CHAPTER XXXIIITOGETHER AGAIN—CONCLUSION
Thetwo boys were much surprised by the unexpected appearance of the man from Baltimore and for the moment knew not what to say or do.
“Do you know one of those men?” asked Andy Hume.
“Yes, that one,” answered Mark, pointing out the wrong-doer. “His name is Dan Markel, and he robbed Jacob Hockley of his watch and nearly all of his money.”
“You don’t say! Then he won’t be the fellow we want here.”
By this time Markel was close at hand. Now for the first time he caught sight of the boys and he halted in dismay.
“So we’ve met again,” said Mark, coldly.
“Why—er—how are you?” stammered the man from Baltimore. He knew not what to say.
“I suppose you’ve got Jake Hockley’s watch withyou,” put in Frank. “If you have, you had better pass it over to us.”
“You—er—you talk in riddles,” returned Markel. “I know nothing of his watch excepting that it was taken from him while in a crowd.”
“You took the watch yourself, Mr. Markel,” put in Mark, boldly. “And what is more, you sent for his valise and robbed that. It is utterly useless for you to deny it. If there is any officer in this settlement I shall have you arrested.”
At this the man from Baltimore turned pale. He started as if to run away, then saw how hopeless such a move would be and held his ground.
The talk had attracted a crowd, which included the general manager of the mining settlement, Mr. John Brisbam. He now demanded to know what it meant, and, with many interruptions from Markel, Mark and Frank told of the Hockley affair and of what had occurred at Macuto.
“We can prove all we say, if you’ll only give us a little time,” added Mark. “As soon as I can find my friends again I’ll bring them here. In the meantime I would like this man placed under arrest.”
“Arrest! Not much!” howled Dan Markel. “It—it’s an outrage! I am an honest American citizenand I demand protection. There is a great mistake. I am not the person they are after.”
“Do you mind being searched?” asked Andy Hume, shrewdly.
“You have no right to touch me!” returned the man from Baltimore in increased alarm.
A war of words, which nearly came to blows followed, but in the end Dan Markel was marched into one of the offices of the mining company. Here his pockets were examined and from one was taken Hockley’s watch.
“There are Hockley’s initials,” said Mark, pointing them out. “J. A. H. don’t stand for Daniel Markel.”
“That’s right they don’t,” came from Andy Hume. “He’s a black sheep sure as you’re born. All this money must belong to Hockley, too,” he added, counting up a quantity of gold and silver amounting to nearly three hundred dollars. The balance of the funds had already been squandered by the man from Baltimore.
Dan Markel raved and even swore at the treatment he received, and in the end he was handcuffed. The watch and money were placed in Mr. Brisbam’s hands for safe keeping, and the prisoner was marchedto one of the houses and a guard set, in order that he might not escape.
A little later Mark and Frank set off with the native boatman for the camp on the Orinoco. It was already growing dark, but the native knew the course well, so there was no danger of going astray.
“I see the camp-fire!” cried Frank, when they were yet half a mile off. “How good it looks! Almost like home!”
“I feel as if we had been away an age,” returned Mark. “I can tell you I don’t want to get lost again.”
“You are right, Mark; the very word is enough to give one the shivers.”
As they drew closer they set up a loud shout, which was presently answered by Sam and Darry, who came rushing down to the water’s edge to receive them.
“We had almost given you up,” said Darry. “Where in the world have you been?”
“We’ve been further than we intended to go,” answered Mark. “Where is the professor and the others?”
“The professor and Cubara are out looking for you. Hockley is in the tent. He fell in with a boa-constrictorand the snake nearly crushed him to death.”
“We’ve got news for him—news he’ll be glad to hear,” said Frank.
All walked up the bluff to the camp-fire and there each told his story. In the midst of the recitals Hockley roused up. He could scarcely believe his ears when listening to what Mark and Frank had to tell concerning Dan Markel.
“I’m glad you collared him,” he said, faintly. “I didn’t mind the money so much, but I hated to part with the watch. What will you do next? I can’t go over to that mining camp yet. I’m too sore.”
