_Blind Alleys_
For a moment he stood there staring, wondering if it could be only a
dream that he had held her in his arms, that he had brought her up
here, that she had lain upon this white bed which now mocked him with
its emptiness. Then he took a step into the room, where he saw still
the imprint of her head upon the pillow. He turned at this and ran
into the hall, shouting her name. He was down the stairs in three
bounds. The couch where he had left Sorez was also empty. The guard at
the front door would not believe when told; but the proof lay in the
absence of the guard in the rear. This door opened upon a small garden
surrounded by a low wall. A gate led from this into a narrow street in
the rear. If they were gone far they must have left in a carriage, for
neither of them was strong enough to walk.
With a feeling of more bitter hatred than he had ever felt against any
man, he realized that Sorez must have been in part shamming. That he
was weak and exhausted there could be no doubt; but it was equally
clear now that he was by no means so weak as he had led Wilson to
believe. Not even Stubbs could have drawn Wilson from the house, had
he suspected Sorez of being able to move from that couch within twelve
hours.
Wilson blamed himself for stupidity, for carelessness, for almost
criminal negligence in thus leaving the girl. And yet one might as
soon reckon on the dead coming to life, as for this denouement. It was
clear that he was dealing with no ordinary man, but he should have
known this after the display of nerve he had witnessed as Sorez had
climbed the stairs in his own house. He was a man with an iron will,
with the ability to focus whatever energy remained within him upon a
single objective. Through this Wilson gained a ray of hope; even if he
found it impossible to locate him before, he knew that Sorez would
press on to the lake of Guadiva. No power, no force less than death
would serve to prevent him. Sooner or later Wilson would meet his man
there. The present pity of it was that with the information he
possessed, the secret of the parchment, he might possibly have
prevented this journey and saved the girl much hardship.
So his brain reasoned, but back of this was the throbbing ache that
would not listen to reason. He wanted her again within his arms; he
wanted again to look into her dark eyes, to feel again the warmth of
her breath against his neck. He wanted, too, the sense of protecting
and caring for her. He had meant to do so much; to find a comfortable
lodging place for her until he could take her back; to forage food and
clothing for her. A hundred things unsaid whirled about in his brain;
a hundred plans unfulfilled mocked him; a hundred needs unsatisfied.
For a few precious moments he had held her in his arms,--a few moments
when he craved years, and then he had lost her. Perhaps there was
still a chance. His own head was too confused to form a plan at
present. He determined to return to the palace and seek Stubbs.
With the aid of two of Otaballo's lieutenants he was able to locate
Stubbs, who was assisting the General in an attempt to bring the
mercenaries into some sort of order. These men finally worn out, he
had succeeded in enticing into one of the big rooms where he had
calmly turned the lock upon them. Wilson greeted Stubbs with the
single exclamation:
"They've gone again."
"What--the girl?"
"Gone," groaned Wilson. "But within the hour. I want you to help me
find them."
"Like huntin' fer a loose dory in th' dark, ain't it?"
"Yes, but you'd hunt even for your dory, wouldn't you?"
"Right, m' boy, an' I ain't suggestin' thet yer change yer course,
only--these seas are uncharted fer me. But how'd she git outern yer
hands once yer had her?"
"Oh, I was a fool, Stubbs. I thought she would sleep until night, and
so came over here to let you know where I was. That would have been
all right if I hadn't stayed, but the Queen came and--she told you
about Danbury?"
"Yes," nodded Stubbs, "an' I can't figger out whether it's right er
wrong. At any rate, he's taken care of fer a couple weeks. I found out
she told the truth, and that the boat has gone. But about the
girl--have you an idea where this pirate has taken her?"
"No more than you have."
"He isn't a stranger here, is he? Prob'ly has friends, eh?"
"That's so. I know he has. I saw some of his letters."
"Know who they are?"
Wilson shook his head.
"I suppose we might find that out from the General--he must know him,
for the man was a surgeon or something in the armies here."
Two hours passed before they were able to reach the General, and then
they had but a word with him. The girl had done his bidding and was
now crowned Queen of Carlina. Every loyal citizen of Bogova was out,
anxious to cheer himself hoarse before his neighbor. From the outlying
districts the natives were pouring into the city as fast as they heard
of the termination of hostilities. Otaballo had his hands full with
prospect of more to do every hour.
