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THE HERO OF PANAMA

A Tale of the Great Canal

by

CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON

Author of "Under the Chinese Dragon," "Tom Stapleton, the Boy
Scout," "The Great Aeroplane," "Indian and Scout," &c.

Illustrated by William Rainey, R.I.







Blackie and Son Limited
London Glasgow and Bombay
1912




[Illustration: JIM RESCUES PHINEAS BARTON]




Contents


     CHAP.                                              PAGE

        I. A POST OF RESPONSIBILITY                        9

       II. EN ROUTE FOR NEW YORK                          23

      III. JIM PARTINGTON SHOWS HIS METTLE                40

       IV. RELATING TO PHINEAS BARTON                     59

        V. THE WAYS OF THE STEAM DIGGER                   77

       VI. A SHOT IN THE DARK                             95

      VII. THE LAIR OF THE ROBBERS                        114

     VIII. IN HOT PURSUIT                                 133

       IX. JIM BECOMES A MECHANIC                         152

        X. RUNNING THE GAUNTLET                           171

       XI. BARELY ESCAPED                                 192

      XII. AN AMERICAN UNDERTAKING                        215

     XIII. HUSTLE THE ORDER OF THE DAY                    235

      XIV. THE RUNAWAY SPOIL TRAIN                        256

       XV. JAIME DE OTEROS FORMS PLANS                    276

      XVI. THE MAJOR FORMS HIS PARTIES                    297

     XVII. ON THE TRACK OF MISCREANTS                     317

    XVIII. RESCUE BY MOONLIGHT                            337

      XIX. JIM MEETS WITH A SURPRISE                      357

       XX. SUCCESS TO THE PANAMA CANAL                    375




Illustrations


                                                        Page

JIM RESCUES PHINEAS BARTON _Frontispiece_                 46

"STAND AWAY FROM THOSE BOATS"                             32

JIM IN A TIGHT CORNER                                    118

WAITING FOR THE ENEMY                                    150

ATTACKED BY NATIVES                                      212

"JIM TUGGED WITH ALL HIS MIGHT"                          262

THE RESCUE OF SADIE                                      338

"IT'S GEORGE, GEORGE COME BACK TO LIFE!"                 358




THE HERO OF PANAMA

[Illustration: The PANAMA CANAL]




CHAPTER I

A Post of Responsibility


It was one of those roasting days in the Caribbean, when, in spite of a
steady trade wind, the air felt absolutely motionless, and the sea took
on an oily surface from which the sun flashed in a thousand directions,
in rays that seemed to have been lent some added fierceness by the
reflection.

Squish! Squelsh! The ground surf, which was hardly perceptible from the
coast, and scarcely so from the deck of a liner, was apparent enough
from the old tub which wallowed in it. She rolled in a manner that was
sickening to behold, until at times her scupper ports took in water,
then a surge of the ocean would take her in a different direction; she
would dive forward, dipping her nose in the oily sea till the hawser
which had been passed out over her stern, secured to a large anchor,
brought her up with a jerk and tumbled her backwards with her stern rail
awash.

Ugh! It was enough to make a white man groan. Even a nigger would have
been inclined to grumble. But the Chinamen aboard the tub seemed, if
anything, rather to enjoy this rocking. One of them stood almost
amidships, his feet wide apart to preserve his balance, while he gripped
the handle of the pump he was working, and turned it over and over with
a monotonous regularity that seemed to match with his surroundings.

The man, who was barefooted, boasted of the very lightest of clothing,
and wore his pigtail rolled in a coil at the back of his head. Other
protection against the roasting sun he had none. Indeed, to look at him,
he hardly seemed to need it, while the hot blast which came from the
adjacent land passed over him without any apparent effect. Ching Hu was
in his element.

"Nicee place, missee," he sang out after a while. "Plenty nicee and
warmee. Stay long? No? Velly solly."

On he went, turning the handle without a pause, while there crept into
his slanting eyes just a trace of disappointment. He sighed ever so
gently, then assumed his accustomed expression. Not the wisest man in
all the world could have said whether Ching Hu were happy or otherwise.

Just about ten feet from him, sheltered beneath a narrow awning of dirty
canvas, a girl stood on the deck of the small ship, or, rather, she
occupied a projection which overhung the water. Had this vessel been a
liner, one would have guessed that this projection was the gangway from
which the ladder descended towards the water to enable passengers to
come aboard. But here a rapid inspection proved it to be merely a
platform built out from the side, and suspended some eight feet from the
surface of the ocean. From it a clear view of the ship's side was to be
obtained, and, in these wonderfully clear waters, of the sandy bottom of
the lagoon at whose entrance the vessel was moored. And it was upon the
latter, upon the bottom of this heaving ocean, that Sadie Partington's
eyes were directed.

"Ching," she called out suddenly, turning towards him, "I think they'll
be coming up right now. Call the boys."

"You sure, missee? Yes? Velly well."

Ching Hu raised his eyebrows quaintly as he asked the question, and on
receiving a nod from the girl, who at once turned to stare into the
water, he raised his voice and called aloud in a sing-song style which
would have made a stranger laugh. "Tom, Tom!" he shouted. "You comee now
wid Sam. Wanted plenty soon."

A black face popped instantly from the caboose leading to the cabin--a
big, round face, the face of a negro of some thirty years of age. Then
the shoulders came into view, and following them the whole figure of the
man. He stood for a moment or two on the topmost step, balancing himself
against the edge of the caboose, one hand gripping a plate, while the
other vigorously polished it with a cloth. It gave one an opportunity of
thoroughly inspecting this negro, and promptly one was filled with a
feeling of pleasure. It was not because Tom was handsome, for he was the
reverse of that. Nature had, indeed, liberally provided him with nose
and lips, so much so that those two portions of his physiognomy were
the most prominent at first sight. But if his nose were somewhat
flattened and decidedly wide, and his lips undoubtedly big and
prominent, Tom was possessed of other features which counterbalanced
these detractions. His eyes seemed to attract attention at once. They
seemed to smile at all and sundry on the instant, and flash a message to
them. They were shining, honest eyes, which looked as if they could do
nothing else but smile. Then the man's mouth completed his appearance of
joviality; between the lips a gleaming double row of ivories were always
to be seen, for Tom's smile was permanent. The smallest matter was
sufficient to increase it, when the negro's ample face would be divided
by a gaping chasm, a six-foot smile that could not be easily
banished--the prelude to a roar of mirth and of deep-toned, spontaneous
laughter. As for the rest of him, Tom was a monster. Six-feet-three in
height, he was broad and thickset, and beside the dainty figure of Sadie
Partington had the appearance of a veritable elephant.

"What you say, Chinaboy?" he asked, regarding the placid individual
working the pump. "Come plenty soon, eh?"

"Ye-e-s. Missee say now."

"Den dinner be spoiled for sure. Taters boiled to rags ef I wait little
minute. Stew no good ef left on fire for longer dan five minute. Missee,
what you say dey doin'? They ain't gwine ter move yet?"

"Call Sam; you know as well as I do that the stew won't be spoiled. Come
now, they're going to signal."

Sadie turned upon the negro with a frown, then again bent her eyes
towards the bottom of the sea; for the girl was always ill at ease when
the divers were working. Somehow or other, since her brothers had taken
to this particular profession--and she had accompanied them upon their
various trips--she had felt impelled to take upon herself the duty of
watching them at work. She was only eleven now, though tall and old for
her age, and for a year past she had almost daily taken her post on that
tiny gangway to watch the two figures moving in the water below. For
hours together she would be on the deck of this little boat, careless of
the sun and heat, superintending the action of the pump and waiting for
signals from the divers. And to Ching Hu, Tom, and the others her
veriest nod was law. It was useless to argue with her: Sadie had a way
of stamping her small foot which meant a great deal, and set all the men
running to do her bidding. It was, therefore, with some show of alacrity
that Tom prepared to follow his instructions.

"You Chinaboy," he commanded, grinning at a second Chinaman, who
occupied the little galley down below, "yo make sure not boil de taters
too much, and sniff dat stew. Not burn um, or, by de poker, Tom make yo
smile. Yo comprenez what I say? Eh?"

He grinned one of his most expansive grins, and the Chinaman responded
in a similar manner. He jerked his head in Tom's direction, thrusting it
out of the galley door as he did so, and sending his pigtail flying. His
little, pig-like eyes rolled while he brandished an enormous wooden
spoon. "Ling knowee eberyting," he lisped. "See to dinner fine. Hab de
stew beautiful."

"Den yo come along, yo Sam, lazy feller," shouted Tom at the pitch of
his voice. "Whar yo got to, boy? I gives yo de biggest--oh, so yo dare!"
he exclaimed, as a negro came from the after gangway, where a small
ladder led to some of the men's quarters. "Yo's been sleepin'."

Tom held out an accusing finger, and gripped his comrade by the bare
arm; for, without shadow of doubt, Sam's eyes were blinking. He had the
appearance of a man who has just awakened. But the negro shook his head
vigorously.

"Yo let go my arm, Tom, yo big elephant," he said, grinning widely.
"I'se been down b'low fetchin' a bucket o' coal. What yo want?"

"Missie dar order us both; de boys is comin' up."

Tom still gripped the second negro, and playfully lifted him from off
his feet as if he were merely a child, then he set him down against the
ship's rail, while the two at once stared into the water. Truly they
might have been described as brothers, so very alike were Tom and Sam in
appearance. In fact, had their two heads been alone protruding from a
window even Sadie would have been troubled to distinguish between them;
but the similarity ended with the faces. Tom was huge, Sam was barely
five feet in height, and slim in proportion; but he seemed to have
inherited all the dignity which Tom had missed. Merry enough at all
times, Sam was inclined to be a trifle pompous, and of a Sunday, when in
port, his get-up generally was sufficient to open the eyes of everyone
who beheld him. Now, however, his feet were bare, and he wore but a
shirt and loose cotton trousers.

Let us join them at the rail and stare over into the water. Beneath the
oily surface a wide stretch of yellowish-white sand was spread out on
every hand, till it became a greenish tinge, and was finally lost in the
blurr of the ocean; but directly beneath the ship it sparkled in the
sun, while one could easily see the tiniest prominence, the few rocks
existing here and there, and the deep shadow of the ship riding to her
anchors. A derrick was rigged out over the rail, close to the platform
occupied by Sadie, and from this was suspended a long wooden ladder,
with ponderous weights attached to its lower end. Close at hand, through
a sort of stirrup, passed a couple of ropes, while the piping conveying
air to those below ran out over the gangway. It was there, too, that the
smaller signal lines were attached.

As Tom and Sam looked over, their eyes caught the reflection from two
metal objects down below, and very soon the latter became apparent as
the helmets of the divers. They could see the two--for there were that
number at work--seated on a huge boulder, side by side, while within
some fifteen feet of them were the broken timbers and debris of what had
once upon a time been a vessel.

"They've sat like that this past fifteen minutes," explained Sadie.
"Seems that there's nothing to be found in the wreck. They'll be wanting
to be hauled aboard in a minute. There's George moving."

As she spoke, one of the helmets swung slowly backwards, while the eyes
inside peered aloft. Then there came a jerk at the life line. Sadie
instantly responded.

"Coming up," she said. "Get a hold of the tackle, boys."

She still kept her place, superintending operations, while Tom and Sam
together gripped the tackle, and, having pulled gently at first, began
to haul lustily. In a little while one of the divers had reached the
foot of the weighted ladder. At once the tackle was slacked off, while
all watched the man slowly ascending from the depths, dipping deeper as
the swell rolled the ship, and coming nearer the surface as she returned
to an even keel. Then, with a squelch, the top of the shining helmet
broke through the surface, the man reached the rail, and was lifted
aboard. Sadie proceeded at once to loosen the screws securing the helmet
to the rest of the dress, and lifted the huge metal globe from off the
shoulders of the seated man.

"What luck, George?" she asked impetuously, staring anxiously into his
face, and noticing how tired the man seemed, and how sallow he was. "You
found something? It's going to pay?"

"Not if we work a year at it," came the answer in a dull, despondent
tone of voice. "Help me to get this dress off, Sadie, my dear. I'm
burning in it. I've felt smothered, so hot that I couldn't work down
below. Jim's coming up at once."

The second diver was, in fact, already being hauled up, and anyone who
happened to have watched the first make his ascent from the depths would
at once have remarked the difference between the two. For the diver who
now sat on a box on the swaying deck of the small vessel was bigger
than he who was ascending; at the same time his movements had been far
less active. The one now nearing the top of the ladder clambered up the
rungs with the agility of a cat, in spite of the fact that every foot he
rose made the weights he carried on his back and chest and on his boots
all the heavier. His helmet shot out of the water with a burst, as the
vessel rolled heavily, pulling the ladder up, only to throw it back at
once.

"You hold on dar tight, yo, Massa Jim," shouted Tom, as he leaned over
the rail. "Yo tink dis all a beanfeast. Not so when de ship roll so
much. S'pose yo lose de hold. Buzz! Yo go right down to de bottom and
stay dere fer good. Huh! Come in."

He gripped the extended hand of the diver, hauled the boy aboard, and
promptly seated him on a second box. Three minutes later the helmet was
off, and one had an opportunity of contrasting the young fellow who had
appeared with the diver who had first of all ascended.

The latter was a young man of twenty-five perhaps, and, as we have said,
was decidedly sallow and unhealthy-looking; in fact, natural good looks
were marred not a little by his complexion. But with the one who had
been addressed as Jim it was different. The young fellow was barely
seventeen years of age, and his rosy cheeks displayed the fact that
diving did not disagree with him. Then, too, his voice was so different.
It was crisp and laughing, and anything but despondent; while, when he
had rid himself of his diving weights and of his heavy boots, and was
on his feet, one saw that he was of a good height, held himself well,
and moved with the quick step that one might have expected from having
seen him clamber from the depths of the ocean. But there was concern in
his face when Sadie called him.

"George don't feel over well, Jim," she called out. "He said a minute
back that he was burning hot; now he's downright shivering."

"Fever," said Jim promptly, taking his brother's hand. "Tom, there, just
leave Sam and Ching to haul in the tackle. I want you."

"Sah, what for? De master ill?"

Even his smile was almost gone as he looked at George with eyes which
were startled and wide open, for the happy-go-lucky Tom, so unused to
sorrow or sickness, could tell at a glance that his young employer was
anything but himself.

"Get along and fetch a bed on deck," commanded Jim; "then rig a shelter
over it. Best place it right aft; there's more room, and you'll be able
to pull the awnings over better. George'll stay on deck; it's too hot
down below."

Pulling his diving suit off hurriedly, he helped his sister to disrobe
the sick man; then, with Tom at George's head and Jim at his feet, they
carried him aft and laid him on the bed already prepared. Sadie at once
took her seat beside him, armed with a fan, while the negro, Tom,
hastened to fetch water from the big canvas sack in which it was placed
every day to cool. A strong dose of quinine was given to the sick man,
and thereafter there was little to do but to watch him and tend to his
immediate needs.

"We'll get up anchor and make right off for Colon," said Jim, as he
stood beside his sister, some little distance from the bed. "There's
nothing down there to salve, and we're wasting time and money. Better
get back and see if there isn't another job to be had. This salvage work
ain't paying us at all. We're losing heavily. Guess we'll have to get
back on to the land."

Even he was a little despondent as he spoke, for matters had indeed not
been going well for George, Jim, and Sadie. Americans born, one only of
the three could remember their mother; for she had died shortly after
Sadie's birth. But their father was a constant and pleasant memory to
them all, for he had been with them till six months previously. A diver
by profession, Mr. Silas Partington had managed to save a few dollars,
and had bought up a salvage plant, with which for a while he had done
excellent business. Then he had met with a grave misfortune. He and
those whom he employed had worked for weeks at the salving of a sunken
steamer, and had actually brought her to the surface and commenced to
tow her into shallow water, when an accident had happened. The bulkhead
which they had bolted across the huge rent made in the ship's side by a
collision that had sent her to the bottom had, for some unforeseen
reason, blown out. The air which had been forced into the vessel, and
which had expelled nearly all the water in her, thus bringing her to the
surface, had escaped at once, and down she had gone under the ocean; but
on that occasion she had found her bed in a deep hollow, where diving
was impossible.

"It just broke Father," said George, when describing the thing to Jim.
"He lost heavily. There were weeks of work paid for, besides valuable
plant lost. It brought him down to this."

"This" was the purchase of an old vessel, and the seeking of salvage
jobs along the Caribbean coast. Silas had brought his children with
him--George because he was already a partner, Jim and Sadie because he
could not afford to keep them on the mainland. The cruise along the
coast of Mexico had proved disastrous, for Silas had been blown
overboard during one of those terrible tornadoes which occasionally
sweep the gulf, and George was left to fend for the family--an
undertaking he found none too easy. Jobs were few and far between, and
that wretched Caribbean swell, together with a shifting, sandy bottom,
made salvage work extremely difficult. The coffers of the Partington
family were, indeed, already very empty, and the time was at hand when
the ship must be sold to pay wages. And now George was down with fever.

"It's this hole of a place," growled Jim, as he thought the matter out
that evening. "A man can't work off this fever-stricken coast and escape
it. We'll get back to America. Somehow or other we'll manage to get
work."

Early that evening George again was in a high, burning fever, and needed
careful watching; but as the night wore on he quietened down. During the
first hours of the morning the terrible burning again seized the sick
man, and in a moment, as it seemed, he awoke in a frenzy and leaped from
his bed. Dashing Jim aside as if he were a child, and knocking Sam to
the deck, he leaped over the rail and splashed into the water. In the
dim light they watched him striking out for the shore, and as they
followed in the dinghy they saw him clamber on to the mud banks and
enter the forest. But though Jim searched high and low, and lay off that
pestilential part for a solid week, often repeating his search in the
forest, there was never any trace of his brother. The sick man was
utterly swallowed up by the jungle.

"Dead?" asked Sadie sorrowfully, her young cheeks hollowed by the
trouble.

Jim nodded. "Sure," he said, with emphasis. "Dropped in some corner and
never rose again. There's no manner of use searching further. Sadie
dear, we've got to get ashore and set up somewhere for ourselves. I've
got to be father and brother and everything to you."

That, indeed, was the position of affairs. Sadie was too young to look
to her own fortunes, while Jim was none too old. But an American lad can
make as good a struggle as anyone: Jim swore that he would. He had long
since tried to remember friends of his father's, but had given the
matter up as hopeless. There were only Ching, Tom, and Sam, all three of
whom had been employed on the salvage plant, and were old servants.

"Too poor to help us, anyway," he thought. "They'll easily get
employment, and will go their own way. I'll have to hunt out a job in
New York. I'll take anything that'll give me enough to feed and give a
roof to Sadie. Besides, there's the boat; there'll be a little left for
her when all the wages are paid."

"And I ain't gwine ter be dismissed, not nohow," said Tom, when Jim told
the jolly negro of his plans. "Me and Sam and Ching's been doin' a jaw.
We're a-goin' to hold on to you and missie. We're all a-goin' ter get
work together till you've made a pile fer yerself and can give us
employment. Yo ain't no right ter order us away."

Thus it happened that Jim, having sold the boat and effects at Colon,
went aboard a coaster bound for New York, Sadie and Tom and Sam, with
the Chinaman, accompanying him.

"There's five hundred dollars in this bag," he told his sister. "That'll
keep the wolf away till we've had time to look round. Don't you fear,
Sadie; we'll land upon something good yet, and, who knows, one of these
days, perhaps, I'll make that pile that Tom's always talking about. But
guess it'll want a heap of doing."




CHAPTER II

En route for New York


"Wanted, hands to help in building construction down town, New York."

The advertisement caught Jim's eye as soon as he looked at the newspaper
which happened to be aboard the coaster on which he and Sadie and the
others were voyaging to New York, and fascinated him.

"See here, Sadie," he said. "It'll be just the thing. There must be
heaps of jobs which I could do, even though I have no knowledge of
building. Carrying bricks and so on, you know. There will be good wages,
and the money will keep us going while I look round. Eh?"

"And perhaps there'll be a firm working in the docks round New York,"
ventured the wise Sadie. "Then you'd be able to get a job at diving. I
shouldn't mind there; it isn't as dangerous. This building work would
give Tom and Sam and Ching jobs too."

"Sure!" exclaimed Jim, beginning at once to feel less despondent. Not
that this young American was apt to be downcast for long. But we must
tell the whole truth concerning him. The heavy responsibilities so
suddenly cast upon his shoulders, and the persistent ill fortune of the
family, had somewhat upset his nerves, and robbed him of a little of
his accustomed jollity. Still, with five hundred dollars behind him, and
this advertisement before his eyes, he felt that the far future might be
left to take care of itself; for the immediate prospects were
brightening.

"We'll take the job, the whole lot of us," he said, as they sat on the
deck in the dusk discussing matters. "We'll take a little tenement down
in the working quarters. You'll housekeep, Sadie, and we four will go
and earn dollars. Gee! There's no frightening me. This thing was
beginning to get on top of me, and bear me down; but now, not a bit of
it. I'll win out; one of these days I'll own a salvage plant of my own."

It is better to face difficulties brightly and with full courage than
tackle them half-heartedly. Jim felt all the stronger for his courage,
and paced the deck alone that night with hopes raised, and with full
assurance for the future.

"I'll get a widow woman, or someone respectable like that, to come and
help Sadie keep house," he said to himself. "It'll be company for her
while I'm away. And of course there's her education: she'll have to have
more schooling. We've rather forgotten that she's still only a child,
for she behaves as if she were grown up."

That was, indeed, one of the pathetic items in the history of Jim's
family. His father, Silas, had been pressed as it were into a course of
action which meant a sudden cessation of all home life for Sadie, and
which brought the child amongst grown-up men when she should have been
at school, with some of her own sex about her, and playmates to romp
with. Circumstances had, in fact, acted adversely both for Silas and
his daughter.

"But we'll alter all that," Jim told himself. "Heigho! I'm for turning
in."

He paced the deck once or twice more, then crept down the companion. He
was nearing the bottom, when his progress was suddenly arrested by a
shout.

"What's that?" he wondered. "Came from right forward."

Curiosity caused him to run nimbly up the steps again. His head was just
emerging from the opening when the shout was repeated, while it was
taken up instantly by men above his head, on the bridge of the ship. At
the same moment there came the tinkle of the engine telegraph.

"Port! Port your helm! Hard a port!" he heard the lookout shout from his
post on the forecastle. "Ship ahead! Port your helm!"

"Hard astern, Mr. Dingle! hard astern!" came in steady but sharp tones
from the bridge, then there followed once more the tinkle of the
telegraph. Jim felt the tremble and throb of the engines suddenly die
down; indistinct shouts came to him from somewhere in the interior of
the coaster. Then the engine throbs recurred furiously, as if the ship
were making a frantic effort. Crash!

He was thrown hard against the combing of the gangway, his head striking
the woodwork heavily, so that he was partially stunned. That and the
succeeding jar, as the coaster came end on into the bows of another
steamer, toppled Jim over. He lost his foothold, and rolled down the
steps into the gangway down below. Then he picked himself up, feeling
dazed and giddy, and for a moment held tight to a pillar supporting the
deck.

"A collision," he told himself. "A bad one too--full tilt into one
another. It's shaken the electric light out. Lucky they keep an
emergency oil lamp going."

The temptation to dash up on deck was strong within him, and had he been
alone on the vessel, with none to care for, no doubt he would have
obeyed the inclination. But there was Sadie; Jim was her protector. He
dashed at once towards her cabin, and came upon her at the doorway,
looking frightened.

"There's been a collision, Sadie, dear," he said, endeavouring to keep
his voice quiet. "Guess we may have to move; let me come in and fix
you."

The child was not undressed, fortunately, and Jim at once pushed into
the cabin, groped for one of the cork life preservers which are placed
in overhead racks, and adjusted it to her body.

"Now," he said, "bring a warm coat, and leave the other things. Ah,
here's Tom!"

"Sah; me here, right enough. You's not hurt, nor missie?"

"Not a scratch, Tom. Just take Sadie right up on deck and stand beside
her. That Sam?"

In the dusk outside there was a second figure, and behind that another.
The faithful negroes, and Ching Hu, the Chinaman, had rallied at once to
their youthful master.

"Me, in course," cried the little Sam. "Guess this here's a collision.
But we ain't got no cause to mind; not at all, not at all, missie."

"Get life belts, put them on, and then go on deck," said Jim shortly.
"Sadie, take charge of this bag of dollars. I'm going up to see what's
happened."

Conscious that he had done all that was possible, and that Sadie was now
in excellent hands, he turned and made for the companion, directing Tom
to take the whole party on deck, and wait for him near the companion.
With a few active steps he was there himself, and able to look about
him. There was a slight sea fog enveloping the ship, through which, a
hundred yards away, shone the lights of a steamer. Shouts came from her
deck, while her siren was blowing frantically. On board the craft on
which he himself stood there was also considerable noise and confusion.
A couple of lights were swaying right forward, and running there Jim saw
that a man was being slung over the bows in a rope's end. Right aft,
where were quarters for steerage passengers, there was the sound of many
voices, shouts, and hoarse cries of alarm, and once the shrill shriek of
a woman.

"How'd it happen?" he asked one of the deck hands standing near him.

"How do most of these here things happen, siree?" came the answer. "This
here fog did it. The lookouts war bright enough; but reckon the two
ships jest bumped clean into the same course, and didn't see one another
till their bows was touchin'. We're holed badly, I'm thinking. You take
my advice, and get hold of your traps."

Jim leaned over the rail, and stared at the man swinging in the rope's
end. The lantern he carried showed a huge rent in the bows of the ship,
while the sound of rushing water came to his ears.

"Six feet by five, down under the water line, mostly," came from the
man. "You'd better be slinging me over a sailcloth or something, or else
the water'll fill her."

"They'll never do it," thought Jim, staring at the rent. "I've been
enough on board ships to know what this means. I'll get back and see
that Sadie's safe."

He ran back to the companion, where he discovered his friends seated on
the hatchway.

"Tom," he said, "come along below with me. We shall have to take to the
boats, and the sooner we've food with us the better. Lead along to the
galley."

"Purser's store, sah; I knows very well. You say we gwine ter leave de
ship."

"She's holed badly; she's bound to founder, I guess."

"Den de Lor' help us!" groaned Tom. "You listen here, sah. Forty
Spaniard workmen living aft. Dey play de dickens. Dey fight for de
boats. Not like dat at all. Tom say dat dere be trouble."

The mention of the men who had taken passage aft caused Jim some amount
of perturbation. He had noticed them as he came aboard, and it was
because of their presence on the ship that he had taken passage for
himself and Sadie amidships.

"I'd have gone steerage with her had it not been for those dagoes," he
had told himself. "There's little enough money to spare nowadays for
luxuries; but they're a rough crowd, and I wouldn't like Sadie to be
amongst them."

It had followed that he and Sadie had taken berths amidships, while Tom
and Sam and Ching had, as a natural course, got places aft. Jim
realized, now that Tom reminded him of the fact, that the Spaniards on
the ship might prove a greater danger to them than the foundering of the
vessel.

"Guess they're a rough crowd, and likely to lose their heads," he said
aloud. "Let's get some food quick, Tom, and then see what's happening.
We'll keep close together."

They ran along the alley way towards the purser's store, and, finding
the door closed, Tom burst it in with a mighty heave from his shoulder.
Jim snatched one of the hanging oil lanterns, and together they made a
hurried survey of the contents.

"Here's a sack; hold it open, Tom," commanded Jim.

He ran his eyes round the shelves, then, without hesitation, pitched
tins of preserved beef, of milk, and of other foodstuffs into the sack.
In little more than a minute it was full to the neck.

"Get ahead," said Jim promptly. "I'll bring along this cask."

He stuffed a metal cup into one pocket, and hoisted a small cask of beer
on to his shoulder. Had he been able to make a careful selection he
would have sought for water; but in an emergency beer would do as well
as anything, and already he knew that time was very limited. Indeed the
ship had already a bad list on her; she leaned so much to one side that
walking was difficult, while she was down at the head so that his return
to the companion was made uphill. But in a little while the two arrived,
panting, at the top of the companion, Tom bearing the lantern with him.

"Holy poker! but dere's the duce of a row aft, massa," sang out Sam,
seeing them arrive. "I tink dem men is trying to put out de boats."

"How many are there?" asked Jim quickly.

"Seven, I tink. One just here; the others aft. Not like de noise dem
scum make."

Jim had never been aboard a vessel under similar circumstances, and had
therefore never experienced the confusion which follows a collision. He
had read of such affairs, and had marvelled at the wonderful coolness
and discipline maintained in some cases. Then he had heard of very
opposite results, where men had lost their heads, and where they had
fought, each for his own individual safety, as if they were wild beasts.
Remembering the class of individual who had taken passage aboard this
coaster, he could not help but wonder whether discipline would be
maintained on this occasion. The shouts, the babel of sounds coming from
the stern, seemed to indicate the opposite.

"See here, Tom," he said, when he had listened for a while. "You and
Ching will stay right here by this boat, taking care of Sadie. Just give
a look to the tackle, swing her out, and put all the grub on board. Best
put Sadie there also. Sam and I'll get along right now to see what's
being done. The captain maybe'll want some help. Those fellows along
there appear to be fighting like demons."

"Den you git along, sah. Me and Sadie'll be all right. Ching Hu, yo
Chinaboy, jest you hoist dat cask aboard, and mind yo don't let um
tumble."

