CHAPTER XVIII.A NEW MENACE.
Mindful of the warning which Doctor Bonsal had given him, Hawley made sure that none of the soldiers had remained behind to watch the house before he ventured to leave the ill-starred physician’s residence. When he was satisfied that the coast was clear, he and Señora Felix went through the garden at the rear of the house, and out of a small gate, thus making their departure as unobtrusively as possible.
As soon as they were outside, Hawley and the señora parted company, the woman entering an automobile with a closed top which had been standing in readiness for her on a quiet road a short distance from the garden gate.
“Remember your promise! I shall expect to hear to-morrow that you have sailed on thePanama,” were her parting words to him, and before he could make any reply she was gone.
Hawley felt that this was taking an unfair advantage of him, inasmuch as the promise which he had given had been a tentative one. He was not sure, though, that he was not going to return to New York the following day as she desired; for the arguments which he had heard, and the stirring events of that evening, had made such an impression on him that he was seriously thinking of giving up the undertaking.
The thought of returning to the White House witha report of failure was not a pleasant one, but he wished to do what was right in the matter. The bitter remark of Señora Felix that selfish ambition was the sole motive of his mission to Baracoa had got under his skin. Being an exceedingly fair-minded man, he could not help asking himself whether there was not some justice in her accusation.
The President of the United States had not taken him into his confidence as to what he purposed to do in the event of the Camera Chap’s being successful in getting the photographic evidence of Portiforo’s rascality. He had instructed Hawley merely to get the picture and bring it to the White House, giving no hint of what measures he intended to employ to prevent Portiforo from wreaking summary vengeance on his victim. Hawley knew that the present incumbent of the White House was a man of but scant sentiment, and he could not help wondering whether the great man, satisfying his conscience with the argument that individuals could not be considered when public policy was concerned, was not ruthlessly willing to sacrifice poor President Felix in order to bring about the exposure of Portiforo and a welcome change in the administration of Baracoa.
But, on the other hand, the Camera Chap was reluctant to believe that this could be his distinguished employer’s attitude. However lacking the President of the United States might be in sentiment, he had the reputation of being an eminently just man. Besides, was not Señora Felix the intimate friend of the wife of a member of his cabinet? Which made it veryunlikely that the president would have taken this step unless he had up his sleeve some plan for protecting President Felix from the murderous impulses of the conspirators.
These conflicting thoughts left the Camera Chap in a very unsettled frame of mind. He conscientiously sought to put aside his own wishes in the matter. As the señora had bitterly stated, it would be a great feather in his cap to get that picture—the most notable achievement of his whole career; but he was prepared to give it up, provided he was satisfied that such a course would be for the best, so far as Felix was concerned. For the martyr of El Torro was the only man to be considered. The Camera Chap was fully resolved as to that. If the photographic evidence of the monstrous conspiracy could not be obtained without fatal results to the victim, it would be better, he decided, to leave things as they were.
Deep in thought as he wrestled with this problem, Hawley was walking along the Avenida Juarez on his way back to the hotel, when he encountered two men coming arm in arm up the street toward him. One of this pair, who wore the uniform of an army officer, staggered as he walked as though under the influence of liquor. The other, a good-looking, dapper young American, was in civilian clothes, and displayed no outward evidence of being in the same condition as his companion.
The sight of these two together was a startling surprise to the Camera Chap; for the dapper young American was Gale, of theNews, and the man whostaggered was Captain Ernesto Reyes, of the engineers’ corps, in command of the prison guard of El Torro.
Hawley had not as yet met Reyes. Although, when Virginia Throgmorton had first mentioned the army captain, he had registered a resolve to make the latter’s acquaintance as soon as possible, he had since changed his mind as to the wisdom of such a step. It had suggested itself to his imagination that situations might subsequently arise wherein it would be an advantage not to be recognized by the custodian of El Torro prison; so, instead of seeking his acquaintance, Hawley had cautiously avoided him. But he knew Reyes by sight, and was quite sure, now, of the identity of Gale’s companion.
Until this moment he had been unaware that Captain Reyes and theNewsman were acquainted. The discovery that they not only knew each other, but, apparently, were boon companions, came as a shock to him. He wondered uneasily whether it was a mere coincidence, or whether Gale had reasons of his own for getting into the good graces of the man who had charge of President Felix.
He was not left long in doubt on this point. Before he had a chance to dodge, Gale recognized him, and, tugging at the arm of his staggering companion, came quickly toward him.
