MAN OF MYSTERY
Their curiosity whetted by sight of the green stone, the Scouts eagerly
waited as Mr. Livingston skimmed through the letter.
“Just as I thought,” he remarked when he had finished reading. “This is
from Appleby Corning, an old college classmate, now an engineer in
Colombia. The emerald is a sample from the Last Chance mine.”
“Quite a sample!” Jack commented. “Is the mine in Colombia?”
“Yes, not too far from Bogota. Appleby believes that the Last Chance can
be made to produce handsomely for her American lessees. But he seems to
have run into difficulties. He writes that a former manager, McClellan
Rhodes, has caused him trouble. He needs help.”
“What sort of help?” inquired Willie.
“The letter is vague. Appleby just says he wants me to fly down there to
look over the situation.”
“He wants you to join him in Colombia?” Willie repeated, his voice
fading. “When?”
“At once, if I can. He offers to pay all expenses.”
A deep silence had fallen upon the little Explorer band. Only too well,
the Scouts knew that if Mr. Livingston accepted the offer, their canoe
trip to Minnesota might again be postponed.
Yet no one could deny that a plane journey to Colombia offered a
thrilling prospect. Fresh in the memory of all the Explorers except Bob,
was the recollection of a wonderful adventure shared with their leader
in Peru.
Not many months earlier, the Scouts had been assigned to search for a
missing explorer. Their mission to a lost Inca city had been a highly
successful one, resulting in great honor for Post 21.
“Colombia sounds great!” exclaimed War. Half jokingly, he demanded:
“When do we start?”
“That’s just it,” replied Mr. Livingston regretfully. “Appleby says
nothing about the Explorers. I don’t suppose he could provide passage
for the entire group.”
“I was only kidding,” War said at once. “We don’t expect to be taken
along.”
“You’ll go, won’t you, Mr. Livingston?” Ken inquired politely.
“Well, I’ve given it no thought, as yet. If I could take you fellows
along, I might be tempted.”
“What’s Colombia like?” Willie asked with quick interest.
“A rugged country with many unexplored areas. Bounded on the north by
the Caribbean sea and Venezuela. On the east by Venezuela and Brazil; on
the south by Brazil, Peru and Ecuador, and on the west by the Pacific.”
“You’ve been studying an atlas,” Jack remarked.
“Colombia always fascinated me,” the Scout leader confessed. “Bogota is
the capital city. The Magdalena River traverses the entire country and
provides the chief means of transportation.”
“It would be a dandy opportunity for you,” Ken said. “All expenses paid
too!”
“Corning is one of my best friends, though I’ve not seen him in years. I
know he wouldn’t call on me if he weren’t in a bad spot. He’s capable of
handling any ordinary situation.”
“Why did he send the emerald?” War asked curiously.
“To snare my interest, I suspect. He says the mine is one of the world’s
richest, but that the vein will be lost if it can’t be promptly worked.”
“What does he mean by that?” asked Willie.
“He didn’t explain. He merely instructs me to cable acceptance of his
offer and take the first plane to South America.”
A silence fell. Jack busied himself putting away the record books. No
one spoke of the projected trip to Minnesota. Mr. Livingston himself
brought up the subject.
“I promised I’d go with you on the jaunt,” he said. “I won’t go back on
that.”
“We won’t hold you to it,” Ken said instantly.
“Of course not,” added Jack. “That wouldn’t be fair. Why, a chance like
this comes only once in a lifetime.”
“I’d go, if I could take you fellows with me. Say, that gives me an
idea! I’ll cable Appleby Corning tomorrow and outline the situation!”
“You think he might include us in the invitation?” War asked eagerly.
“It’s possible. But as I said, I doubt Appleby would be able to finance
the trip. Plane fare is no small item.”
The Scouts soberly agreed. Not many months earlier, Albert Monahan, a
wealthy citizen of Belton, had paid the way of the Explorers to Peru
where they successfully had traced his long-missing brother. A trip to
Colombia, however, was a different matter. They could not expect Mr.
Monahan or anyone else to provide passage money.
“We’ll forget it,” Jack said carelessly. “But you must seize the chance,
Mr. Livingston.”
“At any rate, it will do no harm to send that cable,” the Scout leader
said, smiling. “Something may turn up.”
For the remainder of the evening, the Explorers attended to routine
business matters. All discussion of the proposed trip to Minnesota
carefully was avoided. The Explorers knew that they might make the
excursion alone or with another adult, but the prospect of having an
outing without Hap left them completely cold.
Later, after the meeting had adjourned, Jack and Ken talked over the
matter as they walked home together.
“Do you think Hap will accept the offer?” the latter speculated.
“If we urge him enough, he will,” Jack replied gloomily. “It’s only his
conscience that’s holding him back. He figures he owes us a duty. We’ve
postponed our canoe trip so many times.”
“We mustn’t stand in his way, Jack.”
“We won’t, Ken. We’ll convince him somehow that he should go. Golly! I
sure wish we could make the trip with him!”
“Probably we could, if we could raise the dough.”
“Don’t be simple!” Jack replied with a short laugh. “We couldn’t earn
enough for plane fares if we saved our cash for a year. This trip is
immediate.”
“It’s hopeless, I guess,” Ken agreed with a shrug. “No use thinking
about it.”
By this time the two Explorers were within view of the observation tower
where they had spent so many hours on duty.
Instinctively, they raised their eyes to the platform. Jack waved and
whistled, but in the semi-darkness of the street, the man who was in
service there, did not see him.
The two went on, approaching the old cemetery road.
“There’s your friend!” Ken announced with a chuckle.
“My friend?”
“The man of mystery.” Ken jerked his thumb toward a battered car which
had passed them only to pull up just inside the entranceway of the
cemetery.
“Say, this makes the second time tonight that bird has been here!” Jack
exclaimed, stopping short. “What brings him here so often?”
“You’ve asked that question enough times. Why don’t you learn the
answer?”
“Why not?” Jack echoed, impressed by the suggestion. “We’ll never have a
better chance!”
From a distance, the two Explorers had seen the driver of the car
alight. Leaving the car parked just off the road, he started afoot
through the dark, deserted cemetery.
“Let’s follow him,” Jack proposed. “What d’you say?”
“Okay,” agreed Ken with a grin. “We probably won’t learn anything worth
while, but it may put an end to those doubts that have been percolating
in your brain!”