That was the best of the huge negro; he could be depended upon to keep
his head, while his devotion to Sadie was without question. Jim felt no
qualms as to his sister's security as he dashed forward again, Sam close
at his heels. A minute later he met a little group coming towards him
swiftly. It was the captain of the vessel, with his two officers, and
some half-dozen men.

"It's a case with us," Jim heard him say as the group came to a halt.

"She'll be down in half an hour, and that don't give us too much time to
get ready. Mr. Jarvis, jest hop down to the engine room and tell 'em all
to come up. Quartermaster, guess you'd best make a round of all the
cabins; there's time for that, and we want to see that no one's left.
You others had best come along with me: we've got to fix those fellows
aft. They tell me they're fighting like rats to get the boats out. We'll
have to stop 'em. Glad I am there's so few women aboard. What about the
young lady amidships?"

"She's safe, Captain," broke in Jim at once. "I've put her in charge of
one of my negroes and the Chinaman. She's been placed in the boat by the
companion, and we've got food and drink there also. I'm ready to come
along and help you aft."

There was a lantern swinging in the captain's hand. He lifted it coolly,
for there was no trace of flurry about this solid-looking man, and
closely scrutinized Jim's features.

"Gee!" he exclaimed, reaching out to shake his hand. "You're the sort of
chap a skipper's glad to know. You've seen to the safety of the sister,
as is only right, and now you come along shoulder to shoulder with us.
Guess there'll be bad trouble back there."

"Guess there will," answered Jim. "They're fighting, if one can judge by
the noise."

"Jest like tigers, and they'll take some quelling. Look here; get a hold
of anything handy and don't stand no nonsense. We can't afford to take
lip from any of those Spaniards. Ef a man shows a knife, lay him flat on
the deck. Come along."

He led the way swiftly along the deck, and the handful of men with him
followed closely, picking up any likely weapon as they went. Jim
possessed himself of an axe handle. It was long, and moderately heavy,
while sufficiently tough to withstand any blow. He swung it up over his
shoulder and took his place beside the captain and his mate. In a minute
they had arrived at the rail from which one overlooked the small waist
of the vessel, where the steerage passengers were accommodated. An oil
lamp hung from the boom, which was housed in its crutches over the
waist, and the feeble rays served to show what was happening. There were
a couple of boats on either side of the deck, and about these a seething
mass of men fought. Without knowledge of the sea, having no idea how to
swing the boats out, and no order or method, the result of the frantic
efforts of these foreign workmen had been disastrous in one case at
least. One of the boats hung suspended from the tackles, while its stern
washed in the water below, spars and oars and sails having been tumbled
out of it. The other three still hung in their davits, and had been
hoisted by the tackles from the crutches placed between their keels and
the decks. As the captain and his men arrived, some of the men below
were tugging at the tackles, while others were cutting the canvas
covers of the boats adrift with their knives. In one corner of the waist
of the ship three women were huddled, two men being engaged in a
desperate fight within three feet of them.

"Down below there!" bellowed the captain. "Stand away from those boats."

[Illustration: "STAND AWAY FROM THOSE BOATS"]

He might have spoken to a party of dead men for all the effect his words
had. The frantic individuals down below seemed not to have heard them.
They still went on with the work of preparing the boats, though it was
clear to everyone that, what with their eagerness and their utter
selfishness, the hoisting out, if left to them, would end only in
disaster.

"Down below there, you dogs!" shouted the captain. "Stand away there!
Fall in in the centre of the deck."

He repeated his words in Spanish, for a skipper who sails those seas
soon acquires a considerable vocabulary; but his orders fell upon deaf
ears only, and all the while time was flying, the ship was settling, the
moment when she would founder was drawing dangerously nearer.

"Guess we've got to fix 'em in our own way," said the captain, turning
on his little party. "See here, we'll get down this port ladder, beat
the men back from the two boats there, and then tackle the others. Jest
keep close together, and ef there's opposition don't be too gentle. This
ain't the time for gentleness; they'll understand hard knocks when there
ain't anything else that'll knock sense into their silly heads."

He led the way promptly, looking in the feeble rays of his own lantern,
and that suspended from the boom, a regular commander. With his
clear-cut but anxious features, his peaked beard and short moustaches,
this skipper gave one the impression of power, of coolness, and of
courage. Indeed he was just the sort of man required in such an
emergency, for he inspired his followers with confidence, and took his
post at their head as a matter of course. The mate slid down the ladder
immediately on his heels and Jim took the whole flight in one bound.

"Now," said the captain.

"Lummy! Dis someting like, dis am," murmured Sam, his eager little face
looking up into Jim's. The diminutive negro had armed himself with an
enormous stake which he had discovered in some odd corner, and he
flourished it. There was a little grin on his face, while his sharp
teeth flashed. In fact, in one brief moment, the negro, who had always
worked so well and so quietly, who had never displayed any pugnacity or
traces of excitement, had become an altered individual. There was a
something about him which seemed to say that fighting was a pursuit
which pleased him, that he was longing for the fray. But by now the
whole party was gathered in the waist. The captain led them to the port
boats, flinging aside all who stood in his path. In fact, to clear the
Spaniards into the centre of the deck was no difficult matter. They were
so absorbed in their task that they were taken by surprise. But a moment
or two later, when they found a group of resolute-looking men lined up
between them and the boats, which seemed to be their only hope of
safety, the frantic people became furious and desperate.

"Two of you men just see that the tackles are free and all ready for
hoisting," said the captain, his eye on the passengers. "We've got
trouble to meet here, and when it's over we shall want to get the boats
out precious slippy. Ah, you would, would you?"

In the short space of time which had elapsed since he had come to the
waist the fury of the Spaniards had risen perceptibly. It wanted only a
maddened leader now to turn the whole pack upon the captain and his men;
and, in a trice, the man made his appearance. A huge fellow, with
glittering ear-rings, whipped something from his belt and snarled at the
captain. Then, with a shout as if he were a maddened beast, he dashed
forward, a huge dagger held before him.

"I've got more of that for the likes of you," said the captain, stepping
swiftly forward and meeting the man with a terrific blow from his fist.
Indeed the Spaniard turned a half-somersault, and landed with a thud on
the deck. But his mates were too desperate to notice his discomfiture;
they came at the little band in a mob, and in a moment Jim and his
comrades were fully engaged. A little active man bent low and ran in at
our hero, while the latter caught the glint of something bright in his
hand. Crash! The staff with which he had provided himself fell on the
Spaniard's head and sent him sprawling. Bang! Sam's ponderous weapon
missed the mark at which it was aimed and struck the deck heavily. Next
instant the negro was locked in the arms of one of the attackers and was
rolling with him on the decks.

But Jim had no time to watch him, nor opportunity of assisting, for the
horde of men threw themselves on him and his comrades furiously. One
managed to come to close quarters with him and struck with his knife;
but the blade did not reach his person. A quick leap to one side saved
him. Then the staff swung downwards and the man collapsed.

"A rare blow, lad. A rare one!" shouted the captain. "Boys, we'll be
moving forward."

But the command was easier to give than to obey. Not all the efforts of
the little party could make an impression. It seemed as if the captain
would be defeated in his efforts to control the boats. But suddenly
others arrived on the scene. It was the engine hands, headed by an
enormous negro. Was it wonderful that Tom should itch to join in the
fray? He had seen his mistress into a place of safety and had left Ching
to guard her. Then, realizing that instant victory in this struggle
could alone save everyone on board, he had led the engineering staff
down the companion.

"By de poker! not stand quiet and 'low boats to be hoisted out," he
bellowed, forcing his way to the front. "Not 'bey de captain and help
when de ship sinkin'. By de poker, but dis not go on! Yo, what yo
doin'?"

He seized a man who rushed at him, as if he were merely a child, twisted
him round till his feet were in the air, and threw him back at his
comrades. Then, smiling all the while, he rushed at the attackers,
regardless of their knives, striking them down in all directions.

"Hooray! Now, boys," shouted the captain, "that darkie's done it for us
fine. Beat 'em back; there's still time to mend matters."

Bunched together, and led by Tom, the little party threw themselves upon
the Spaniards, striking right and left remorselessly. And in the space
of a few seconds they had borne them back as far as the bulkhead, above
which was the poop.

"If some of you men don't drop those knives precious quick I'll know
why," commanded the skipper.

"By de poker--yes! Tom know why, yo bet!"

The huge negro strode in front of all, his big fists doubled, his head
thrust forward as if he were a bull about to charge. His eye fell upon
the rascal who had begun the attack, and who, meanwhile, had recovered
his senses. There was a dagger in the villain's hand, and Tom did not
fail to see it. In a trice he had pounced upon the man.

"What yo not obey for?" he demanded wrathfully. "Yo not hear de cap'n
say yo to drop all knives? By de poker, but in two seconds yo sorry yo
ever born! Yo drop that knife."

There was no disobeying such an order. Tom seized the Spaniard, gripped
him with both powerful hands, and shook him till the man's head
threatened to fall from his shoulders. Then he turned and grinned at the
captain.

"Ready now to do as yo order, Cap'n," he smiled. "S'pose yo say fall in
half here and half dere, get ready to haul on tackle. Dey ready to do as
yo say."

"George, you're a real treasure! You're a brave man, Tom. Jest get 'em
ranged up in order, and quick with it. Young sir, I'll be obliged ef
you'll help him."

He nodded to Jim, left three of the men to stand by him, and at once
turned to the boats. As for the Spaniards, Tom's huge frame and the
prowess he had already displayed seemed to cow them. They obeyed his
orders with alacrity, and were soon ranged up in two lines. By then
their aid was wanted.

"Yo jest get to dem tackles yo in dat row," commanded Tom. "Haul when
you told. If one ob yo try to get into de boats before I say yo can, me
carve yo into little pieces--so."

He brandished an enormous knife, which he had picked up from the deck,
and showed his teeth. The result might have been anticipated, for the
passengers who had been fighting like a pack of beasts but a few moments
before were absolutely cowed. They would rather face drowning than the
anger of this terrible negro. It followed, therefore, that, now that
they were helping in the task, the boats were swiftly swung out.

"Put the women aboard this one," said the captain. "We'll lower them
with the boat. The others can go down by a rope ladder; it's smooth,
thank goodness, or things would be worse. Now, lads, quick with it; she
won't swim much longer."

Riot and fury had now been replaced by order and calm method. One by one
the boats were lowered, passengers entered, and a crew was placed
aboard. Moreover the purser and his men found time to make a raid on the
stores, so that each boat was victualled. As for Sadie, she and Ching
sat in the boat lowered from amidships, and waited anxiously for her
brother and the others. Presently they came, the captain being the last
to step over the rail. By then the decks forward were awash, while the
stern of the vessel was pitched high in the air. Her propeller was
plainly visible, lifted clear of the water.

"She'll plunge in a few moments. Best get clear away," said the captain.
"The other ship, I hear, is foundering also. We'll have to stand by till
morning. Is everyone with us?"

The answer had hardly left the mate's lips when there came a cry from
Sadie. Her finger shot out, and in a moment all saw the object which had
attracted her attention. It was the figure of a man standing on the
sinking steamer. Instantly a groan escaped the captain.

"Couldn't risk going back for him," he said; "he must swim for it."

"But he's disabled; he's the man with a broken arm," sang out Jim. "He
couldn't swim if you paid him to."

"Can't help it; I've the boat's crew to think of," declared the captain,
shaking his head sadly. "That ship's on the point of diving; we're too
close as it is. If I go nearer we risk the lives of all, your sister's
into the bargain."

"A fact," cried the mate emphatically. "The skipper's saying only what's
true."

"Ah! I thought she was going then!" shouted one of the crew aboard the
boat, seeing the steamer lurch suddenly. "'Tain't more'n a matter of
seconds."

"Then I'll chance being in time; I'm going for him."

Jim tore off his coat, and kicked his shoes away. Before they realized
his intentions he had stepped on to the gunwale, and had plunged head
foremost into the sea.




CHAPTER III

Jim Partington shows his Mettle


"Come back, lad," shouted the captain, as Jim's heels disappeared
beneath the surface of the ocean. Then he rose quickly to his feet, and,
gripping the gunwale of the rocking boat with both hands, he stared
through the gloom at the sinking ship, and at the solitary figure now
clinging to the rail amidships. Indeed the unhappy individual who had
been accidentally left on the foundering vessel showed that he was in
almost as frantic a condition as had been the Spanish workmen, when
fighting in the waist for possession of the boats. He was waving the one
arm which was uninjured vigorously, and as Jim set out in his direction
he was seen to throw one leg over the rail, to clamber with difficulty
upon it, then to sit there holding desperately, and looking as though
every movement of the ship would cast him into the water.

"She's a going! Gee! did yer see her lurch then? My, I thought she was
under!"

The deck hand who had shouted the words threw up his hands in the
direction of the steamer, and turned a pair of startled, staring eyes
upon her. There was good reason for his alarming observation, for at
that moment the foundering vessel rolled heavily from side to side, as
if she found her position irksome. Then she dipped her nose still deeper
into the ocean, kicking her stern clear of the water till ten feet of
her dripping keel were visible, and until her decks were at such a steep
angle that none but an acrobat could have retained his position on them.
Indeed the unfortunate individual clinging to the rail was swung from
his insecure seat, and, falling backwards, crashed on to the deck and
slithered down it till one of the bridge pillars arrested his progress.

"Holy poker, but dat near shave, I guess! Massa Jim, what yo doin' dat
for? Yo's mad! Yo's goin' to drown yo'self!" shouted Tom, rising to his
feet so rapidly that his huge bulk set the ship's boat rocking
dangerously.

"Drown himself! He's jest committing suicide! I tell you, he's bound to
go under," growled the captain, who, if the truth had only been known,
felt himself so strongly impelled to leap into the sea and help in this
foolhardy but gallant effort at rescue that it was only by exercising
the greatest self-control that he was able to hold himself in check.

"If I wasn't skipper I'd do it," he cried. "But it would be a fool's
game. Besides, I've got to remember that I'm in charge of this
expedition."

Meanwhile Jim's head had burst from the surface of the water, and the
plucky lad was forcing his way towards the sinking vessel with powerful
strokes. He gave no heed to the shouts and calls of those behind him,
not even when Sadie, beside herself with anxiety, rose from her seat in
the stern of the boat and shrieked to him to return instantly.

"I'll do it, or go under," he told himself grimly. "A sinking ship ain't
going to frighten me. Guess a chap couldn't float out there in safety
and see a man drowned before his eyes, especially a man that's unable to
fend for himself."

Though the water dripped into his eyes from his hair, and made seeing
difficult, he, too, had observed the terrific lurch which the foundering
vessel had just given; and if he had had any doubts as to her true
condition they were instantly set aside by the mass of her stern
elevated in such an ungainly manner into the air.

"Aboard there!" he shouted; "jump over into the water. She is going
down."

Thanks to an oil lantern which still hung amidships, below the bridge,
he could see the man for whose rescue he was striving, and as he thrust
his way strenuously through the water he watched the injured passenger
pick himself up on hand and knees and struggle towards the rail. He
wedged his feet against a stanchion supporting the latter, and as Jim
arrived within a few yards of the vessel, the man was again endeavouring
to clamber over the rail.

Then there came, of a sudden, another sluggish lurch. The ship appeared
to shiver throughout her framework, and rolled heavily from side to
side. A moment later her bows rose rapidly from the ocean in which they
had been submerged, while the stern regained almost its normal position.
It looked, in fact, as if she were making one last gallant effort to
float upon the surface. But again she rolled heavily from side to side,
till her decks were slanting at a sickening angle, greater indeed than
that to which Jim and his mates had become accustomed when cruising to
the south along the Caribbean coast.

"By de power, but dat terrific, dat 'nough to shake de life out of
anybody," muttered Tom, whose eyes all this while had been staring into
the gloom, endeavouring to follow every movement of his young American
master. Indeed, so acute was the vision of the dusky giant that details
were visible to him, and to Sam, his diminutive brother, which others
aboard the boat had no idea of. "Lummy, but Tom not like to see dat ship
shake herself so! She go down with a bust in one little moment, and
den--and den, what happen to Massa Jim?"

The very thought of the disaster which would follow drove the negro into
a condition almost of frenzy. His eyes bulged from their sockets and
looked as though they would tumble from his head. A whimper from Sadie
set Tom's honest heart throbbing and palpitating. It was real pain to
the fine fellow to know that his little mistress was in trouble. That
and his own courageous, impetuous nature made it impossible to stay any
longer inactive in the boat. Every muscle in his body trembled, while
his breath came quick and deep.

"I's goin' ter help!" he shouted. "Nebber yo fear, missie; soon hab
Massa Jim back safe and sound."

With that he floundered overboard, causing the boat to rock once more
till her gunwale dipped beneath the oily surface of the ocean, a mass of
water flooding the interior instantly. His head had hardly bobbed up in
view again when there came a sudden exclamation from Sam, and a moment
later the little fellow had slipped away to help his dusky brother in
his gallant task.

"Jemima! But if that don't take it!" bellowed one of the crew of the
boat, looking himself as if he were about to follow. "Every mother's son
of 'em'll go down. That ship'll suck 'em under sure. Ain't we going
nearer?"

In his eagerness he seized an oar, banged it into the rowlock, and
proceeded to bear upon it; but a stern order from the captain at once
arrested the movement.

"Belay there!" he cried sharply. "I ain't going to risk the lives of all
aboard for those in the water. We're too close to that ship by a long
way, much too close to my liking. Drop another oar in there, Macdougal,
and pull us away a bit. Harvey, jest get to at bailing; she's taken a
bit of water aboard. Miss Sadie, it's the right thing we're doing. It'll
help them best in the end."

But there was mutiny in the eye of Macdougal. In the excitement of the
moment the eager fellow could not in his own mind differentiate between
the safety of those aboard the boat and those who had plunged into the
water.

"What's that?" he growled. "Go farther away! Desert them as is wanting
our help! Wall, if I ain't jiggered! We calls ourselves white men,
and----"

"Stop!" commanded the skipper sternly. "Get down on that seat and pull,
Macdougal. You're a fool, I'm thinking. Jest remember that I'm your
skipper still, and taking orders from no one. I'm working in the
interest of all."

"Aye, aye, sir. Macdougal, get to at it!" growled the mate, scowling at
the sailor, and clenching a pair of brawny fists. Not that this officer
was really angry with Macdougal. In his heart of hearts he rather
admired the man; but discipline was discipline, and the skipper had many
a time proved his own courage and discretion. Still, even his persuasion
did not make of the sailor a willing man; for the moment Macdougal was
obedient, though mutiny and smouldering anger flashed from his eyes.

Meanwhile the sinking vessel had displayed another series of erratic
movements. That sickening roll from side to side had been replaced by a
gentle pitching fore and aft, and as the seconds fled swiftly by, the
pitching had become slowly and almost imperceptibly greater. Then,
suddenly, the vessel tossed her bows into the air till her watermarks
were visible to those swimming in the ocean. But it was only for a
little while. The bows came down again with a heave, which sent her
forecastle beneath the surface, till she looked as though she were in
the act of plunging to the bottom. Up she came again, displacing a huge
mass of water, and raising a wave which spread quickly across the sea
till it reached the boat hovering at a distance and rocked it. She
canted heavily to port, showing the whole of her length of deck, and
with such a violent movement that the passenger aboard was flung clear
of the rail right out into the water. Then souse went her bows once
more, raising the stern like a pinnacle into the gloom which surrounded
everything.

"Yo grip him and get away back, quick as yo can," bellowed Tom, his
mouth almost submerged, his powerful arms bearing him swiftly to help
in the rescue. "I's close behind yo, Massa Jim."

But he might have shouted to a log of wood for all the use his words
were. Jim heard not a syllable of his warning, for his eyes and all his
attention were fixed upon the injured man who had been thrown from the
vessel. He reached him in the course of a few seconds, and turning him
upon his back supported his head.

"I'm fine," he heard the man say faintly. "This arm of mine don't give
me no more than a dog's chance of swimming. You clear off, young chap.
You've the right stuff in you, there ain't a doubt; but I'm fine. Don't
you get worrying."

The last words were almost cut off by water lapping into his mouth. The
huge wave raised by the sudden lifting of the vessel caught them both,
and for a moment the two were hidden from sight by a mass of surging
green foam. Jim kicked frantically, bearing himself and the man to the
surface. Something struck hard against his chest, and, gripping at it
with the one hand he had free, he swiftly realized that fortune had been
good to him, for it was a buoy, cast loose by the injured passenger
himself but a little while before, and now swept to hand at a most
opportune moment. He looped his arm over it, and, slipping the other
deeper down, hugged the man closer, drawing his head well up on to his
own shoulder.

It was as well that he had made this hasty preparation, for, of a
sudden, the ship beside which they floated soused her bows deep again,
and slid farther beneath the surface. She seemed to hesitate, to make
one other effort. There came a loud explosion, accompanied by the sound
of splintering and rending wood. Air gushed from a mighty aperture which
had made its appearance at the point where but a little while before the
Spanish passengers had been fighting so frantically; then she plunged to
her bed in the ocean. Swift as a dart she shot beneath the surface,
leaving in her wake a swirling whirlpool, a twisting vortex into which
everything--splinters of wood, spars, and human beings--were sucked with
alarming swiftness, and with such force that none could resist it. So it
happened that Jim and the passenger once more disappeared from the ken
of those who were watching so eagerly.

How frantically Jim kicked; how desperately he clung to the buoy and to
the man at whose rescue he aimed. The swirling water bearing them both
down beneath the surface of the Caribbean in the wake of the vessel
almost tore them apart in the course of that desperate struggle.

At one moment the pull on the buoy was so intense that he felt as if his
arm would be dragged from its socket. An instant later a recoil of the
waters swept it back against his face with such violence that his jaw
was all but broken.

"Done for," he thought. "I can't stand much more of this. My lungs are
bursting, my head feels as if it will explode."

The sound of seething, gushing water deafened him at first, but when he
had been a little while immersed the thunderous notes, so distressing a
moment ago, seemed to become lessened in intensity. The buzzing was
now, if anything, rather pleasant, while his mind, acutely active but a
second before, became blissfully content, as if absorbed in paying
attention to that curious singing in his ears. But if he himself were
unconscious of other things, nature still urged him to struggle on for
existence. Jim had no idea of the frantic kicks he gave, of the grim
force with which he clung to the man and to the buoy. Then something
revived his senses and caused his wandering wits to take notice of his
surroundings. A breeze blew in his face, while someone shouted in his
ear. He opened his eyes, and in the gloom that pervaded everything made
out the grinning features of Tom.

"Yo's dere, den; yo's safe," he heard the negro exclaim. "By lummy, but
dat extra near squeak, so I tell yo! Let go ob de man. Me take him for
de moment. Yo puffed, blowin' like an engine."

Jim was exhausted; his breath was coming in quick, painful gasps. He
could not spare any for an answer, and, indeed, had so little strength
left in him that he did not even resent Tom's movement to take the
injured passenger from his care. Instead, he clung to the buoy, fighting
for air, wondering vaguely exactly what had happened.

"Yo hang dere quiet and easy," said Tom, one hand on the buoy and his
muscular arm about the half-drowned man. "Yo puffin' like a grampus now,
but in a little bit yo be better, not make such a noise, have plenty
strength again. Den take de man and swim back with him. Tom only come to
look on and see dat all well."

It was like the gallant fellow to make light of his own adventure, to
stand aside now that he was sure that Jim was safe, so as not to rob him
of the honour which would follow. Tom was indeed a very honest negro, a
man with a wide, big heart, which held a large corner for Jim and his
sister. He grinned in Jim's face, then suddenly turned and looked over
his shoulder.

"By de poker, but here someone else!" he muttered. "Who dar? We's safe
and sound. Yo hab no cause to worry."

"And I ain't worryin'," came a well-known voice through the darkness. "I
comed along here jest to see what's happenin'. Is Massa Jim right and
well?"

A growl burst from Tom's lips as he recognized the voice, and at once he
turned a pair of blazing eyes upon the culprit who had dared to follow
him.

"Dat yo, Sam?" he demanded. "Den what fo yo dare to leave de missie? Yo
get back right now, or by de poker, me knock you into twenty cocked hat!
What fo yo jump overboard and risk gettin' drowned?"

The question brought a gurgle from the jolly little Sam. He laughed
outright beneath the nose of the irate Tom, and, reaching the buoy,
clung to it for a moment or so before he deigned to reply.

"Yo's one great big donkey, yo am, Tom," he roared, shaking with
laughter. "Yo tinks yo de only man allowed to jump into de water; but
dat not so. De young massa place yo in charge of de missie, and yo no
right to leave. Me knows dat; me comes along right out here to haul yo
back. Yo one great big blackguard."

To the astonishment of Tom and Jim the little fellow burst into violent
sobs, though his words had conveyed anything but an idea of sorrow. Sam
shook from the top of his woolly head to his shoeless toes, and set the
buoy rocking. Big tears coursed down his cheeks, though the water
dripping from his hair almost cloaked them, and when he tried to speak
again he gulped at the words and failed to express them. It was, in
fact, a strange if comical procedure, and for the moment Jim's muddled
condition did not help him to arrive at the meaning. But he grasped the
truth a moment later, for Tom helped him.

"Yo--yo one little rascal, yo!" he heard the huge fellow exclaim, though
there was no anger in his voice, no resentment for the words which Sam
had hurled at him. Rather there was a strange trembling which denoted
friendly feeling, accompanied by a sudden gripping of hands between the
two darkies which seemed to say that they were perfectly agreed. Then
Jim gathered the full meaning of Sam's tears, of Tom's magnanimous
action. It was joy for his, Jim's, safety that had set Sam howling, and
the tears coursing down his cheeks. It was that same feeling which
induced Tom to overlook the high-flown language of his small brother and
grip his hand so warmly.

"You're just two great grown-up babies," he laughed across at them. "You
seem to imagine that no one can do anything without you, that I'm like a
piece of china, liable to break on the smallest occasion. See here, Tom
and Sam, shake hands. Guess you're both of you white right away through
from head to toe. I owe you both a heap for coming out after me; but
mind what I've said--I ain't a piece of china. Guess I'm old enough and
ugly enough to look after myself."

Tom grinned back at his young master and hung to the buoy for a while,
still clinging to the hand he had offered. Then he dropped it, moved to
the farther side, as if to place himself in a position of safety, and
presently made his reply.

"Sah," he said, "p'raps you old enough, as yo say, p'raps no. Ugly
'nough: yes, I tink so. Yo's ugly 'nough to do one ob de stupidest tings
as ever I seed. What fo yo jump into de sea like dat and swim toward a
ship dat was sinking? S'pose she drag yo down? S'pose yo neber come up
agin. Who den take care of missie?"

Even behind his fun there was a deal of truth. Who indeed would be left
to care for the sister? But Jim had come up again, and, feeling better,
he promptly made his presence felt.

"Jest swim back quick," he commanded Sam, "and tell 'em we're all right.
Tell 'em to come along. We'll hang to the buoy. Now, Tom, set to
splashing with your legs. There'll be sharks about here, and they're
extra fond of darkies."

Tom paled for a moment under his dark skin and looked the reverse of
comfortable. Then he laughed uproariously, shouted to Sam to hurry his
departure, and promptly did as Jim had ordered. For it was as well to be
cautious: both knew that sharks abounded in that corner of the Caribbean
Sea, and some of the brutes might very well be in the vicinity. They
kicked continuously, therefore, till the boat came up with a rush, and
they and the injured man were lifted aboard.

"Young man, you can jest give me a grip of yer hand," cried the skipper
of the foundered vessel when all were safely in the boat, stretching
across to the triumphant Jim. "I guessed when you came up alongside us
on the ship, telling me that you had fixed matters for your sister, and
were ready to help us out with the trouble those Spaniards were giving,
that you had got stuff behind you--the right sort of stuff, too. Then
you tackled the hounds in proper style, so that I knew I had a man with
me; a man, siree, not jest a boy. But this last thing's better than all.
Guess this gentleman owes you a life. Guess he'll be for ever in your
debt. Young man, I'm pleased to have met you."

It was a glowing tribute to our hero's courage, and he went crimson from
the top of his dripping head to his stockinged toes as he listened to
the words. Not that anyone could tell, for the gloom shrouded
everything. However, Sadie, sitting beside him, clinging to his arm as
if loath to part again with her protector, guessed his pleasure, while
her own courageous little heart felt as if it would burst with pride.

"I'm glad you did it, Jim," she whispered, "though I was terrified. And
Tom and Sam were really brave; they are so devoted. Can you believe, I
had the greatest difficulty to keep Ching with me? He hates swimming, as
you know, but he was very nearly following."

"Brave, honest fellows!" answered Jim with a gulp, for such devotion
touched him. "They are, indeed, true friends to us."

However, he had no time for further conversation; for now that the
captain had given his decision on events so recent, the mate and crew of
the boat were determined to make their own voices heard.

"A right proper thing to have done: wish you was my own son," declared
the former. "Shake, young man. It's a treat to meet one who's a true
American."

"One of the very right sort," growled Macdougal, still trembling with
excitement. "See here, young feller, I've nigh lost a job through you. I
was for kicking up a rumpus direct against the old man's orders. Chief,
I'm main sorry for them words and looks; but there's a time when a man
has to kick. I thought you was funking."

"Funking!" exploded the mate, though the captain sat rigidly in his
place, making no response. "Him funking! The man you and I have sailed
with these past three years and never known to fail us. You guessed that
the chief who led us against those Spaniards was funking! Gee! I've a
mind to smash your head in with this oar."

There was real anger in the voice. The mate was furious, and his huge
doubled fists showed that he was ready for anything; but the skipper
quickly quietened him.

