Mindful of the warning which Doctor Bonsal had given him, Hawley made
sure that none of the soldiers had remained behind to watch the house
before he ventured to leave the ill-starred physician’s residence. When
he was satisfied that the coast was clear, he and Señora Felix went
through the garden at the rear of the house, and out of a small gate,
thus making their departure as unobtrusively as possible.
As soon as they were outside, Hawley and the señora parted company, the
woman entering an automobile with a closed top which had been standing
in readiness for her on a quiet road a short distance from the garden
gate.
“Remember your promise! I shall expect to hear to-morrow that you have
sailed on the _Panama_,” were her parting words to him, and before he
could make any reply she was gone.
Hawley felt that this was taking an unfair advantage of him, inasmuch
as the promise which he had given had been a tentative one. He was not
sure, though, that he was not going to return to New York the following
day as she desired; for the arguments which he had heard, and the
stirring events of that evening, had made such an impression on him
that he was seriously thinking of giving up the undertaking.
The thought of returning to the White House with a report of failure
was not a pleasant one, but he wished to do what was right in the
matter. The bitter remark of Señora Felix that selfish ambition was the
sole motive of his mission to Baracoa had got under his skin. Being an
exceedingly fair-minded man, he could not help asking himself whether
there was not some justice in her accusation.
The President of the United States had not taken him into his
confidence as to what he purposed to do in the event of the Camera
Chap’s being successful in getting the photographic evidence of
Portiforo’s rascality. He had instructed Hawley merely to get the
picture and bring it to the White House, giving no hint of what
measures he intended to employ to prevent Portiforo from wreaking
summary vengeance on his victim. Hawley knew that the present incumbent
of the White House was a man of but scant sentiment, and he could not
help wondering whether the great man, satisfying his conscience with
the argument that individuals could not be considered when public
policy was concerned, was not ruthlessly willing to sacrifice poor
President Felix in order to bring about the exposure of Portiforo and a
welcome change in the administration of Baracoa.
But, on the other hand, the Camera Chap was reluctant to believe that
this could be his distinguished employer’s attitude. However lacking
the President of the United States might be in sentiment, he had the
reputation of being an eminently just man. Besides, was not Señora
Felix the intimate friend of the wife of a member of his cabinet? Which
made it very unlikely that the president would have taken this step
unless he had up his sleeve some plan for protecting President Felix
from the murderous impulses of the conspirators.
These conflicting thoughts left the Camera Chap in a very unsettled
frame of mind. He conscientiously sought to put aside his own wishes
in the matter. As the señora had bitterly stated, it would be a great
feather in his cap to get that picture--the most notable achievement
of his whole career; but he was prepared to give it up, provided he
was satisfied that such a course would be for the best, so far as
Felix was concerned. For the martyr of El Torro was the only man to
be considered. The Camera Chap was fully resolved as to that. If the
photographic evidence of the monstrous conspiracy could not be obtained
without fatal results to the victim, it would be better, he decided, to
leave things as they were.
Deep in thought as he wrestled with this problem, Hawley was walking
along the Avenida Juarez on his way back to the hotel, when he
encountered two men coming arm in arm up the street toward him. One
of this pair, who wore the uniform of an army officer, staggered
as he walked as though under the influence of liquor. The other, a
good-looking, dapper young American, was in civilian clothes, and
displayed no outward evidence of being in the same condition as his
companion.
The sight of these two together was a startling surprise to the Camera
Chap; for the dapper young American was Gale, of the _News_, and the
man who staggered was Captain Ernesto Reyes, of the engineers’ corps,
in command of the prison guard of El Torro.
Hawley had not as yet met Reyes. Although, when Virginia Throgmorton
had first mentioned the army captain, he had registered a resolve
to make the latter’s acquaintance as soon as possible, he had since
changed his mind as to the wisdom of such a step. It had suggested
itself to his imagination that situations might subsequently arise
wherein it would be an advantage not to be recognized by the custodian
of El Torro prison; so, instead of seeking his acquaintance, Hawley had
cautiously avoided him. But he knew Reyes by sight, and was quite sure,
now, of the identity of Gale’s companion.
Until this moment he had been unaware that Captain Reyes and the _News_
man were acquainted. The discovery that they not only knew each other,
but, apparently, were boon companions, came as a shock to him. He
wondered uneasily whether it was a mere coincidence, or whether Gale
had reasons of his own for getting into the good graces of the man who
had charge of President Felix.
He was not left long in doubt on this point. Before he had a chance to
dodge, Gale recognized him, and, tugging at the arm of his staggering
companion, came quickly toward him.
