SPIES IN THE BOY SCOUT CAMP
Gates, the United States Secret Service man, closed the door gently
and remained standing just inside the room, his head bent forward in
a listening attitude. Ned Nestor and Jimmie McGraw, Boy Scouts of
the Wolf Patrol, New York City, who had been standing by a window,
looking out on a crowded San Francisco street, previous to the
sudden appearance of the Secret Service man, turned toward the
entrance with smiles on their faces.
They evidently thought that Gates was posing, as so many detectives
have a silly habit of doing, and so gave little heed to the hand he
lifted in warning. The boys knew little about Gates at that time,
and so may be pardoned for the uncomplimentary thoughts with which
they noted his theatrical conduct.
Young Nestor had been engaged by the United States government to
undertake a difficult and dangerous mission to South America, and
Gates had been sent on from Washington to post him as to the details
of the case. The boys had waited at the San Francisco hotel three
days for the arrival of the Secret Service man, and waited
impatiently, as Sam Leroy, who was to be the third member of the
party, was anxious for the safety of his aeroplane, the Nelson, in
which the trip to "the roof of the world" was to be made.
The Nelson was lying, guarded night, and day, in a field just out of
the city, on the Pacific side, and Leroy was impatiently keeping his
eyes on the guards most of the time. There was a subconscious
notion in the minds of all the boys that there were enemies about,
and that the aeroplane would never be fully out of danger until she
was well over the ocean on her way south. Gates had arrived only
that morning, and now the lads were eager to be off.
A couple of hours before his appearance in the room that morning,
the Secret Service agent had left the boys in the lobby below to
arrange for the necessary papers and funds for the mission. Before
going out, however, he had been informed of the boys' suspicions,
and had made light of the idea that the aeroplane was in danger from
secret enemies, pointing to the fact that no one was supposed to
know anything about the proposed journey save the boys and himself
as conclusive evidence that the suspicion of constant surveillance
was not well founded.
Now, on his return, his cautious movements indicated that he, too,
was alarmed and on his guard. While Ned was wondering what it was
that had so changed Gates' point of view, there came a quick,
imperative knock on the door of the room, which was occupied by Ned
and Jimmie as a sleeping apartment.
Instantly, almost before the sound of the knock died away, Gates
opened the door and stepped forward. The man who stood in the
corridor, facing the doorway, was tall, slender, dark of complexion,
like a Spaniard or a Mexican. His black hair was long, straight,
thin; his black eyes were bright, treacherous, too close together,
with a little vertical wrinkle between the brows. He was dressed in
a neat brown business suit of expensive material.
When the door was opened he stepped forward and glanced into the
interior of the room, apparently with the purpose of entering. But
when Gates moved aside to give him passageway he drew back, the set
smile on his face vanishing as he bowed low and swung his slender
hands out in elaborate gesture.
"Pardon!" he said. "I have made a mistake in the room."
He was about to move away when Gates gritted out a question.
"For whom were you looking?" he asked. "We may be able to direct you
to your friend," he added, more courteously, his alert eyes taking
in every detail of the man's face, figure and dress.
"It is nothing!" was the quick reply. "I will make inquiries at the
office--which, undoubtedly, I should have done before."
In a moment he was gone, moving gracefully toward the elevator.
Gates watched his elegant, well-dressed figure with a smile of quiet
satisfaction. When the visitor gained the elevator, he turned and
bowed at the still open doorway, and the Secret Service man
recognized the grin on his face as expressive of triumph rather than
apology.
"What did he want?" asked Jimmie, as Gates, closed the door.
Gates did not answer the question immediately. Instead he asked
one:
"Ever see that fellow before?"
Jimmie shook his head, but Ned looked grave as he answered:
"I have seen him about the hotel--frequently. He seems to have a
suite off this corridor, or the one above it."
At this moment the door was opened again and Sam Leroy bounced into
the room, his eyes shining with enthusiasm, his muscles tense with
the joy of youth and health. He drew back when he saw Gates, whom
he had not met before, and looked questioningly at Ned.
"This is Lieutenant Gates, for whom we have been waiting," Ned said,
"and this, Lieutenant, is Sam Leroy, who is to take us to South
America in his aeroplane."
"I hope the machine is above reproach as to strength and speed,"
laughed Gates, as the two shook hands cordially, "for there is
likely to be doings down there."
"The Nelson is warranted for work and wind," said Ned. "She crossed
the continent in a rush and spied on us through British Columbia and
on down the Columbia river, not long ago, and I can recommend her as
a very desirable bird of the air."
"She's all sound now," Leroy said, "but there's no knowing how long
she will be if we don't get her out of San Francisco. There was a
couple of men hanging around her last night, and one of them went
away with a bullet in his leg. I'm glad you're here, Lieutenant,
for now we can get away--quick!"
"Did you get a good look at either of the two men you speak of?"
asked Ned, his mind going back to what seemed to him to be a secret
conspiracy against the Nelson.
"One of them," Leroy answered, "was tall, slender, dark; with long
straight hair and eyes like a snake. I noticed, too, that he had a
habit of moistening his lips with the end of his tongue, and that
made me think of a snake thrusting out his tongue. I got a shot at
the other fellow, but not at this one."
Gates and Ned looked at each other with nods of mutual
understanding. This was a pretty good description of the man who
had just stood before the door of that room. Then the lieutenant
turned to Jimmie.
"You asked a moment ago," he said, "what the fellow wanted here.
Now I think I can tell you. He wanted to confirm his suspicions
that the four of us axe working together. He has been sleuthing
about the corridors all the morning, watching me; and his mission to
this room was to make sure that my business in San Francisco is with
Ned--that we are working together."
"He's sure doing a lot of Sherlock Holmes stunts," Jimmie declared.