"Everyone in Bogova knows Sorez," he answered. "If he had been in the
city for the last year I should know more of his possible whereabouts
than I do. He was a surgeon in the Republican armies here, but he took
no active interest in the Republic. How little his arrest proves. In
fact, I think he stands in disfavor, owing to the trouble with the
hill men, which they think started with him. I've even heard him
accused of having stolen the image. But I don't believe that or I'd
arrest him myself. As it is, I'd like to have a talk with him. I can't
suggest where he is, but I'll give you a couple of men who know him
and know the city to help you."
"Good!" exclaimed Wilson.
"In the meanwhile," he said, turning to Stubbs, "I'm depending on you
to keep those men in order. If they only had their pay----"
"They'll get it as soon as we can reach Danbury. It was you who sent
him away, General."
There was a note of resentment in Stubbs' voice. He had not at all
approved of this act.
"I know, I know. But--I saved his life by it. As soon as things settle
down a bit it will be safer for him. In the meanwhile, if we could get
those men out of the city. To be frank, I'm afraid of them. Arlano
might reach them and he could buy them with a few pieces of gold."
"I'm not denying that," said Stubbs, "unless ye can give them _more_
gold. As fer myself, I can't promise ye nothin'. I've finished my
cruise with the captain an' done my best. If he was here, I'd stick by
him still, but he ain't, an' I've gut other things in hand. Every
mother's son of the crew will git their pay fer their work so far, but
further, I dunno. They done what they promised--took the city fer ye.
Now if ye doesn't watch 'em I reckon they'll take it fer themselves.
As much as they can git in their pockets, anyhow."
"I don't like that," answered the General, darkly. "If you'll look
after them----"
"I wash my hands of them from now on," broke in Stubbs. "Havin' other
duties."
"Other duties here?" asked Otaballo, instantly suspicious.
"The findin' of this gent Sorez bein' one of 'em," answered Stubbs.
"An' I guess we better be about it."
"It is for the sake of the girl," explained Wilson. "The one you saw
me bringing from the dungeon. Sorez kidnapped her from America, and
now he has taken her again."
The General's face brightened.
"Ah, that is it!"
He summoned a lieutenant and held a brief whispered conversation with
him.
"Gentlemen," he concluded, turning to Wilson, "Lieutenant Ordaz--he
will give you what assistance you need."
"An' th' same," said Stubbs, in a whisper to Wilson as soon as they
were upon the street again, "we'll proceed to lose. I didn't like th'
look in Oteerballo's eye when he give us this 'ere travellin' mate."
It was an easy enough task for Stubbs. At the end of three or four
blocks he instructed Wilson to detach himself and go back to the last
public house they had passed and there wait for him. This Wilson did,
and in less than ten minutes Stubbs appeared alone.
"Sorry ter part comp'ny with the gent, but with him we wuz more likely
ter find Oteerballo than Sorez. 'Nother thing, we has gotter do some
plannin' 'fore we begins work. 'Cause if I ain't mistaken, we has a
long chase ahead. In th' fust place, how much gold is yer carryin'?"
"Gold? Not a dollar."
"I thought 'bout thet amount. Next place, is yer papers safe?"
Wilson felt of his pocket where they were tightly pinned in.
"Couldn't lose those without losing my coat."
"Might lose yer coat in this here city. Next, how 'bout weapins?"
Wilson drew out the revolver which he had managed to keep through all
the confusion. In addition to that he had some fifty cartridges loose
in his pocket.
"Good!" commented Stubbs. Then he took an inventory of his own
resources.
"In th' fust place, I has some three hundred dollars in gold in this
here leather belt 'bout my waist. Never had less in it since a
'sperience I had forty year ago. Fer weapins we is 'bout equal. Now I
figgers this way; it will take us 'bout a week to learn what we has
gotter learn 'bout the coast beyond those hills afore we takes chances
on crossin' 'em. We can git this information at th' same time we is
doin' what we can to locate th' girl, though I ain't reckonin' on
seein' her till we reaches th' lake. We can pick up our outfit and our
grub at th' same time."
Wilson broke in.