"Belay there, Mr. Jarvis," he said in his ordinary tones. "Macdougal's a
fool, as I've already told him; and if he never knew it before he does
now. I'm not afraid of anyone's criticisms. There's a motto I'm always a
believer in. It runs: 'By their works shalt thou know them'. Guess I've
never done a thing to allow any man to think I was funking. Macdougal
was too excited to be responsible for his thoughts; it's just the man's
bluntness which has made him tell us so honestly. But take the lesson to
heart, Macdougal; keep a clear, steady head always and it'll carry you
through heaps of difficulties. Watch the men you work with, and get to
know all about them: moments of excitement aren't the times for coming
to conclusions. Now let's get on to other matters. How's that
gentleman?"

"Fine," came in shaky tones from the bows of the boat in which the
rescued passenger had been laid. "Guess I know everything. I've been
lying here these last few minutes wondering whether I was alive or dead,
and what had been happening. Is that the skipper?"

"It is, sir."

"Then allow me to say that you've as fine a crew as ever I set eyes on.
It wasn't their fault that I was left aboard the ship. The collision
knocked me silly, and guess I lay away there on the decks out of sight;
but I never reckoned you'd have men aboard ready to take such risks to
rescue a passenger. That young chap who swam out for me wellnigh went
down with the vessel. I held my breath as we went under till I thought I
should bust. And all the time I could feel him holding tighter to me and
kicking. Gee, he's a full-blooded lad! He's got pluck if you like. And
those coloured men come close after him. When I'm feeling better, guess
I'd like to take a grip of their hands."

It was evident that he considered Jim to be one of the crew, and his
gallant action undertaken in the course of duty; but the captain
undeceived him.

"That young chap's a passenger like yourself, sir," he said. "And the
darkies are ditto. I allow that you have every reason to want to thank
them; you owe them your life. But let us see to the other vessel; this
affair has taken her wellnigh out of my head."

The oars were dipped in the water, and the boat was slowly rowed in the
direction of the twinkling lights which showed the position of the other
steamer. She had sheered off to some distance, but as the boat
approached her it became clear that her condition was not so desperate
as had been imagined.

"She's listing badly to port and is down at the head. You can tell that
easily," declared the experienced captain. "We'll row right alongside
and I'll go aboard. You come too, Mr. Jarvis, and we'll take that young
man there."

He motioned to Jim, and, having put his helm over, so directing the boat
alongside the steamer, he called to one of the hands in the bows to hold
to the companion ladder which had been dropped over her side. Casting
his eyes about him, Jim was able to pierce the gloom to some extent, and
became aware of the fact that a number of small boats were also lying
off the vessel. In fact there were at least seven of them. Another
remarkable fact was the silence which pervaded everything. A little
while before there had been a deal of shouting, and some amount of
confusion, no doubt; but now everything was orderly.

"Fine discipline," remarked the skipper. "The chief of this boat got his
passengers away first of all, and then set to work to repair damages.
Guess he hadn't mad Spaniards to fight. Come along, please."

He scrambled on to the companion and ran nimbly up the steps. A tall man
met him when he reached the deck, and introduced himself as the captain.

"You're chief of the ship that's foundered?" he asked.

"I am," came the rejoinder. "We were badly holed, and there wasn't a
chance from the very first. Then we had a horde of mad Spaniards to
fight: the hounds lost their heads and struggled for the boats. After
that we found, when it was too late to go near the ship, that one
passenger had been left aboard; but we saved him, thanks to the pluck of
a passenger. Now, sir, I'm sorry for this collision. We'll not discuss
it now; the courts ashore will deal with the evidence. I've come along
to see how you fared."

"And thanks for the kind thought, sir," came the answer. "Reckon the
question of who's to blame can be dealt with as you say. I congratulate
you on the way you managed to come out of a difficulty. I'd have sent
along; but then, you see, I wasn't sure that we weren't foundering too.
There's a hole as big as three rum casks punched in our bows, and you
can see that we've shipped no end of water; but our water-tight
bulkheads were closed right away and that's saved us. We've the
carpenters at work this instant, and as soon as they've plugged the gap
with planks and oakum we'll be able to put matters a little more
shipshape. Our pumps are just holding the water now; when the gap is
plugged we shall gain on it. I reckon to have my passengers aboard in
half an hour; you'll bring yours along, and welcome."

Half an hour later, in fact, found Jim and his friends, together with
all the passengers and crew of the sunken steamer, aboard; while some
twenty-four hours later the port of Colon had been reached.

"And here we have to start right off again," said Jim, discussing
affairs with his sister. "That five hundred dollars will have to be
drawn upon for clothes and other things, seeing that we lost everything
with the ship. It'll mean I shall have to be quicker in getting a job
when we reach New York. But don't you fear, Sadie; somehow I've a notion
that our fortune is about to improve. Things are looking brighter."

They watched the steamer slowly berthed, and then made for the gangway.
Bidding farewell to the skipper and the crew, with whom they had become
most friendly, they were about to make their way ashore when the man
whom Jim had rescued accosted them.

"I've fixed rooms for you all," he said. "You'll not disappoint me, will
you? I've a house away up on the hill, and there's heaps of room."

"But--but we're going on direct for New York," cried Jim, astonished at
the proposal.

"No doubt, sir; no doubt. But then there don't happen to be a steamer
for a week, and Colon's a bad place to rest in. You'll oblige me by
coming. I ain't had a chance, so far, of thanking you and the others for
what you did. You'll surely give me a chance to get to know you better.
Come and stay for a week till the steamer puts into port."

It may be imagined that Jim eagerly accepted the invitation, and,
accompanied by Sadie, Tom, Sam, and Ching, took up his quarters with
this new friend. Not for a moment did he guess that this week's delay
would make a vast change in his future. His eye at the moment was fixed
on New York, where he hoped to make that fortune of which he had
laughingly spoken. He never imagined for one instant that the Isthmus of
Panama would detain him, and that there he would join his compatriots,
the Americans, and with them would take his share in that gigantic
undertaking, the Panama Canal.




CHAPTER IV

Relating to Phineas Barton


Phineas B. Barton was in his own way an extremely pleasant and jolly
man, but he required a great deal of knowing. He was moderately tall,
clean shaven, as is the typical American of to-day, fairly good-looking,
and about forty years of age. When he liked he could be voluble enough,
but as a general rule his conversation was chiefly noteworthy by its
absence; for Phineas was undoubtedly prone to silence and taciturnity.

"It's like this," he explained to Jim; "I'm boss at the present time of
the foreign labour we employ on the Panama Canal works, and guess I have
to talk most all the day when I'm at work. So a fellow gets used to
keeping his mouth shut at other times, so as to rest his jaw. Glad
you're coming out to my quarters."

He had thanked Jim quietly and with apparently little feeling for his
action in plunging into the sea to save him when the steamer foundered,
and after that had said not a word. But that did not imply that Phineas
was ungrateful. It was not in his nature to employ many words; he had
decided to show his gratitude in other ways. It was for that reason, no
doubt, that he had invited our hero to his house. And, now that the
whole party had disembarked, he proceeded to lead the way.

"Got any traps?" he asked.

"Not a stick," Jim answered. "We're here as we stand up."

"Then transport isn't a difficulty. It's nine miles to my quarters, and
the railway will take us there quick. There's cars going one way or the
other most always; come along to the terminus."

Jim and his comrades had no idea of the work which was going on on this
narrow isthmus of Panama, therefore the reader may imagine that he was
intensely surprised, once he and his friends had left the one-storied
dwellings of Colon, to find human beings seething everywhere. Bands of
labourers of every colour were working along the route where the canal
would open into the Caribbean, while heavy smoke and the rattle of
machinery came from another spot farther on.

"Where we're getting to work to cut our locks," explained Phineas,
nursing his broken arm. "It's there that I broke this arm of mine two
weeks ago. I was fool enough to get in the way of a dirt train, and of
course, not having eyes itself, it shunted me off the track with a bang.
That's why I was on my way back to the States; but guess that holiday'll
have to wait. I'm keen to get back to work."

From the open car in which the party was accommodated he pointed out the
various features of the isthmus, and in particular the works of the
canal. And gradually Jim gathered the fact that this undertaking upon
which his country had set its heart was gigantic, to say the least of
it.

"No one knows what we're doing save those who've been here," said
Phineas, a note of pride in his voice. "Back home there's folks ready
enough to criticize and shout that things aren't being done right; but
they ought to come right out here before opening their mouths. You've
got an idea of the canal, of course?"

Jim reddened. To be truthful, his own struggle to make a way in this
world had occupied most of his attention. He was naturally interested in
all that concerned his own country, but even though so near to the
isthmus he had never been farther than Colon when the ship put into
port, and whilst there had merely observed rather a large number of
policemen, both white and black. Of the huge army of workmen engaged in
the canal enterprise he had not caught a glimpse.

"It's an eye-opener, this," he admitted. "I had no idea there were so
many men, or so much machinery, though if I had thought for a little I
could have guessed that there must be a bustle. As to the scheme of the
canal, I haven't more than the vaguest idea."

"And I can't give you much information here. We'll want to get aboard an
inspection car and run right through. That'll be a job for to-morrow.
We'll have the inspector's car, and run along to the other side. But,
see here, this canal's the biggest thing in canals that's ever been
thought of. The Suez Canal don't hold a candle to it. The Kiel Canal is
an infant when compared with what this will be when it's finished.
There's fifty miles, or thereabouts, of solid dirt between Colon and
Panama, and America has decided to get to at that dirt and cut a way
clear through it, a way not only big enough to take ships of to-day,
but to take ships of to-morrow, ships that'll make the world open its
eyes and exclaim."

The very mention of the work made Jim gasp. He asked for particulars
promptly. "It'll take a heap of time, I expect," he said. "Reckon a
canal a mile long and fifty feet wide by thirty deep isn't dug in a
day."

"Nor hardly in a year. But we're not digging all the way," explained
Phineas. "America has selected what is known as the high-level canal;
that is, she's not just digging a track clear through from Atlantic to
Pacific, a tide-level canal as you might call it, for there are
difficulties against such a scheme. To begin with, there's a tide to be
reckoned with at Panama, while this Atlantic end has none; which means
your water level at the Pacific side is different from that at the
Atlantic. Then there's river water to be contended with. This isthmus
gets a full share of rain, particularly near the Atlantic, and the
rivers get packed with water in a matter of a few hours. Well, you've
got to do something, or that flood will swamp your canal, wash away your
works, and do other damage."

"Then the high level has fewer difficulties?" asked Jim.

"You may say so, though the job is big enough in all conscience. Shortly
put, it's this. We begin the canal by dredging in Limon Bay, right here
beside Colon, and cut our dirt away, in all for a matter of just over
seven miles. Then we build three tiers of double locks, which will take
any vessel, and which will float them up in steps to the 85-foot level.
Once up there the ship steams into a huge lake where there's dry land
to-day. We get that lake by damming the Chagres River right there before
us, at Gatun, throwing the water back into a long natural hollow, and
when the work is finished we shall have a body of water there
four-fifths the size of Lake Geneva. Anyway, it'll allow a steamer to
get along under her own power till she arrives at the other end of the
lake at Obispo. Even then she uses her own power, though she has to slow
down. She enters what we call the Culebra cut, just nine miles long,
where we are burrowing our way through the hills. That's one of the
biggest of our jobs. You'll be interested when you see it. We've a small
army of men at work, and rock drills and steam shovels are going all
day, while dirt trains travel to and fro more often than electrics in
the New York subway. Then comes a lock at Pedro Miguel, and another at
Milaflores, which let our ships down to Pacific level. Way down at that
end we've a lot of dredging to do to clear the below-sea track of the
canal."

Indeed it was no wonder that Phineas found it a matter of impossibility
to describe the gigantic, herculean task which America has undertaken.
Moreover, it may be forgiven our hero if he failed, in such a short
space of time, fully to comprehend what was being done. A canal was
being fashioned, that he knew well enough, and now Phineas had given him
a rough idea of its direction, and of the methods to be employed to
obtain a waterway from one ocean to the other. The rest had necessarily
to be left to the imagination, and to the moment when clear plans of the
works could be studied.

"But you know a bit about it, and that's good for the present," said
Phineas. "I'm not going to give you a bad headache right off by throwing
more particulars at you, though I fancy you'd be interested to know just
one or two items."

"And those?" asked Jim, by no means bored with the description. In fact,
like any healthy youngster, he was intensely interested in this canal,
and was burning with impatience to see all the machinery employed, the
methods used by the engineers and their staff to bring about the various
works. "I'd give something to see the lake," he admitted. "Almost as big
as that of Geneva? Gee! That's a whopper."

"You may say so," agreed Phineas, again a tinge of pride in his voice.
"There'll be somewhere about 160 square miles of water in that lake, and
a fleet will be able to lie to in it. Those locks at Gatun, which are to
be double--one for steamers going up, and the other for ships coming
down--will each give a usable length of 1100 feet, which is a good 300
feet longer than any ship yet afloat. They'll be 110 feet wide, and have
a minimum depth of 41 feet. Put that all together, and remember that
when the gates of the locks are shut, and water allowed to come down,
the biggest battleship yet heard of will be lifted solid just about 32
feet, and then warped on into another lock as like the last as two peas.
In less than an hour we'll raise a ship up to our high-level canal from
the Atlantic, and we'll do it, sir, as easy as you lift rowing boats
down on the rivers."

Phineas went hot at the thought of the undertaking, and, looking at him,
Jim could see that the man was filled with a huge pride, with a
tremendous fixity of purpose, the courage and tenacity to push on with a
labour which his country had begun, and which the honour of the nation
demanded should be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. And in a little
while Jim understood that there was not a white employee engaged on the
isthmus who did not dream of the day when the canal would be opened,
when their own countrymen, some of whom at this moment were ready to
discount their labours, would be amongst the keenest admirers of the
finished task.

"But guess it's time we thought of the house," said Phineas, dragging
his attention away from the works before him. "I've a shanty way up the
hill there, with a housekeeper to look to it for me. She'll take care of
Miss Sadie."

They descended from the car and slowly trudged up the hill. Then Phineas
gave them a welcome to his home.

"Looks cool and nice; don't it?" he remarked, as they ascended a flight
of steps leading on to a wide veranda. "I can see you looking at my
windows, young man. Well, we don't have any out here. A chap gets to
live without them easily enough. There's just copper gauze right round
the veranda, and the same over the window openings. Most days it's so
hot one doesn't think of their absence. And if a cold spell comes, one
can easily put on something warmer. Now we'll get along in and feed. Ha,
Mrs. Jones, that's you again! You didn't think to see me back so soon,
till I telephoned from Colon. This is Miss Sadie, and this is Jim, the
young man who rescued me. We're just hungry, so we'll come right in if
things are ready, and Tom here, and Sam, and Ching can get round to the
kitchen. You'll find 'em useful boys."

The widow who looked to Phineas's affairs was a pleasant woman, and gave
our hero and his sister a real welcome. As to the negroes, though she
looked at them askance at first, she rapidly found them a blessing. For
Tom installed himself as butler unasked, while Sam carried dishes to and
fro. Ching settled down to the work of washing up the things as if he
had been brought to the isthmus for that very purpose.

"All of which just makes things slide along as if they were oiled," said
Phineas with a glad smile, as he lolled on his veranda afterwards.

"See here, Jim, them boys of yours can go along helping Mrs. Jones while
you're here; but of course, if they were at work on the canal, they
would have their own quarters along with the other coloured men. Pity
you're not staying. Where do you go after New York?"

It was a leading question, and Jim explained his position frankly.

"I don't complain," he said, "but we certainly have had our share of ill
fortune. First Father lost his money, then his life. Afterwards my
brother went off his head with fever, and was lost in the forest way
down there below Colon. I've got to find work other than diving."

"You've done a bit of that, then?" asked Phineas.

Jim nodded. "A lot," he said. "But I'm not really skilled."

"You've handled tools and machinery?"

"Many a time; Father made me learn from the very beginning."

"See here!" cried Phineas suddenly; "you're after a job, and look to
earn dollars. Well, there are dollars to earn here for a good man. Try a
spell on the canal works. We've vacancies almost all the while, for men
get tired of the job, while others fall sick. Then there's every sort of
work, to suit the knowledge of everyone. Of course white men have the
pick. They're skilled men, and naturally enough they get posts of
responsibility. Some drive steam navvies, others rock drills, while some
are powder men, and place the charges which we fire every night after
five. At the locks there's pile driving and concrete laying, with white
men to run the engines or supervise. As to diving--well, there may be
some of that, but it's the land we're chiefly engaged with."

The temptation to accept the proposal right off was strong, and Jim
found it difficult to keep from answering. Then he suddenly asked a
question.

"There's my sister," he said. "I suppose Tom and the others could easily
get work, and so stay here; but this place hasn't the best of
reputations for health. I must look after her."

"And she'll be as well looked after here as anywhere," said Phineas
eagerly. "We're high up out of the valley, the house has lately been
built, while that yarn about the health of the isthmus is old history.
We've changed all that. An American army surgeon, with others to help
him, discovered that yellow fever was given by a particular form of
mosquito. Well, he set to work to find where that mosquito lived and
bred. Then he formed a sanitary corps, drainage was looked to, scrub
cut down, windows barred by copper gauze. And we've fixed that mosquito.
Yellow fever is now unheard of on the isthmus, while there's very little
malarial fever. The canal zone, particularly in these high parts, is as
healthy as New York. Come now."

"I agree to stop if she cares to do so," cried Jim suddenly, for there
was an eagerness about the man before him which captivated him. It was
clear, in fact, that Phineas was anxious that Jim should stay; and since
he promised work, and stated that no harm could come to Sadie from
residence there, why, if matters could be arranged, Jim made up his mind
he would stay. Perhaps here he would find the means to cut the first
steps in that flight which was to lead to a revival of his fortunes.

"Then here's a plan," said Phineas. "I'm real glad you'll stay on here,
for I want a companion. I lost my wife five years ago, and by rights
should be living way over there in one of the hotels the American
Government has built for its employees. But I chose to have a house
alone, and at times it's lonesome. You'll stay along with me, and
Sadie'll have Mrs. Jones to look after her. There's a Government school
a quarter of a mile away, with plenty of boys and girls going. As for
the darkies and the Chinaman, I can't promise anything at present.
Depends on the work they have to do; but I've an idea I could make that
fellow Tom extra useful."

Exactly what was in the mind of this American official Jim could not
guess. He went to bed that night with a feeling of exultation to which
he had been a stranger for a long while, for Sadie had taken to Mrs.
Jones, and was delighted at the thought of remaining.

"Why trouble to go along to New York?" she asked him, in her wise little
way, when he asked her what she would like. "This place is glorious. The
view from the house is really magnificent, and there's no loneliness
anywhere. Look at the works going on, with thousands of men. Then Mrs.
Jones tells me that there are a number of boys and girls, so that I am
sure to have companions. You can earn good wages here, Jim, and perhaps
rise to a position of responsibility."

"Rise! that I will!" our hero told himself, for he was bubbling over
with enthusiasm. "I've myself alone to look to, and I'll work and make
those in authority over me see that I'm trustworthy. I'll show 'em I'm
not a skulker. Wonder what job I'll get?"

It was at an early hour on the following morning that he was up and out,
only to find Phineas abroad before him.

"That you, youngster?" he sang out cheerily, seeing Jim. "I've been down
to the office of the Commission doctor, who's fixed this arm for me. The
man who saw to it aboard the ship that brought us in hadn't too much
time, for there were others who'd been injured by some of those
Spaniards who'd been fighting. In consequence I had a bit of pain last
night; but I'm easy now. Let's get some breakfast, then you and I'll be
off."

An hour later found the two down at the point where the dirt trains were
already dumping their contents, and just where the huge Gatun dam was to
be erected, so, standing on an eminence, Jim was able, with the help of
his friend, to follow in a logical manner the plans of the American
engineers. For he could look into the long, winding hollow along which
at that moment flowed the tributaries of the Chagres River.

"It's just as clear as daylight," said Phineas, his face aglow, for
anything to do with the Panama Canal warmed him, so great was his
enthusiasm. "Away there below us, where you see two rivers coming
together to form what is known as the Chagres River, you may take it
that the level of the land is just a trifle above that of the sea, and
of course the water on this isthmus has found the lowest level possible.
It could not get away to the east because of the hill, and west here,
where we are, there's another. So that water just flows out between
them, the hills themselves forming, as it were, the neck of a bottle.
Well, we're just putting a cork into that neck. We're erecting a dam
across the valley between these two hills which will be 7700 feet in
length, measured across the top, while its base measurement will be 2060
feet."

"Enormous!" exclaimed Jim. "But surely such a tremendous mass is hardly
necessary?"

"What! with 164 miles of water behind it? Young sir, let me tell you
that there'll be a clear depth of water of 80 feet all along this end of
the lake we're forming. A body of water like that exerts terrific
pressure, and to make that dam really secure against a fracture, to make
an engineering job of it, as we should say, the dam ought to be
constructed of masonry built right into solid rock. But there ain't no
rock, more's the pity."

"None?" asked Jim. "Then you won't be able to use masonry?"

"Right, siree! But we're going to fix the business, and reckon, when the
dam's finished, nothing'll move it. Listen here, and jest look away
where I'm pointing. There's an army of niggers and European spademen at
work along the line the dam's to follow. They're working a trench right
across, 40 feet down into the soil. Those engines you can see smoking
along there are driving sheet piling of 4-inch timbers 40 feet down
below the bottom of that trench. When they have finished the job of
piling, the trench'll be filled chuck up with a puddled core of clay
that'll act like a sheet anchor."

"And so hold the dam in position," suggested Jim.

"Just what I thought you'd say. No doubt that puddled core will help to
hold the huge mass of earth that we're going to dump around it. But
we're working that piling in and making the core for another purpose
also. With a huge body of water in this hollow there'll be a certain
amount of soaking into the subsoil--seepage we call it. It might loosen
the ground underneath our dam, and so cause the thing to burst; but with
a 40-foot trench, filled with a puddled core which'll stop any water,
and this extra 40 feet of piling--just 80 feet of material
altogether--we stop that seepage, and at the same time kind of fix a
tooth into the ground that'll hold the weight of New York city."

The whole thing was gigantic, or, rather, the scheme of it all; for the
reader must realize that Jim and his friend were looking down upon an
unfinished undertaking. But those smoking engines and the army of men
at work were an indication of the enormous labour and skill required in
the erection of this Gatun dam, itself only one item in the numerous
works of the canal, though, to be sure, one of the vastest. In fact,
When Jim learned that from base to summit the dam would measure no less
than 135 feet, and would be 50 feet above the level of the water in
Gatun Lake, there was no wonder that he gasped.

"It just makes a man scratch his head," laughed Phineas. "And sometimes
it makes one inclined to swear, for there's folks in the States who
can't cotton to what we're doing here, and who wonder why there are so
many men employed and so much money being spent. They seem to think that
the canal ought to be finished in a matter of three or four years."

"Then the sooner they come out here and see for themselves what is
happening the better for everyone," cried Jim indignantly. "That dam
alone will take a vast amount of time, I imagine."

"Then you come along down here, sir, and I'll show you a work that's
just as gigantic."

Phineas took our hero to the western end of the trench across which the
dam would lie, and there caused him more astonishment. For here another
army of labourers was employed in delving, while enormous steam diggers
tore huge mouthfuls of earth and rock away from the sides of the cutting
that was being made to accommodate the double line of three locks which,
when America has completed her self-imposed undertaking, will raise the
biggest vessel ever thought of to the surface of the lake above, or will
drop her with equal facility down on to the bosom of the Atlantic.

"There's those steam navvies," observed Phineas, halting in front of one
and surveying it reflectively. "A man who runs a machine like that can
earn good dollars, and there's competition for the post. Say, Jim, how'd
you care to try your hand at it?"

The very suggestion caused our hero to hold his breath. It was not that
he was frightened by the mass of machinery; it was merely the novelty of
the work. He stepped a pace or two nearer before he answered, and
watched closely what happened. A young American, only a few years older
than himself, sat on a seat beside the gigantic main beam of the digger,
his head within a few inches of the flying gear wheels which transmitted
movement, while right beside him, fixed to the base of the steel-girded
beam, was the engine. One hand was on the throttle, while the other
operated a lever. Down came the huge bucket attached to the secondary
beam, the chains which supported it clanking over their stout metal
pulleys; then the hand operating the lever moved ever so little, the
chains tautened, and the hardened-steel cutting lip of the digger bit
into the bank which was being excavated. Deeper and deeper it went.
Glug! glug! glug! the machine grunted, while the tip of the main steel
girder, where the hauling chains passed over it, bent downwards ever so
little. A shower of broken earth burst over the edge of the digger, a
faint column of dust blew into the air, while the engine gave forth
another discordant glug. Then up came the huge bucket, crammed to the
very top with debris, the whole machine shuddering as the strain was
suddenly taken off it. But the man remained as composed as ever. He
touched another lever, causing the apparatus to swing round on its axis.
Almost instantly a movement from his other hand released the trigger
holding the bottom of the huge earth receptacle in place, so that,
before the machine had actually finished swinging, the huge mouth of
this wonderful invention was disgorging its contents into a dirt car
alongside.

"Fine!" cried Jim delightedly. "That's a job I should like immensely,
but I guess it requires a little training."

"Practice, just practice," smiled Phineas. "See here, Jim; this arm of
mine has started in aching again. How'd you care to stay along here and
have a lesson? That young chap's a friend of mine, so there'll be no
difficulty about the matter."

It may be imagined that Jim eagerly accepted the offer. He was keen
enough to accompany Phineas on his promised trip right along the canal
works, but already the sight of all that was happening round about Gatun
had been sufficient for one day, while the huge machine before him and
its cool and unruffled operator fascinated him.

"Gee! nothing I'd like better," he cried.

"Then come along." Phineas at once went close up to the machine, and at
a signal from him the operator brought it to a rest.

"Howdy?" asked the young fellow. "Getting in at it, Mr. Barton?"

Under the tan which covered face and arms there was a sudden flush of
pride which an ordinary individual might well have passed unnoticed.
But Jim was slowly beginning to understand and realize something of the
spirit that seemed to pervade every member of the whole staff engaged on
the isthmus. For there was no doubt that the completion of the canal was
a pet object to them one and all, an undertaking the gradual progress of
which filled them with an all-absorbing interest. Each mouthful of dirt,
for instance, which this steam digger tore from the ground and shot from
its capacious maw into the earth trains was a little more progress,
something further attained towards that grand and final completion to
which all were sworn.

"Howdy? Say, Harry boy, this here's Jim. You've heard of that little
business we had on the way to New York?"

The young man nodded, and regarded Jim critically. "Wall?" he asked
curtly.

"He's the lad that came along after me when I was left aboard the
foundering vessel."

The one who had been addressed as Harry dropped his hands from the
levers, swung round on his seat the better to gaze at our hero, and,
still with his eyes on Jim, replied to Phineas.

"I read it in the paper," he admitted. "How did it happen?"

Phineas promptly gave him the narrative, Harry meanwhile keeping his
eyes on Jim. Then, when he learned that our hero had decided to stay on
the isthmus, and seek work there, he climbed out of the narrow cab
bolted to the side of the digger, dropped lightly to the ground, and,
walking straight up to Jim, held out his hand.

"It's men we want here," he said pleasantly. "Guess you're one. Glad to
shake hands with an American who's done a good turn for my friend
Phineas. What job are you after?"

Jim told him promptly, while he exchanged his handshake vigorously; for
he liked the look of this young American, and took to him instantly.

"I'm not sure yet exactly what job I'll ask for," he answered. "Guess
I'm ready to take anything that's going; but I was wondering whether
you'd give me a lesson on the digger."

"Know anything about engines and suchlike?" asked Harry sharply.

Jim nodded. "Guess I do," he said, with that delightful assurance so
common to the Americans. "I've handled engines of many sorts,
particularly those aboard ship; and for some months past I've been doing
diving."

"Git in there," said Harry, motioning to the cab, "I'll larn you to work
this plant inside an hour or two. Then all that's wanted is jest native
gumption, gumption, siree, spelt with a big G, 'cos a man ain't no good
on these here chugging machines unless he can keep his head cool.
There's times when the digger pulls through the earth quicker than you
can think, and when, if you didn't cut off steam, you'd overwind and
chaw up all the chain gear. Then the lip of the digger may happen to get
hold on a rock that wants powder to shift it, and if there's steam still
on, and the engines pulling, you're likely as not to break up some of
the fixings, and tip the whole concern over on to its nose. Hop right
in; Mr. Barton, I'll see to this here Jim till evening."




CHAPTER V

The Ways of the Steam Digger


To say that Jim could not have been put into better or more capable
hands is to tell only the truth. For Harry, the young American operating
the steam digger, was one of those eager, hard-working fellows who
strive their utmost, who are not satisfied unless they make the very
best of a task, and who, given a machine of great power, cause it to
produce the biggest results possible, consistent with proper management,
and who, unlike some, do not curtail its strength, and limit its output.

"You jest hop up there inside with me," he said, wiping the sweat from
his forehead, and tilting his broad sombrero hat backwards a little.
"It'll be close quarters, you bet; but when a chap's learning a job he
don't kick at trifles."

