THE BLUE WATERS
"What is the matter, my dear girl?" asked Cora, when she had
recovered from the little start Inez gave her. "Did that man do
anything--or speak to you?" and she looked indignantly about for a
ship's officer to whom to complain.
"No! No--not that!" cried the Spanish girl, quickly. "He did not
speak--he did not even look!"
"Then why are you so alarmed?"
"It is because I know zat man--I know him when I am in New York
before. He try to find out from me about my father," and a
shivering, as if of fear, seemed to take possession of the timid
girl.
"Do you mean he belonged to the political party that put your father
in prison?"
"Zat is it. Oh, but zese politics! I know not what zey mean, but
zey are trouble--trouble always. Now zat man he is here--he is
looking for me, I am sure."
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Cora, determined, whether she believed it or,
not, to make light of the matter, for Inez was certainly much
alarmed.
"I don't believe he even knows you are on board," Jack's sister went
on, "But we'll speak to Mr. Robinson about it. He'll know what to
do. Do you think that man saw you?"
"I know not, Senorita Cora. But I am much afraid!" There was no
doubt of that; the girl's eyes and every movement, showed her alarm.
"Come along!" Cora forced herself to say brightly. "We'll soon
settle this matter. We'll find out who that man is, and--"
"Oh, no! No, Senorita. Do not trouble. It you should do zat, zis
man would only make matters worse for my poor father. Let him
alone!"
"And have you, and us, worrying all the time on this voyage? Indeed,
I'll not."
This was not Cora's way. She never shrank from doing what she
considered to be her duty. In this case, her duty lay in finding out
whether or not there was a real, or fancied enemy, of Mr. Ralcanto's
aboard.
The man who had caused this little flurry of excitement, had, by this
time, gone down to his stateroom. Other belated passengers were
hurrying aboard, the last consignment of freight was being brought to
the dock, and preparations for leaving were multiplying.
"I might as well wait until I can see him, you can point him out to
me again," said Cora, "and then I'll show him to Mr. Robinson. He
can speak to the captain, and find out who the big man is."
"Very well, Senorita," assented Inez. "But I do not wish to give
annoyance. I have already been such a burden--"
"Nonsense!" Cora cried. "We've undertaken this business of getting
your father out of that political prison, and we're going to do it.
I think we're going to start now."
There was little doubt about it. Bells were jingling, whistles were
blowing and men were hoarsely shouting. Then the gang-plank was
pulled to the dock, away from the steamer's side, just after a last
belated passenger had run up it.
Mooring ropes were cast off, and then with a blast from her siren,
that fairly made the decks tremble, the ship was slowly pushed out
into the river to drop down the harbor, and so on her way to Porto
Rico.
It was just before the pilot was about to leave, that Cora got a
chance to carry out her intention of drawing the attention of Mr.
Robinson to the mysterious man who had so seriously alarmed Inez.
The personal baggage of our travelers had been put away in the
respective staterooms, and they were all up on deck watching the
scenes about the harbor. Inez, who was standing near Mrs. Kimball
and Cora, suddenly gave a start, and touching Jack's sister on the
arm, whispered:
"There he is! And he is looking right at me!"
Cora turned quickly. She did behold the gaze of the fat man directed
in rather scrutinizing fashion on the Spanish girl, and, as he saw
that he was attracting attention, he quickly averted his eyes. In
appearance he was a Cuban or Spaniard, well dressed and prosperous
looking, but not of prepossessing appearance.
At that moment Mr. Robinson strolled past, talking to the captain
whom he knew, for the twins' father had long been engaged in a branch
of the coffee importing business, and had much to do with ships.
"Now is my chance," thought Cora. "I'll find out who that man is."
She whispered to Inez to keep the mysterious stranger in view, while
she herself went to speak to Mr. Robinson and the captain. She had
previously been introduced to the commander, and found him most
agreeable.
Cora quickly explained to Mr. Robinson the little alarm Inez had
experienced, and requested him to find out, from the captain, who the
man was.
"That man?" queried the commander, in answer to Mr. Robinson's
question. "Why, he is an old traveler with me. He goes up and down
to Porto Rico quite often. He's a coffee merchant, Miguel Ramo by
name, and very wealthy, I believe. Do you wish to meet him?"