“Well, if this isn’t an odd thing, I’d like to know what is,” he began exuberantly. “I mean our meeting you right here and now, Hawley, old scout. Strangest thing that’s happened to me in a dog’s age.”
“I don’t see anything so very remarkable about it,” replied Hawley, noting that although Gale was steady on his feet, there was a thickness in his voice that was not normal. “San Cristobal is not a very large city, and the Avenida Juarez is one of its principal thoroughfares; so what is so strange about our meeting here?”
“Because we were just this minute talking about you, old pal,” Gale explained, “and my old college chum, here, was saying how much he would like to meet you. Isn’t that right, Ernesto?”
Captain Reyes blinked his eyes rapidly and murmured something which was so unintelligible that the Camera Chap couldn’t even tell whether it was English or Spanish.
“You were talking about me?” exclaimed Hawley, his eyes fixed searchingly on theNewsman’s flushed face. “That’s very flattering. May I inquire in what way I figured in your conversation?”
Gale chuckled. “I was explaining to my friend here what you are doing in Baracoa,” he said. “And why you spend so much of your time hanging around Puerto Cabero.”
Splendid as was his usual self-possession, Hawley was unable to refrain from giving a start of surprise at this announcement. But he was quickly on his guard. “That was very kind of you,” he said pleasantly. “What did you tell him?”
Gale grinned. “I told him about the work you hope to do with your little camera.”
The Camera Chap raised his eyebrows interrogatively.“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand,” he said quietly.
“Oh, yes, you do,” theNewsman rejoined, with an ironical laugh. “See here, Hawley, what’s the sense of our playing hide and seek with each other any longer? Wouldn’t it be a much more sensible idea for us to get together on this assignment? I need you and you need me, so what’s the matter with forming a partnership?”
“A partnership to do what?”
Gale’s reply made him wince. “To find old boy Felix, of course,” theNewsman exclaimed boisterously.
“To find Felix!” the Camera Chap repeated, with well-simulated bewilderment.
Gale laughed raucously. “Still keeping up the bluff, eh? Don’t you suppose that I know what you’re here for? I must admit that you had me guessing at first, but as soon as I got that query from my office, I was wise right away. I knew then that we were both following up the same tip.” He chuckled. “Thought you were going to have it exclusive, eh? Well, as I’ve often told you before, theSentinelwill have to get up mighty early in the morning to get ahead of the good oldNews.”
“I’m afraid you’re telling me more than you ought to,” said the Camera Chap, making a valiant attempt to conceal his uneasiness. “You’ll be sorry to-morrow for slipping me these hints about this mysterious tip of yours.”
The other grinned. “You think I’m feeling so goodthat I don’t realize what I’m doing, eh? Well, you’re mistaken about that. I wouldn’t be mentioning anything about Felix, now, if I wasn’t quite sure that I’m not slipping you anything that you don’t know.” He put his hand in his coat pocket. “Just to prove to you how sure I am that you and I are shinning up the same tree, I’ll show you the telegram I got from the office.”
“Not now,” the Camera Chap protested hastily, with an involuntary glance toward the swaying figure of Captain Reyes.
But theNewsman went on fumbling in his pocket. “Can’t seem to find it,” he muttered thickly. “Wonder what the deuce I’ve done with it.” Then his face lighted up. “By Jove! I remember now. Can’t show you the query the office sent me about Felix being locked up in El Torro, Hawley, old scout, because I haven’t got it. I left it with old boy Portiforo.”
The Camera Chap stared at him incredulously. “You did what?”
“I left it with his nibs, the President of Baracoa. Ernesto and I have been dining with him at the palace this evening. That’s why we’re feeling so good now. His bubble water was the best I’ve ever sampled. Some class to your little friend Gale—dining with presidents and cabinet ministers.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying?” Hawley demanded sharply. “You can’t really mean that you showed Portiforo the tip you got from your office. You’re too level-headed, I’m sure, to do a fool thing like that. It must be the wine that makes you tell mesuch nonsense. Come, pull yourself together, Gale, and talk sense.”
“I am talking sense,” Gale replied, with a show of indignation. “Sure I showed Portiforo the telegram. What was the harm in that? He knew all about the tip already.”
“He knew about it?” Hawley exclaimed, with an anxious frown.
“Sure! That’s why he invited me to come and eat with him. He wanted to pump me as to how much I knew about this Felix business. You can’t keep anything from that wise old guy. He’s the slickest article I’ve ever been up against.”