BACK TO THE MARIELLA
Perspiration dripped from the drooping ends of Villamonte's waxed
mustache as the men brought the discomforted interpreter before
O'Connor. He had suffered nothing worse than a few bruises, but he was
covered with dust and dirt and his expression was a strange mixture of
fear and amazement. He could not seem to comprehend what had happened.
"We couldn't lose you, could we, Monte?" said O'Connor laughing. "I am
sorry to have had to deprive you of your horse, but you were riding
faster than the speed limit. Now I think the safest thing to do with you
is to take you right along with us. You seem to like our company. Pedro,
bind the gentleman's hands behind him and slip a gag into his mouth. We
cannot take any more chances with you, Mr. Interpreter."
Villamonte, who knew that it would be useless to protest, contented
himself with scowling at O'Connor and the boys. Then they took up the
march again and met with no further obstacle until they were challenged
by the outposts at the trenches. General Serano's pass took them into
the presence of the officer in command, who looked the party over with
some surprise.
"You are escorting a prisoner, Captain O'Connor, I see," he said.
"General Serano does not mention him in his pass."
"I did not know that General Serano had to explain his affairs to his
subordinates, sir."
"It is a little unusual."
"I should advise you to ask no questions in this matter. It is a mission
in which the general is deeply interested. These two young men have been
for some days his guests, awaiting an opportunity to get to the coast.
This prisoner is a man of so desperate a character that it is not deemed
safe to even grant him ordinary privileges. I dare not remove the gag
from his mouth even while safe within the lines, lest some secret signal
he might utter bring a horde of insurgents about our ears. There is a
price on his head. General Serano does not mention him in the pass,
captain, because of this. In the strictest confidence I will mention a
name to you that will explain the need for extraordinary caution."
O'Connor lowered his voice almost to a whisper as he leaned
confidentially toward the officer and said:
"Captain Dynamite is in this party."
"Ah! He is the terrible Captain Dynamite?" gasped the commander, taking
a few steps backward and pointing at Villamonte. O'Connor put his finger
to his lips and said:
"'Sh! Remember I have not said so."
"I understand, Captain O'Connor. I am honored by your confidence. Pass
on with your prisoner with what speed you may."
The party made their way rapidly through the lines and within an hour,
with O'Connor as guide, they had reached the shelter of the thick brush
that separated them from the lagoon where the _Mariella_ lay.
"Now, boys," said O'Connor, as he slackened his pace, "you are as safe
as if you were under your own roof trees. There are a thousand men at
our command lying within these woods and stretched from the coast to the
mountain yonder. All of Spain's army could not fight its way through
that line."
"Why have we not been challenged by the sentries?" asked Harry. "The
Spaniards might creep among them as we have done."
"O, no, we are expected and our approach has been watched and covered by
ready guns for some time. There are men now within ten feet of us. See?"
O'Connor uttered that peculiar bird cry, which was answered at once from
the bushes near at hand, and the next moment, as silently as an Indian,
a man stepped out in front of them and saluted O'Connor.
"Where is the general?" asked the captain.
"At his headquarters in the clearing. He wished to be notified of the
safe arrival of your party."
"We will go to him at once. Take this prisoner and keep him securely
bound, but you can remove the gag now. My dear Monte, you will kindly
accompany this gentleman. And now, my men," he continued to his twelve
companions, who still grouped themselves about him, "you have done your
part well. I thank each of you for your fidelity. You can join your
separate companies and present my thanks to your commanders."
The men, as they passed O'Connor, shook his hand warmly. There was
something about the man that made everyone with whom he came in contact
glad to serve him.
"Now, come on, boys; we will go to the general and thank him for his
aid."
"What general is it?" asked Bert.
"General Gomez, bless him," answered O'Connor, doffing his sombrero to
an imaginary presence.
"Then we shall see General Gomez," said Harry, eagerly.
"That ye will, and a fine bit of a fighter ye'll see, too."
With O'Connor in the lead they pushed their way through the dense brush
until they came out into an open space that had been cleared by axe and
machete, but that it was no new rendezvous was evident from the
directness with which O'Connor approached it through the pathless
underbrush. It was about forty feet square and in the middle there had
been erected a rough shelter, or hut, without walls, the thatched roof
being supported by four poles. Under this, in a reclining camp chair,
sat the grizzled old warrior, with several of his staff officers. He
rose as they entered the clearing and advanced toward O'Connor with his
hand extended in greeting.