Jim obeyed his orders with alacrity. He clambered up into the narrow
cab, which was merely a metal framework bolted to the huge, sloping
steel girder which may be termed the backbone of the leviathan digger,
and seated himself upon a hard wooden seat barely wide enough for one
person. Just above his head was a toothed wheel, with another, very much
larger, engaging with it. Beside him, causing him to start when he
touched it, for it was very hot, were a brace of cylinders, with a
lever adjacent for operating the throttle. Right overhead was a roof of
split and warped boards, which helped to keep away the rays of the sun;
for on this isthmus of Panama the heat is fierce at times, and extremely
enervating.

"But, bless you, we don't notice it," said Harry, swarming up after him,
and seeing that he had noticed the shelter. "Most all of us wear a big
hat. In fact you can say as every white man does. Them dagoes don't;
they seem to like the sun, same as the Spaniards. Seen anything of 'em,
mate?"

Jim nodded. "Not much," he admitted. "There were a few aboard that ship,
and they didn't impress me much. They lost their heads and fought like
wild beasts."

"Aye, that's them all over; but they're good 'uns to work once they're
set to at it, and know you won't put up with any nonsense. I don't
suppose there was ever a part where gangs of them Spaniards works better
than they do here, and gives so little trouble. Now and agin there's a
rumpus, and the police has to intervene; but it ain't often. See 'em
over there."

Jim had been so occupied with his inspection of the giant digger that he
had hardly had eyes for his surroundings; but as Harry pointed, he swung
round in the cab and surveyed the scene. It was remarkable, to say the
least of it. Right behind him lay track on track of metal rails, all
running direct towards the Atlantic, and the majority of them on
different levels. They seemed to hug various gigantic steps, by which
the sides of the huge trench in which the digger was situated ascended
to level ground. Hundreds of cars were on these rails, with a little,
smoking engine at their heads, and a half-closed-in cab behind. Gangs of
European and black labourers were disposed here and there, some breaking
up rocks obstructing the tracks, others carrying lengths of double rail
track bolted together in readiness to be placed in position, while yet
again others were engaged in pouring a liquid into trenches at the side
of the cutting. Jim looked puzzled, and Harry laughed outright as he
caught a glimpse of his face.

"Gee! It do amuse me when strangers come along," he cried. "Guess this
here's an eye-opener. Any fellow can tell what we're doing, and why
we're doing it, except the reason for those men and the stuff they're
pouring into the trench. Say now, what's it for?"

Jim could not even hazard a guess. It was inexplicable, and seemed,
indeed, to be an idiotic proceeding. His face must have shown his
thoughts, for Harry burst into a loud guffaw, though, unconsciously,
pride again crept into his tones as he answered.

"Guess you ain't the first as thought there was madmen about," he said.
"But all that stuff being put into the trenches is jest part of this
almighty scheme. Without it we wouldn't be able to work; for that's a
gang from the sanitary corps, and guess they're nosing round most every
day. It's their particular job to see as there isn't a place where a
mosquito can breed, or where water can easily lay. Ef there's a spot
made in purpose to carry away water, same as that 'ere trench, where
some of it's bound to lay, why, they spreads kerosene along it, and no
self-respecting mosquito'll go near that stuff. It's a terror to 'em.
Guess this Panama zone, stretching five miles either side of the canal
line, fairly gives them insects the pip, it's that unhealthy for 'em. As
for us, we lives in comfort, and goes on living, which can't be said for
others who was here before us. But jest get a grip of that throttle
lever, and don't be skeared. Keep cool all the time, and when I cry
'stop', jest jerk it off. She'll come up short jest as ef she was alive,
and that's something, seeing as this is a hundred-ton digger. She's able
easy to cut her way into well over a thousand cubic yards of dirt in an
eight-hours day, and can sling some six hundred double horse loads into
them trucks. But we ain't dealin' with horses here. It's machines all
the time, machines, and men, I guess, to drive 'em."

It was grand to hear the fellow talk; unconsciously a glow crept into
Jim's face. To think that he, by the movement of his ten fingers, and by
the use of his own brain, could control such work, and then to remember
that every little task accomplished was setting his country nearer the
day of triumph. For triumph it must be: America, in spite of the
croakings of a few, cannot and will not fail. She may experience
setbacks; but she will prevail in the end. Her native determination and
the grit of her workers will compel her.

"You can jest see how we're moving," said Harry, placing a hand on a
second lever. "This here digger's set up on a truck heavy enough to take
it, with its boiler right away at the tail end of the truck, to
counterbalance the stuff we're lifting. We're on rails, as you can see,
with a second track beside us that holds a spoil train, as we calls the
trucks into which we chucks the dirt. Right clear afore us is the
ground we're digging, and you're jest going to take a bite fer yerself.
Watch that digger."

Jim cast his eyes upon the huge bucket with its steel cutting lip placed
at the end of a secondary beam slanting downwards from the lower part of
the main steel girder. Huge chains ran from the upper edge to the tip of
the girder, and, as Harry gently pushed his lever, the chains ran out
clanking, and the bucket descended till it bumped on to the ground. It
was now at the foot of a broken and steep slope some eight feet in
height, at the summit of which was the first of that series of big steps
ascending to the top of the lock cutting, and accommodating rail tracks.
Indeed a spoil train was crunching along it as he looked, while on half
a dozen others trains were to be seen. As to the sloping bank itself, it
ran on directly till it came to a dead end, where an army of men were
engaged in erecting the lake-end wall of the lock. Behind, it dwindled
into other banks, and was lost in the distance.

"Where we started, I guess," said Harry, following his gaze. "First the
dredgers got to work, then the steam shovels. You see, we cut deep down
in the centre first of all, and then take a step out at either side.
Then, while diggers get to work to cut other steps we go deeper again in
the centre. But let's get at this here bank. That bucket's drawn the
chains out by its own weight. This here lever controls a brake, and I
can stop the bucket at any point; but it's there, ready for digging.
Give her steam, and gently with it. Be ready to cut off if I shout."

Jim moved his lever ever so gently. The proposition was so new to him
that he felt somewhat timid of the results; but Harry was as calm as
ever. He watched the cutting edge of the bucket dig deep into the bank,
while Jim, watching it also, cast an eye upward at the chains where they
passed over the tip of the girder. Chug! chug! chug! they went, while
the massive beam trembled; but nothing could stop the irresistible
course of the digger. The bucket sheared its way upward through the
soil, and in a very little while had accomplished the whole height of
the bank; then, its work done, it shot upward, causing the machine to
shiver and shake.

"Cut her off," cried Harry, and obedient to the word Jim shoved the
lever over.

"Now take a grip of this here lever I've been holding, and pull it to
you. Give her steam."

Clank! clank! clank! Jim felt the gears engage as he shifted the lever,
and once more opened the throttle of the engine. Now he experienced a
new and altogether delightful sensation; for the huge mass of machinery
to which the cab was bolted, and which was situated on the front of the
heavy truck carrying the whole apparatus, swung round easily, the loaded
bucket well in front and overhead. Harry grinned: it amused him to watch
the delight on his pupil's face. But this was not the moment for
allowing his attention to become distracted. He kept a careful eye on
the bucket, and, a moment later, just as it began to swing over the dirt
truck placed on the side track, he pulled a rope, and with a loud
clatter the bottom of the bucket banged open and the dirt fell into the
truck.

"Stop her!" he shouted, and Jim at once closed his throttle. "This is
the boy that works the shutter for us. See here; pull it and give her
steam. Watch those two arms to which the bottom of the bucket are
bolted. This here gear just overhead works 'em and closes them over the
trigger. Gee! If you ain't working this here like an old hand. Now watch
it. That bucket's closed, and you've always to remember to close it
afore you swing the machine back again to its work, 'cos the edge of the
bottom comes low down and would foul the truck. That'd mean a bust up.
Now, round with her. Stop her; get a hold of the brake lever and let her
drop."

Confused at first, because of the multiplicity of movements, in an hour
Jim was quite at home with the machine. True, he made errors; for
instance, he forgot that very important movement to close the bucket,
and, as a consequence, though he missed the side of the truck he nearly
ripped off the head from a negro. But Harry was there to supervise, and
a quick movement on his part arrested the machine.

"Hi! What fo you gwine kill me, yo?" shouted the negro, who had been
untouched, as it happened. "Yo take care ob that great big playting ob
yours. Not here to dig niggers. Not like hab de head knocked off."

Harry roared. "It's only Joe," he shouted. "He's been as near a blow
afore now, and loves to make the most of it. See here, Joe," he
bellowed, "I ain't a-goin' to have my machine broken against that 'ere
hard head of yours. I'll have to be warning the foreman overseer to
shunt yer."

That brought a grin from the negro. He showed his teeth, and shook his
fist at Harry; but Jim knew his meaning well enough. The big fellow was
just like the rest of his people--just a big, strong, healthy baby, who
saw the fun in everything, and, if there were no fun, manufactured it
promptly.

"I's gwine to break yo into little pieces," he said, clambering on to
the cab and poking his face within an inch of Harry's. "Yo say I hab
hard head? Lummy! Me hab hard fist as well."

"Git out!" shouted Harry, striking at him with the slack end of the rope
that commanded the bucket trigger.

"Who's he?" demanded Joe, nodding at Jim, and suddenly changing the
conversation.

"Him? Why, Jim, of course. Saved Mr. Barton."

"Den I knows him."

To Jim's astonishment the negro stretched out a hand and shook his
eagerly. Then he explained the situation. "Know Tom and Sam," he said.
"Dey down here now, seein' tings. I show dem round. Tom mighty
impressed: he tink yo work de digger better'n Harry."

That brought an exclamation from the latter, while Joe jumped down from
the machine just in time to escape the swing of the rope. But his words
were true; close beside the digger were Tom and Sam.

"By de poker, but yo run him well!" shouted Tom. "Me's watched yo dis
last half-hour. Seems to Tom as ef yo soon have a job in the diggin'."

To the huge fellow everything that Jim did was well done, everything he
attempted was sure to be accomplished; and never for one moment did he
tire of watching his hero. But Jim had his lesson to learn, and for
another hour held to the work. By that time he had filled a whole spoil
train, and had watched another shunted into position.

"Ready to fill like the last," said Harry. "That's the proposition that
jest beat us at first. There wasn't enough trucks nor locomotives to
begin with, and not enough tracks, so these fine diggers wasted half
their time; but we've fixed it a while since. Soon as a train's loaded
it's pulled back, while an empty spoil train crosses the switches
behind. That comes over another switch just behind the digger, and so
right on alongside, the last truck just in position for loading, the
first 'way ahead. Then, as you've seen for yourself, we move along, a
few inches after every dig, filling the trucks as we go."

"And then?" asked Jim. "What happens? Where is the dirt taken? Who
unloads the trucks?"

"Gee! You are a chap fer questions. Where does it go? Away up there, at
the far end of the river gully, where the Lake of Gatun'll be, there's a
sight more dirt than this being taken from the isthmus. Some of that's
being dumped at the dam just away over our heads; some of it's being
emptied outside Panama, filling up a swamp through which the canal will
run. Reckon there won't be swamps when we're done. There'll be good hard
ground, and houses'll be built on a spot where there's fever nowadays.
We're using dirt at this end in the same way; but you was asking about
the dumping?"

Jim nodded, and looked at the spoil train being hauled away. "The gangs
of niggers do it, I guess," he said. "But it must take longer than the
loading by a long way; at least that's what one would imagine."

"Jest about seven minutes fer the whole train," smiled Harry. "My davy
on it! You ask how? Wall, listen here. I've been here a long while, and
in them days when we was fixed badly fer more trucks niggers did see to
clearing the spoil trains--and precious bad niggers they was, too, about
that time. Yer see, they mostly comes from the West Indian Isles, and
somehow the place didn't seem to suit 'em. They was too slack to work
much; but guess our officials fixed the trouble. They found it was the
food, and now every nigger employed on the works gets his meals regular
at a Commission barracks, and sech meals as gives him strength. But we
was talking of unloading. See that truck 'way in front of the trains,
the one just close to the engine? Wall, that's the Lidgerwood apparatus,
and guess it beats creation. There's a plough right forward of the
train, and a wire rope attached to it. When the spoil train has been
brought to the place where the dirt's to be dumped, niggers or Europeans
let down the truck ends, so's the whole train's one long platform. The
plough then gets pulled from end to end, and shoots the dirt out. Seven
minutes for a whole train, siree! Lightning ain't in it!"

Whistles sounded at this minute, and promptly Harry shut down his levers
and leaped from the cab.

"Guess you've done right well fer a first time," he said. "In a day
you'll be able to get to at it alone. Anyway, you've earned your grub.
Come along to the Commission hotel; there's meals there for all whites,
and no one can grumble at them."

Wherever he went Jim found something to interest him, so much so that
it was a matter of wonder to him that, though he had often been close to
the isthmus, he had had no idea of the extraordinary bustle taking place
there. It was so extremely surprising to find small towns sprung up
where he was assured there was but a single native hut before, to
discover buildings so temptingly cool and elegant in appearance, and to
learn that America not only employed labour, but provided quarters,
food, and recreation for her employees. And here was another example.
Harry took him away from the lock cutting, where one of these days a
double tier of three locks will elevate ships from the Atlantic, and
introduced him to his friends in one of the well-equipped hotels erected
for the accommodation of white employees. Hundreds of men were streaming
up the steps as they arrived, and passing in behind the copper-gauze
screens of the veranda. Jim noticed that all bore much the same
appearance--for the most part clean shaven, with here and there some
wearing moustaches and beards. Dressed in rough working clothes, with
broad-brimmed hats, none showed signs of ill health. There was a buzz of
eager conversation as they washed before the meal, and a loud clatter
from many tongues as they sat at the tables. As to the food, it was
plain, abundant, and well cooked.

"Costs jest fifty cents a day," explained Harry. "If you've finished
we'll get to the club. We usually go along fer a smoke at dinner-time.
'Sides, there's a cable of interest now and agin, and sometimes
letters."

A few minutes with Harry at the club served, in fact, to banish any
doubts which Jim may have had as to remaining on the isthmus. For here
was comfort and recreation at the same time, and plenty of men with whom
to make friends.

"This here's Jim, him as saved Phineas Barton," Harry told his comrades,
and the statement was at once sufficient to rouse interest. Hand-grips
were exchanged with our hero. The news of his presence spread round the
huge room, in which men were smoking or playing dominoes at little
tables, and one by one they strolled up.

"You're stayin' here?" asked one, and when Jim nodded, "I'm main glad:
Phineas is one of the best, and a chap who could go in for him as you
did must be one of the right kind. What are you going to do?"

"Steam digging, I hope," said Jim. "But of course I'm green yet."

"You'll do. If you've got the grit to face being sucked under by a
foundering ship, guess you've the gumption to run one of them diggers.
Anyway, I'm glad you're staying. Play yer a game of dominoes one of
these mornings."

"Say, siree, ken you sing any?" asked another, when he had shaken hands;
"'cos there's concerts here sometimes o' nights, and a new hand aer
wanted."

"Guess I can do a little," answered Jim, reddening; for here was a find.
No one loved a sing-song more than our hero, and, to give him only his
due, he had an excellent voice, badly trained, or not trained at all, to
be accurate, but pleasing for all that. "When I've put a little together
I'll buy a banjo," he told his interrogator. "I had one aboard the
ship, but guess it's deep down below the Caribbean."

"My, that are good news! Say, boys, here's one as can strum on a banjo."

The information was hailed with delight by those present, for a banjo
player was an acquisition indeed. These skilled white men engaged in the
Panama undertaking were as simple as well could be, and longed for
nothing more than mild recreation. After an eight-hours day of strenuous
work, and supper at the Commission hotel, it delighted them to gather at
one of the clubs and there listen to an impromptu concert. But the
midday halt was not the time for dawdling. Already the better part of
the interval was gone, and very soon the blowing of steam whistles
summoned the workers back to their machines; for nearly every one of the
white employees in that hotel managed some sort of machine.

"There's a heap of them engaged with the rock drillers," said Harry,
"and ef you go along the line to-morrow, towards Panama, and enter the
great Culebra cut, you'll see and hear 'em at work everywhere. Most
every night, when the whistles has blown and the men cleared off, you'd
think a battle was being fought over there, for there's dynamite and
powder exploding on every side, and huge rocks jest bounding down into
the trench. Gee! There is a dust up. But I war saying that most everyone
who's white has a machine to mind. Of course there are overseers, and
lots of officials. Then there's a small army kept going in the repair
shops 'way along over Panama direction, at Gorgona. That's a place as
would open the eyes of people at New York. I tell you, they turn out a
power of work there. See that machine down there running along the
rails? Wall, that's home-made, every stick and rod of it put together at
Gorgona, and, what's more, it's the invention of one of the employees
here."

He was bursting with pride, with a legitimate pride. There was no
conceit about Harry, but merely a robust belief in all that his comrades
did, and in particular in the brains and muscles at work on this giant
undertaking. With a sweep of his hand he pointed to a heavy truck, with
a crane-like attachment built on it, running along the rails on one of
the higher steps of the huge cutting on which he himself was engaged.

"Jest watch it," he invited Jim. "It's a treat to see it handle rails.
You see, our rails wants shifting constantly; for as the diggers clear
the dirt they naturally want to get forward or outward, as the case may
be, seeing that we cut our steps away to the side. Anyhow, there's need
to swap the rails from place to place and lay new tracks, and that 'ere
machine is a track layer, which handles the double lengths of bolted
rails as if they was sticks."

Jim was fascinated, indeed, as he watched this new wonder; for wonder
the machine undoubtedly was. As he looked he could realize that gangs of
men and much time might be needed to shift the lines of rails, and time,
he remembered, was an item of which his comrades were sparing. Bustle
was the order of the day, and of every succeeding day, on the isthmus.
As to the machine, it swung its arm over a long length of rail, fastened
its clutches upon it, and lifted the double track, ready bolted to its
sleepers, into the air. Then it trotted along the rails, and presently
deposited its burden somewhere else.

"And by the time it's nipped back for another length, and has brought
it, the track gang has got the lengths in line, and has bolted the
fishplates to it," explained Harry. "But that digger's waiting for us.
Git along, Jim."

Breezy was not the word for this young American. He seemed to enjoy
every minute of his life, and would have made an admirable companion for
one subject to depression. However, Jim was not that; our hero was
naturally inclined to jollity, if at times serious, as became his
position of responsibility, but with Harry beside him there was no
thought of seriousness. They made a laughing, jolly couple on the
digger. The hours flew by, so that Jim was astonished when the
five-o'clock whistles blew.

"How's he shaping?" he heard a voice ask, and, turning, found it was
Phineas Barton, with another white beside him.

"Shaping! Say, ef there's a digger going free he's fit to take it right
off, he's that careful," cried Harry. "See him at it, Major."

"You jest go along as you was before," he whispered in Jim's ear, as the
latter hopped back into the cab of the digger. "I ain't going to stay up
there alongside of you, 'cos there ain't no need; and you ain't got no
cause to feel flustered. The Major's one of the works bosses, and reckon
employment lays with him. He'll know in a jiffy that you're able to do
the work."

To tell the truth our hero felt somewhat scared at the moment, more
even than he had that morning when taking his place for the first time
on the machine. But he had perfect confidence now in his powers of
control, and, with that assurance to help him, struggled against the
unusual feeling of nervousness which had so suddenly attacked him, and
let the bucket of the digger rattle down to the bottom of the bank. Time
after time he dug his way upwards, and delighted Harry by his
management.

"Gee! Ef he ain't got some brass!" the latter exclaimed beneath his
breath, as the bucket swung out over the spoil train. "He's copying me
with a vengeance. I mind the time when I first started in at the
business, and it took me a sight longer to fix the emptying of that
bucket. But this here Jim has kind of tumbled to the knack. He swings
her out, and ain't stopped swinging afore he opens up and lets his dirt
drop. Ef that don't fix the Major, wall he don't deserve to have good
men."

As a matter of fact the official was a good deal impressed; but he was a
cautious man, and was not inclined to be taken in by a demonstration
which might prove to be somewhat freakish. He told himself that under
observation there are some men who do better than others, only to break
down on ordinary occasions, lacking the stimulus of a gallery to
applaud. He yet wanted to prove that this would-be employee had a head
on his shoulders, and though he had heard the tale of the rescue, he
determined to see if Jim could show coolness on dry land as well as in
the water. Therefore he strolled across to the head of the spoil train,
to find the driver had not yet quitted his post, in fact he was just in
the act of uncoupling from the train, but willingly obeyed an order.
Then the official strolled back, to find Jim still busy with the digger,
and, waiting a favourable opportunity, waved his arm. What followed made
Harry stand up on his toes with anxiety.

"He's sure to boss it!" he growled. "Gee, if I don't talk to that
driver! He knows as well as I do that he ought to blow his whistle afore
giving his engine steam to draw out. An old hand wouldn't be caught, but
most like Jim'll bungle it. He'll get his bucket opened over the train,
and the moving cars will catch it."

That, it was evident, was the intention of the Major. He was applying a
test which might well strain the cuteness of a raw hand; and, as it
happened, it was only watchfulness which saved Jim. Up came his bucket,
a mass of dirt tumbling from its edge, and round spun the machine,
swinging the bucket over the trucks. In a moment the bottom would fall
open. Harry could see him handling the rope which freed the trigger.
Then he gave a sigh of satisfaction, for Jim had observed the movement.
His hand left the rope, the bucket stopped in its swing, there was the
grinding sound of moving gears, and promptly the massive beam returned
on its axis.

"That train's moving," he shouted. "I might have had a jam up."

"You might, and no mistake," said Phineas, coming up to the side of the
cab. "You jest fixed the business nicely. Reckon if there had been a
bust-up the Major deserved to have to pay for the damage. Say, Major,
here's a hand wanting a job."

"Bring him to the office to-morrow; I'll take him," was the short
reply. "Usual terms; he can get on to a digger way up by Culebra."

Before Jim could thank him the official had departed, leaving our hero
still seated in the cab.

"You kin git down off that machine and eat a supper feeling you've
earned it," exclaimed Harry, coming up to him and gripping his hand.
"I'm main sorry though that you're to work at Culebra, 'cos it would
have been nice to meet of an evening."

"And no reason why you shouldn't," cried Phineas. "See here, Harry,
Jim's to live with me. He and his sister will have quarters at the
house, the two niggers and the Chinaman also. It's an exception, I know,
but there it is. Of course he'll get his dinner and supper way up at
Culebra; but he'll take breakfast with me, and of an evening he'll come
down to the club here. Guess you'll hear more of him."

That the arrangement was likely to prove satisfactory seemed certain,
and it may be imagined that Jim was filled with glee. He sat in
Phineas's parlour that night, behind the screen of copper gauze, with
his mind full of the morrow, wondering what Culebra would be like, and
whether the men working there could be half so pleasant as those he had
already met.




CHAPTER VI

A Shot in the Dark


Folks in the Panama zone do not keep late hours as a rule, for work
begins at an early hour, and he who would be fresh and ready must seek
his bed early. However, Jim and his friends were not to find repose on
this, almost their first night ashore, as readily as they imagined.
Indeed they were to meet with an adventure which was startling, to say
the least of it. They were seated in the parlour, Jim and Phineas,
discussing their work, while Sadie had retired for the night. Tom and
Sam were engaged in an animated conversation in the back regions, and,
no doubt, were themselves preparing to turn in. Not one had an idea that
a stranger was prowling about outside the house.

"Thought I heard someone about," Jim had remarked, some few minutes
earlier, but Phineas had shaken his head emphatically.

"Imagination!" he cried. "There's no one comes around here at
nighttimes. You see, this house lies away from the others, and up the
hill. Unless a friend's coming up to smoke a pipe with me, there's no
one this way of an evening; they don't fancy the climb. Sit down again,
Jim. How much do you think you're going to earn on that digger?"

Jim threw himself into his chair again, let his head drop back, and
closed his eyes. He already had an inkling of what he would earn. The
thought had brought him vast pleasure; for there was enough to pay for
his own and Sadie's keep.

"Three dollars, fifty cents, less fifty cents a day for food," he said,
after a while.

"Put it at four dollars fifty," said Phineas. "Four dollars fifty cents,
less fifteen cents for your dinner. T'other meals you take here. So
you'll net four dollars twenty-five a day, and free quarters."

"One moment," exclaimed Jim. "Free quarters! No, Mr. Phineas. You must
allow me to pay my way. I couldn't stop with you without making some
sort of contribution to the expenses of the house."

"Just as I should have thought," said Phineas, smiling at him. "Any chap
with a little pride would want to pay his way: but these quarters are
free. The Commission gives you so much a day, and free quarters. If I
choose to have a companion, he don't have a call to pay for the rooms he
uses; so that's wiped off. Then as to food: if you pay twenty-five cents
a day for yourself, thirty for Sadie, seeing that she's only small,
making fifty-five, and another ten for general expenses, there'll be
nothing more to be said. How's that?"

Jim thought it was extremely fair, as indeed it was, and at once agreed.
The arrangement would allow of his putting by some twenty dollars a
week, and at the end of a year he told himself that that would mount to
a nice little sum. But again he heard a sound outside, and rose to his
feet.

"I'm sure I heard a footstep," he exclaimed. "There!"

Phineas was doubtful, still he went to the door with him, and emerged on
to the balcony. There was no one to be seen, and it was so dark that had
there been anyone they would have escaped detection. They retired again,
therefore, to the parlour, unaware of the figure skulking close down at
the foot of the veranda. The man--for a man it undoubtedly was--rose to
his feet stealthily, and stood there listening for a while, till he
heard voices coming from the parlour. Then he clambered on to the
veranda by way of the steps, and crept towards the square patch of light
which indicated the gauze-covered window of the parlour. Slowly he
raised his head till he was able to look into the room. As he did so,
the lamplight flickering through fell upon his head and shoulders so
that one could get some impression of his appearance. Decidedly short in
stature, the man's face was swarthy, while the eyes seemed to be small
and unusually bright, quite a feature of the face, in fact. He wore a
long, flowing, black moustache, while his chin was covered with a
stubbly growth a week old; but there was something about the face which
immediately attracted one's attention more than any other feature. It
was the mouth. The lips were parted in something resembling a snarl,
showing a set of irregular white teeth, which with the lamplight shining
on them looked cruel. A Spaniard one would have said at once. More than
that, his features were familiar. Little did Jim guess that the ruffian
staring in upon him was one of those who had fought for the boats in the
waist of the foundering ship on which he had been voyaging to New York,
and that he himself had incurred the man's hatred by a blow which, now
that the matter was over, he could not remember having given. But one's
actions in the heat of a contest often pass utterly unnoticed and
unremembered. Jim had no idea now that this same man had dashed at him
with a drawn knife, and that he had floored him with a straight blow
from his fist between the eyes. However, if he had no recollection the
ruffian had.

"The very one," he told himself, with a hiss of anger, as he peeped in
at the two unconscious men. "See the pup. He sits there chatting as if
he had no fear, and as if he expected a Spaniard to forget. But I am not
one of those; a blow for a blow, I say. I meant to thrust my knife
between his ribs aboard the ship; now I will put lead into him. It will
be more certain."

His hand went unconsciously to his face, and for a few moments he let
his fingers play very gently about his nose, for that was the organ on
which Jim's fist had descended with such suddenness and weight. Even now
it was decidedly tender, and pained the man as he touched it. That
caused his sinister, bright, little eyes to light up fiercely, while the
lips curled farther back from his cruel, irregular teeth as the fingers
of the other hand fell upon the butt of a revolver tucked into his belt.

"A blow for a blow; if not with the knife, then with the bullet.
He who strikes a Spaniard must reckon with the consequences, and
afterwards--pouff! there will be no afterwards. The bullet will end
everything."

Slowly he drew the weapon, and pulled the hammer back with his thumb
till it clicked into position.

"What was that?" asked Jim, hearing the sound distinctly. Even Phineas
heard it this time, and stood to his feet.

"Perhaps one of the boys is outside; perhaps your Tom, or Sam," he said
swiftly. "Certainly there is someone; we'll go and see."

He went towards the door, while Jim rose from his chair and moved
towards him. It was an opportunity of which the Spaniard took the
fullest advantage.

"Now or never," he told himself. "If they come out, my chance is gone."

He lifted the weapon till it was on a level with his face. Then he
directed it through the gauze window at Jim, and, pressing heavily on
the trigger, finally released it. Click!

An oath escaped him, for the weapon had missed fire, while the two men
within the room had already reached the door. He pulled again, till the
hammer swung upward. Bang! There was a deafening report, a neat little
hole was torn in the gauze, while the leaden messenger he had discharged
struck the doorpost, an inch above our hero's head, with a thud which
caused him to start. As for the Spaniard, he did not wait to see what
success he had had. He turned on his heel and fled down the steps of the
veranda, and out into the night.

"Gee! A shot! There was someone outside then!"

Phineas swung round swiftly to stare at Jim. The latter nodded curtly.

"Yes," he agreed. "A shot. There's the bullet."

He took the lamp from the table and held it up towards the doorpost.

"Just an inch above my head," he smiled. "I heard the thing bang into
the woodwork, and felt the wind of the shot. Close, Mr. Phineas!"

"But--but who fired it? Why? Where from?"

There were a thousand questions he wished to ask, and only the last
could Jim answer. He took his friend to the copper gauze stretching
across the window, which was otherwise devoid of covering, for no glass
was employed, and again with the help of the lamp showed him a neat
little round hole punched through the gauze.

"He stood outside there and stared in at us," he said, putting the
events as he guessed them. "He cocked his pistol, and we heard the
noise. Then he fired as we got to the door. Queer, isn't it, Mr.
Phineas?"

"Queer! It's downright, cold-blooded attempt at murder!" shouted
Phineas. "Call those boys."

