A COMMISSION
It was high noon when Tim awoke. A breakfast was ready for him; so was
his father.
"I am very glad your mother is not with us," said Mr. O'Hagan. "She
would have been out of her mind with anxiety about you. Don't you know
that a soldier's first duty is to obey? You were sent to scout: you
exceeded your instructions, and I am not pleased with you."
"But, Father," said Tim, with his mouth full of beans, "I have often
heard you say that a soldier ought to think for himself. Don't you
remember saying that a man who has to be told everything isn't much
good?"
"That's all very well," said Mr. O'Hagan, feeling himself on slippery
ground. "I was referring to officers, as you are perfectly aware. If
every private were to think and act for himself it would end in
disaster."
"Am I a private?" asked Tim innocently.
"You are a raw recruit, with everything to learn. You are under
discipline: remember that."
"I don't think it's fair," said Tim. "Senor Mollendo calls you general;
I don't see why I shouldn't be an officer too! You might make me your
aide-de-camp, Father."
"You are talking rubbish, sir. Understand me: you must do what you are
told, and not go larking about on risky adventures like an irresponsible
schoolboy."
Mr. O'Hagan spoke rather warmly. He had passed an anxious night.
Secretly he was delighted with Tim's pluck and resourcefulness; but his
pleasure was qualified by misgiving as to future dangers into which the
boy's love of adventure might lead him. Besides, for his wife's sake he
felt it his duty to assume a sternness that was not quite genuine.
"Aren't you glad I got the bike?" said Tim.
"Well, yes, I suppose I am," replied his father. "How did you manage
it?"
Here Senor Mollendo entered, and Tim gave the story in Spanish for his
benefit.
"I congratulate you, my boy," said the leader warmly, "and you too,
senor, on possessing a son who unites courage with ingenuity, and
caution with daring. He has twice proved himself more than a match for
the enemy, and in recognition of his signal merits and as a mark of my
approval I appoint him a lieutenant in the army of liberty."
Father and son glanced at each other. This, coming after their recent
conversation, was almost too much for their gravity; they could hardly
refrain from laughter. The contrast between Mollendo's lofty manner and
his low fortunes was very comical.
"I thank you, excellency," said Mr. O'Hagan, as gravely as he could. "I
hope my son will continue to merit your approbation--and mine."
The two men consulted together. The continued presence of the enemy at
the Inca camp was disconcerting. By covering the roads to San Rosario
and the capital, and restricting the Mollendists to the hills, they put
an effectual bar upon recruiting. The northward region, sparsely settled
and largely unexplored, was favourable ground for refuge, but for
nothing else. A few more stragglers had rejoined their leader; but the
recent reverse discouraged any large reinforcement. So long as the
little band, now numbering about seventy, was cooped up in the hills,
the cause was at a standstill. They might as well give up the struggle.
To approach the town with their present numbers would be madness. They
would be opposed by vastly superior forces, and their retreat would be
cut off by the Prefect's men at the Inca camp, who themselves
outnumbered them by three to one. Yet the only chance of bringing about
a general rising against the Prefect was to gain a brilliant success.
The situation of the Mollendists seemed desperate. There was scarcely
any food left, either for men or horses, and little ammunition. Only
fifty of the men had rifles; the remainder were armed with revolvers and
steel weapons of various kinds, most of them rusty. Their attire was
equally diversified. Some were clad in the ordinary costume of civil
life; a few in the somewhat flashy habiliments affected by professional
brigands; some had the parti-coloured ponchos worn by Cholos. There
were at least a dozen different styles of hat. They were certainly what
Cromwell would have called a "ragged regiment." Mr. O'Hagan felt that
in casting in his lot with them he had sprung from the frying-pan into
the fire. But he reflected that he had had no alternative; and having
accepted the responsibility of organising the paltry army he was bound
to make the best of it.