For some time they talked earnestly together, O'Connor making a report
of his expedition into the town and the rescue of the prisoners. Now and
then the old general would turn his weather-beaten face toward the boys,
and in the flickering light of the camp fire they could see the
expression of cold severity melt away into a smile as soft and gentle as
a woman's. Presently, the conference ended, he stepped over to Harry and
Bert, shook each by the hand, and then retired to the hut again, and at
once began to issue orders to his staff. One by one they saluted and
left him.
"Are they going to attack the town?" asked Harry.
"No, my boy, not now. Had we not appeared the attack would have been
made within an hour. As it is, the general will return to Cubitas to
continue his campaign as originally planned, and Captain Morgan, who
moved up here to co-operate with the general, will return and cover the
removal of our cargo. All that remains now is to take the old _Mariella_
safely out of these waters and then we can say, 'All's well that ends
well!' In the meantime, as I am a bit anxious myself to get away, we
will press on and make the lagoon by dawn. Then you boys will have a
chance to put in a little sleep, for, as our friend Washington would
say, I'm not such a mucher at guessing, but I'll warrant you are running
a little short of rest since your arrival on these lively shores."
The boys were indeed completely fagged out. The reaction following the
nervous strain and the excitement of the past few days was beginning to
set in, and Harry felt that if he could once more climb into his bunk on
the _Mariella_ he could sleep for twenty-four hours. Still, they pulled
themselves together and struck out again into the bush close in the wake
of O'Connor, who seemed to be made of iron.
As they reached the shores of the lagoon the sky was just brightening
with the gray dawn. The outlines of the _Mariella_ were dimly
discernable. Bert and Harry, now completely exhausted, threw themselves
at full length on the beach. O'Connor put his fingers to his lips and
again that strange bird cry floated out on the still air over the dark
lagoon. There was no answer, but in a moment the sound of creaking ropes
could be heard, and then there was the splash of a boat in the water,
followed presently by the regular sound of oars. O'Connor lighted a
match and held it for a second above his head as a signal to the rowers.
A boat's keel grated on the sand and Suarez leaped out and seized
O'Connor's hand in both of his.
"Glad to see you back safe, sir," he said, earnestly. "Miss Juanita and
her mother are safe on board and I see you have the two young gentlemen
with you, so we are all accounted for again."
"Good, Suarez, and how about the cargo?"
"Nearly all on shore. We shall be ready for sea again by midnight if
Morgan returns to take charge of the removal on shore."
"Morgan and his men will be here within a few hours. Keep the cargo
moving; I shall not feel at rest until I get well out to sea again."
Suarez turned toward the boat and the boys heard him mutter:
"Petticoats always do knock the pluck out of a man."
As they rowed alongside of the _Mariella_, day had dawned and the boys
could distinguish Miss Juanita, Mason, and Washington leaning over the
rail. Little Mason swung his cap and shouted in his joy.
At this point Washington seized him and dragged him back, at the same
time placing his finger on his own lips to indicate that he should be
quiet.
"O, bother," grunted Mason, "who's afraid now the cap's back?"
Miss Juanita greeted them warmly as they came over the side. She took a
hand of each boy and kissed it with a pretty little courtesy. Washington
was so jubilant that he could not refrain from a few steps of a double
shuffle on the deck.
"Ah guessed Massa Cap'n Dynamite'd bring 'em all back all right, all
right, an' ah ain't such a mucher at guessin' either," he said, with a
wide grin.
The boys, quite abashed by Miss Juanita's demonstrative thanks,
stammered a few words in reply and turned to greet their eager
companion.
"Say, fels, tell me all about it," said the Midget, dragging them off to
the forward part of the deck.
"First got to go to the galley with George Wash Jenks and get some
coffee and bite to eat. Ah bet you suah hungry, Misser Harry an' Misser
Bert."
"We suah are, Washington. What have you got to eat in there?"
"Ah guess ah got some suah 'nough fresh doughnuts."
"Oh, doughnuts for ours," cried the boys in chorus.
"Also for mine, Wash," said Mason solemnly. "I may not be a hero, but
I've got just as good an appetite for fresh doughnuts as if I had
rescued the maiden all forlorn. How about that, Wash?"
"Suah, Misser Mason, you get doughnuts too."
"Very well, then, lead on."
They followed the grinning and happy negro into the galley, while
O'Connor and Miss Juanita joined her mother on the after deck. For half
an hour they were busy tucking away Washington's doughnuts and coffee,
while Mason waited patiently for the story of their adventures. Full
stomachs and a sense of safety after a period of excitement and danger,
however, brought about a lethargy that only rest and sleep could dispel,
and with heavy eyes and weary legs they dragged themselves aft to their
stateroom, and crawling into their bunks, fully dressed as they were,
fell into a heavy sleep despite the disgusted protests of Mason, who was
finally obliged to leave them to their dreamless slumber.