But there was no need to summon them. Tom and Sam were already at the
door, while Ching was in the passage, a swaying lantern in his hand.

"What dat?" asked Tom, his eyes beginning to bulge. "Someone fire a
shot. Tom not like dat at all; he tink someone try to kill him."

"Boys," said Phineas, keeping perfectly cool, "some scoundrel came to
the window of the parlour and fired at Jim here. He missed him by an
inch. We must follow and take the fellow, whoever he may be; it may be
the work of a lunatic. Bring along that lamp, Ching."

"One moment!" cried Jim. "Best leave someone here in case the fellow
returns. Tom, you look after the house. I can trust you to frighten
anyone away. Sam and Ching will come with us. Sam, we want you to open
those eyes of yours extra wide: that fellow must be followed. Now, are
we ready? But first, has anyone seen a stranger about here to-day?"

"Seed a nasty-lookin' Spaniard, I did," admitted Sam, his eyes shining
bright and eager in the lamplight. "Him one of de crowd working on de
canal I tink; but me recognize him. Same man aboard de steamer, sah; yo
knock him down when he come for yo wid a knife. Yo go bang, squelch! Him
flop over on to him back, den creep away growling out, and sayin' tings
beneath him breath. Him nasty fellow altogether."

"Then there is the motive for the crime," declared Phineas at once.
"There is never any telling what some of these Southerners will do. No
doubt, in the course of the fight aboard the ship, you knocked him down,
though from the look of your face you evidently don't remember the
matter. See here, Jim; let Tom go with you. I forgot that I have a
broken arm, and am more likely to delay you; but I'll telephone down to
the police headquarters in Colon, and put them on the watch. I suppose
you'll follow?"

Jim nodded promptly. "At once," he said with decision. "If I passed the
matter now, he would make a second attempt, and I don't much fancy that.
Sam's a splendid tracker, and if there's a mark he will be able to find
it. Then come along, boys. Ching, bring the lamp; perhaps there's
another we can have?"

It took but a few minutes to discover another lamp, then the party set
out. Meanwhile the diminutive Sam, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm,
had been moving swiftly about the house outside.

"Seen de footmarks, sah," he said, as Jim came out to join him, with Tom
and Ching in close attendance. "Look, sah: he come up to de house by
here, and hide under de veranda. Den he creep on to it. Dere de muddy
boots make a mark. He stand at de window and shoot bang right through.
Plenty more mark outside. Soon find de villain."

It had rained that evening, soon after the whistles had sounded for the
men to cease work, and, since this side of the isthmus gets more than a
fair share of wet weather, the ground is generally somewhat soft. In
fact, it was just the place a criminal should not have selected, for it
gave opportunities of tracking even to amateurs. But Sam was no amateur.

"When I live down south, often track de nigger," he explained to Ching;
whereat the lanky, thin Chinaman wagged his head, shaking his pigtail
from side to side.

"Ob course not so easy, not at all, siree," added Sam, an air of
importance about him. "Specially when dere so many mens about. But yo
see, yo China boy; me soon come up wid dis fellow, and den skin um
alive, cook um, see?"

He gritted his sharp teeth together, and in the lamplight looked
particularly fierce. Indeed the jolly little fellow seemed to be
transformed by the work so unexpectedly placed before him. He was
desperately serious now, and eager to proceed with the quest.

"By de poker, but yo talk a heap!" exclaimed Tom, taking the lamp from
Ching. "Now yo, Sam, yo get to work quick. Me help, but not jaw; time to
chatter when de man found."

"Den yo follow here. See dis! He shoot through de window and den run. He
jump from the veranda and come all ob a heap, so he did. Ha! Yo can see
dat, eh? Eben a big, fat nigger same as you, Tom, can see dat?"

Tom wisely ignored the remark. He followed Sam's indicating finger,
noticed that the dirt marks on the veranda were widely splayed out, as
from the feet of a man who was in a hurry, and again saw them, together
with a long, curling impression on the soil at the foot of the veranda,
showing where the criminal's feet had slipped. Nor was that all. One
could detect the spot where his hands had met the earth, together with a
deeper mark where the muzzle of the revolver he had used had buried
itself in the clay.

"Him sure enough, de blackguard!" growled Tom. "Now den."

Sam led them away from the house at a rattling pace, that caused Jim to
marvel. But the little fellow was no fool at the art of tracking, while
his eyes, usually so slothful in appearance, were now evidently very
sharp and observant. And if our hero thought at times that he was being
led on a wild-goose chase, Sam was always able to demonstrate that such
was not the case at all.

"Yo tink me not on de track?" he asked, after a while, when they paused
to gather their breath. "Well, den, see here. De same marks all de
while. Him run like a hare; him wonder if him followed. Soon we come to
de house where him hide. Den look out for fireworks. Him shoot like mad.
Sam know de sort ob fellow."

The mere suggestion caused our hero to stop and think a little. That a
dastardly attempt had been made to kill him he was now sure, and there
had crept into his memory, as he followed Sam, the incident aboard the
ship which seemed to have been the cause of this attempt on his life. He
recollected that a brutal-looking Spaniard, some forty years of age, had
rushed at him, and had been sent reeling backward. Then the man had
drawn a knife, and had come on again furiously. Jim now brought to his
mind his own behaviour. In the heat and turmoil of the contest, when it
seemed that the Spaniards would prove too strong for the captain's
party, and before the lusty Tom had put in an appearance, the man had
rushed furiously forward, and he (Jim) had met him with a terrible blow
of his fist. He had seen the ruffian fly backwards and tumble on his
back; then the arrival of Tom, and the forward movement of the whole
party had occupied all his thoughts, to the neglect of an incident which
seemed to be done with.

"And Sam thinks he'll shoot again. Shouldn't wonder," he said to
himself. "Still, there's no reason why I should funk following him. He
has to be apprehended, for otherwise he might try to shoot someone else
who had a hand in that fight. Get along, Sam," he called out cheerily.
"If there are fireworks we must deal with them. I'm game to tackle the
fellow again."

Tom looked round at him severely. "Yo's got to go extra careful, sah,
so yo hab," he said. "Dis fellow not care wheder yo white man; no, not
one little piece. He shoot yo down like a dog. Yo leab him to Tom."

"To a big hulking fellow like you! I like that," laughed Jim. "You'd
certainly be shot. You couldn't escape a bullet. But we'll see. If he's
to be found, we'll take him, however many bullets he may let off."

They pushed on again in wake of Sam, and followed the tracks at a
jog-trot. They led in the direction of Colon, and when near the
outskirts of the town, turned towards a hut lying to one side of the
road.

"Him dere fo shore," declared Sam, pointing. "You find him in de hut.
But mind what Sam say. Dis Spaniard not like to be taken. He shoot at
eberyone. Him blaze away widout looking to see who it am. Sah, better yo
stay away back here. Tom and Sam and Ching soon finish de hash of dat
ruffian."

It was comical and somewhat pathetic to watch their care of Jim, for Tom
and the Chinaman both joined with Sam in requesting our hero to remain
at a distance. But Jim was not the lad to shelter himself behind the
figures of such faithful fellows. Rather was he the one to place himself
in the van, to take all risks himself, so that those who obeyed his
orders should not be the ones to suffer. Besides, a leader should lead.

"Boys," he said, as if he had not heard them, "we'll surround that hut.
Tom at the front, Sam at the back, Ching on the far side, and I will
make for the window through which a light is shining. By the way, best
douse our lamps. They would show our position. And, another thing, if
that fellow rushes at us, or begins to fire, knock him down flat. Don't
be too easy with him. I've heard of these wild Spaniards before. Of
course they're not all the same as this one. Indeed, Mr. Barton tells me
that they are well-behaved as a rule. But this man seems to have a bee
in his bonnet, or he wouldn't think so much of that blow I gave him.
Anyway, if he rushes, knock him flat. Savvy?"

Ching grinned. The slothful-looking Chinaman enjoyed the thought of a
knockout blow, for this Oriental had been now so long resident in the
States of America that he had actually acquired some knowledge of the
art of boxing. He grinned widely, and began to wrap his swinging pigtail
about the top of his head. Sam's eyes bulged widely open; he looked
positively ferocious, and stared at the hut as if he wished the contest
had already begun. But Tom only laughed inaudibly, and rubbed the palms
of his big hands together.

"By de poker, but if him come up agin dat, him not know wheder him man
or monkey," he said, doubling an enormous fist. "Massa Jim, yo not tall
'nough to look in at de window. Better leave dat to Tom. Yo go to de
front; plenty chance of fightin' dere."

It was only another attempt of the big negro to place our hero out of
danger, and Jim promptly scouted the suggestion.

"You'll go to your stations right off," he commanded. "If I whistle, you
can come along and join me. The first thing to be done is to see if the
fellow is in there."

"Dat sartin; I know him dere. I ready to swear it," declared Sam.

"Then come along."

Without more ado Jim led the way, and presently, when they were within a
stone's throw of the hut, they separated, each to seek the position to
which he had been appointed. Jim himself stole on tiptoe towards the
window of the hut, and, having arrived at it, lifted his head inch by
inch, and, pulling off his cap, stared into the room. Then he bobbed
down again, and had circumstances permitted of it he would certainly
have whistled; for there were five men assembled in the hut, and one of
the number was undoubtedly the man for whom he and his friends had set
out, the one, in fact, who had that very evening attempted to kill him.
In a flash he recognized the ruffian. Then his eye ran swiftly round the
circle grouped about a rough plank table, on which bottles and glasses
were to be seen, and promptly the faces struck him as likenesses of
those he had observed the evening before on a slip presented to all
working on the canal. It was a police notification, and had been sent to
Phineas so that, in appointing European labourers, he might beware of
employing those whose portraits appeared. And Jim brought to memory the
words beneath the portraits.

"The police of the canal zone are in search of a number of men, amongst
them the above. It has come to their knowledge that a band of European
thieves has gathered in the neighbourhood, and several robberies of
Commission stores prove their arrival here. Any who recognize the above
should at once give notice of their whereabouts. From foreign official
sources we are informed that at least one of the men is a dangerous
criminal, wanted for acts of violence to the person."

"Phew!" Jim went hot all over. He recollected that Phineas had spoken to
him of these men, and had explained to him that it was not until after
their arrival on the isthmus that the police received a warning from
foreign parts.

"No doubt the fellows had made their last haunt too hot for them," he
explained, "so, hearing from their comrades that America had brought a
heap of valuable stores here, and that where there are workmen there
must also be, often enough, large sums of money with which to pay their
wages, these rogues came along to the isthmus, took posts with the gangs
of labourers, and then laid their plans to rob. One of our pay offices
was broken into and rifled a month ago. That put the police on the _qui
vive_. Then came a robbery at the far end of the canal. The culprits
were not discovered, but immediately afterwards the police received this
information from abroad, together with photographs."

"Which they publish here for the information of canal officials," said
Jim.

"Jest so," agreed Phineas. "And I suppose these rascals got to know that
their game was ended. Somehow they have means of their own of getting
information. Anyway, they disappeared, and weren't missed from amongst
the armies we employ. Reckon some of them got aboard that ship that you
and I took passage in. If that's so, they're back right here now,
waiting for another steamer."

If the whole truth had been known, the gang of desperadoes of whom the
Commission police had obtained information had indeed found the zone
already too hot for them. They were a band consisting sometimes of five
members, sometimes of more or less. And for a long while now their
attention had been particularly turned to ports near to the Gulf of
Mexico. Appearing to be but Spanish workmen, they escaped often enough
the attention of police officers, and had done so at Colon. There they
had contrived to burgle two of the pay offices, and, as Phineas had
rightly surmised, had sailed on the very steamer on which he and Jim had
taken passage. There, having come into contact with our hero, they had
met with a misfortune, which had brought them back to the isthmus.

"Just showing that it's here we're meant to do our work," had said the
leader of these rascals, a scowling individual boasting the name of
Jaime de Oteros, "See here, friends; the police of the zone are looking
for us amongst the labour gangs. We've dollars saved in plenty, and no
need to work; supposing we find some quiet place near at hand, and take
toll of another pay office."

"And first of all pay back the scores we owe," the rascal who had so
recently fired at Jim growled. "I've sworn to give back what I was given
aboard that ship, and since I believe the young pup who was so free with
his fists is staying on here, why, I'll finish him. Eh?"

His suggestion had met with the hearty approval of all. There was not a
man in the gang who would not do the same; for to these lawless fellows
a blow received demanded repayment. As to the risk, that was nothing.
They were accustomed to the feeling that their arrest was aimed at. If
theft could pass without actual discovery, then a shot in the night, and
the death of a white official, would equally escape detection.

"Five of them." Jim counted them off on his fingers as he again raised
his head. He squinted in through the corner of the window, and inspected
each one of the gang separately. And now he recognized them not alone
from the leaflet which he had seen, but from amongst the faces of the
Spaniards who had been aboard the steamer. Of an evening he had often
stood at the rail above and looked down into the waist of the vessel,
watching the dusky faces of the Spaniards, and scenting the rank odour
of the cigarettes they smoked. Features which then had made no great
impression on him, but which had, unconsciously as it were, been tucked
away within his memory, now struck him as familiar. Little by little he
recollected exactly where he had seen each man, and what he had been
doing, so that within the space of a few minutes he was sure that every
one of them had been aboard the steamer.

"And are now wanted by the police here," he thought, "while the fellow
sitting at the far end of the table is wanted more than them all, seeing
that he has attempted murder. But how to do it? There are five, and all
probably carry arms."

A second glance at the men persuaded him that there was little doubt on
the last matter; for the leader of these ruffians had placed his weapon
on the plank table before him, while a second was cleaning his revolver
with a piece of dirty rag. A third wore a belt, as could be clearly
seen, since he had discarded his coat, and carried both a revolver and a
huge knife attached to it.

"Ugly fellows to deal with, I guess," thought Jim. "The question is
this: ought we to attempt a rush? or ought we to set a watch on the
house and send for the police?"

Obviously, with only three to help him, the last suggestion was the one
to follow, and having pondered the matter for a little while Jim came to
a decision. Peeping in at the window again, he watched the men as they
rolled and lit cigarettes, or filled their glasses from the bottles on
the table, then he crept away to Sam, and with him went to join Tom. A
signal brought Ching to them promptly.

"Come away over here," said Jim softly. "I want to talk."

He led them into a thick belt of bush which had escaped the billhooks of
the Commission sanitary corps, for the reason that it stood on high
ground, and then came to a halt.

"Wall?" asked Tom, his face indistinguishable in the darkness, but his
tones eager. "He's right there, I reckon. He only wants taking?"

"He's there; but for the moment we can't easily take him. Listen here,"
said Jim. Then he explained that there were five men in the hut, and
that if he were right in his surmise, and his eyes had not misinformed
him, they were a gang of criminals of whom the police were in search.

"And all armed," he added. "I thought at first that we might rush them;
but even supposing they were not armed, one or more might escape. So I
guessed the best plan would be to send off for the police, while we
watch the place. Say, Sam, you could find the office in Colon?"

The little fellow nodded and gave a grunt of assent.

"Easy as cuttin' chips," he said. "What den?"

"Run there as fast as your legs will carry you, and tell them that we
have located the gang of men whose portraits they have been circulating
amongst the canal officials. Tell them of the attempt made to shoot me
to-night, and warn them to come along cautiously. Get right off. We'll
stand round the place till you come along."

Sam set down his lantern at once and disappeared in the darkness, making
hardly a sound as he went. Then Jim led the others back towards the hut.

"We'll take the same places," he said. "Of course, if they separate we
shall have to follow; but I rather think they live here. If that's so we
shall have them."

Waiting till both Tom and Ching had taken up their positions he crept
towards the hut, and, having reached the window, raised his head and
peeped in. None of the men had moved. The ruffian who had been handling
his revolver was still cleaning it with the dirty rag, while the man who
had come that evening to the house which Phineas occupied, and had
deliberately fired through the gauze window, was staring moodily at the
empty glass before him. The others were engaged in an eager
conversation, carried on in low tones. Jim put his ear as close as
possible, for though he knew only a few words of Spanish it was
possible that English was the language employed. Then he heard a sudden,
startled cry, and, looking in, saw that the rascal at whose arrest he
aimed had risen to his feet. The man was staring hard at the window, and
in a flash Jim realized that his own presence had been discovered. He
ducked swiftly, and as he did so there came the report of a pistol. An
instant later a bullet smashed the glass just overhead, smothering him
with debris. Then a babel of cries came from the hut, the door was
dragged open, and in a trice five men had thrown themselves upon him.




CHAPTER VII

The Lair of the Robbers


There are times in a man's life when he has no spare moments in which to
think, and this occasion may be said to have been one of those urgent
periods in that of our hero. For he had no time to do more than move a
yard from the window of the little hut located so close to Colon when
the door was flung open, and the five ruffians within burst from their
cover. Jim had hardly shaken the dust and debris of the shattered pane
of glass from his eyes when one of the men was on him. It was Jaime de
Oteros, the leader of the gang, a dark, forbidding-looking fellow, as
agile as a cat, and a desperado accustomed to scenes of violence.

"A spy! a spy!" he bellowed, catching sight of Jim; for the lamp within
the cottage cast its rays through the window and illumined his figure.
"Kill him! Down with him to the ground! Stamp on him!"

Quick as thought a blade flashed from his belt, and while Jim was still
almost blinded by the dust which was clinging to his eyes, the man
struck savagely at him. An instant later a sharp cry escaped from Jim's
lips, while he staggered back against the hut; for the dagger had
penetrated his left arm, high up near the shoulder.

"Wounded! This is serious. I am in a hole." The thoughts came to him
like a flash, while the urgency of the situation seemed to help to clear
his eyes. He could now see the villain who had attacked him quite
plainly, while, owing to his position close to the wall of the dwelling,
his own figure was in the dusk. And it was that fact alone which saved
his life; for had the rascal standing so close to him been sure of his
bearings that formidable blade would have descended again. Jim caught
the glint of the lamplight on it, and, stung by the pain in his shoulder
and by the danger of his position, he struck out fiercely with his
clenched fist, and as fortune would have it caught the rascal neatly
beneath the chin.

Crash! The man staggered backwards, breathing deeply, and a second later
cannoned into one of his comrades who was hurrying forward to support
him. He gave a low growl of rage, pulled himself together, and flung
himself on Jim again furiously.

"Dog of a spy! You struck me. Police or not, I will kill you."

There was a snarl in his tones, while the man's whole person bristled
with anger. But Jaime de Oteros was not the ruffian to miss a chance, or
spoil his own opportunities, because he was in a passion. Beneath his
smouldering rage the rascal kept a level head, and, watching Jim as well
as the darkness would allow him, threw himself forward with startling
swiftness. Bang! Crash! That terrible knife blade just missed its mark,
and passing over our hero's shoulder buried its point deeply in the
woodwork of the hut, so deeply, in fact, that Jaime had to pull hard to
release it. That effort again helped Jim; indeed it gave him an
opportunity he was quick to pounce upon. For out shot his right fist
again, and, striking square between the eyes, it sent Jaime hurtling
backwards.

"Keep off! I warn you that any further violence will lead to severe
punishment." Jim gasped the words, for the suddenness of the attack had
taken his breath away. But he was by no means cowed, and, being one of
those sharp, shrewd lads of which America is so justly proud, he
promptly decided to make use of the few seconds respite allowed by
Jaime's downfall. It was a case where force could not greatly avail him,
he told himself, as he stood at bay before the desperadoes, his back
close to the wall; but bluff might help him.

"I warn you," he said again. "Drop your knives and stand here against
the hut with your arms up. If not, I'll whistle to my men to shoot.
Yes," he said sternly, "my men, you are surrounded. Jaime de Oteros, the
game is up."

As if to support his statement there came a call at that instant, while
men could be heard hurrying towards the scene of the conflict. As for
the band of rascals, Jaime had, to be sure, been the first to encounter
Jim, but his comrades had been quick to support him. They would have
thrown themselves on the young fellow before this had there been space;
but the hut protected him in rear, while Jaime's swinging limbs kept
them at a distance in other directions. The lamp within the hut threw
its sickly beams on the figures of the rascals, showing their features
plainly, and letting Jim recognize at once the ruffian who had, earlier
on in the evening, fired at him so deliberately.

"Come, hands up!" he repeated sharply. "The man who is found with arms
on him when my men come on the scene will wish that he had never seen
us."

"Massa Jim, Massa Jim! what dat happenin'?" came through the darkness at
this moment. "I heard shots; dere was shoutin'. What fo, I want to
know?"

"It's that nigger of his," suddenly exclaimed one of the ruffians,
hearing Tom. "It's a blind, a big bluff! Down with him! Gee! Stand
aside, and see me shoot him!"

Shouts came from all five now, and as if by common impulse they cast
themselves in Jim's direction. And if he had remained in his old
position there is little doubt but that the gang would quickly have
crushed the life out of his body; but Jim was fully alive on this
eventful night. There was no drowsiness about him, as may be imagined,
seeing the danger in which he stood. The lamplight showed him the
staring faces of the villains in front of him, and their changing
expressions immediately after Tom had called. He saw their hands dive
down for knife or revolver, and quick as thought he darted to one side;
but, quick as he was, one of the gang was too swift for him. A hand fell
on his shoulder, fingers closed on his coat, while the ruffian made
frantic efforts to detain him.

"He is here! Here!" he shouted. "I have the slippery dog! Quick, one of
you, slit his throat, and have done with it!"

"Take that! Back with you! Tom, Tom!" Jim shouted for the negro, and a
second later struck at the rascal with both fists, sending him
staggering backwards; but the blows, sturdy and strong though they
were, could not keep off the other desperadoes. They closed round our
hero in an instant, and there began at once a conflict the severity of
which can hardly be described. The sallow rascal, who had so
deliberately attempted to murder him that same night, thrust his
comrades aside in his own anxiety to complete the work in which he had
so signally failed, and, raising his arm, fired his revolver at
point-blank range. However, close shots are not always the ones to kill.
The struggling men at the rascal's elbow disturbed his aim, while the
bullet buried itself harmlessly in the wall of the tumbledown dwelling
close to which the conflict was taking place. Then Jim did a clever
thing. He had dodged swiftly to avoid the shot; but an instant later he
darted forward, swung his right fist into the villain's ribs with such
force that the breath was driven out of his body, and immediately
afterwards wrenched the smoking weapon from his hand. It was his turn
now, and right well he took advantage of the opportunity.

"Hands up!" he commanded again, levelling the muzzle at Jaime de
Oteros's head. "Hands up instantly!"

They fell back from him as if he were infected with the plague, and the
same uncertain, flickering lamplight which had helped our hero before
now showed hesitation in their scowling faces; but it was only for the
moment. Let it be remembered that this gang was composed of men who had
been in many a scuffle and come out of them successfully, that one and
all were unscrupulous, and would as soon and as easily kill a man as
take the life of a fly. Was it wonderful that, seeing one youth alone
opposed to them, they regained some measure of courage? Jaime's lips
receded from his teeth in an ugly snarl, and, as if shot from a gun, he
darted at Jim, ducked beneath the levelled muzzle, and closed with him.

"Now you shall pay with your life, dog of a policeman!" he growled.
"This to end our quarrel."

He gripped Jim's right arm as if with a vice, pushing it upward. Then
the fingers of his left hand fell upon his chin and forced it backwards.

"Strike with your knife! Strike, fool!" he shouted to one of his
comrades. "He is helpless."

And helpless, in fact, Jim was, for a second villain had gripped him
from behind. He was just like a sheep held for the slaughter, and though
he struggled frantically he could make no impression on those who held
him; but Tom could. The lusty negro was not the one to be frightened by
a gang of double the strength, and coming upon the scene at this moment
he fell upon the men with the ferocity of a tiger. His first charge
scattered them, setting Jim free; then a dive to one side allowed him to
grip one of the rascals. In a trice he had him swinging at his full
arm's length above his head.

"By de poker, but dis fun!" he shouted, waving the man to and fro as if
he were merely a package. "Yo's tried to kill Massa Jim, heh? Yo go dere
den." He swished round as if he were poised on a pivot, his arms went
back, and in an instant he had thrown his burden against the wall of the
hut. That done, he dashed forward on the heels of Jim, and helped the
latter to secure Jaime de Oteros. As for the others, they melted away
into the darkness, and the last that was heard of them was the sound of
their quickly moving feet. But Ching reported that he had encountered
one of the rascals. Indeed, a minute later he came into the narrow
circle of light dragging one of the wretches with him, and giggling with
suppressed amusement.

"Him not see Ching," he explained with a guffaw. "Him comee runnin' ever
so fast. But Ching knowe him not a good man, and send him silly wid a
blow from dis stick. Oh, him hab a velly bad head to-mollow. Him so
velly solly him meet Ching."

"And him sorrier still when him come before de police bosses," exclaimed
Tom, gripping the arm of the leader of the gang so firmly that the man
howled. "What fo you make that to-do?" asked Tom, shaking Jaime as if he
were a rat. "Yo no cause to complain. Me hold yo tight, eh? Me hold yo
tighter still if yo not stop dat blather. By de poker, but dis fine,
Massa Jim! We've caught jest three of de ruffians, and see dem hanged,
strung up by de neck, dance tattoo in de air. Eh? Dat good for rascals."

Again he shook the unfortunate Jaime till the ruffian's teeth chattered
together, while the man was unable to retain his feet. That he was cowed
by the size and strength of his captor there was no doubt, for he made
no effort to retaliate or to escape. Instead, he hung listless, his
knife fallen at his feet, his left hand clutching at the fingers which
compressed his other arm with such painful tenacity.

"Put him there in the hut," said Jim, beginning now to breathe a little
more easily. "Ching, take your captive in too. Tom will watch him; if
they attempt an escape----"

[Illustration: JIM IN A TIGHT CORNER]

"Ha, ha! I like to see dat," cried the lusty negro, lifting Jaime from
his feet as if he were a child and beginning to carry him within the
hut. "By de poker, but I hope him will try to 'scape. Den yo see; Tom
smash um into a jelly. Tom make mincemeat of dis bag ob bones. Yo see;
Tom lob to kill um."

He swung the ruffian round till their faces were close together, and,
bending closer, bared his teeth and glared at the unfortunate fellow
till Jaime recoiled; for, when he liked, Tom could adopt the expression
of a demon.

"There; see him safely in the hut, and watch the two of them," cried
Jim, smiling even at such a moment, for he could not help but contrast
Tom's unusual exhibition of ferocity with his usual self. It was an
eye-opener even to him to see this mild-mannered negro so transformed;
and Jim, knowing the faithful fellow so well, realized that all his
anger and ferocity were assumed.

"Just to scare the ruffian," he thought, "and very thoroughly he has
done it, I guess. Now, let's see this other fellow."

He and Ching between them rolled the man whom Tom had cast against the
hut on to his back, and then carried him within the dwelling, where the
lamp gave them an opportunity of inspecting him.

"Bad luck!" cried Jim at once. "Neither of our prisoners is the one I
wished above all to capture. Still, we have accounted for three, and the
police will deal with the others. How long will it take them to arrive?"

"Anoder hour, sah," came from Tom immediately. "Me know de road. Dey
here about den. But no need to worry; dese blackguard son ob guns not
try any little game. Tom make himself happy."

To prove his coolness he dragged a pipe from his coat, filled it with
loose chippings which he carried in a pocket, and, stepping to the lamp,
held the bowl of the pipe over the flame. Then he puffed big clouds of
smoke into the air contained within the hovel, which, to be sure,
already reeked with the nauseous fumes of the cigarettes the gang of
ruffians had been smoking. Later Tom sat himself comfortably in a chair,
crossed one leg over the other, folded his arms, and regarded his
prisoners with an air of severity which caused them to cower, though
Jim, looking up at him, could distinguish the old twinkle in the negro's
eyes.

"By lummy! But s'pose we not wait fo de police," suggested Tom, removing
his pipe from his capacious mouth, and baring his fine white teeth in
the process. He leered at the two cowering men, and then looked round at
our hero. "S'pose save de time and labour ob de police, sah. Hang um
now. Plenty room in here, and dat beam jest in nice position. Gee! Fine
ting to watch dis scum dance de tatoo in de air. S'pose we get to wid
it."

There was an amiable smile on his lips now. He popped the pipe back
between his teeth, causing the latter to fasten upon the stem with a
click, and stared up at the blackened roof of the cottage. "Him bear de
weight ob both together, sah," he laughed. "But not be too fast. One at
time plenty much, so as have heap to laugh at. I'm gwine ter commence
wid dis blackguard."

He glowered upon Jaime de Oteros, the hardened villain who had led the
gang, and who, if the information of the Commission police were correct,
had more than once robbed his victims with unusual violence. "Him
biggest of de blackguards," said Tom reflectively. "Him gwine ter dance
on air fust of de lot."

He rose from his seat, laid his pipe on the table, and approached his
prisoner. And Jaime shrunk before him. From being a well-nurtured man, a
rascal who, by means of his depredations had been enabled to live on the
fat of the land and batten on other people's riches, the wretch, when
punishment faced him, shrivelled visibly, till his very stature seemed
to be dwarfed, his cheeks shrunken and hollow, and his rounded limbs but
half their former size. He grovelled upon the floor, whining for mercy.

"Stop!" cried Jim at once, thinking that Tom's fun had gone far enough.
"We will wait for the police, and let them do as they like. But it jest
about shows you the cravens these fellows are. Under the same sort of
circumstances this Jaime would not hesitate to bully his prisoners, I
guess; even to hang them outright. However, it is not our job to give
punishment; we'll leave that to the judges. Sit down and watch them."

