ALONG THE CHAGRES.
"Well, did you ever!! Jared of all people!"
"What on earth is he doing here?"
"That's plain enough," was Rob's reply to the last exclamation, which had
proceeded from Tubby following Rob's hasty recital of what he had seen on
the top of the dam.
"That's plain enough," he repeated. "Jared is a pretty slick sort of
article, or, at any rate, the men with whom he is in league are cunning
and clever. What better place could Jared be, watched as he is, than
holding down a job as a canal worker, bossing some small undertaking? Who
would ever dream of looking for him in such a position?"
"That's so," agreed Fred, "and then, too, he gets a chance to survey the
ground thoroughly and lay plans for whatever sort of deviltry that gang
is up to. Maybe Alverado and Estrada are working on menial jobs, too,
with the same end in view."
"Quite likely," replied Rob, "and also that mysterious chap we've seen
with Jared on several occasions. Anyhow, our duty now is plain enough. We
must make all haste back to Mr. Mainwaring and report to him what we have
discovered."
"Let's get some of this mess cleaned off us first," said the practical
Merritt. "We look more like drowned rats than Scouts, in our present
plight."
The boys set to work trying to remove the traces of the ducking that had
been given them by the malignant Jared, who had undoubtedly recognized
them. Had they known that he was actually on the lookout for them, they
would have been much astonished. Yet such was the case, as will appear
before long.
Luckily the mixture of cement that had been doused over them was a very
watery one, the rinsings of a cement bucket, in fact, so that in a short
time the hot sun had dried out most of the traces of their adventure.
But Mr. Mainwaring greeted them with exclamations of astonishment.
"What in the world have you lads been up to now," he exclaimed half
laughingly as they rejoined him, "taking a swim with your uniforms on?"
"Well, we did have an involuntary bath," admitted Rob, and he went on to
tell just what had happened.
"Jove!" exclaimed Mr. Mainwaring when he had finished, "this is getting
interesting, and perhaps explains many annoying things that have been
happening about here recently. Derrick booms have collapsed without
apparent cause and an investigation has shown that acid has been poured
on the supporting ropes by some malignantly disposed persons. Blasts have
been set off prematurely, narrowly avoiding injury, and the work has been
delayed by many such tricks. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if your friend
Jared and the Latin Americans who are interested in delaying the canal
construction are at the bottom of this. I'll dispatch men at once to get
hold of this chap Jared and we'll make him confess all about it."
As he spoke there was a sudden crash behind him as a workman, who had
been standing close to him and who must have overheard every word,
dropped a heavy bucket. They all faced round and saw a man shuffling off
rapidly. Something familiar about him struck Rob, but for the life of him
he could not place the man. It was not until later that he recalled where
they had seen him before. He was the man who had driven them to the ruins
of old Panama on that memorable morning, and who must have heard some of
their talk. But what was he doing on the canal work? Was he allied with
the forces that were trying to defeat the completion of the canal? Had he
told the plotters of what he had overheard and warned them that vigilant
retribution was on their trail?
All these were questions that for the time had to wait. Rob decided not
to say anything just then. After all he might have been mistaken. In the
meantime the searchers sent out after Jared reported that they could not
find him. Undoubtedly after venting his malice on the boys he had made
off. Rob was not mistaken in his identification of the cabman. The fellow
was allied with the plotters by close ties both of nationality and
sentiment. He had been set to driving a hack in Panama so that he might
carry on his spy work without being suspected. It was by chance that the
boys had happened to take his cab. But what he had overheard that day had
caused him to hasten to the dam and inform his confederates, who, as Rob
had guessed, were constantly about there disguised as workmen.
In that vast enterprise, employing thousands of laborers, it was a simple
enough matter for any able bodied men to obtain employment, and no
questions were asked so long as the laborer proved able to earn his pay.
At dinner time Mr. Mainwaring was unusually silent. There was no question
in his mind now but that there were plotters mingled in among the
workmen. That night orders for extra vigilance in patroling the dam were
issued, and that night, also, Mr. Mainwaring announced that he intended
to start the next day on his search for the troublesome tributary of the
Chagres River which it was his intention to devise a means to control.
As may be imagined, this was great news to the boys, and they passed an
all but sleepless night in their room in Mr. Mainwaring's bungalow, which
stood in a row of "gold-men's" houses, among which it was the largest and
best finished.
The boys' equipment had been brought up from Panama with them and was, as
usual, all in readiness for instant transportation. These Boy Scouts
lived up to their "Be Prepared" motto all the time, and to the finest
detail. When their camping equipment had been packed up on the submarine
island everything had been stowed away with military precision so that
they knew, without going through a lot of troublesome overhauling, that
everything, down to their small pocket water filters, was in its right
place.
A wagon transported their goods and chattels to the landing place on the
Chagres the next morning, right after an early breakfast. Mr. Raynor was
to accompany his chief in the capacity of assistant, and the surveying
instruments and other paraphernalia almost filled one of the odd native
canoes they were to use. Another canoe held the camping outfits. But they
were not to paddle their way laboriously up the swiftly flowing river.
To the delight of the boys a light draught launch, fitted with powerful
engines and a spidery stern paddle wheel, was to do the towing while they
took it easy. This suited Tubby down to the ground, and Rob's cup of
satisfaction was full to the brim when he learned that he and Merritt
were to alternate as engineers. As we know, both boys were familiar with
the management of gasolene engines, and they gazed with approval at the
fourteen horse-power, twin-cylinder engine of the _Pathfinder_, as the
launch was called.
Before they left, the chief of the Gatun Guards, as the police that
watched the big dam were called, reported to Mr. Mainwaring that nothing
suspicious had occurred during the night and also that no trace could be
found of the men wanted. This was disappointing, but the boys were so
keyed up with the expectation of the wonders that awaited them in the
tropical forests through which the Chagres wound its way on its higher
reaches, that they gave but scant thought to Jared and the plotters.
At last all was in readiness; Mr. Mainwaring, who had the steering wheel,
gave the signal to start the engines.
Rob gave the big fly-wheel a twist against the compression, while Merritt
turned on the gasolene and set the spark. The engine gave a chug and a
snort and the big stern paddle wheel, which gave the boat such an odd
look but was necessary for shoal water navigation, began to beat the
water.
The boys gave a shout and their patrol cries. From the bow of the
_Pathfinder_, as a compliment to them, fluttered the pennants of the
Eagles and the Black Wolves, the same which it had been designed to plant
at old Panama. At the stern waved Old Glory. Astern towed the two
dugouts, loaded deep down with "duffle."
Thus started a trip that was to prove one of the most adventurous that
lads ever embarked upon "by flood or field."