The necessity of securing provisions must be dealt with at once. Senor
Mollendo could not offer a practicable suggestion: Mr. O'Hagan recalled
Tim's notion of running off with supplies from his own estate, only to
dismiss it as impossible of achievement. But Tim here made another
proposal.
"Have you got any money, Father?" he asked.
"Not a peseta."
"I have L250," said Mollendo, with a conscious look.
"Let Romana and me go down to his cave in the cliff," said Tim, "and see
if we can't get into communication with Galdos. With your money,
excellency, he might purchase stores secretly in the town."
"Both Romana and you are marked men," said Mr. O'Hagan. "Anybody else
would have a better chance."
"I am sorry to differ from my generalissimo," said Mollendo. "On the
contrary, I consider that the excellent qualities already displayed by
Lieutenant O'Hagan and Romana are guarantees of success. I give my vote
cordially in favour of this admirable proposal."
Tim could not help smiling. He took a mischievous joy in the overriding
of his father's views. Mr. O'Hagan might be Cincinnatus, but he was
certainly not dictator.
"Galdos will have no difficulty, of course, in buying provisions," he
said; "the difficulty will be to convey them to us."
"It is the duty of my adherents to triumph over difficulties," returned
Mollendo. "For L30 Galdos will be able to purchase provisions for three
days. They will form a comfortable load for two pack-mules. As for the
means by which he may secure their safety on the march, that must be
left to the caballero's discretion."
"We shall have to do the same thing again in three days," said Mr.
O'Hagan.
"Unless, senor general, we should by that time have won a signal
victory, which is what I anticipate from your military genius."
"And that will lick old Cincinnatus hollow," thought Tim.
Mr. O'Hagan saw that to oppose the suggestion further would be to risk a
loss of the harmony which ought to exist between the civil and military
leaders of a community. He therefore yielded gracefully, and bent his
mind on the details of the plan. He determined to send out one or two
small parties to scout in the neighbourhood of the camp while Tim and
Romana went down the river. It was possible that the Prefect's men,
having failed in what was no doubt their chief object, the recapture of
the prisoner, might leave their present somewhat bleak quarters, and
return to San Rosario or San Juan. If it were discovered that such was
the case, it would be necessary to advise Tim of it, so that he might
beware of stumbling among the retreating enemy. Mr. O'Hagan arranged to
do this by lighting a beacon on a prominent hill-top, which could be
seen from many miles around. One fire would indicate that the retirement
was by the eastern road,--that by which Tim had first been brought to
the camp; two fires, some distance apart, that the western road had been
chosen. No definite instructions could be given for the guidance of the
two scouts: they must act according to circumstances and their own
discretion.
There was a whimsical smile on Mr. O'Hagan's face as Mollendo took from
a leather case notes to the value of L30, and handed them to Tim. A
strange turn of Fortune's wheel, indeed!
Tim left the cave to find Romana, and arrange with him for their
expedition. They agreed that they had better not start until evening;
they were both tired after the work of the previous night; and an
afternoon's sleep would be the best preparation for the task before
them.
"I will choose two of the best horses," said Romana.
"We shan't need them," replied Tim. "You can ride behind me on the
bicycle."
"But you have no petrol!"
"That is no matter. It is downhill all the way, and if you hold on
behind me we shall go more quickly and more quietly than on horseback."
"There is the coming back," Romana objected. "We cannot ride back
without petrol."
"True. Your friend Senor Galdos has got to get some petrol. That's
part of his job."
"I don't believe there is any in the town."
"Well, if there isn't we must lay up the cycle in your cave until we can
get some from San Juan or elsewhere. The machine is no good up here in
the hills. We might just as well make what use of it we can."
Romana said no more. Argument was never effective with Tim when he had
made up his mind. They slept through the afternoon, and started about
an hour before dusk, watched with much curiosity by the motley crew of
Senor Mollendo's adherents. As Tim had said, the track ran generally
downhill, switchbacking here and there, but most of the ascents being
too short to necessitate their dismounting. Occasionally there was a
long stretch upwards, where they had to push the machine. On reaching
the river they descended the bank and pursued their way along the hard
sand. The incline, though slight, was sufficient to keep the wheels
rolling, and their progress was so silent that nobody beyond a dozen
yards could have detected their presence by the ear.
