CHAPTER XIA TRAITOR UNMASKED
“Howdared he accuse me of knowing about Tillotson’s disappearance?” Phil exclaimed as he sought unsuccessfully a solution to the mystery.
“I don’t believe he really suspected us,” Sydney replied deprecatingly, “but it must have struck him as odd to say the least that you should pass an insurgent officer through the guards. You didn’t tell him why you did it or even give him any of the circumstances. I think it was natural that he should act as he did.”
“I didn’t realize,” Phil said half laughing, “how queer it must have seemed to him. Well, I’m going up and make a clean breast of it.
“Have you any suspicion as to the identity of the man I shot?” Phil suddenly asked.
“I thought at once of Espinosa,” Sydney answered, “but I’m not sure; he talked in avoice that was not familiar, but that may have been feigned. Think of it,” he exclaimed, “those masked men are all in the employ of our government. They have taken the oath of allegiance and yet they are plotting to massacre our soldiers.”
“It seems queer,” Phil exclaimed in a puzzled voice, “that the meeting and Tillotson’s disappearance should happen the same evening. Do you suppose it was only a coincidence?”
Sydney shook his head.
“Let’s get Captain Blynn to unravel that,” he answered. “He’s not half as clever as some believe, not to have discovered in six months what we have in less than two days. But remember, we promised Señorita Maria to say nothing of her share in the work.”
An hour later the lads had laid their startling discoveries before the judge-advocate.
“How many of these men did you count?” he asked excitedly, after he had listened with rising indignation to the account of the Katipunan meeting and the accusation against Rodriguez.
“About forty, I should say,” Phil answered.
“I don’t understand,” the captain exclaimed aloud, “why Espinosa has not told me of the existence of this society. Of course I knew it was active elsewhere, but I had no idea they would dare plot against us within our lines.”
“Have you never suspected Espinosa?” Phil asked quietly.
“Yes, once,” the captain answered, after a moment’s hesitation, “but I found I was mistaken. He would not have led us against this fellow Martinez if he had been a traitor. I have the note here which I took from Espinosa that gives the information. It is in Visayan but I have translated it.” He handed the scrap of paper to Phil, who read it and passed it back.
“Colonel Martinez and two hundred men encamp to-night at Barotoc Hill near Banate en route to join Diocno.”
“Colonel Martinez and two hundred men encamp to-night at Barotoc Hill near Banate en route to join Diocno.”
Phil pondered over the words of the message. Then he remembered the terrible personal attack of Espinosa against Martinez. Was this a clue to his betrayal? Were Martinez and Espinosa personal enemies?
“No,” the captain continued assuredly. “Espinosa has aided us in every way. It was through him that we sent Captain Gordon to the north to prevent more of these deserters from Aguinaldo’s army landing. He has kept us well posted on the movements of our enemy.”
“But still,” Phil insisted, “there have been no big fights and we’ve lost a number of men cut up through surprise.”
“That’s due in a great measure to the country and the inexperience of our volunteer officers,” the captain explained readily.
“Are you so sure of the honesty of Rodriguez?” he asked suddenly. “I have heard it insinuated that he aspires to the leadership if Diocno were removed.”
Phil was about to cry out his assured belief that Rodriguez was sincere, but with the words on his lips he hesitated. He had seen Rodriguez but once, and to be convinced of his honesty after such a short acquaintance would sound ridiculous. He saw that Maria’s part would have to be told if Captain Blynn was to be convinced.
“I have every reason to believe in hissincerity,” Phil said instead. “I can understand Spanish and I heard the leader denounce him as a traitor to the natives. Then I heard Rodriguez’s eloquent appeal to the men against their two-faced dealings. He surely had the courage of his convictions, for every hand there was against him.”
“Yes, the general had him down here the other day,” the captain said, “and he was impressed the same way. He’s a power among the lower classes, although he has many enemies among the educated ones.”
Captain Blynn had been holding a telegram in his hand while the above conversation was taking place and now he passed it over in silence for Phil to read.
“Colonel Martinez is not the name of insurgent officer that left Manila about the time of sailing of steamer ‘Negros.’ Our secret service men are sure that he is the noted outlaw ‘Remundo.’”
“Colonel Martinez is not the name of insurgent officer that left Manila about the time of sailing of steamer ‘Negros.’ Our secret service men are sure that he is the noted outlaw ‘Remundo.’”
“So you see,” the captain said not unkindly, “you have twice allowed this desperado to escape.
“But now,” the captain continued, “whatwe’ve got to do is to break up this secret society and find poor Tillotson if he is still alive. I can hardly believe that they have been able to carry him away unless it was by water. However, Espinosa should know of this. I will send for him to come here at once.”
The captain rang his bell and sent the orderly who answered for the Filipino.
The midshipmen sat silently waiting while the judge-advocate returned to his interrupted office work.
The orderly soon returned, reporting that Señor Espinosa was not at his house, and that his servant reported that he had not been home since the evening before.
The midshipmen exchanged knowing glances. Was Espinosa then the leader whom Phil had shot?
“Come!” Captain Blynn exclaimed, starting up from his chair. He led the lads down to his carriage at the door and motioned them to enter. Then giving an address to the driver they went whirling through the narrow streets.
After a ten minutes’ drive the carriagestopped in front of a large Filipino house. Without knocking the army man pushed open the door intruding his great bulk into the room.
A half dozen natives arose from the floor, sudden fear in their faces as they saw the officers.
“Señor Cardero,” the captain said in a quiet voice, “where has Señor Espinosa gone?”
“I do not know,” the native replied sullenly.
The captain glared fiercely at the small brown man before him; then he reached out a strong hand and caught the native fiercely by the neck, shaking him as a dog would a rat. The little man turned a sickly color and his teeth chattered, but the bullying American held him closely while his eyes flashed angrily as he questioned him. “Tell me, where is Señor Espinosa?”