"And I reckon he's next to his job, for he appears to have inspected
all the points of interest, from the field where the Nelson is to
the room where the plans are being made."
"Yes," Leroy said, his manner showing apprehension as well as anger,
"but how the Old Scratch did he get his knowledge, of what, we are
about to do? I thought no one in the West knew except us four. And
what's he trying to do, anyway? What difference does it make to him
if we do go to South America in an aeroplane?"
"I have a notion," Gates replied, "that he objects to your going in
an airship because you will make such swift time. Let me tell you
something more about this case. Then you will be able to understand
why efforts may be made to prevent your going to South America, in
an airship or in any other way."
"It's just the airship they've been after so far," Leroy
interrupted. "They haven't troubled us--and they'd better not!"
"I imagine," said the lieutenant, gravely, "that their activities
will broaden out as they get warmed up to their work. Understand?
What I mean is this: You boys are risking your lives in undertaking
this mission. You will be followed and spied upon from the minute
you leave San Francisco, and the chances will be all against you
when you reach your field of operations. Even the Government cannot
protect you in your undertaking, for the Government is not supposed
to know anything about this case."
"We are to do something by stealth, then, which the diplomats of the
State department are too cautious to undertake?" asked Ned.
"That is it exactly," was the reply. "If the State department
should take cognizance of the situation down there and make any sort
of a demand, war would be certain to follow in case the demand was
denied, which it would be. Therefore, the State department does not
wish to make a demand. Still, the American who is in trouble must
be protected. You are to go and get him out of his dungeon, or
wherever he may be, and the Department of State will wink at what
you do and look innocent."
"Aw, why don't they send a warship to do the job?" demanded Jimmie.
"Because," replied the lieutenant, "Uncle Sam has taken the
republics of South America under his protection, and he does not
care to spank them in the presence of all the nations of the earth!
He wants to get this man Lyman--Horace M. Lyman, to be exact--out of
the clutches of a crooked gang in Paraguay without wasting money and
lives. Hence the arrangement with you boys."
"I have read something about the Lyman case," Ned observed, "but I
have forgotten all the material points, I guess."
"Lyman," Gates went on, "took up his residence in Paraguay some
years ago and opened negotiations with the government for a cattle
concession. The lands known as the 'Chaco' district, lying between
the Paraguay and Pilcomayo rivers, are said to be the best for
grazing purposes in all South America. Years ago they were
considered worthless swamps, but this is all changed now.
"Well, Lyman entered into negotiations with the president of this
alleged republic and got his concession. There is no knowing how
much he paid for it, for every new president of Paraguay--and they
have new ones quite frequently down there--seems to do business on
the theory that what he doesn't get while the getting is good he
never will get at all. There have been four or five new official
heads of this alleged republic within a couple of years.
"The country is on the verge of revolution most of the time and as
the army goes so goes the election. Jara was made prisoner last
July, and one Rojes put in power. Now, in order to keep in good
standing with the army, the government is obliged to have generals
who are loyal to whoever is in power. These generals must be paid
for their services, of course.
"It seems that Lyman fell under the displeasure of one of these
powerful military chaps, probably because he refused to give up all
his profits in the cattle business. Anyway, Lyman disappeared from
home, quite suddenly, and his manager was notified that settlement
could be made with one Senor Lopez, an army chief, said to be a
relative of a former president. So Lopez was appealed to.
"Now Lopez is a slippery chap. He denied knowing anything about
Lyman, but declared that unless the cattleman appeared shortly and
took up his work on the cattle concession the grant would be taken
from him. That is like South American justice. Lock a man up and
then deprive him of his rights because he can't appear and claim
them!"
"Must be a fine healthy country!" Jimmie interposed.
"It is all of that," laughed the lieutenant. "Then this manager, I
think his name is Coye, appealed to the United States consul and the
consul to the president. Nothing doing! Lyman, they insisted, had
not been molested by the authorities. But Lyman's people in this
country are kicking up an awful row, and something must be done.
"There is no doubt that the cattleman, is locked up in some of the
old military prisons of the country, yet the State department can't
get him out. The president offers any assistance in his power, of
course! Lopez weeps when the matter is mentioned to him--weeps at
the unfounded suspicions which are being cast upon him! So there
you are! The only hope for Lyman lies in some such method as has
been planned. If you fail, the situation will be desperate,
indeed."
"Why don't Lyman buy the fellow off?" asked Jimmie.
"The purpose of Lopez in pursuing the course referred to is
undoubtedly to find an excuse for robbing Lyman of the concession
and selling it to another at a much greater price. So others
besides the general and Lyman are concerned in this mix-up."
"You refer to a person, or corporation, waiting to buy the
concession?" asked Ned, the reason for the surveillance in San
Francisco coming to him like a flash.
"That is it."
"And these prospective concessionaires are looking to it that Lyman
gets no aid from this country?"
"I had not looked at the matter in that way, had not thought of
their venturing over here, but presume you are right."
"Look here," Leroy asked, "are you figuring it out that the people
who are trying to steal or cripple the Nelson came here from
Paraguay for the express purpose of watching this Lyman case and
preventing his friends from assisting him?"
"You state the case in a way which gives it a good deal of
importance," Gates replied, "But I believe you state it correctly.
Just how the men who hope to gain the concession if Lyman loses it
came to understand the attitude of our Government is more than I can
imagine, but it is quite clear to me that they do understand the
situation--that they are thoroughly posted as to every move that has
been made by the Government and by the friends of the cattleman."
"It is a good thing to know that we are likely to be chased to South
America," Ned said, "for we know exactly what to expect, and shall
be on our guard."
"Chased to South America!" laughed Leroy. "They'll have to go some
if the keep up with the little old Nelson! She can fly some--if you
want to know!"