"Watch dem! By lummy! but dat not necessary; not at all, sah," came the
answer from the negro. "Yo dere, yo blackguard. Yo go very careful, or
Tom do as him say, massa or no massa. Yo sabbey?"

He scowled at his prisoners till they crouched still lower, and then,
turning to Jim, leered again at him, cocking one eye wide open, while
the other closed. He was actually grinning, but the next instant, when
he reseated himself, and again pulled at his pipe, the eyes which
regarded the rascals cowering against the wall were savage.

"Now," said Jim, "lend a hand here, Ching. This fellow is badly knocked
about. Bruised all over and stunned I should say: not dead."

The Chinaman wrapped his pigtail round his head, and secured it in
position with a pointed piece of stick which he carried about his person
for that very purpose. Then he bent over the man whom Tom had dealt so
harshly with, and, chuckling all the while, proceeded to examine him
minutely.

"Not one little bone ob him brokee, sah," he said. "But plenty fine
upset. Got de headachee velly badly. To-mollow, when him wake up, oh him
so velly ill. Him groan ever so much. Him giddy and velly sick, and him
wish eber so much him neber been a rascal, and neber met dat great big
nigger dere. Him tink him one big black debil. Him hate Tom."

"He! he! he! Ho! ho! ho!" came in uproarious tones from the huge negro
seated at the table, smoking so comfortably. Then Tom suddenly became
very serious.

"Yo Chinee boy," he cried, "yo son ob yellow gun, yo listen here. Tom
not like serve a man same as dat always. Him very gentle as a rule. But,
by de poker, when a villain try to shoot and cut de throat of Massa Jim,
den time to do tings! Not time to talk. Dat come afterwards. De man dere
sorry in course dat he met me; but dat altogether his fault, I guess.
He shouldn't hab laid a hand on de young massa. Now yo dere, in de
corner, what yo squintin' outer de door for? You tink get away. By de
poker, show you dat! Beat you into squash and jelly!"

He switched the conversation round to his prisoner, for Jaime was
staring out through the door of the hut, as if he had intentions of
making a dash for liberty. But Tom's voice brought him to his senses.
The man--a Spaniard by his appearance, but one evidently long departed
from his own country, and well able to speak and understand
English--shrivelled up into his corner, while into his black, beady eyes
there came a hopeless expression, the expression to be met with on the
face of a condemned criminal who knows he is past relief. It seemed
evident, too, that Jaime was in that position, for a little while after,
while Jim was bathing the face of the man who lay unconscious on the
floor, a force of Colon police arrived, and quickly took affairs into
their own hands. A smart officer entered the hut without ceremony.

"Huh!" he exclaimed, when he had taken a swift glance round. "The
watchin' ended in a ruction, that's evident. Who's that?"

He stepped to the table, leaned both hands on it, and stared into the
corner where the prisoners cowered. Tom coolly removed his pipe from
between his lips, nodded to the officer, and then turned on Jaime.

"Dat?" he asked, pointing with the stem of his pipe. "Oh, dat a very
brave prisoner dat try to kill Massa Jim, and now very sorry! Stand up
dere, yo in de corner. Stand up, or, by lummy, Tom want to know what fo!

"Now den," continued Tom, when the wretch had risen to his feet,
shivering with fright. "Who am yo?"

"That don't matter one single brass pin ter me," ejaculated the officer
suddenly, his colour heightening, his voice taking on a tone of
exultation. "Reckon it's my business to know who every criminal is.
Jaime de Oteros, you're badly wanted. Guess there's a score of charges
up against you. Boys, jest come in here."

He put his fingers to his lips and sent forth a shrill whistle, which
instantly brought a couple of policemen into the hut.

"Handcuffs for 'em both," said the officer shortly. "Search 'em for
weapons. Now then, siree?"

He turned on Jim serenely, and extended a hand. "Tell me all about it.
Of course the darkie you sent along got to work and poured a whole heap
of stuff into my ear as we ran here. Guess I know who you are, where you
come from, and the very first day you ever had measles. There ain't many
young chaps around same as Massa Jim."

There was a broad smile on his face, and the grip he gave our hero was
unusually cordial. "Gee!" he went on; "a real good coloured servant is a
thing to be proud of. Reckon you've two. You're jest about lucky. Those
boys think all the world of you, and I've been too long amongst them not
to have learned that there's always a good reason when things are like
that. You've got to be extra good and plucky and all that. But let's get
to business. What happened?"

Jim told him abruptly. "It was precious near a case with me," he smiled.
"This fellow Jaime did his best to kill me. That's a reminder; he stuck
his knife through my shoulder."

Strange to say he had forgotten the matter, and till now had had but
little pain. But now he recollected, and, slipping off his jacket,
exposed his arm high up near the shoulder. The officer at once inspected
the wound, while Tom, and Sam, who had now arrived upon the scene, bent
over him anxiously.

"Not enough to stop you enjoying a single meal," declared the officer.
"Little more than skin deep, and made by a knife that had cleaned itself
as it passed through your clothing. A dressing put there right away will
fix the matter for good. Thomas," he sang out. Then, as another man
appeared, dressed in Commission uniform: "see here, my lad, we want that
first-aid case of yours. Get to work at this gentleman's shoulder. Now,
sir," he went on, "you can continue the tale while Thomas is busy. These
fellows tried to murder you. You had surrounded the place, I understand,
and had sent Sam there back into Colon. Wall, now, what next?"

In a few words Jim described how one of the rascals had detected him as
he looked in through the window. How the ruffian, the same who had fired
at him earlier in the evening, had again narrowly missed striking him
with a bullet, and how the whole five had then thrown themselves on him.

"Here's the result of it all," he ended. "I should have been killed but
for Tom. But he arrived just in the nick of time. We took three
prisoners between us; two have managed to get away."

"And that man who fired at you?" asked the officer.

"He is one of the two escaped."

"Then there's a chase before us. You'll come right along to the office,
sir, where we can talk matters over. Wait while I see these rascals
handcuffed to my men. But let me congratulate you and your men, sir. You
did as well as any police could have done, and you showed no end of
pluck. Boys, get to with those prisoners. Four of you can carry the man
who's insensible. Two each to the others will be enough. Bring 'em
along, boys. This is a fine evening for the police of Colon."

That the capture of three of these notorious ruffians was indeed a
matter for congratulation was brought still more forcibly to Jim's mind
some little time later; for, having trudged into Colon, the whole party
entered the offices of the Police Commissioner there, and came face to
face with that gentleman. He had been hurriedly aroused, and had at once
turned out of his bed to learn what had happened. His eyes lit up with a
smile as the officer who had gone to the scene of the capture introduced
Jim.

"Very glad to meet you, sir," said the Commissioner. "Now tell me all
about it. This, of course, will be only a preliminary enquiry; I shall
remand the prisoners to the cells, and their case will be taken later.
Then, of course, I shall require your evidence, and that of your men.
Please state who you are?"

"James Partington, sir; from New York."

"Lately arrived, eh?"

"No, sir. Been cruising in the Caribbean with a salvage plant. Then took
a passage to New York. There was a collision, and a number of Spaniards
aboard the ship fought for the boats. I--er--I helped the----"

"Pardon, I recollect. Shake hands, sir."

The officer leaned over his desk and gripped Jim's fingers, while a most
friendly smile played across his lips. "Of course, I recollect," he
said. "The matter was published in the paper. Seen the article?"

Jim shook his head. "I haven't had much time," he said. "There have been
so many things to do since I arrived in the zone."

"Then your ears will burn, my lad. The man who wrote that account put
the plain truth forward. He had interviewed the captain and his men. Mr.
James Partington seems to have been the hero of the occasion."

He laughed outright, seeing Jim flush to the roots of his hair, and then
became serious again.

"There, forgive my chaff," he said. "But you behaved handsomely, Mr.
Partington. Now tell me how this other matter cropped up."

Jim told him in as few words as possible. "You see," he said lamely, "I
couldn't very well help myself. I stayed on in the zone, and Mr. Phineas
B. Barton promised to obtain work for me. I had a turn with one of the
steam diggers, and it was arranged that I should be appointed to work
one. I went back to Mr. Barton's quarters this evening----"

"Last night, you mean," interrupted the officer with a smile. "It is now
2.30 in the morning."

Jim was startled. The hours had simply flown, and he could hardly
realize that so much time had elapsed since he set off from his
quarters. "I had no idea," he murmured. "But yesterday evening, to be
accurate, I was sitting in the parlour with Mr. Barton when a man shot
at me through the gauze window."

"At you? How do you know that?" The question came like a pistol shot.

"I guess it. I am not absolutely sure. I may be wrong, but you will hear
my reasons. We set out in pursuit. Sam there," and he nodded to the
little negro who was following the interrogation with shining eyes and
wide-open ears--"Sam tracked the fellow. He took us to a hut in which a
light was burning. We surrounded it. I went to the window, and
recognized one of the men as a Spaniard who had been aboard the ship,
and whom I had knocked down in the fight. He had, apparently, just
joined his fellows. There were five in all."

"Points to his being the man who shot at you, and to you being the one
at whom he fired. To-morrow we'll settle it. Sam there will follow the
tracks if he can."

It was amusing to see the little negro's eyes open wide. There was an
expression almost of a feeling of injury about them.

"What dat, sah?" he demanded. "Sam not able to follow track? I like dat,
I do. Sam start tracking when him so high." And he placed a hand a
couple of feet from the floor, much to the amusement of all. "Sam larn
to track way down in de south. Dat rubbish villain leave heap of mark.
Plenty soft ground. To-morrow--to-day, sah, I tink, 'cos it's past
midnight--to-day Sam pick up de mark and tell you plenty quick who it am
and what happened."

"Then that'll fix the matter. What next?" asked the officer.

"I recognized one of the gang as a man whose photograph had been
published; in fact, I recognized them all. I remembered the name, Jaime
de Oteros. Then I reckoned we had made a find and that you would like to
hear. I sent Sam away, and--and there you are."

"Pardon, there we are certainly not yet awhile. I was asleep at the
time. Kindly proceed, sir."

Jim answered the officer's encouraging smile by giving him an account of
the fight, while the eager Tom burst in with an interruption from time
to time.

"Me wanted to hang um quick," he explained. "But Massa Jim angry, scowl
at Tom, say tings beneath him breath."

It was pure invention; Jim swung round upon the negro with flashing
eyes. But who could be angry with Tom? The fellow's face was wreathed in
smiles. His merry features were divided by a wide seven-foot rift,
extending from ear to ear, and displayed a double set of teeth which
would have been a paying advertisement for a dentist.

"The long and the short of it is this, sir," said the officer. "You and
your very eager friends have done the police a great service, for which
we are deeply grateful. Now, I will take formal evidence of identity,
and send the prisoners to the cells. I advise that you all go back to
your quarters by a roundabout route, so as not to spoil tracks. I will
send a couple of men to the hut to keep people away. At eight o'clock I
will call upon you, when we will go into the question of the tracks and
discuss what is to be done. The escape of those two rascals means a
chase. We cannot afford to lose them now that we have captured three."

He leaned over and shook hands with Jim. Then, with a pleasant nod, he
banished the party to bed. Taking the lamp, Sam lit it and led the way,
and very soon they were back at their quarters, there to meet with
Phineas's eager questions. At eight o'clock that morning, when Jim
imagined that he had hardly enjoyed half an hour's sleep, the Police
Commissioner appeared, and very soon it became evident that the canal
works would not see our hero yet awhile. In fact, there was another
adventure before him.

"We're going to follow those rascals," said the officer. "I'd like you
to come along, for you can recognize them. Of course it'll be dangerous.
The fellows are armed; I'm not disguising that from you. Are you game to
come?"

Was Jim game? He laughed at the officer's caution.

"See here, sir," he said with a smile, "guess I'm not one of the police,
and thief catching isn't in my work, but I've a personal stake here. If
this man ain't apprehended I stand to be shot at any time. Besides,
every American citizen wants to help the police. It's a duty; of course
I'm game."




CHAPTER VIII

In Hot Pursuit


"From information received, a small steam launch put out from the Bay of
Limon at the first streak of dawn, and steamed towards the east," said
Major Pelton, the police officer who had interrogated Jim at night,
putting on his most official voice for the occasion. "It was not hired;
it was seized by a couple of men. They found the boat lying alongside
the staging, ready to take a party out to a hulk we have lying off the
coast. They stole her."

"Proof positive that they are the men we are after," ventured Jim,
throwing himself back in the well of the little motor launch in which he
and his comrades found themselves.

"It's sartin'," came from Sam, his eyes shining brightly, as was usual
when he was at all excited.

"Precisely; proof positive, as you say. The useful Sam tracked the man's
steps to your quarters from that hut. Then back again, and finally,
after a detour in some scrub, where no doubt he remained hidden with his
comrade, straight down to Port Limon. We are on the right track; but it
will be difficult to adhere to it."

The officer glanced round at the occupants of the launch, and found
little to encourage him. True, provided his party could come up with
the escaped criminals, it was highly probable that they would be taken;
for the handsome launch with which the American Canal Commission had
provided its Colon people carried, besides the officer and Jim, three
members of the Colon police force, fully armed, as well as Tom, Sam, and
Ching.

"You had better bring them all along," the Major had said, when
discussing the matter. "Tom is a lusty fellow, and evidently full of
pluck, while Sam is a first-class tracker. Some of those negroes one
gets from the southern States are extremely quick and skilful, and he is
amongst them. Ching, you say, is a good cook."

"Cookee fo ebelybody, sah; make de stew, boil de kettle. Plenty good
cookee Ching makee," had been the response of the wily Chinee when he
heard of the proposition.

So it turned out that all the friends were together again, armed with
rifles on this occasion, and aboard a fine motor launch.

"Thirty horse-power, gasolene motor," explained the Major. "There's not
another craft in these waters which can outstrip her. In fact, if only
we can trace those ruffians, we shall have them nicely. Now, sir, you've
had to do with motors; can you manage for us?"

Fortunately a gasolene motor was one of those things which had always
attracted our hero from the first moment he had been able to comprehend
its action; and it chanced, seeing that much of his time had been spent
in seaports, or closely adjacent thereto, he had had many opportunities
of studying the marine variety. Immediately he put foot aboard this
launch he had stooped over the half-covered-in engine, and had examined
it with a friendly and observant eye.

"Yes," he responded instantly, his eye brightening; "yes, Major, I can
run her, I guess. Thirty horse-power! I reckon we shall move along
quick. What about gasolene store?"

"Ample aboard. Her tanks are full; I saw to that at the first moment.
She has been handed over to us fully equipped, with rations aboard
sufficient for a week. I had only to collect men and ammunition. Now,
sir."

Jim had already started his engine, and at the word he pushed over his
gear lever, retarded the engine a little, and sent the boat gently
heading out to sea.

"Due east," said the Major.

"Due east it is, sir," responded Jim promptly.

"And run up alongside any boat you may see in our course. We must make
every enquiry."

It was a sensible plan to pursue, for all that the party was sure of was
the fact that the miscreants they were in search of had steamed out to
sea from the Bay of Limon, and had taken an easterly course. Beyond that
fact there was nothing to direct them. Nor were they fortunate in
obtaining information till late that afternoon, when they sighted a
coaster lazily sailing parallel with the low-lying, muddy shore.

"Have I seed anything of a steam launch hereabouts?" repeated the
skipper, a typical Yankee, waddling to the rail of his boat as the
launch came alongside. "See here, siree, I observed a launch jest sich
as you ask fer steaming easy along the coast twenty mile back of this.
She was kinder heading in to find a port. There's lagoons way long
there, and, mebbe she's got right into one of 'em. You don't happen to
be wantin' the folks aboard?"

He cocked his eye in a knowing wink, and regarded the uniform of the
policeman.

"I reckon not," he continued garrulously. "But ef you was--only ef you
actually was wantin' 'em--why, I'd get peepin' in at every little hollow
with that 'ere queer craft of yourn. Say, what are she? Gasolene?"

The Major nodded. "Thirty horse-power," he said. "Runs well."

"Jest a daisy! Wish I was aboard her instead of this old scow. But I'm
too old fer the game. Slow and steady's my motto. Goody to yer."

He helped to push the launch away from the side of his vessel with a
long pole, and then stood watching her as she went away through the
water, leaving a long, white trail behind her. As for Jim and his
friends, they ran in closer to the shore, and, since the light would
soon be failing, speeded up their engine and pushed ahead at a pace
which was decidedly smart.

"Six or seven knots faster than the steam launch can make," said the
Major. "If only we can sight the spot where they have put in before
darkness comes, we ought to make short work of them to-morrow. In any
case we must discover some sort of haven in which to lie to-night."

But, search as they might, it was already dusk before Tom's sharp eyes
hit upon an opening on the flat, dismal coast.

"Fresh water come down dere," he cried, after a while, staring
coastward. "Water blue and clean, not same as dis hereabouts. By lummy,
but dere a riber in dere, where we can lie fo to-night. Den boil de
kettle, cook de meal, hab little sing-song."

"I don't think so," exclaimed Jim at once. "If we make a port there'll
be no singing, especially from a noisy fellow such as you are. But I
believe he's right, Major; the water does seem clearer here. Probably a
stream running into the sea."

"Then we'll explore. We can't venture farther along in any case, and it
will be dark even now before we enter unless we hurry. Push her along,
my lad; but go easy as we get close in."

Thanks to the fact that the gasolene launch drew but a couple of feet of
water, there was no need for extreme caution; and, besides, the coast
thereabouts was practically free of rocks. Still, there was mud, mud in
abundance, and were the launch to run hard upon it she would stick in
that position, so arresting further pursuit.

"Easy now!" commanded the Major, after a while, when the land was close
at hand, and a thick fringe of tropical vegetation within close range.
"There's the river entrance; narrow enough in all conscience. Take her
along to the centre, Jim, and be ready to reverse if I give the order."

He went clambering along past his men till he sat right forward, the
diminutive Sam joining him there, as if he thought he needed help. In
fact, but for the little fellow's sharp eyes they would certainly have
brought the expedition to an abrupt conclusion, for a huge sunken tree
blocked a goodly portion of the river channel just at its exit into the
sea.

"Hold dere!" shouted Sam, raising both hands. "Back um! Yo see dat snag
down dar, sah? Him rip de bottom out ob us quick as noting. Break um up,
send de boat to Davy Jones, and all ob us to the sharks or crocodiles.
Back um, Massa Jim!"

"He's right! I can see it now--a huge tree," sang out the Major. "That's
very awkward. Seems to prove that we are on the wrong track."

"'Spose yo gib Sam de painter, den swim or wade ashore. Easy pull de
launch right up to de tree, den see wheder we can get past um. If too
much in de way, den put Tom oberboard. Him lift de tree away. If
crocodile dere, no matter; Tom very good to eat."

The little man grinned at the big negro, while the latter shook an
enormous fist at him, and bared his teeth in just that same manner as
had had such effect upon Jaime de Oteros. But Sam recked little of the
signal.

"Yo one big, hulkin' nigger, yo," he grinned. "Yo eat wonderful nice and
tasty."

Meanwhile Jim had been careful to reverse his engine, and lay with his
machinery out of gear, awaiting further orders.

"Steady ahead! just a few revolutions!" commanded the Major. "Enough!
That has brought us right up to the tree. Now, can one pass by it?"

The dusk was already falling outside, while here, beneath the trees
which clung in luxuriant profusion to the banks on either side of the
entrance to the river, it was already so dark that a white man was
troubled. Neither the Major, nor Jim, nor the policemen, could detect
much of their surroundings, but in the case of Sam it might have been
brilliant daytime. He peered over the edge of the launch, then flopped
full length on to the tiny deck she carried forward, and, pushing
himself over the side, finally gripped the tree with one hand, his
weight suspended between the latter and the launch. A startled cry came
from him, a cry which brought Tom labouring up beside him.

"Yo hurt yoself?" he demanded abruptly. "Hi, yo, Sam, what de matter?"

"Massa Jim, we got um! We bottled dem men up fine and safe. Dey good as
hanged. Dey jest as well might be dancin' on thin air at dis very
instant."

Sam ignored the huge negro--in fact ignored everyone aboard save Jim--in
his anxiety to make a report direct to his master. "Yo see here," he
called out, turning slightly so as to be able to look aft, and still
clinging half to the launch and half to the fallen tree. "Yo come along
and look fo yoself. Tom, yo great big elephant, yo git along to one
side. There ain't no sorter room for a person when yo's hereabouts."

There was an air of suppressed excitement about the little fellow which
caused Jim to leave his engine and hasten forward.

"Well?" he demanded curiously. "You've found something? What is it?"

"Reckon dem 'ere blackguard run in here full tilt, I do. Dey come whop
up agin de tree, and precious nigh upset. Dere's a dent right here big
enough to put de hand in. Stop a minute. Sam soon say if dey passed."

Without waiting for his master, he slipped into the water, to discover
it deep enough almost to submerge him. But Sam was more like a fish
than anything. He struck out for the tree, reached it, and clambered
down towards that portion which seemed to have sunk deepest. In the
gloom they saw him stretching out a hand to the opposite bank. He
gripped a branch hanging conveniently overhead, and then swung in the
water.

"Dey come right along plump in here," he sang out "Den dey sheer off,
and steam in alongside. Jest room enough. See here, Massa Jim, plenty
space to swing de legs. Plenty room to float de launch; but I make extry
sure. Yo see in one little bit."

They heard him splash down into the stream, while there came to their
ears the swish of the branch suddenly relieved of his weight. Then the
fitful rays played upon the splashes as the negro breasted the water and
swam upstream. Presently the swish of his strokes ceased, and his voice
was heard again, some little distance inland.

"Yo kin jest steer to de right ob dat stump, yo can, Massa Jim. Plenty
water. Reckon dem scum come along right in here. We hab um. Dere big
lagoon way along a little furder."

Thus it proved when the party had forced the boat past the obstruction
guarding the river exit. Jim pushed his lever over a very little, and
sent his propeller whirling just for so long as would give the launch
way against the sluggish stream. As he did so Tom leaned his ponderous
figure over the stem, causing it to dip violently, and, gripping the
tree, directed the boat into clear water. A few more revolutions sent
the launch through, and in time brought her abreast of Sam. They found
the little fellow poised on a branch overhanging the water, for all the
world as if he were a monkey, and from that position he dropped like a
cat on to the deck of the launch.

"What's this about a lagoon?" asked the Major eagerly. "You couldn't see
it, surely?"

Sam made no answer for the moment. He took the officer's hand and led
him right forward. Then, while Tom clung to a branch to steady the
vessel, his smaller comrade bade the Major lie on the deck.

"Not see um if stand up," he explained. "Dem leaves and branches in de
way; but Sam see um when he swim. Easy as talkin'. Dere's a young moon
to-night, and now that we's right under de trees it's easy 'nough to
look out into de open. Dere: ain't dat a lagoon? Gee! Ef I don't tink
so!"

It was laughable to watch his eagerness, while Sam's curious language,
often enough sprinkled with long and difficult words, of the meaning of
which he had not the remotest idea, was sufficient to make anyone not
morose by nature die of laughing. But in any case he had made no
mistake. As the Major stooped, so getting beneath the line of
overhanging trees and branches, he saw as if from a tunnel a
widespreading space filled by water, on the rippling surface of which
the moonbeams played. Here and there a patch of rushes reared their
heads into the air, while the far distance was hidden behind a cloudy,
wet mist which smothered everything.

"And you are sure that those rascals are here?" he asked.

"Sure! Guess so, boss. Dere ain't no room for a mistake. Dem critters
comed right in here. I see dere marks on de tree trunk, and den on the
bank ob de stream. Dey stepped ashore, I tink, just where we are, den go
aboard agin. Dey here; Sam sure as eggs."

"Then, if there is no other exit from the lagoon, we have got them!"
came the exultant answer. "We have only to bar the stream, and then set
out in search; for, after all, none but a madman would leave the lagoon
for the forest. Just hereabouts it is intensely thick, to say nothing of
the fever which haunts it. Then, too, savage natives are known to exist,
though some of them are friendly. I think, Jim, that we may almost say
that we have them. What luck to have pitched upon the very spot they
made for!"

"Let us suppose then that they are here, sir," said Jim thoughtfully, as
he cut his engine down till it did little more than just turn round.
"What is the next movement? To try and find them in that lagoon would be
to set oneself the task of discovering a needle in a haystack. There is
no chance, even with a bright moon, unless they happened to steam out
into the centre. It seems to me that for to-night at least we have come
to the end of our efforts."

"Quite so; I agree. We'll haul in somewhere and tie up. We shall all be
glad of food and drink. Now, where is a likely place?"

"Right here, I should say," declared Jim briskly. "In the first place,
we're in a sort of tunnel, which, therefore, is not easy to discover.
Then we lie right in the track those men would take if they were making
out to sea. In fact, it's a blockade; we've bottled them so long as we
occupy this channel."

It was not a matter which admitted of discussion, seeing that the
suggestion was so full of common sense. The Major swiftly realized that
fact, and promptly agreed to act upon it.

"Couldn't do better," he said. "Now, see here, boys, we've got to take
some precautions. In the first place, we want food cooked, and that
means lighting a fire; for no cooking can be done aboard this craft. It
wouldn't be safe with our tanks filled with gasolene. Suppose we pitch
our camp right away in amongst the trees, where a fire couldn't be
easily seen; then we'll tie the launch up right across the stream.
She'll reach from bank to bank easily. A man can keep watch aboard her
while the rest of the party turn in; how's that, Jim?"

"The very thing, I guess. Say, Major, I'm real hungry; don't mind how
soon I sit down to a feed. See here, Ching; jest you and Tom collect
those kettles and things, and take off into the trees. Sam, get along
with them, and make sure you've chosen a spot where there's plenty of
thick stuff about. Supposing we walk along to the edge of the lagoon,
Major. By the time we've had a good look round they'll have the boat
moored in position and the fire going. There's just a chance that we
might have the luck to catch a sight of those two slippery fellows. It's
almost as light as day out there, and they might be still moving."

Swinging themselves ashore the two made their way along the edge of the
stream slowly and carefully. Indeed, a good deal of care and of agility
was required, for the bank was lined by a tangled mass of vegetation
which often enough obstructed their path; but as both had encountered
the same before, they had brought with them long cutting knives with
which to sever the creepers. Underfoot they found the ground firm and
even stony in places, while to their right the land seemed to rise
abruptly. As to the lagoon, when once they were free of the long,
tunnel-like archway of trees leading to the sea, they came into
uninterrupted view of the huge expanse of water, for the moon was now
well up, and flooded the scene.

"It's so bright that if we were to catch a sight of those rascals we'd
be right off after them," said the Major. "But they know their way
about. I have had information that this gang, with a few in addition who
have left them for one reason or another, have visited many places along
this coast. It seems that they came from the States; but they know this
coast, and knowing it they will have met with lagoons and forests
before. They will be just as careful to keep out of our view when there
is light enough to see, as we are careful to hide up our fire at night;
but I fancy we shall have them. Quick pursuit is one of the things they
have not been accustomed to."

They stared out across the lagoon for some little while, noticing the
tufts of reeds which cropped up here and there, and the white mist in
the far distance. Then they turned their faces towards the spot they had
left, and felt their way back towards the camp.

"We'll take a couple of grains of quinine apiece to-night," said the
Major, halting for a breathing spell by the way. "No white man who comes
out to a tropical country can afford to neglect that precaution. Even
in the canal zone, where we have reduced the occurrence of malarial
fever to an extraordinary figure, we still insist that all employees
should take quinine regularly. And out away here it's far more
necessary. That mist we've been watching spells malaria, fever that
sticks to a man's bones till he's old, even though he gets safe home,
and lives in comfort and warmth. Besides, listen to the hum of the
mosquitoes; any fool could tell that these parts weren't healthy for a
white man."

Jim agreed with him abruptly. He was thinking of his brother, and
wishing at that moment that he had been a little more careful to take
precautions; but George had been one of those lusty, healthy fellows,
never sick or sorry, who had laughed at fever and scoffed at
precautions. And see what it had brought him to.

"My brother might have been alive now if only he had taken his quinine,"
said Jim. "You heard about him, Major?"

"I did. As one of the police at Colon his loss was reported to me as a
matter of course. It was bad luck, lad; where did he go ashore?"

"Miles away along this coast. I hunted high and low, as far as a man can
hunt a jungle. Reckon he died in the undergrowth."

"Or fell into a swamp, lad. He died, that's sure enough; but come along.
There's the fire, and a good meal waiting for us. Gee! we've been
getting along; this is better progress than I had dared to hope for."

Skilfully the Major drew Jim's attention from the tragedy which had
fallen upon his young life, and very soon had him seated beside a
roaring fire, and dipping his spoon into a steaming cauldron of stew
which the wily Chinee had provided. In fact, it was a stew which had
been prepared ashore in the Major's house, and merely required heating.

"Plenty ob dat fo all, I guess," observed Tom, as he served out helpings
all round, smacking his big lips as the savoury odour filled his
nostrils. "By gum, but dis night air make a fellow hungry. Yo Sam, yo
sit right along down dar, and I help yo. Not trust a little nigger same
as yo to help hisself: eat too much. Little man, but plenty big tomach."

He held the huge cauldron in one hand, and with the fingers of the other
pressed his small companion to the ground as if he were as weak as a
baby. Then, despite his own words, he gave him a liberal helping, and,
having done the same for Ching, sat himself down beside the cauldron.

"So as to see dat dat feller Sam don't play one ob him tricks," he
laughed. "By de poker, 'spose him try, den shob him into the pot and
cook um."