“He is hurt, señor commandante,” the native cried out finally in a terrified voice after he had regained his breath. “It was an accident. I do not now know where he is, but he is not in the city.”
The midshipmen were overjoyed at this news. So Espinosa was the Katipunanleader and spy. Phil glanced at the surprised judge-advocate, a light of triumph in his eyes.
“Captain Perry,” the captain ordered hurriedly, “you and Mr. Monroe stay here and guard these rats; I am going to have every native of prominence in the town arrested at once. Thanks to you, we have at last found the leak.”
Throwing the cringing native from him, he strode out of the door, and the lads heard the rumble of his carriage wheels as he drove rapidly away.
After the captain’s menacing presence had been removed the half dozen captive Filipinos showed signs of restlessness, and once or twice Phil surprised a covert glance toward a dark corner of the large living-room. Both lads felt the responsibility of their position. They knew that they were outside of the line of sentries, almost beyond the sound of firearms. It seemed to Phil that the captain was over-reckless in coming with only themselves into the haunts of a probable enemy. Both lads were armed, their revolvers were held ready in hand and theirprisoners knew full well that Americans were dangerous shots.
The inside of the room was but dimly lighted by a single oil wick, and the darkness became blacker toward that part of the house where no windows had been cut. Phil had heard the captain give instructions to his orderly as he left headquarters to have a guard follow the carriage. But would the guard be sent here to aid them, or would Captain Blynn send them elsewhere to make arrests?
“Let’s get out of this trap,” Phil whispered anxiously to Sydney at his side, his idea being to order the men at the point of his revolver to pass out to the street.
Suiting the action implied in his words, Phil opened the door leading from the living-room. He saw by the aid of the additional light from outside that the five men had cautiously and stealthily moved backward toward the wall nearest them, and were apparently supporting their weights upon it. Suddenly he felt a jar and read in the eyes of the Filipino nearest him revenge battling with fear. Then the floor shook, and graspingSydney by the shoulder Phil threw himself bodily through the open door as the floor of the building crashed down twenty feet into the cellar below. The natives, he could see, were hung on the wall like so many old coats, while through the bamboo floor on which he and Sydney had just stood numberless bamboo spears bared their sharp, venomous points. The lad shuddered as he realized the murderous trick which had failed. If they had fallen with the floor, heavily weighted as it was with stones at the side, and resting on supports, which had been dislodged by a rope in the hands of one of the villains now hanging on the wall of the room, they would at this moment be lying pierced through and perhaps dying before the eyes of their cruel enemy.
He raised his revolver and covered the nearest cringing native, a terrible anger in his eyes. In another second he would have pulled the trigger, but Sydney’s hand closed firmly over his wrist, forcing his revolver upward and the ball sped harmlessly over the terrified native’s head.
“They are more valuable alive,” Sydneyexclaimed to Phil’s angry cry of protest. “Come, let’s get outside before more of this hinged floor is loosened. We can better prevent their escape in that way.”
Phil followed his companion down the bamboo stairs and into the street, where a crowd of curious natives had gathered on hearing the startling shot. The lads moved their weapons menacingly, not knowing or trusting the temper of the crowd which backed away cringingly from the Americans. A glance down the street brought a glad cry from the midshipmen as they saw a squad of soldiers advancing from the direction of headquarters. A loud voice in the Visayan tongue from the building they had just left was answered by many excited voices in the gathered crowd, and then several women advanced slowly, holding up their hands in sign of peace, their bodies close together as if for mutual protection. The lads scarcely noticed the approach of the women, so occupied were they in watching the building in which were imprisoned five of the traitors who had been biting the hand of the master that fed them. A swift glance over his shoulder showed Philthat the advancing women were scarce ten paces away from Sydney, who was guarding one corner of the house, while he was some thirty feet away, guarding the other three sides. The soldiers were not over a block away and hastening toward him; he could hear the rattle of their gun slings, and the thud of their heavy shoes on the hard road-bed. Then again as he cast an uneasy glance at this line of women his heart froze within him while his voice failed, for he had caught a fleeting glimpse of a savage face peering over their shoulders.
“Look out for yourself,” Phil cried, directing his revolver at the line of women and firing blindly. In that second his disgust and wrath were so great at the dastardly strategy under the guise of friendship that he would not have felt a qualm of conscience if one of these unnatural women had fallen before his bullet.
The women halted, sudden fear on their faces, while from between them dashed a half dozen savage natives armed with bolos. As they charged on the surprised midshipmen they cried out lustily in their guttural languagethe war-cry of the bolo-man who has received the charm of the Anting-Anting which to his superstitious mind makes him invulnerable against the Americans’ bullets. They came boldly on while Sydney jumped backward quickly to Phil’s side and the two lads emptied the contents of their revolvers into the mass of naked brown men flourishing their keen blades above their heads in an endeavor to close with their hated foe. The women had run screaming with terror back to the safety of the crowd, taking refuge within the densely packed houses.
With their revolvers empty and but three of their half dozen assailants writhing in the road, the plucky midshipmen faced the onrush of the fanatics. Converting their revolvers into clubs, they awaited what seemed to them certain death. Their one hope for safety lay in running away from the charging bolo-men and toward the soldiers now scarce two hundred yards away, but turn their backs on an enemy they could not.
Within ten feet of the midshipmen the fanatics suddenly stopped and a fear crept into their superstitious faces. The nextsecond, to the lads’ astonishment, their sharp swords dropped from nerveless fingers, and the three natives prostrated themselves in the dust of the road.
The lads gazed in startled wonder, scarcely believing their eyes.