"Oh, no!" said Cora hastily, and with a meaning look at Mr. Robinson,
"I--I just wanted to know who he was."
"He has a very interesting personality," went on the captain. "He
has been through a number of revolutions in his own native country,
of Venezuela, and, I believe, has mixed up, more or less, with
politics in Porto Rico. He tells some queer stories."
"Perhaps I shall be glad to make his acquaintance, later," murmured
Mr. Robinson, as Cora, with a meaning look, slipped away. She had
found out part of what she wanted to know.
While Mr. Robinson and the captain continued their stroll along deck,
Cora slipped to where Inez was waiting.
"Do you know a Senor Miguel Ramo?" asked Jack's sister.
Inez puckered her brow in thought.
"No," she said slowly, "I do not know ze name, but I am sure zat man
was on Sea Horse Island when my father was taken to prison. I am
fearful of him."
"Well, you needn't be," declared Cora, lightly. "Remember you're
with us, and under the protection of Mr. Robinson. Besides, that man
seems well known to Captain Watson, and, even if he is a revolutionist,
he may not be a bad one."
Inez shook her head. The sad experiences through which she had
passed had not tended to make her brave and self-reliant, as was
Cora. But, even at that, Inez could not but feel the helpful
influence of the motor girls, and already, from their influence, she,
had gained much.
Out of seeming confusion and chaos came order and discipline, and
soon matters were running smoothly aboard the vessel. Jack and
Walter came up on-deck, with Bess and Belle, and the young people,
including Inez, who was regarded more as a companion than as a maid,
formed one of the group that watched the shores and ships slipping
past, as they went through the Narrows, and out into the bay.
Cora told of the little alarm Inez had experienced, and Walter was at
once anxious to establish a sort of espionage over the suspect. Jack
agreed with him, and doubtless they would have constituted themselves
a committee of two to "dog" the footsteps of the fat man, had not
Cora firmly interfered.
"Mr. Robinson is looking after him," said Jack's sister, "and he'll
do all that is necessary. Besides, I don't believe that man is the
one Inez thinks he is. She isn't quite so sure as she was; are you?"
"No, Senorita. And yet--I know not why but I am of a fear about
him."
"Don't you worry--I'll look out for you!" said Jack, taking her hand,
which Inez, with a pretty blush, hastily snatched away from him.
The pilot was "dropped," and then began the real voyage of about
fifteen hundred miles to San Juan. It was destined to be uneventful,
so we shall not concern ourselves with it, except to say that though
Mr. Robinson kept a close watch on Senor Ramo, he could detect
nothing that could connect him with the imprisonment of the father of
Inez. If the coffee merchant were in any way responsible, he
betrayed no sign of it, not even when Mr. Robinson, in conversation
with him, introduced the name of Senor Ralcanto. So, unless the fat
man was an excellent actor, it was decided Inez had been mistaken.
She herself, however, would not admit this, and continued to believe
the man an enemy of her family. She avoided meeting him, and when
she saw him on deck, she went back to her stateroom.
The weather had been cold, sharp and rather dreary on leaving New
York, and warm clothing and coats were in demand. But in a day or so
the balmy winds of the south began to make themselves felt, and the
travelers were glad to don lighter clothing.
Mr. Robinson had been to Cuba, though not to Porto Rico, but the
islands, are much the same, and his knowledge of one sufficed for the
other. Inez, too, was of service to the girls and the two ladies in
telling them what to wear.
Mr. Robinson and the boys were comfortable in suits of thin Scotch
tweed, once the southern limits were reached, and later they changed
to linen of the kind they used during their stay. Mrs. Robinson,
Mrs. Kimball, and the girls varied from brown silks to linens, and
found them perfectly well suited to the climate.
The days slipped by. The sun became warmer and warmer, and then, one
morning, as the party came on, deck after breakfast, Cora, going
forward, called out:
"Oh, see how blue the water is!"
"Isn't it!" agreed Bess.
"How beautiful!" murmured Belle.
"Now we are coming to my country," said Inez, softly. "Off there is
Porto Rico, and beyond--beyond is Sea Horse Island--and my father!"
There were traces of tears in her eyes. Cora softly slipped her hand
into that of the pretty refugee.