could easily secure a patent -on the appliance in my own name when I finally got you out of the way.” - -“Nedham! I never would believe it of you,” said the engineer -reproachfully. - -“Don’t, don’t, please don’t reproach me, Heaven only knows where my -manhood has gone to,” cried Nedham in agony. - -“And do you mean to say that you deliberately brought on battle and -caused hundreds of lives to be sacrificed merely to get me out of my -position?” asked Mr. Ryder incredulously. - -“Yes, yes, I did. I offered José Cerro three thousand pesos to get you -out of the way. I did not want you killed. No, no, I was not as base as -that. I merely wanted you captured and kept a prisoner so long that when -you were finally released I would be safely intrenched here and in the -favor of the President to such an extent that you could never regain your -position. José Cerro thought an attack the only way to get you, and I -smashed the searchlight and did everything else to help him. Oh, it was -villainous work, I know. Heaven forgive me, I must have been mad.” - -The three Americans present were utterly amazed at the man’s treachery, -but Captain Alvarez did not understand fully, for his knowledge of -English was so meager that he could not follow the strange recital in -every detail. When the story was translated for his benefit, however, -his fiery temper became aroused to such a pitch that the three Americans -could hardly restrain him from rushing at the helpless assistant engineer -and beating him senseless with his fist. - -“The dog! The traitor!” roared the Mexican in Spanish. “_He_ should be -killed! _He_ should face the firing squad! Come, drag him out! We will -shoot him! We will shoot him!” - -“No! no!” shrieked Nedham, a look of horror coming into his ashen face. -“No! no! you cannot kill me! You cannot shoot me! I am an American -citizen!” - -“He is right,” said Mr. Ryder. “We cannot execute him without bringing -on international complications that would be distasteful to President -Huerta. No, we can’t shoot him, even though he does deserve it. But we -can expel him from the Republic of Mexico. Put him in the guardhouse, -Captain Alvarez, and this afternoon we will ship him to Mexico City with -the rest of our prisoners. We can turn him over to the authorities there -and request that he be sent out of the country immediately.” - -A look of relief spread over Nedham’s face when he heard Mr. Ryder’s -opinion. - -“Oh, never fear, I’m only too willing to be quit of this country. I can’t -see how any man can keep straight in this hole of iniquity.” - -“It was not a hole of iniquity until treacherous villains of your stamp -came into it,” retorted Mr. Ryder. Then turning to Captain Alvarez -he said, “Call in your trooper and have him taken to the guardhouse. -The train for Mexico City will be made up as soon as possible. In the -meantime you and Lyman stay here and sample one of Tom Why’s excellent -dinners. Things have gone so far to the devil lately that I haven’t had -time to enjoy a good dinner myself. After dinner I’ll accompany you to -Mexico City for I will have to make a report of this whole matter to our -directors. I guess the plant will be safe enough in the hands of my new -assistant, Mr. Lyman.” - -The night operator’s face beamed when he heard, thus abruptly, of his -promotion and he blushed like a schoolboy when Jack and Captain Alvarez -congratulated him. - -“I envy you,” said Jack Straw heartily, “for there’s nothing I’d like -more than to be connected with a huge generating station like this.” - -“Well, we’ve room for a boy here, and we could teach you a great deal -about the electrical industry. Why don’t you apply for a position,” said -Lyman meaningly, at the same time glancing in the direction of Mr. Ryder. - -“Oh, no,” said the lad from Vermont, “I’ve already been away from -Drueryville a month and I think it is about time I hurried back. In -fact, I’ve decided to go in on the train this afternoon with Mr. Ryder. -Some day after I have acquired a real training at ‘Sheff.’ or some other -engineering school I may visit Necaxa again. Who knows?” - -“Well, if we are still here you can be certain of a welcome, my boy,” -said Mr. Ryder heartily. