OF THE WILD CAT PATROL, MANILA.
The smoke from the steamer was now on the south end of the island,
moving along toward the east with a speed which showed Ned that it would
be impossible to outfoot the larger craft.
There was little time to lose, if the _Manhattan_ was to continue the
flight, and yet it was evident that Pat had something of importance to
communicate or desired to be at once taken on board. Ned did not
hesitate long, for the boy's life might be at stake.
But when the _Manhattan_ neared the point of land upon which Pat stood
the boy shook his head and pointed to the west. It was clear that he did
not wish to be taken on board there.
Ned kept on toward the beach, however, notwithstanding Pat's frantic
gestures, and was not a little annoyed when he saw the boy wade out into
the water, down the sloping shore, lapped by tiny waves, and strike out
boldly for the boat.
He reached the _Manhattan_ in safety, was hauled in, and sank down in
the cockpit with a grunt of exhaustion for he had exerted his full
strength, "and then some" as he afterwards explained, in the long swim.
Presently he arose and pointed to a little projection on the shore,
perhaps three hundred yards ahead.
"There's a river runs in there," he said, "and the _Manhattan_ will find
a safe harbor, as the stream though narrow, is deep and overhung with
trees and creepers."
"But they must know that there is a boat here," Frank said. "This engine
of ours talks some when she moves."
"I don't think they heard it," Pat insisted.
"But the shot?" asked Ned.
"That might have come from the island. Anyway," Pat went on, "there is
little commotion on the island except that made by the monkeys and the
birds."
"Did you see anything of the boys?" asked Ned, the safety of Jack and
Jimmie concerning him greatly.
"No," was the disappointing reply. "They got too good a start on me."
"How far inland did you go?" asked Frank.
By this time the _Manhattan_ was under way, and the place of refuge
spoken of by the boy was not far away.
"I climbed the hill that runs near the shore," was the reply. "The first
thing I saw was a collection of tents and leaf shelters."
Ned and Frank both gave exclamations of amazement.
"Found at last!" Frank said.
"The next thing I saw," Pat went on, "was a small steamer lying in a bay
on the west shore. There is a break in the hills which line that coast,
and I could see the boat plainly. I have seen her in Manila. It is the
_Miles_, and she is carrying the American flag. She got up steam just as
I caught sight of her, and at first I thought her activity had been
aroused by the shot which saved my life, but I've now reached the
conclusion that she was merely making a perfunctory trip around the
island."
"Then you think if we escape observation on this run we will be safe for
some hours?"
"I am quite sure of it, so far as those on the boat are concerned. But
what is the boat doing here? It is a government boat, used by officials
in making tours of inspection. Perhaps the high brows at Manila are wise
to what is going on here, and have sent the _Miles_ to look into the
matter. Then we're left, eh?"
As the _Manhattan_ was now nosing her way into the mouth of the little
stream referred to by Pat, and Ned was fully occupied in working her in,
he made no reply to the suggestions thus presented. However, he was
studying over the proposition with a wish in his breast that the _Miles_
might not be at that time in the legitimate service of the government.
He was virtually disobeying the positive orders of Major John Ross in
cruising about in the _Manhattan_ at that time. If he had obeyed
instructions he would doubtless be in Manila now awaiting the slow
unwinding of red tape, instead of there in the channel. He had taken the
bit in his teeth and desired to "make good."
Besides, he was satisfied that the government officers, if the _Miles_
really was there on an official mission, would merely disperse the
native chiefs if they were discovered and permit the plotters to escape.
This would only put off the day of final action, for the chiefs would
continue to assemble and discuss the treaty until the Philippines were
in a blaze of war or the men who were urging them on were in prison.
"There," said Frank, presently, "no person out there in the bay can get
a look at us so long as we remain here."
Indeed the harbor was an ideal hiding place. The stream turned sharply
to the east from its northerly course just before it reached the white
beach, ran a few yards in that direction, and then turned north once
more and emptied into the sea. This placed a dense growth of jungle
between the beach and the position taken by the _Manhattan_, which had
passed into the channel running east and west and was effectively
screened from view on either side by the growths of the jungle.
As soon as the boat was in the position desired, Ned crossed the arm of
land lying between the stream and the beach and looked out with his
glass. The _Miles_ passed while he stood there, the American flag flying
from her masthead. When he went back to the _Manhattan_ there was a
troubled look on his face.
"She's on government service, all right," he said to Pat and Frank, "I
saw men in uniform on her deck."
"I didn't see anybody land," said Pat.
"Did she communicate with the shore in any way?" asked Ned.
"Well, there were native boats plying about and they might have taken
some of the brown men off to her."
"It is all of a piece with the counterfeit instructions," Ned said.
"There is an unknown interest working in this case. If the officers at
Manila suspected or had wind of what is going on here, why didn't they
send a troop ship and capture the chiefs, and so screen out the men
responsible for the conspiracy?"
"That's another thing we've got to find out," Frank said, with a grin.
"We've got a good many things to find out!"
"And the first thing to discover," Ned said, "is what has become of the
boys."
"Right you are!" cried Pat. "I'll go back to the top of the hill and see
if there's any commotion on the island."
"What does the island look like?" asked Frank.
"Looks like a valley with a line of hills shutting it in. Looks like a
saucer with a high rim. The dago chiefs are encamped in the middle of
the saucer."
"In a thicket, of course?"
"It is quite free from jungle growths down there," was the reply--"so
clear that I was able to see the encampment and the people moving about.
And I think I saw the treaty box, at that!"