In the firelight his round, rolling eyes gleamed white. Tom looked a
very terrible person for the moment. But he could never preserve an
appearance of ferocity for long; his usual smile was soon wreathing his
face, particularly when he had taken the first mouthful of stew.

"By lummy, but dat extry good!" he observed. "Hab more, yo fellows?"

In turn he offered it to them all, then helped himself again liberally.
In fact, it was not until the last spoonful of gravy had been finished
that the party turned to their pipes. Nor was there much difference to
be found between the variety of tobacco loved by the British tar or
soldier and that favoured in particular by these American policemen. Jim
watched them as they cut the cake with their knives and rammed the
broken weed into the bowls; then columns of smoke rose amid the
branches, while the scent of navy shag made the air redolent.

"And now for the orders," said the Major, when the men had had time for
a long smoke. "Sam has been keeping an eye on the water all this time.
We must relieve him, though he has hardly been doing duty in the
ordinary sense of watchman. Let me see. There are three of my own men,
three of yours, making six, and our two selves, eight altogether;
suppose we watch in couples. You with one of my men for two hours, then
Tom and a second policeman, Sam afterwards with the third, and I last of
all with our friend Ching. How's that? Two hours each, four watches
altogether, and a good sleep for all of us. It is now eight o'clock, the
last spell takes us up to four o'clock in the morning; it'll be light by
then. Since Ching will be on duty from two o'clock he can employ himself
with our breakfast. By half-past four we shall be able to get the engine
going and be under weigh. Now, Jim, get to your duty. One aboard the
launch, and the second patrolling as far as the lagoon. Pipes not to be
lit unless well amongst the trees. No one to call loudly to another
unless there be need. Boys, you've blankets here; turn in."

Ashes were knocked out of pipe stems, and the men at once rolled
themselves in their blankets. Then Jim and the comrade who was to watch
with him shouldered their rifles, and with pouches filled with
ammunition, attached to the belts round their waists, marched towards
the stream.

"You get aboard," said Jim. "I'll make along to the lagoon. When an hour
has passed I'll come and take your place."

He wended his way through the jungle, and presently was on the bank of
the lagoon, admiring its broad expanse of rippling water, which looked
so solemn and so beautiful beneath the silvery rays of the moon. Indeed,
it was an enchanting scene, and had our hero been of a romantic turn of
mind he might well have been excused for giving free rein to his fancy.
But Jim was a hard, practical-minded fellow, with the world before him,
and his way to make in it. It is not then to be wondered at that his
mind strayed from the scene before him to the canal zone, to the
gigantic undertaking America had determined on, to the host of workmen
labouring there, and to the many problems which confronted them,
problems undreamed of by Jim till yesterday, undreamed of now by
thousands of Americans, yet problems, for all that, demanding the
anxious thought and effort of the Commission staff, in whose able and
painstaking hands lay the enormous enterprise. In his mind's eye Jim saw
that hundred-ton steam digger again. He fancied himself in the driver's
seat, with Harry watching every movement critically, and coaching his
young pupil. His hands seemed to fall quite naturally on the levers, and
then the hiss of steam came to his ears, just as it had done when he
worked the enormous engine.

"Was it all imagination?" To tell the truth he was getting not a little
drowsy, but that peculiar hiss was so realistic that----"Gee!" he
recovered from his brown study suddenly, and opened his eyes very wide.
For there was reality in that hissing steam. He could actually hear it,
not over loud, but without doubt steam or gas escaping from some narrow
orifice. Moreover the sound came from the lagoon; yes, from the lagoon
straight before him. A moment later a long, black shape stole into view
from behind a mass of reed some few yards away, then lay still on the
water. Silhouetted against the rippling surface he could make out the
dusky outlines of a launch, her funnel amidships, the hood of the cab
which sheltered passengers when a sea was running, and the little mast
on which her flag drooped. And there were figures--two of them. They
stood sharply displayed against the light, perched on the deck of the
launch, surveying their surroundings.

"Those villains; then they are here without a doubt. Gee, if they try to
make out through the opening!"

Jim crouched a trifle lower under the trees beneath which he had taken
his station, and watched the launch and her passengers. And steadily, as
he watched, the boat drew nearer and nearer.

"Searching for the exit," he thought. "Then they mean to come out. They
want to get to sea again, feeling sure that on such a bright night they
will be able to find their way. They'll just jump into the trap we've
laid for them."

It did indeed look as if fate would play into the hands of those who
had set out to take these rascals, and, if Jim had but known what was
passing in their minds, he would have learned that a crafty plan was
about to be put into execution.

"Of course those police are after us, and quick too," one of the two
ruffians had said to the other. "They've steamed along the coast, and no
doubt have spoken some skipper who saw us. If they fail to find us
to-night they'll get along farther to-morrow, and if we're along there
east of this the chances are that we shall be taken. But we know a game
better than that; we'll slip clear of this, steam back towards Colon,
run inshore just clear of the port, and sink the launch in deep water.
There won't be much of a job in getting a passage to New York; how's
that?"

It was just one of those plans which, by its very boldness, would mean,
provided nothing unforeseen happened, security for those who followed
it; for, while all eyes would be searching for them along the coast east
of Colon, the rascals themselves would be securely aboard a ship _en
route_ for New York. But Jim and his friends were to have a say in the
matter. Our hero stole back through the trees, gave the warning to his
fellow watcher, and then awakened his comrades.

"S-s-s-he!" he whispered, as he touched the Major's shoulder. "The birds
are there, on the lagoon. They are searching for the opening. With a
little care we shall have them."

It seemed in fact almost a foregone conclusion, this capture of the
rascals. For, when all were gathered close to the launch, while two of
the men lay with loaded rifles on her deck, the hiss of steam was heard
most distinctly. Presently a long, black shape put in an appearance,
till all could see it stealing slowly down towards them. Instantly four
of the weapons were trained on the men aboard, while the Major, with Jim
and Tom to help him, crouched beside the bank, ready to spring on board
the stranger. It was a time of intense excitement, because even now
there might come a hitch, something might happen to alarm the ruffians.




CHAPTER IX

Jim becomes a Mechanic


"See here, Jim," whispered the Major, as he and our hero, with Tom
beside them, huddled close to the bank of the stream which gave exit
from the lagoon, "when she comes abreast of us you and I will jump
aboard. There are branches in plenty overhead from which we can swing
ourselves. We leave Tom to get a grip of the launch itself, and pull her
in to the side; got that?"

The big negro wagged his head knowingly from side to side. "Got um safe
and sound, sah," he whispered hoarsely. "Tom grip de launch, lift her
outer de water if you wants. Lummy! But dis goin' to be a bean feast!"

"S-s-sshe, man! Stay here. Jim, I'll go a little farther up, just a few
feet, and pick my branch. You had better do the same; there won't be
much time to waste."

"Supposing she doesn't come in; supposing those men discover us, smell a
rat, eh?"

Jim asked the question anxiously, and detained the Major on the point of
leaving.

"Then we'll be after them quick."

"Will the men fire on them?"

"No; I've given them orders not to do so unless opposition is
offered. I never like shooting into men before they open fire. But we're
right this time; those fellows are going to jump into the net we have
spread for them."

[Illustration: WAITING FOR THE ENEMY]

He moved off at once, while Jim stepped a few paces from the spot where
the bulky figure of Tom was reclining, and, searching above his head,
quickly found a branch strong enough to support his weight. He held to
it, and lifted his feet from the ground, making assurance doubly sure.
By then the strange launch was heading direct for the opening of the
narrow tunnel in which the pursuers were secreted. Jim could hear the
splash of her tiny propeller; for the launch was running light, and the
blades often rose clear of the water. Then suddenly the noise ceased
absolutely, the low, clock-like tick of her engines could no longer be
heard, while the moonrays playing upon the ripples at her stern alone
showed that she was in motion.

"Coming! In a second I shall have to jump. Reckon we shall have to be
pretty slippy with those fellows, for they have arms and are likely to
use them."

For some reason or other our hero felt not the slightest trace of
excitement on this occasion. No doubt the experiences he had already
gone through had helped not a little to steady his nerves, while the
overwhelming force of the party he accompanied seemed to argue that
there could be now but little prospect of danger; but he was to learn
that it is the least-expected thing that happens. For hardly had the
words left his lips when the propeller of the launch was heard again
thrashing the water frantically, while the ripple ahead suddenly died
out altogether, leaving the surface of the lagoon shimmering placidly
beneath the soft rays which flooded every portion of it. Then there came
a shout, a startled cry from the deck of the launch, a man stood up to
his full height forward, his figure silhouetted blackly against the
water. A second later he had dived down again, there was another shout,
then flames suddenly roared from the funnel, while a glow which
illuminated the rear of the vessel showed that the door of the furnace
had been thrown open.

Jim rubbed his eyes; the sudden change in the movement of progression of
the launch amazed him. He could hardly believe that she was retreating,
that those agitated ripples now spreading from her stern right forward
beyond the bows meant that she was departing. It was the whirr of her
engine and the splashing of her propeller as it churned the water
violently which brought the true facts clearly to his mind.

"They're off," he shouted; "we must follow. Quick, on to the launch!"

He dashed along the bank of the stream, calling loudly to the men, and
arriving opposite to their own vessel, swiftly cast adrift the rope
which had been passed from her stern to a tree growing close down to the
water. With a spring he was aboard, and, tumbling at once into the well,
he searched in the darkness for the starting handle. But however
convenient a gasolene motor may be on ordinary occasions, the fact
cannot be denied that there are at times difficulties in connection with
them. For instance, it was always a practice of Jim's to shut off his
petrol supply when the engine was not running; for otherwise there was
risk of leakage through the carburettor, and leakage of such a volatile
and inflammable fluid aboard a boat spells danger for those who man her.
Then, too, it happened that this engine trusted to drip lubricators for
her supply of oil, and though she might reasonably be expected to run
satisfactorily for a while without that supply, still, in the exciting
time before him, Jim might easily forget to turn up his lubricators, and
such neglect spelt failure for his party. After all, this was decidedly
one of those cases where it would be better to follow his usual routine,
and thereby make sure that the engine had everything in its favour.

"I'll have her running in double-quick time," he shouted. "Get that
painter cast off, Major; and, see here, can't you manage to push her
along until I have got the engine going?"

"Guess I'se got one mighty big pole here," called Tom, an instant later,
whilst the launch heaved and rolled as the ponderous fellow moved about.
"You get right along wid dat engine, Massa Jim. I'se gwine astern to
pole her."

Once more the launch rolled and heaved as Tom made his way rapidly aft.
Then his pole plunged into the water, one of the policemen pushed the
bows out from the bank, and, casting his eye upward for one brief
instant, Jim saw that they were moving. Meanwhile he had found the
gasolene tap and turned it, while the fingers of his other hand as
rapidly lifted the six lubricators which fed the engine with that fluid
so vital to her.

"Ready?" asked the Major tersely, his voice hard and cold, as if sudden
disappointment had changed it. "Get her going quick, my lad, or those
fellows will get clear away from us. Already they are steaming right out
into the lagoon."

It was true enough; for, casting his eye ahead, Jim could see, through
the dark tunnel formed by the overhanging branches of the trees, a wide
expanse of shimmering water, across which sped the boat that bore the
men in pursuit of whom they had come. There was a white wash at her
stern, while sparks and flames shot from her funnel. That and the glow
which surrounded her, coming from her opened furnace door, showed
clearly that the rascals aboard her were fully prepared for flight, with
a hot fire burning and roaring in their furnace, and a head of steam
which would drive their boat faster perhaps than she had ever travelled.

"Got it! Now we'll be moving."

With the fingers of one hand Jim had held the float of his carburettor
lifted, thereby making sure that the engine would obtain a free supply
of fuel; while with the other hand he had discovered the starting
handle. It was a simple matter to slip it on to the shaft and turn it
till the clutches engaged. Then he bent his back to the work, switched
his magneto into circuit and sent the engine twirling round. Poof! poof!
poof! Three of the cylinders fired, but the crank ceased turning. Jim
lifted his float again, adjusted the handle, and made another effort at
starting. Gur-r-rr! bizz! she was off. The rhythmical hum of the
machinery told his practised ear at once that the engine was running
beautifully.

He dropped the starting handle on to the floorboards and stepped briskly
across to his levers.

"Ready?" he asked steadily.

"Let her have it," came from the Major, who, meanwhile, had taken
possession of the wheel. "Let her have it all you know, Jim, for we've a
long way to make up. Those rascals have obtained a splendid start."

Jim promptly dropped his fingers on the quadrant where throttle and
ignition levers lay, and jerked both of them up a few notches. He could
feel the thrust of the propeller now, and could hear the wash of the
water as the launch pushed her way through it. Then suddenly the vessel
cleared the dark tunnel in which she had been lying, and a glorious
tropical moon shone down upon her, rendering every figure aboard
distinctly visible, while, better than all, the rays flooded the engine
well and made Jim's task all the easier.

"Faster!" commanded the Major sharply, and at the word Jim jerked his
levers some few notches higher, till the engine buzzed more loudly than
before, while the floorboards took on a trembling vibration to which, as
a general rule, they were unaccustomed.

"More! We must move faster if we are to catch them," cried the Major,
something akin to entreaty in his voice. "Can't you make her do a little
more, my lad? We mustn't let those rascals slip through our fingers."

Jim nodded curtly; he disliked racing his engine as a general rule, for
common sense told him that such a course if persisted in might well lead
to disaster. But these were exceptional circumstances, and, if race her
he must, he determined that no precaution on his part should be relaxed
so that the motor might come through the ordeal satisfactorily. Once
more, therefore, he jerked his levers upwards till the throttle was wide
open, while the ignition was advanced to the fullest extent. And how the
motor roared! Compactly built and beautifully designed, it could not be
expected to revolve at such extraordinary speed and give out its full
power without some sign of remonstrance. It answered the persistent
goadings of its grim young driver with a tremulous roar, while the
planks under foot now shook and rattled ominously. Indeed the whole
vessel vibrated, while the bows lifted out of the water, thrusting a
huge wave to either side. The surface of the lagoon, hitherto so placid,
was now churned to milky foam at the stern of the vessel, while a white
wash trailed aft, glimmering in the moonlight.

"Full out, sir," reported Jim to the Major. "How are we doing?"

"Fine, fine, my boy. We'll have 'em yet, if only you can keep her at it;
but can she last? Can she keep up this pace much longer?"

"Guess she's got to," laughed Jim, a note of excitement in his voice, in
spite of his apparent coolness and unconcern. "Guess she's got to, sir;
I'll keep her at it all I know."

He craned his head to one side, and for the space of a minute fixed his
eyes upon the black shape ahead which they were following. A column of
flame and showers of sparks were being vomited from the funnel, whilst
the ruddy hue that had surrounded the escaping launch had now
disappeared entirely.

"Closed his furnace; that means that he's got steam up to
bursting-point," thought Jim. "But we're gaining on him sure. In half an
hour, if all goes well, we'll be alongside."

He let his glance rest for a few seconds on the figures of the policemen
huddled in the cab of the launch beside the Major. He even caught the
reflection of the moonlight in Sam's big rolling eyes. Then he turned
his glance to either side, watching the widespreading bow wave as it
swept out over the lagoon. He followed the ripples, and, turning, gazed
astern. It came as a shock to him almost to discover two figures there
crouching on the little deck aft of the engine well. One was huge and
massive, and bore aloft a long, straight pole, while the second sat
crouched on his haunches, as motionless as a statue. It was Ching. The
Chinaman sat playing with the end of his pigtail, and giggled as Jim
looked into his eyes.

"Velly fine! Dis allee lightee, sah; you catch him plenty quick," he
gurgled.

"Den hang um," simpered Tom, his eyes rolling. "Dem scum not stand de
chance of a dog, I tell yo. Massa Jim, yo make um buzz right along like
dis; and den, by lummy, yo see what we do to um. Nobble dem rascals
precious quick. Kill um; wring de neck of de villains."

Jim scowled at the negro, for such threats vexed him. Then, seeing the
broad smile on Tom's face, he laughed outright.

"Jest like you, Tom, always threatening. I don't believe you'd actually
hurt a fly unless you were forced to. But have a care, my lad; this
boat's over-loaded, and if I hear too much from you I'll give Ching
orders to send you overboard. Get lower, man; your big body meets the
wind and keeps us from moving forward."

The mere suggestion that he might be tossed overboard caused the
simple-minded Tom to open his big eyes wide in consternation. His huge
jaw drooped; then, hearing his young master's merry laugh, the thick
lips split asunder, and a loud guffaw came from the negro.

"Wat dat?" he demanded. "Yo ask dis man here to throw Tom overboard? By
de poker, but if dis Chinaboy breathe one little word, me smash um. Tom
nasty fellow to deal with when him angry."

But Jim had other matters to attend to rather than to listen to the
negro's sayings. Indeed he had already turned his back upon the two men
crouching astern, and was bending over the engine. Fumbling at the lock
of a cupboard, he pulled the door open and extracted a heavy object from
within. His finger pressed a button, and instantly a flood of light came
from the electric torch he had secured. For five minutes he busied
himself with the motor. Carefully adjusting the drips from the
lubricator, he set them to give a more liberal supply than was usual.
Then he lifted the board which covered the tail shaft bearing, and
squeezed down the grease cup secured there. A finger laid on the top of
the bearing assured him that it was running cool, while the same
precaution in regard to the cylinders disclosed the fact that the water
pump was working as it should do. In fact, in spite of the tremendous
pace at which the motor was revolving, there was as yet no sign of
failure, nothing to point to an immediate breakdown, nothing, in fact,
to lead him to suppose that the chase would have to be abandoned.

"Then I can begin to take a little interest in those rascals," he
thought, "Ah, we're nearer, we're overhauling them without a shadow of
doubt! I give them a quarter of an hour's more freedom."

It did indeed seem as though the pursuit was entering upon its last
stage, for the black shape ahead was decidedly nearer--so near, in fact,
that one could make out the various features of the launch as well as
the two fugitives crouching beside their engine. Tongues of flame and
broad showers of sparks still belched from the funnel, while at one
moment, when she steamed into the dense shadow cast by some tall trees
growing upon the tail end of a group of small islands which studded the
lagoon, the funnel itself was seen to be glowing hot. Indeed, while the
launch herself was blotted out in the darkness, the glowing funnel
remained the one conspicuous object.

"I'm going to give 'em a shot," called out the Major, casting a glance
at Jim over his shoulder. "You see, I don't know the ins and outs of
this lagoon, and those fellows might yet escape us if they happen to
have had time to do a little exploration. See here, Tomkins, send a ball
a foot or two ahead of them; and if that does not bring them to a stop,
put one right through her funnel. You can do it without fear of hitting
one of the men."

"Sure! I'd back myself nine times out of ten to bring off a shot like
that. I'll just wait till we're out of the shadow."

Anxious eyes flitted from the dark shape fleeting through the waters of
the lagoon to the long, bony fingers of the policeman. He stepped to the
front of the cab, leaned forward with his elbows on the deck, and
clicked the bolt of his rifle open. Then he dropped the weapon into
position, and there was a tense silence aboard as Tomkins squinted along
his sights. A second later the report came, for the policeman was too
old a hand with his weapon to hesitate. While he shot the empty
cartridge out and slipped in a fresh one all eyes went to the boat
ahead, and no doubt the bullet which Tomkins had dispatched had passed
but a few feet in front of her, conveying a message and a warning; but
the effect it had was entirely _nil_. The launch held on her course as
though there was no such thing as a pursuing vessel with arms aboard
able to reach the miscreants who were escaping.

"Guess they've got to have it then," growled Tomkins. "This time I'll
put one through the funnel, and there ain't a doubt that it'll send them
bobbing."

As cool as an icicle, the man stretched himself out again, half on the
deck and half in the cab of the launch. Once more his eyes went down to
the sights, and on this occasion the pause he made was long, so long, in
fact, that when the rifle belched forth a stream of fire the suddenness
of the report startled his comrades. Then they fixed their eyes upon the
launch steaming ahead of them.

"Didn't I tell you! Got it sure, plump through the centre, and a bare
foot above their heads," cried Tomkins, dropping his rifle. "See there,
the flames tell you what happened."

His finger shot out instantly, and drew the attention of all to the
funnel. Flames and sparks were still belching from the opening above,
but that was not all, for low down now, but a bare foot above the heads
of the two men crouching beside the engine, the sheet-iron tube was
punctured, and a thin stream of fire was issuing from the hole. Clank!
The sound of the furnace door being dragged violently open came clearly
to the ears of the pursuers, in spite of the hum of their own motor,
while that same red glow which had once before enveloped the launch
again surrounded her. It was the only answer the rascals aboard made to
Tomkins's shot, that and a dense column of smoke which now shot up,
mingling with the flames and smoke from the funnel.

"Their last kick," cried the Major. "That shot tells them that we mean
business. Tomkins, my lad, just give 'em another. Say, Jim, how's the
motor running?"

"Fine! fine! Couldn't be doing better. Sing out when you want me to cut
her down a little."

To all appearances the end of an exciting chase was already in sight,
for there was no doubt that now Jim and his party were running two feet
for the one covered by the escaping launch. But they had wily men to
deal with, and that fact was impressed upon them within the space of a
few seconds, for hardly had the third shot rung out when the launch in
front ran into another long shadow by one of the islands, her form being
instantly blotted out by the blackness.

There came the clang of the furnace door as it was kicked into place by
one of the rascals, and then all that could be seen was the glowing
funnel. Even that did not remain long in evidence, for suddenly it
swerved to the right, making off at a sharp angle to the course which
the launch had been pursuing. Then it disappeared from sight, as if the
vessel had gone beneath the water.

"Steady! Stop her!" commanded the Major, swinging his wheel over. "We'll
run on a little till we're out of the shadow. Then perhaps we shall be
able to see where those fellows have got to. Queer! Seems to me that
they know the road. They must have steered direct for the tail end of
these islands."

Jim jerked throttle and ignition levers back as the orders came to his
ears, and threw his lever into neutral position. But the launch had been
ploughing along at a speed of some twenty knots, and the way on her
carried her swiftly forward. Dense shadow enveloped her, and for a while
there was not one aboard the launch but wondered whether the vessel
would dash herself upon a rock, since the course was being followed
blindly. The Major had swung his wheel just where he guessed the
fugitives had done likewise, and that movement still found the boat in
dense shadow. A second or two later she shot out into open water, and
once more the moon's rays flooded her from stem to stern.

"Gone! Not a sign of them! This is the queerest thing I have ever----"

"Stop! I can see them!" shouted Jim, interrupting the Major. "They
steamed straight between two of the islands, and there they are beyond.
Push ahead, Major? Our best way is to run right round this island, and
so take up their course again. Ain't that land ahead?"

"Land fo shore! Massa Jim right," sang out Sam, who seemed to have the
sharpest eyes of the whole party. "Dem villains know de way; dey been
here before. Sam say dey heading for anoder opening."

Whatever was the nature of the evolution practised by the fugitives, the
Major, as leader of the party, did not hesitate to follow Jim's advice.

"Forward!" he roared, glancing over his shoulder. "Rocks or no rocks,
I'll chance rounding the island. Send her ahead, Jim. Give her full
power again."

Bizz! Gurr! How the motor roared as our hero jerked his levers back into
their old position. As for that commanding the gears, it was already in
position, while the propeller was churning the water into white foam.
The launch shot ahead as if propelled from a gun, and in a trice was
rounding the island on the far side of which the fugitives had taken
their course. A minute later she was again in open water, while right
across her path stretched a dark, unbroken line, the edge of which was
obscured in deep shadow. It was the margin of the lagoon, without a
doubt, while it was equally certain that those whom Jim and his party
sought to capture had chosen some point along it on which to land.
Either that or their explorations had discovered some exit, for which
they were at that very instant racing madly.

"Artful dogs!" cried the Major, wrath in his voice. "They stole a nice
march on us by that movement, and gained many yards. Don't fire,
Tomkins. You might hit one of them in this uncertain light, and that
would defeat my special object. I want to capture the two alive and
strong, or not at all."

"See dat? Massa Jim, dere an openin' ober dere. Dose scum race for um!"
shouted Sam a moment later, stretching one black arm out in front, and
pointing eagerly. "Me see de light shinin' on de water ob a stream, and
de launch just about to enter. Steady, sah! Not do to dash right in at
dis pace. P'raps smash de launch, run ashore, or pile her up on a
mudbank. S'pose we take it easy."

"Steady! Stop her again!" commanded the Major, his eyes fixed on the
retreating launch. "Sam is right. Those gentlemen have discovered a
channel leading out of the lagoon, and have made for it at their fastest
pace. That shows that they have been there before. Look at them; they
have sent their boat in without attempting to slow down. Steady, Jim!
Let her push ahead slowly; those rascals are a long way from making good
their escape. I'll follow them even if it takes me miles into the
interior."

Had the Major but known it, there was every prospect of this pursuit
carrying him and his party many miles beyond the margin of the lagoon,
for the band of ruffians who had so lately attracted his attention, and
on the catching of two of which he was now bent, had not confined their
thieving attentions to the various settlements along the coast. They had
even exploited the peoples of the interior of the unsettled regions
lying adjacent to the canal zone. There were wide areas of trackless
forest, of jungle, and of swamp, which to this day are unexplored and
unknown by the white man. That deadly malarial fever, more than attack
by unfriendly natives, has kept the white man at a distance. Only along
the immediate line of the coast has trading been done in some of the
districts, and even then the results have not been always satisfactory.

"It's a queer place," said Phineas Barton, when describing the isthmus
to our hero. "Here along the canal zone you have civilization. Uncle Sam
has come in with his dollars and his men, and has worked with an energy
which, one of these days, when the facts are known, will surprise the
world. As I tell you, you've civilization right here. But jest step out
of the canal zone, and what do you find? Savages, sir. Wild men, armed
with spears and bows and poisoned arrows. Yes, sir, poisoned arrows that
will kill a man inside thirty minutes, even if they only happen to have
just broken the skin. And they tell me that 'way along in the jungle,
where the fever's that bad that a white man don't dare to go, there are
gangs of tall natives that won't allow a stranger to put so much as his
nose into their territory."

It is all true enough, and is, indeed, one of the curious features of
the Isthmus of Panama. There, where one of these days, when America has
completed her gigantic task, a mighty canal will stretch from coast to
coast, bearing the commerce of the nations to and fro between Pacific
and Atlantic Oceans, there lie side by side the modern dwellings and the
civilization which an enormous undertaking of this description must
inevitably produce, and a condition of savagery unchanged since the
Middle Ages. Even Spain, with her huge capacity for conquest, failed to
penetrate into many of the wide areas of jungle adjacent to Panama and
Colon. Doubtless her gallant sons made the attempt; but history records
the fact that the fierce tribes within drove them back, murdering those
upon whom they could lay their hands, and showing such courage and
ferocity that further attempts were not embarked upon. Moreover, the
malarial fever, which haunts these jungles in its most virulent form,
was deterrent enough, without thought of the natives.

Still, there were some who had contrived to open up negotiations with
the tribes. There are men who will risk anything for a handsome profit,
and the gang of rascals we are dealing with had seen in these tribes an
opportunity of enriching themselves. They tempted the natives with the
offer of guns and powder, and already the bartering of those weapons had
given them access to a part which would have brought inevitable
destruction, had they entered on any other pretext. Cheap guns and
powder were to be obtained, and in return the natives willingly parted
with huge quantities of precious stones and gold. Sam was perfectly
right when he suggested that the man aboard the steam launch had visited
the lagoon and its surroundings before.

"I's sure of that," he cried, bending forward and peering into the
gloom. "Dem scum know ebery foot of de way, for dey steam hard ahead for
a place dat no one else can see."

"Know it or not, we're going on after them," growled the Major. "Where
they can run we can follow. But steady with her, Jim. This chase is not
going to be finished yet awhile, and we shall do better now that there
is no longer a chance of catching them on the lagoon. Take it easy.
After all, they can't go on for ever; some time or other the stream they
are making for will fail them, and then they must take to the jungle or
fall into our hands. Steady with her! Slow but sure must be our motto."

"Steady it is, sir!" cried Jim. "But say, I can see a line of water
running out of the lagoon. Those fellows are steering straight ahead
into it."

All eyes aboard followed the movements of the fleeing launch, and
watched as she crossed in the gleam of the moonlight the last few yards
of open lagoon. They saw her shoot across the dark line which till a
moment before had seemed unbroken; she sped on up the stream to which
Jim had called their attention, then once again she was lost to sight.
The blackness swallowed her; there was not even a glowing funnel to show
her whereabouts.

"Forward!" cried the Major hoarsely. "But see here, Jim, send one of
your men right up into the bows, for there's no knowing what may happen.
We may run into a mudbank, and if we have a man forward with a pole we
can get pushed off in a twinkling."

The launch heaved and shook as the huge Tom rose to his feet. As agile
as a cat, in spite of his size, the ponderous fellow went crawling
along, past Jim and his motor, past the Major and his man, and finally
established himself right forward in the bows.

"Come a mudbank and Tom push de launch off quick," he called. "But hab
no fear. Me able to see much better right away here; dere no mudbanks
in dis stream, sah. All open water; plenty room for eberyone."

By now Jim and his friends had reached the very edge of the lagoon, and
were able to make out their surroundings more distinctly. The bright
moon above helped them wonderfully; thanks to the light it shed, and to
the fact that the stream ahead was wide, and branches could not reach
across it, they could discern the path which they were to follow. Not a
stump, not a single object, broke the shimmering surface of the water. A
bright lane stretched before them, with a deep black shadow on either
hand.