“We’ll see what the professor says,” said Mark.
The professor and the Indian came in a short while later. They had been up and down the river for miles and were thoroughly disheartened. When Professor Strong saw Frank and Mark he was overjoyed and could scarcely keep from hugging them.
“I was so afraid you had met your death in the jungle I knew not what to do,” he said. “I did not sleep a wink last night. We picked up your trail twice and lost it. We found the canoe and that led me to think that perhaps you were drowned.”
“We have had adventures enough to last us a year,” returned Mark. “I can tell you a life in the jungle is all well enough to read about, but in reality it isn’t half so pleasant as one imagines.”
It was arranged that all hands should move to the mining settlement the next afternoon, starting after the sun had spent its force for the day. Hockley was to be made comfortable in Cubara’s recovered canoe, with the professor to wait on him, while the other boys made the passage in the craft brought from Castroville.
The next morning was a busy one, for there were many things to pack up. Sam, Darry, Mark and Frank went out for a last hunt, taking Cubara with them. They brought in several peccaries and a score of birds, including two beautiful Venezuelan trumpeters, which they had found wading in a pool half a mile distant from the Orinoco.
“This ends our outing tour in Venezuela I suppose,” said Frank. “Well, I am not sorry. We have still a good deal of ground to cover and we can’t afford to spend too much time in one place.”
Four o’clock of the next day saw them embarking at the foot of the bluff. They had carried Hockley to the canoe and now the disabled youth was placedon a grassy cushion which would add to the comfort of the boat ride.
“Good-bye to the camp!” cried Darry, as the boats left the shore. “More than likely we’ll never see the place again. Good-bye!” And the others echoed the words. Soon the turn in the river hid the locality from their view.
A few words more and we will bring to a close this story of sight seeing and adventures in Venezuela.
When our friends reached Castroville a surprise awaited them. Despite the guard which had been set, Dan Markel had escaped through the night, stolen one of the small boats on the river, and departed for parts unknown. A search lasting two hours had been instituted but had proved of no avail.
“We followed him down the stream to where there are several forks,” said Andy Hume. “He took to one of them, but which one we don’t know.”
“But he didn’t take any of my stuff with him, did he?” was Hockley’s anxious question.
“No, he escaped with nothing but his clothing and a pistol he stole from his guard.”
“Then let him go,” returned the lank youth. “I never want to see him again.”
“I think myself it is just as well,” said Professor Strong. “To prosecute him would put us to a great deal of trouble. If he hasn’t a cent he will have a hard enough time of it getting along down here.”
“Right you are,” said Andy Hume. “I’ll wager he’ll bitterly regret that he ever left the States.”
When Hockley received his things back he wished to reward Frank and Mark for what they had done, but the two boys would not listen to this. Then he said that he was very grateful and hoped that they should be friends in the future.
“I’ve made up with Darry and Beans,” he said to Frank and Mark. “And I want to make up with you, too.”
“All right, it suits me!” answered Frank, readily, and Mark also agreed, and they shook hands.
There was an empty house in the mining settlement and this was turned over to our friends temporarily, and here Hockley rested until he felt once more like himself. During this time the other boys made a number of trips up into the mountains, viewing other mines of lesser importance. Thus several weeks slipped by.
“All told we’ve had some pretty good times here,” declared Mark to the other boys, one day. “I hope we have as good in our future travels.” His wish was fulfilled, and how will be related in another volume of this series.
In this tale we will not only meet all of our friends again, but also Dan Markel and learn something of what became of the fellow after he left Castroville, and of how he plotted fresh trouble for those who had exposed him.
And now for the present let us bid Professor Strong and our young friends adieu. We have followed them in an interesting trip from one end of Venezuela to the other, have visited the capital and other important cities, and have gone with them up the Orinoco and into the jungle. Our friends have had numerous adventures and have been in several positions of more or less peril. But all has turned out well, and here we will say good-bye.