“Well, if this isn’t an odd thing, I’d like to know what is,” he began
exuberantly. “I mean our meeting you right here and now, Hawley, old
scout. Strangest thing that’s happened to me in a dog’s age.”
“I don’t see anything so very remarkable about it,” replied Hawley,
noting that although Gale was steady on his feet, there was a thickness
in his voice that was not normal. “San Cristobal is not a very large
city, and the Avenida Juarez is one of its principal thoroughfares; so
what is so strange about our meeting here?”
“Because we were just this minute talking about you, old pal,” Gale
explained, “and my old college chum, here, was saying how much he would
like to meet you. Isn’t that right, Ernesto?”
Captain Reyes blinked his eyes rapidly and murmured something which was
so unintelligible that the Camera Chap couldn’t even tell whether it
was English or Spanish.
“You were talking about me?” exclaimed Hawley, his eyes fixed
searchingly on the _News_ man’s flushed face. “That’s very flattering.
May I inquire in what way I figured in your conversation?”
Gale chuckled. “I was explaining to my friend here what you are doing
in Baracoa,” he said. “And why you spend so much of your time hanging
around Puerto Cabero.”
Splendid as was his usual self-possession, Hawley was unable to refrain
from giving a start of surprise at this announcement. But he was
quickly on his guard. “That was very kind of you,” he said pleasantly.
“What did you tell him?”
Gale grinned. “I told him about the work you hope to do with your
little camera.”
The Camera Chap raised his eyebrows interrogatively. “I’m afraid I
don’t quite understand,” he said quietly.
“Oh, yes, you do,” the _News_ man rejoined, with an ironical laugh.
“See here, Hawley, what’s the sense of our playing hide and seek with
each other any longer? Wouldn’t it be a much more sensible idea for
us to get together on this assignment? I need you and you need me, so
what’s the matter with forming a partnership?”
“A partnership to do what?”
Gale’s reply made him wince. “To find old boy Felix, of course,” the
_News_ man exclaimed boisterously.
“To find Felix!” the Camera Chap repeated, with well-simulated
bewilderment.
Gale laughed raucously. “Still keeping up the bluff, eh? Don’t you
suppose that I know what you’re here for? I must admit that you had
me guessing at first, but as soon as I got that query from my office,
I was wise right away. I knew then that we were both following up the
same tip.” He chuckled. “Thought you were going to have it exclusive,
eh? Well, as I’ve often told you before, the _Sentinel_ will have to
get up mighty early in the morning to get ahead of the good old _News_.”
“I’m afraid you’re telling me more than you ought to,” said the Camera
Chap, making a valiant attempt to conceal his uneasiness. “You’ll be
sorry to-morrow for slipping me these hints about this mysterious tip
of yours.”
The other grinned. “You think I’m feeling so good that I don’t realize
what I’m doing, eh? Well, you’re mistaken about that. I wouldn’t be
mentioning anything about Felix, now, if I wasn’t quite sure that I’m
not slipping you anything that you don’t know.” He put his hand in his
coat pocket. “Just to prove to you how sure I am that you and I are
shinning up the same tree, I’ll show you the telegram I got from the
office.”
“Not now,” the Camera Chap protested hastily, with an involuntary
glance toward the swaying figure of Captain Reyes.
But the _News_ man went on fumbling in his pocket. “Can’t seem to find
it,” he muttered thickly. “Wonder what the deuce I’ve done with it.”
Then his face lighted up. “By Jove! I remember now. Can’t show you
the query the office sent me about Felix being locked up in El Torro,
Hawley, old scout, because I haven’t got it. I left it with old boy
Portiforo.”
The Camera Chap stared at him incredulously. “You did what?”
“I left it with his nibs, the President of Baracoa. Ernesto and I have
been dining with him at the palace this evening. That’s why we’re
feeling so good now. His bubble water was the best I’ve ever sampled.
Some class to your little friend Gale--dining with presidents and
cabinet ministers.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying?” Hawley demanded sharply. “You
can’t really mean that you showed Portiforo the tip you got from your
office. You’re too level-headed, I’m sure, to do a fool thing like
that. It must be the wine that makes you tell me such nonsense. Come,
pull yourself together, Gale, and talk sense.”
“I am talking sense,” Gale replied, with a show of indignation. “Sure I
showed Portiforo the telegram. What was the harm in that? He knew all
about the tip already.”
“He knew about it?” Hawley exclaimed, with an anxious frown.
“Sure! That’s why he invited me to come and eat with him. He wanted to
pump me as to how much I knew about this Felix business. You can’t keep
anything from that wise old guy. He’s the slickest article I’ve ever
been up against.”