"Treaty box?" laughed Frank. "Don't you ever think these brown men have
any box to put their treaty in!"
"What do you think about it, Ned?" asked Pat.
"I hardly think they unlock their pocket-books with keys like the one I
found," replied Ned. "And, besides," he added, "the white men back of
this conspiracy would naturally want a treaty signed up with all the
ceremony that could be hatched up, in order to impress the chiefs. Yes,
I think there must be a treaty box!"
"And you think you've got a key to it?" asked Frank.
"I've got a key to something," was the reply.
Frank opened his lips to make some remark, but Ned laid a hand on his
arm and drew closer to him so that a low voice might be heard, at the
same time motioning to Pat to remain quiet.
"Now, don't move, or turn to look," Ned said, "but in a few seconds,
after I have turned away, look, casually, toward the great balete tree
which rises above the jungle straight to the south."
Ned turned away directly and faced the jungle to the north.
"What do you see?" he asked, turning toward the boys again but not
looking at them.
"Monkeys wiggling in the creepers," Frank said.
"Filipinos," answered Pat.
"How many?" asked Ned.
"Well," replied Pat, "I thought I saw two, but I guess there is only
one. We've got to get him," he added.
"Of course!" Frank said. "If we don't, he'll go back to camp and tell
about seeing us here; then they'll swarm down on us, and it will be all
off with the whole bunch of us. We've got to get him!"
"But how?" asked Pat.
In the short silence that followed all three boys cudgeled their brains
for some idea which might serve, but the case was assuming a hopeless
aspect when a shrill voice in pretty good English came from the tree.
"Hi, there!" cried the voice.
"If that's Jimmie, made up as a little brown man," Pat said, "I'll beat
him up when he comes aboard."
"More likely to be Jack," said Frank.
"Hi, there!" repeated the voice from the tree.
"That's not Jimmie, or Jack either," Ned said. "What do you want?" he
asked.
The reply came in the form of a feline growl which might have issued
forth from the throat of a wild cat.
"What does the badge say?" asked the voice, then.
The boys looked at each other in wonder for a moment and then Ned
answered:
"Be prepared!"
"Now, what do you think of that?" Pat demanded. "What do you think of
meeting a Boy Scout out here?"
"What patrol?" asked Frank, half doubting whether the person in the tree
would find the correct answer.
"Wild Cat, Manila!" came the reply.
"Then come out of the tree, Wild Cat," Ned laughed, "and tell us how you
came to be here."
There was a great rustling of foliage, and then a Filipino boy not more
than fourteen years of age appeared on the trunk. He worked his way down
and disappeared in the jungle. In a moment, however, he made his
appearance on the margin of the little stream and was on board.
He was a rather good looking young fellow, with keen eyes and a lithe,
muscular figure. He was well dressed in a suit of light material, and
wore a Boy Scout badge on the lapel of his coat.
"We're gettin so we find 'em in the woods!" Frank said, as the boy
stepped on the bridge deck. "Did you come to the island on the steamer
which just passed here?" he added, as the lad looked about him with a
grin.
"Yes," was the reply. "Come as servant."
"Well, why aren't you on board now?" asked Frank, suspiciously.
"Run away!" was the short reply.
"What for?" demanded Frank, determined to know all that there was to
know about the new-comer, and urged on by Ned's nods, which told him to
proceed.
"Tired of city," was the grinning reply.
As the boy spoke he turned around to the jungle and waved his hand, as
if taking it all in at one motion. Then he laid a finger on his own
breast and said:
"That for mine!"
"I'm afraid you've been in bad company," laughed Frank. "You're talking
slang! What's your name?"
"Minda," was the reply.
"Sounds like a girl's name," grunted Pat. "What are the chiefs doing on
the island?"
"Conference," was the reply.
"They're forming a confederacy, are they?"
Minda shook his head and looked perplexed.
"Don't know," he replied.
"Where are the two Scouts who went ashore a long time ago?" asked Ned.
"Tied," replied Minda, crossing his wrists to indicate what he meant.
"That's nice!" Pat broke in. "Where are they?"
Again Minda shook his head, saying that he did not know where the boys
were, that they might have been put on board the steamer.
"So the officers on board the steamer communicated with the shore?"
asked Ned.
"Yes; that's how I got away," was the reply.
"Do the officers know what is going on?" continued Ned. Again Minda
shook his head.
"I reckon you're off there," Pat exclaimed. "They do know, and the man
in charge on board the steamer is a traitor! I know him!"
Again the Filipino looked puzzled.
"Good man!" he said, and sat down on the bridge deck.
"Do you really believe the boys were put on board the steamer?" asked
Frank of Ned, in a moment.
"I think the native chiefs would put us all on board the steamer, if
they could do so," was the reply.
Then the patrol leader turned to Minda again.
"What did the steamer come down here for?" he asked.
"Patrol," was the reply.
"On no special mission?" Ned went on.
"Just to patrol," was the reply.
"I don't believe it!" Frank burst out. "That boat was sent down here to
investigate this conspiracy matter, and the man in command is making a
perfunctory job of it. He'll then go back to Manila and report nothing
doing!"
"And the conspiracy will go on, and there'll be war!" Pat added.
"Just so!" Frank commented.
"Well," Ned said, "we can't find out whether you are right or not by
asking the officers, either on the steamer or at Manila. We've got to
find out by watching the brown men! We've got to leave the _Manhattan_
here and go into the jungle and see what is going on, and find out what
company the chiefs receive. It is my idea that some of the men in
uniform are leading double lives!"