On approaching the western end of the gully that led up to the camp they
kept a wary look-out in the gathering darkness. At this hour it was
unlikely that the enemy would be abroad unless they had some definite
object in view. They had hitherto shown no evidence of enterprise. The
departure of the Prefect seemed to have robbed them of initiative.
There was some slight risk of their having discovered the wheel marks of
the cycle in the sand if any parties had been prowling in the course of
the day. But when the scouts had passed the junction of the river with
the cross track in safety, they felt secure. A few miles farther down
they left the river and returned to the track. The only danger now was
that they might meet some one coming from San Rosario to the camp; but
the ringing sound of hoofs on the hard track could be heard for a long
distance in the silence of the night, and they would have warning in
time to hide somewhere before the riders drew near. In any case it was
unlikely that horsemen from the town would choose the longer route.
They had now an easy run down to the spot where the little hill stream
cut across the track. Tim could not venture to light his lamp; but the
sky was not so dark as on the previous night, and he had no difficulty
in dodging the loose rocks which lay upon the track here and there. On
arriving at the stream, they dismounted and carried the machine to the
cavern. This was the most toilsome portion of their journey; the rest
of it had been accomplished almost without exertion.
Romana lit his lamp, and brought out from the cupboard a tin of biscuits
and some potted beef. The waterfall gave them drink. As they ate their
supper they discussed their plans.
"I will walk into the town to-night, senorito," said Romana, "see my
friend, and commission him to buy the provisions. I shall tell him to
purchase only a small quantity at any one shop, so as not to awaken
suspicion. To-morrow I shall remain secluded in his cottage, and return
here with the mules in the evening."
"That's all very well, but what am I to do?" said Tim.
"You will remain here, senorito," said Romana.
"Why should I? I had enough of this cave before. If that's all I'm to
do I might just as well have remained in the hills. We were both sent
on this job, remember."
"But there would be great danger in your going into the town. It is a
needless risk. True, you speak our language perfectly; but your
appearance, your complexion, your hair, senorito, are not those of a
Peruvian. You would certainly be recognised----"
"So will you."
"Not certainly. In the dark I shall be like any other townsman; and
though everybody knows me----"
"Look here, Romana: old Moll--I mean his excellency--made me a
lieutenant this morning, and if I choose to say I'll go, and order you
to stay here, you'll have to obey."
Romana blinked. But he was very patient with Tim, whom he had known
ever since he was a two-years' toddler. He repeated his arguments, and
Tim was not so pig-headed as to deny their force, disgusted though he
was at the prospect of kicking his heels for a whole day while Romana
was doing the work.
"I tell you what," he said at length. "I'll agree to what you propose if
you'll try to get me some petrol."
"How can I do that, senorito?"
"You won't leave the town till dusk. Slip up to our place and bring a
can from the outhouse. Here's the key. Nobody will be about at that
time, and you can come back through the sugar-canes."
"The cans are heavy."
"Well, I'll meet you where the path joins the road to Senor Durand's.
There are plenty of trees to hide amongst. I won't leave here until
it's getting dark, and I'll keep a good look-out. Between us we can
carry a can or two easily."
Romana was not unwilling to make the attempt. He knew the ground
thoroughly; it would not be difficult to thread his way secretly through
the plantations to the shed, fifty yards in the rear of the house, where
the petrol was stored; the sugar-canes grew so high that he could pass
among them without any risk of being espied. He agreed to the
suggestion, only impressing on Tim the necessity for caution. Then,
pulling his hat well down over his eyes, and gathering his cloak around
him, he took his leave, and set off on the fifteen-mile walk to the
town.