"I don't like the scheme, Stubbs. I want to get to work and find the
girl before she gets over the hills. It's too hard a trip for her--it
might kill her. She's weak now, but that brute wouldn't care. If----"
"Slow! Slow, m' son. Yer blood is hot, but sometimes th' short course
is th' longest. If we wastes a week doin' nothin' but thet, we wastes
another perhaps arter we had found they has started. If we makes
ourselves sure of our course to th' treasure, we makes sure of our
course to th' girl. Thet is th' only _sure_ thing, an' when ye've gut
big things at stake it's better ter be sure than quick."
"I suppose you are right."
"'Nother thing, m' son, 'cordin' to my notions this ain't goin' ter be
a partic'laly healthy place fer 'Mericans in a day er two. Now thet
they have bamboozled the Queen (an' she herself is as squar' a little
woman as ever lived) inter gittin' Danbury outer th' city, an' now
thet the fight is won fer 'em, an' now thet th' boys we brought is
about ter raise hell (as they certainly is), Otaballo ain't goneter be
squeamish 'bout removin' quiet like and safe everyone who bothers him.
In three days we might not be able to git out long 'nuff to git
tergether an outfit er ask any questions. There's a whole lot 'bout
thet map o' yourn thet we wanter understan' afore we starts, as I
looks at it."
"There is some sense in that."
"It's a simple proposition; does ye want ter gamble on losin' both
chances fer th' sake of savin' a week, or does yer wanter make sure of
one fer the double treasure--gold and girl?"
"I'd give every penny of the treasure to get the girl in my grip once
again."
"Ye've gotter git yer treasure fust afore ye can even do thet."
"I know it. I'm powerless as things are. If there is a treasure there
and we can get it, we'll have something to work with. If I had the
money now, I'd have fifty men on his track, and I'd post a hundred
along the trail to the lake to intercept him."
"If ye'd had the treasure, likely 'nuff ye wouldn't have started. But
ye ain't gut it an' ye is a long, long way from gettin' it. But if ye
don't divide yer intrests, we is goin' ter git it, an' arter that we
is goin' ter git th' girl, if she's anywhere atop th' earth."
"I believe you, Stubbs," answered Wilson, with renewed enthusiasm.
"And I believe that with you we can do it. We'll make a bargain now;
share and share alike every cent we find. Give me your hand on it."
Stubbs reached his big hand across the table and the two men shook.
"Now," he said, "we'll have a bite to eat and a mouthful to drink and
begin work."
During the next week they followed one faint clue after another, but
none of them led to anything. Wilson managed to secure the names of
many men who knew Sorez well and succeeded in finding some of them;
but to no purpose. He visited every hotel and tavern in the city, all
the railroad and steamship offices, but received not a word of
information that was of any service. The two had disappeared as
effectually as though they had dropped from the earth.
At the advice of Stubbs he kept out of sight as much as possible. The
two had found a decent place to board and met here each night, again
separating in the morning, each to pursue his own errands.
Both men heard plenty of fresh stories concerning the treasure in the
mountains. Rumors of this hidden gold had reached the grandfathers of
the present generation and had since been handed down as fact. The
story had been strongly enough believed to inspire several expeditions
among the natives themselves within the last twenty years, and also
among foreigners who traded here. But the information upon which they
proceeded had always been of the vaguest so that it had come to be
looked upon as a fool's quest.
The three hundred dollars was sufficient with careful buying to secure
what the two men needed. Stubbs attended to all these details. They
wished to make themselves as nearly as possible independent of the
country, so that they could take any route which seemed to be
advisable without the necessity of keeping near a base of supplies. So
they purchased a large quantity of tinned goods; beef, condensed milk,
and soup. Sugar, coffee, chocolate, flour, and salt made up the
burden of the remainder. They also took a supply of coca leaves, which
is a native stimulant enabling one to withstand the strain of
incredible hardships.
Each of them secured a good Winchester. They were able to procure what
ammunition they needed. A good hunting knife completed the armament of
each.
For clothing they wore on their feet stout mountain shoes and carried
a lighter pair in their kits. They had khaki suits and flannel shirts,
with wide Panama sombreros. At the last moment Stubbs thought to add
two picks, a shovel, and a hundred feet or more of stout rope. Wilson
had made a copy of the map with the directions, and each man wore it
attached to a stout cord about his neck and beneath his clothing.
It was in the early morning of August 21 that the two finally left
Bogova, with a train of six burros loaded with provisions and supplies
for a three months' camping trip, and a native guide.