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -GOOD-BY, NECAXA - - -The string of flat cars and the snorting steam engine were waiting when -Jack, Mr. Ryder, the new assistant engineer and Captain Alvarez arrived. -Indeed, the soldiers and rurales were already hurrying their prisoners -aboard. Wicked-looking regulars were stationed at each end of the cars -and there appeared to be small chance of any of the peons escaping from -the train during its journey toward the capital. - -In half an hour everything was ready. Jack found that a large group of -workmen had gathered to see him depart and he shook hands with each one -of them before he finally swung aboard the platform of the yellow caboose -and took his place beside Mr. Ryder and Captain Alvarez. Slowly the -little train gathered headway and with the cheers of the men ringing in -his ears Jack Straw said good-by to Necaxa. But the string of cars had -scarcely gone two hundred yards when a figure elbowed its way through the -crowd of workmen and soldiers and came swinging down the narrow track at -a rapid pace. His shoulder was bandaged about with white cloth and at -his heels followed a tawny, long-eared hound. It was Miguel, the Indian -runner, and his dog. - -After some effort the agile messenger overtook the train and jumped -aboard the steps of the caboose. Hastily he held out his hand toward -Jack and mumbled something in Spanish. The lad from Vermont was greatly -pleased that the redman was so eager to say farewell to him that he -risked jumping aboard the moving train, and he wrung the Indian’s hand -warmly. - -“What did he say?” asked Jack of Mr. Ryder when the messenger had swung -to the ground. - -“He said ‘I am still in debt to you for saving my dog. Many thanks, many -thanks,’” replied Mr. Ryder. - -“Well, it strikes me that he paid that debt off several times during the -last few days,” laughed Jack as he waved to the Indian who remained -standing in the center of the track watching the departing cars. - -The news of the battle and the treachery of Nedham at Necaxa reached the -capital over the long-distance telephone wire long before the train with -the prisoners arrived and when Jack and Mr. Ryder entered the American -Hotel after Nedham and the rest of the prisoners had been turned over to -the proper authorities, they found the evening papers crowded with the -news. Pictures of the prisoners that had been brought in, pen sketches of -the battle and photographs of the plant at Necaxa occupied the front page -of the dailies and scare headlines fairly shouted the details attending -the capture of José Cerro and his band. Fortunately one of the papers -printed an American as well as a Mexican edition and Jack was able to -read the full account of his own adventures. - -The capture of José Cerro was the subject of conversation in the -dining-room of the hotel that evening too, and many of Mr. Ryder’s -friends sought him out and congratulated him on the successful way in -which he had handled things at Necaxa through all the trouble. Indeed, -after a time the publicity that they were attracting became distasteful -to the two Americans and they made haste to finish their meal. - -But just as they were leaving the dining-room a tall sun tanned -individual rushed up and clapping Mr. Ryder on the shoulder fairly -shouted: - -“Why, Harry Ryder, you old fighting engineer, I am glad to see you alive -after such a mixup. And as I live here is my young friend, Jack Straw.” -Jack instantly recognized the man as Mr. Warner, the marine engineer whom -he had met on board the _Yucatan_ on his way south to Vera Cruz. The -lad was more than pleased to see Mr. Warner once more and shook hands -cordially. - -“Hello there, Jim Warner!” exclaimed Mr. Ryder; “what the dickens are you -doing down in this part of the world?” - -“Why, I’ve been tinkering with the old Lobo’s Island Light for nearly -a month. To tell you the truth, I’ve just finished the job and knowing -that you were within a few hundred miles of me I decided to run in to -see you. I was going out to Necaxa to-morrow and spend a week or two -with you, but unfortunately that can’t be done for I’ve just received -a telegram from Washington instructing me to go ahead with a mighty -big undertaking I’ve been figuring on. I’ll have to hustle back to the -coast immediately. And in view of the fact that you have been having -quite a fuss out there I’m rather glad my plans have been changed. I’m -not hankering to be drilled through by a soft-nosed bullet just now,” -concluded Mr. Warner with a smile. - -“Oh! you would soon get used to those little things,” said Jack -banteringly. - -“I suppose so,” replied the marine engineer. “You must have had rather an -adventurous month there.” - -“Indeed I did,” answered Jack. - -“Well, how would you like to have another month of thrills? If you feel -inclined that way, come along with me. If you don’t fight men you’ll -fight the elements. I am going to cruise the high seas for Uncle Sam.” - -“That sounds interesting,” said Jack, “but I am going north on the next -steamer from Vera Cruz.” - -“So am I, and we’ll get a chance to talk it over anyway,” said Mr. Warner. - - -VAIL-BALLOU CO., BINGHAMTON AND NEW YORK - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JACK STRAW IN MEXICO*** - - -******* This file should be named 60941-0.txt or 60941-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/0/9/4/60941 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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