"Give her steam," commanded the Major, forgetting that the launch which
he and the others manned was of the gasolene variety. "Send her ahead,
Jim. We've a clear road, way up there ahead, and we'll take it. Boys, be
on the lookout for trouble; those rascals are not the only ones we are
likely to come across in such an out-of-the-way part."

Jim jerked his levers forward promptly; the motor buzzed and roared,
while the propeller bit into the water, and, taking a grip of the fluid,
shot the launch forward. She swept on gallantly into the unknown, her
commander and crew careless of the consequences and determined to do
their duty whatever happened.




CHAPTER X

Running the Gauntlet


There was tense silence aboard the launch from the moment when she had
plunged from the placid waters of the lagoon on to the brightly lit
surface of the stream which the two fugitives had followed. For half an
hour scarcely a word was spoken, while all eyes searched the path ahead,
and peered vainly into the deep, impenetrable shadows on either hand.
But at length Tom broke the trying silence, a sharp exclamation coming
from the bows, where he was stationed.

"By lummy," he called, "but dat precious queer. Minute ago dere a bright
lane ob water ahead; now noding, jest noding, all dark and black. Massa
Major, yo ain't gwine ter steam ahead like dis all de while! S'pose dere
a big rock ahead. S'pose de water come to an end. Dat be very awkward."

"Steady," called out the Major. "Guess it is queer, as Tom says; for a
minute ago I could have sworn that this stream ran on clear and unbroken
a good mile ahead. Now, it's suddenly blocked out. Perhaps there's a
bend 'way there in front."

"I'm sure," answered Jim promptly. "If we run on gently we shall find
that the stream opens up again before we get to that patch of darkness.
Gee! Guess I'm right; it was a bend."

Meanwhile he had slowed down his motor; and it was fortunate he had done
so, for as the launch covered the intervening space lying between
herself and the dense shadow, to which Tom had drawn attention, it was
noticed by all that the fairway had narrowed considerably. At the bend,
when she was gliding slowly forward, the banks came together very
abruptly, leaving a stream of water between them which was but a few
feet wide. And while the rays from the moon fell upon the surface for
some dozen boat-lengths ahead, beyond that point the distance was
shrouded in darkness, the jungle cut off the rays as if with a shutter,
casting a dense shadow on every side. Instantly the Major issued his
orders.

"Stop her," he cried in low tones. "This is a teaser. I don't much care
about going on through that narrow lane; for if there were folks round
here to attack us, we might have a job to get out again. Chances are we
couldn't turn the boat, and that would mean reversing all the way. What
do you say, Jim? It's a teaser, ain't it?"

But for the moment our hero was engaged with his engine. He threw out
his lever at the Major's orders, and then pushed it right forward, till
the propeller was reversing. Having brought the boat to a standstill, he
left the motor running gently, and clambered forward till he was beside
the officer.

"Guess it'd be better to stay right here," he said shortly. "I quite
agree that if we went along that narrow lane we might be placing
ourselves in a difficulty. We might find ourselves in a regular bottle,
with only a narrow neck from which to make our escape. Best lie here
till morning, when we shall see where we are, and what sort of a place
that stream leads to."

"Den boil de kettle an' hot up de food," sang out Ching, who was still
huddled at the stern of the vessel. "Plenty hungry and thirsty, Mass
Jim, an if havvy food to eat, den de time slippy along velly quickly."

The Major nodded his head vigorously. "You are a man in a hundred, Jim,"
he said, giving vent to a laugh. "'Pon my word, when I am next sent off
on an expedition I shall make it a point that you come along with your
servants. A more useful lot I never hit upon. Gee! Of course we're
hungry. Jest get to with it, Ching."

"Drop de anchor, eh!" demanded Tom, standing to his full height forward,
and holding the pole erect in the air. Indeed, for the moment he looked,
with the moon playing upon him, for all the world like a dusky sentry,
keeping guard over all on the launch and her surroundings. Then he set
the pole down with a clatter, there came to the ear the clank and chink
of a chain being dragged across the boarding. Tom lifted the launch's
anchor from its rests, and held it out at arm's length, as if it were a
feather.

"Drop um in?" he asked, poising it above the water. "Wat you say, sir?"

"Let her go," cried the Major. "When she's fast, haul in the slack, and
let me know what depth we've got. Reckon this is as good a place to lie
in as we could have, for we're well in midstream, and those rascals
could not easily reach us from the banks. But of course they could send
their bullets whizzing amongst us, and that's a risk we shall have to
laugh at. What's the time, Jim?"

"Want's half an hour of midnight, sir. Guess we might have a feed, and
then turn in."

The arrangement was one to be recommended, and the Major fell in with it
instantly. Jim stopped his motor, shut off the gasolene and oil, and
made a careful inspection of the machinery with the help of his electric
torch. Ten minutes later Ching announced that hot coffee was ready, and,
rising from the petroleum stove situated as far forward from the motor
as was possible, and over which he had been bending, proceeded to deal
out the beverage to each member of the expedition. Sam followed him with
a tin of biscuits, while the ponderous and good-natured Tom thrust his
arm over the shoulder of his diminutive comrade, offering squares of
cheese which he had cut ready, and had placed upon the lid of the box to
serve as a tray.

"Guess better eat as much as you can," he laughed, opening his cavernous
mouth. "S'pose dose scum come along fine and early; den hab noting to
eat, but p'raps plenty bullet. Den very sorry yo not fill up to-night."

In any case he availed himself of his own advice, and sat on the edge of
the well devouring enormous mouthfuls. As to the others, each ate
according to his appetite, and we record but the truth when we say that
in no case did that fail them. Their rush across the lagoon in the wake
of the fugitives, the excitement of the chase generally, and the
freshness of the night had given them all a feeling of briskness, and
with that feeling came undoubted hunger. Besides, it might be necessary
to push on without a pause, once there was light enough with which to
see, then he who had not partaken of a full supper might regret the
fact, and might have many hours to wait before an opportunity occurred
of taking food.

"Jest you turn in and take a sleep, Jim," said the Major, when the meal
was finished. "It's just midnight now, and between two and three in the
morning we shall have light. I'll take the watch till then, and Tom may
as well be along with me. That big chap somehow seems to make one feel
quite secure and safe."

Within five minutes silence once more reigned over the launch, while the
moon peeped down upon a number of figures huddled in the well. The
Chinaman lay bunched in a little ball right aft, which he seemed to have
appointed as his own particular quarters, while Sam lay curled up like a
faithful dog at his master's feet. The Major sat beside the engine, a
rifle barrel resting against his shoulder, and Tom was perched on the
rail, his big eyes searching every shadow, a smile of serene happiness
on his face. And at length the morning came. While the moon still hung
low in the sky, prepared to disappear altogether, a rosy hue lit up the
dense banks of green on either hand, and, falling upon the tree trunks,
brought them into prominence. Swiftly the light increased in strength
till the banks beneath the trees were visible. The surface of the water
gleamed white and cold, and every feature of the launch stood out
distinctly. It was time to move. The Major rose from his seat and peered
into the narrow channel through which he had not dared to take his men
during the darkness. He was on the point of issuing an order when at a
spot a little to the right, still hidden somewhat by the lack of light,
a puff of white smoke was seen to burst. Flame ringed it in the centre,
while the smoke itself rose and spread in wide billows. Something
thudded heavily against the side of the launch, while an instant later a
deafening report broke the morning silence, and reverberated along the
forest.

"Eugh!" cried Tom in alarm, his eyes prominent. "Yo hear dat, massa? Dem
scum do as I say and start in right early. Tom not like de bullets
singing and humming about his head."

As if the Major could have failed to hear! He started violently as the
report swept across the water, and then clambered across into the cab.
Jim and the others were already on their feet, while the crafty Ching
had uncurled himself, and now lay full length upon his face, a rifle at
his shoulder.

"Do dat again and me fire fo sure," he cried. "Mass Jim, you call out if
dis Chinaboy to send dem a bullet."

But Jim had other matters to attend to, for he realized that any instant
it might be necessary to set the launch in motion. He crawled along into
the engine well, and with the light now to help him, had his motor
running within the space of a few seconds.

"One of you boys get that anchor lifted," commanded the Major, his eyes
fixed upon the spot from which the shot had come. "Tomkins, just fix
your sights 'way over at that corner, and if there's another shot, send
'em a bullet. You needn't be careless either; this time they're asking
for a lesson."

The words had hardly left his lips when another shot rang out from the
bank, the smoke blowing up again into the cool morning air. It was
followed by another and another, till from some twenty places smoke
obscured the bank and the forest. As to the missiles, they flew, hummed,
and screamed overhead, some dropping into the water beyond, others
thudding against the far bank, while a few, just a few only, struck the
launch, making her wooden sides rumble. Not a man aboard was hit, though
many escaped narrowly.

"Precious near every time," cried Jim, reddening under the excitement,
and finding it extremely difficult to refrain from bobbing. "Gee! I
declare that one of those bullets went within an inch of my arm while
another struck the top of the cylinder here, and--hi! look at this!" he
shouted.

That last bullet had, in fact, done real damage; for it happened to be a
big one, discharged from a huge muzzle-loader, sold to the man who had
fired the weapon by men who palmed it off as of the latest construction.
Almost as big as a pigeon's egg, the mass of lead had struck the
cylinder heavily, and with disasterous results. A column of water was
spurting upward from the rent made in the copper cooling jacket.

"Done any damage? Not harmed the engine, I hope?" said the Major,
looking across at Jim, and then at Tom, who meanwhile was tugging at the
anchor chain. "I hear her running; that sounds hopeful."

Jim did not answer for the moment. At the first hasty inspection he
imagined that the missile must have made a rent in the copper jacket and
also cracked the cylinder casting itself. But a close survey of the
damage showed him that the worst had not happened. The motor was heavily
built, and no doubt the casting had been strong enough and thick enough
to stand up to the blow. As to the water jacket, the damage was serious,
but could be remedied. He could make a temporary repair inside half an
hour, if given the opportunity, some sheet copper, and a soldering lamp.
But for the present the rent must remain; the water must continue to
pump up into the air.

"We'll get along in spite of the damage, Major," he sang out cheerily.
"But I shall want a man along here to bail. Ching, jest you hop in here
with me and bring some sort of a pannikin."

"Got um! By de poker, but I tink dat anchor fixed down below beneath a
rock," shouted Tom at this instant, lurching back on the for'ard deck
and just saving a fall into the well. "Dat ting stick like wax, and Tom
not move um at fust. Hi, by lummy, you ober dere, yo do dat again and
Tom say someting to yo. He skin yo alibe. He roast de flesh on yo bones
and eat you."

Jim grinned; even in the midst of such excitement the huge negro amused
him, so that he was forced to laugh. Indeed the antics Tom indulged in
were enough to cause a shout of merriment. It seemed that a bullet,
fired at him a second earlier, just as he was hauling up the anchor, had
struck him on the back of the hand; and though it had done nothing more
than break the skin, it had caused a great deal of pain. It was that,
and the suddenness of it all, which had roused the ire of the negro.

"You black son ob gun yo!" he bellowed, shaking a huge fist towards the
bank from which the shot had come. "Me break yo into little pieces,
smash yo into fine jelly."

"Hop right down off that deck, and see that you've placed the anchor out
of harm's way," commanded the Major sharply. "Bullets are bad enough,
but when they ricochet from an anchor they give very nasty wounds. Ah!"

He had hardly finished speaking when there came another rolling
discharge from the bank, followed by the rush of the bullets, and then
by a dull thud. The officer commanding the expedition fell forward in
the cab, struck his forehead against the edge, and subsided in a heap on
the floor. Instantly one of his men bent over him.

"Knocked silly, sir," he said, addressing Jim. "What's to be done?"

He looked at his two companions and awaited their answer. But one of
them was busily engaged. Tomkins crouched in the well, his rifle to his
shoulder and a perfect stream of fire issuing from the muzzle. Indeed,
no one could have handled a magazine rifle better. But he came to the
end of his supply of cartridges within a minute, and faced round
quickly.

"What's that?" he demanded anxiously. "The Major hit? Say, this is bad!"

"Knocked silly; not killed," explained his comrade, shooting a cartridge
into his own barrel. "What's to be done?"

Tomkins cast a sympathetic glance at the Major, and then across at the
river bank. A second later his eyes strayed to Jim's figure, and for a
few moments he watched the young fellow as he tended to his engine, and
with Ching's help placed a board padded with oiled cotton waste over the
rent in the cooling jacket.

"See here," he cried abruptly. "The Major's down. Guess that young
fellow had best take his place. He knows how to work this concern, and
he ain't no fool by a long way. Get to at it."

He took it for granted that Jim would accept the post of commander, and
promptly turned towards the bank again, his magazine already
replenished.

Meanwhile it may be wondered who had caused the whole commotion, who
were the miscreants who had so suddenly and treacherously fired into the
launch.

Five minutes almost had passed since the first shot came, when the banks
were hardly visible. But the dawn comes quickly in the tropics. The day
was full upon them now, and, looking up, Jim could perceive the mass of
tangled undergrowth beneath the forest trees, while right by the edge of
the water were a number of dusky figures. If he could have had any
reasonable doubt that they were natives Tomkins speedily helped him to a
decision. For the man was a first-class marksman, and now that the light
was strong enough he began to make good use of his rifle. As Jim stared
at the bank, one of the dusky figures turned and scrambled towards the
jungle. But it seemed that the man had already been hit; for suddenly he
swerved and almost tumbled. Then he faced round again, and stood
unsteadily leaning on his weapon. The next instant a terrible shout
escaped him; the native, for a dusky individual it was without question,
dropped his weapon and thrust both arms high into the air. Then he
seemed to crumple up entirely, and, falling forward, rolled with a loud
splash into the river. Within a second a comrade had followed him to the
same destination, dispatched thither by the policeman's unerring rifle.

Bang! Bang! From a long length of the bank splashes of smoke came, and
once more bullets sped towards the launch. Jim heard their thudding, and
even noted the various queer sounds they made, the dull blow of one
striking her broadside, the cheep of another which merely grazed her
rail, and then the nasty screaming of a missile which hit the anchor
chain, and, being deflected in its course, rose almost vertically, and
later on brought a shower of leaves from the trees beyond. But that was
not all. Two bullets at least passed with a peculiar whizz, and went on
into the jungle on the other bank, as if they had been driven with
greater force than all the rest.

"Revolvers!" exclaimed our hero at once. "Tomkins, I think there were
two revolver shots then. Eh?"

The man nodded; he had hardly time to speak.

"Guess so," he said abruptly. "Revolvers--those villains we're after.
They've set a whole crowd on to us."

"Then the sooner we are out of their reach the better. See here," cried
Jim; "try to find out where those particular ruffians have got to and
pepper them. Sam, get to the wheel; we'll make over to the far bank;
that'll bother them."

The motor buzzed and roared as he switched his levers forward, while the
water pump gathered such power from the momentum that the pressure
within the jackets increased wonderfully. Ching, despite all his efforts
and all his cunning, could no longer seal that rent made by the bullet.
True, he reduced the leakage wonderfully; but from all round the margin
a spray of hot water swept broadcast, quickly drenching our hero to the
skin. It was a trifle, however: Jim congratulated himself that he was
not likely to be scalded.

"With a motor on a car ashore it would be different," he told himself,
as he put the launch in motion. "Here the temperature cannot very well
rise too high. She takes in her supply direct from the river, and pumps
it right through the jackets and out again. Swing her over, Sam. See
here, Tomkins, I'm going straight for the far bank, and will swing round
in a circle when I get near. We'll bring up end on, beneath a tree if
possible; then we shall present less of a mark. Ah! Good shooting!
That'll make 'em careful."

As yet he had had no time in which to reckon the odds opposed to them,
nor the imminence of the danger in which the expedition stood. Minor
matters occupied his attention, those and vague queries as to how he
should proceed. He noted with satisfaction that Tomkins and his two
comrades were making excellent practice. At least half a dozen of the
enemy had already fallen.

"Round with her, right round, Sam," he commanded, when the launch was
near the bank. "Steady! Back her! How's that for a tree?"

With Sam aiding him at the wheel, and he himself controlling the pace of
the launch, Jim soon manoeuvred her beneath a tree which swept its
branches right into the water. Then he threw his lever out, slowed the
motor, and crawled into the cab. With Tom's help he laid the Major on
his back and carefully searched for a wound. And very soon they came
upon the result of the bullet. There was a huge, discoloured bump on the
top of his head, while an ugly graze crossed the forehead. For the rest,
he was breathing deeply and regularly, while the pupils were equal.

"Bullet knock de sense clean out ob him head," explained Tom, as if he
were completely conversant with the matter. "Knock de Massa Major silly.
To-morrow, when he wake up and come to himself, he hold de hands to him
head. Oh, how him ache! Him feel more silly den dan he look now. But,
Massa Jim, dis a bit ob hot stuff. Dis quite all right. Once de fun
begin Tom like it hot and plenty. Yo bide little bit; soon dem debil
fire away all dere powder and ball. Den time to make a move; den Tom hab
someting more to say about de wound. Yo see dat!" and he held out a
bruised and swollen hand for Jim's inspection; "scum of a black nigger
do dat. Yo see. Tom not forget when de time come."

Really the big fellow was too much for Jim. Grave though the situation
was, he was forced to laugh again. For Tom did not stop at threats; his
words lost all their impressiveness without the gestures. And the
latter, terribly fierce though they were--for when he bared his teeth in
a snarl no one could look more like a demon than Tom--were instantly
banished and forgotten by the fellow's well-known merry smile. Tom's
six-foot smile was too catching. His comical face never failed to draw
laughter from his audience.

"If you stand up and expose your ugly head like that you won't be left
when the powder has been done with!" exclaimed Jim severely, suppressing
his mirth. "Now, listen to this: Tom will watch up stream, Ching will
keep a lookout in the downward direction, while Sam will hop ashore.
Don't go more than a few feet away, lad," he warned the little negro.
"Just enough to keep us from being surprised, and to allow you to rejoin
instantly. Say, Tomkins, supposing we give over firing?"

A flushed face turned towards him, while the policeman regarded our hero
as if he thought him demented.

"Let 'em go on shootin' and not answer!" he gasped. "Why, of all----"

"It's like this," explained Jim curtly. "All the time you fire they know
where we're lying. I don't say we're likely to get bad wounds at this
distance, for most of the weapons yonder are gas barrels, I reckon, but
a revolver bullet might hit by accident, and then it'd be a case with
one of us."

There was indecision on Tomkins's face for the space of a few seconds.
To tell the truth, though an excellent fellow, he was one who boasted
unusual independence, both in word and act, and while it was a fact that
he had suggested that Jim should take the Major's place, he had taken it
for granted that orders from our hero would not be very frequent, and
that he would mainly direct by managing his motor, and seeing that a
course was steered. And here he was fighting the vessel. There was
something approaching a scowl on Tomkins's face as the thought flashed
across his brain. He swung round to look at the enemy. But a second
later he was glancing up at Jim once more, his weapon idle beside him.

"You're a conjuror, I guess," he said abruptly. "I'd forgotten those
revolvers. I thought your suggestion was a bad one; then, blessed if one
of them rascals didn't drop in a shot. Look there! He winged me!"

He grinned as he held out a finger of his left hand for inspection.

"That's what I got for being foolish. You're right, sir," he said with
decision. "What next?"

"See that you don't touch the branches overhead. They'd see them moving
from the far side. Sam there? Come aboard. Now," he went on, when the
negro had dropped into the well of the launch, "not a sound from anyone.
They won't hear the motor while she is running light. We'll run down
stream under the trees, and then make a break into the open. A
hundred-yards start will allow us to laugh at all their weapons."

There was agreement on all the faces about him. Tomkins nodded very
decidedly, showing that the plan met with his approval.

"Then lie out there right forward, Tom," said Jim, lowering his tones.
"Those long arms of yours will do as fenders. Push us off if we get too
near to a tree. But don't touch 'em if you can help it. Get on to that
wheel, Sam; I'm moving off at once."

He threw in his lever and set the propeller turning very slowly, but the
launch felt the effect instantly. She was already heading in the right
direction, and at once began to glide away beneath the leafy covering.
It happened, too, that she was able to pursue this course for more than
a hundred yards before a break in the bank, where there had been a
species of landslide, and where the trees receded sharply, caused her to
come into the open.

"Take her clear into the centre, and then head her for the lagoon," said
Jim, calling gently to Sam. "Tom, slip back into the cab. All hands keep
their heads as low as possible. Don't fire a shot unless there's actual
need, and if there's trouble, let every man who has no other special
duty pepper those rascals for all they're worth. Over with her."

Bizz! gurr! gurr! The motor roared at his bidding, while the propeller
lashed the shallow water into foam. Ching grabbed at the covering placed
over the rent in the water jacket, and then turned his face from the
engine. For, though there was nothing there to harm one, still the spray
forced in all directions by the pump was disagreeable, to say the least
of it, and made seeing almost impossible! Bizz! Gurr! the launch shot
down the last few yards of the dark lane beneath the trees. Sam, his eye
fixed on the opening, swung his wheel right over, while Jim nudged his
levers a trifle higher. The planks at his feet had started to dither
again, and practice told him that the vessel must be moving. But they
were not shaking and vibrating to such an extent as to make standing
upon them uncomfortable. There was no need for such an exhibition of
haste yet awhile.

"Might bust the jacket altogether," Jim told himself. "Might have a bad
breakdown. Better get along as we are. I can squeeze a little more out
of her if there's occasion. Ah, here she goes round into the open!"

Turning abruptly, as Sam swung the wheel over, the launch canted on her
heel till a stream of water swamped far up the rail-less deck astern.
The bows lifted from the surface in spite of Tom's enormous weight,
while a big bow wave collected beneath her cutwater, and, gathering in
size as the propeller shot the boat forward, was presently spreading
across the surface of the river, and washing heavily against the nearest
bank. Straight as a dart the vessel was directed to the point that Jim
had mentioned. She cut obliquely across the stream, and, almost before
those aboard could have believed it possible, was heeling again to the
swerve of her rudder.

"Done them brown. Cut out below them, and left 'em well behind. Boys!"
cried Tomkins, beside himself with delight, "I 'low as we've something
to thank the chief for. He's done a cute thing; he's stolen a real march
on them blackguards."

"Not know so much, siree," answered Tom from his post in the cab, where
he had retired at Jim's orders. "Massa Jim all right, don't you fear. He
know right well what him up to; but what yo say to dat, and to dat? Dem
bullets buzz too close fo Tom's likin'."

That the passage of the launch had been observed there could not now be
a shadow of doubt, for the far side of the river had already displayed
several patches of smoke, billowing from the rifles of the enemy. But
Tomkins laughed at the idea that they could prove harmful.

"Jest you squat right down here at my feet, darkie," he laughed. "Then
you won't have no cause to get wonderin' whether a bullet's coming
along. Fer me, I guess as we're well out of a ruction that looked at one
time likely to get too hot fer anything. You ain't got sich a thing as a
light along of you?"

Tom grunted. It annoyed the big fellow to have a recommendation to place
himself in safety. His eyes gleamed white in the morning light; his
sharp teeth gritted together.

"Yo policeman," he said, as he extracted his pipe from his pocket, and
still leaned on the edge of the cab, within full view of those on the
bank of the river, "yo Tomkins, yo ain't the only one as wants a smoke.
By gum, but Tom like a draw too, 'specially early in de mornin', when
dere a chance of gettin' a bullet. Yo sit right there and wait. Matches
ain't so plentiful in this locality."

He stuffed his pipe methodically and slowly. Then he put the stem
between his teeth and, slowly again, struck one of his matches. He was
on the point of offering the light to the policeman when a sudden
exclamation came from Sam.

"Look dar!" he shouted. "Not tink dat good for dis here party. Tings is
all changed round. Dey's chasin' us instead of we bein' after dem. Massa
Jim, dis am a bit of a conundrum."

Conundrum or not, the situation was sufficiently serious. Even Tomkins
went red and hot as he realized to the full the gravity of this new
movement. For the motor launch was not the only one on the river. The
launch on which the two ruffians had escaped from Colon, and which they
themselves had chased in the late hours of the previous night, was now
chasing them, but under altered circumstances. There were fifty dark
figures swarming over her decks.

"Right straight down the centre!" cried Jim, waving to Sam. "You hold on
dead straight unless I give you an order. I think we shall just clear
her."

But would they? That was the question. The steam launch which had
disappeared so mysteriously on the previous night had suddenly darted
out from the opposite bank of the river, her decks crowded with men.
Moreover, she was fully prepared for a speedy journey, for steam was
hissing and whistling from her escape. There was a white wave under her
foot, a spreading surf behind her, while the course she followed
promised to bring her alongside Jim's vessel before the latter could
make her way down the long stretch of water that led to the lagoon.
Indeed it looked very much as if the stranger would intercept their
passage, and then--what was the prospect?

"Boys," called out Jim after a minute, during which time he had pushed
his throttle and ignition levers as far forward as was possible, "see
here, boys, there may be a tussle before us. Get to work right now with
your rifles. Give it to 'em hot. We may be able to scare 'em."

Pip! Pop! The sharp reports of the Government rifles punctuated the
semi-silence which followed, while screams of rage came from the crowded
decks of the enemy. Pip! Pop! Tomkins and his friends splashed their
bullets in the centre of the throng, and sent more than one of the dusky
warriors rolling. Meanwhile, under Jim's guiding hand, the motor launch
sped faster towards the lagoon, till her whole frame shivered and
vibrated. In such acute cases a second's space of time will change the
complexion of matters entirely, will advance the fortunes of one party
against those of the other. And here there was an illustration of the
fact. Jim's engine raced madly, while the propeller took a firm grip of
the water. The vessel bounded forward at a pace which easily
outdistanced that of the steam launch. Very soon it became apparent that
Jim and his friends would slip past the launch that was steaming from
the opposite bank to intercept them.

"Keep at it with those rifles, boys!" he shouted, delighted at the turn
matters had taken, and, heedless of the spray of water which gushed in
all directions from the rent in the cooling jacket of the motor. "Keep
down their fire, and if you catch a sight of those rascals, pepper them
properly. Hooray! We'll best 'em yet."

"Run past dem as if they was lame and walking," sang out Tom, bubbling
over with excitement. "Den turn and gib dem what fo. Yo tink dat good
advice, massa. Yo do as I say; den we knock dem into little pieces. Tom
able to find de blackguard dat fired dat shot; den smash um to a jelly."

But seconds bring great changes in the fortunes of parties, as we have
already observed, and now, having smiled upon Jim and his comrades,
Dame Fortune--a fickle dame at any time--turned her face from them. That
rent in the water jacket, the spray which the pump forced past the plug
which Ching held in position, proved the undoing of the party. The
rhythmical buzz of the engine suddenly ceased. The explosions came
haltingly, while the revolutions lessened sensibly, so much so as to
reduce the speed of the boat. Then Jim's practised ear told him that the
ignition had given out, that the vital spark, without which the motor
was useless and now deficient, had been cut off, and thus the motor had
been sent adrift. Let us express the matter in proper terms--the flow of
water had smothered the magneto, and the current was shorted; no longer
did it flow uninterrupted and insulated to the cylinders. It expended
its force elsewhere, sent sparks flashing about the magneto, and in the
short space of a minute entirely stopped the motor. But the steam launch
made no pause in her progress. She pushed on towards the stranded boat
swiftly, while a shriek of delight and triumph burst from the horde of
natives crowding her decks.




CHAPTER XI

Barely Escaped


Tall and lean, the natives aboard the steam launch were plainly visible
for a moment, so much so that Jim, having regarded his useless motor
desperately for some few seconds, was compelled to give his attention to
the enemy. Tall and thin, each one of the natives was almost naked.
Their bodies were painted with broad stripes of white, which at a
distance made one think of skeletons; while vermilion was daubed on the
cheeks, giving each individual the same air of ferocity. For the rest,
these men wore their long hair plaited into queues, and bore about their
persons a simple belt in which a long knife was suspended.

But when events are moving fast, and disaster stares one in the face,
details and trifles escape attention. Jim and his comrades had their
safety to think of, so that it is not wonderful that they failed to
observe too closely the appearance of their dusky enemies. But however
urgent the position, none could fail to see the short spears, with long
narrow blades attached to them, which each dusky warrior carried. Half a
dozen at least were gripped in each left hand, while the right held a
single one in readiness to discharge it. As for the gun, the cheap gas
barrels with which these wretched natives had been supplied, they were
without exception muzzle loaders; and now that events were moving so
fast and so furiously there was hardly time to load. A few of the men
handled their ramrods, but the rest had discarded their weapons and
stood prancing upon the deck of the launch, causing her to heave and
roll dangerously, and prepared to throw their spears the instant they
came within range of Jim and his party. It was not until that moment
that our hero realized that if their fortunes were desperate they were
at least lucky in one particular.

"Gee, ain't I glad!" he exclaimed. "From what Phineas told me I quite
expected them to be armed with bows and arrows--the latter poisonous.
Tomkins, you and your men had best concentrate your force aft of the
launch, where the engine is. I caught a glimpse of those rascals there;
and though I don't suppose that the death of one or both would cause the
gang to sheer off, yet it might do so, and in any case if we could put
them out of action there would be no white man to lead the natives."

"Right, sir, right," came from Tomkins instantly, while he and his two
comrades promptly moved to the back of the cab, from which point they
could best command that portion of the launch upon which they were
instructed to concentrate their fire.

"You, Tom and Sam, fire on the natives," shouted Jim. "I'm going to help
you. Ching, get hold of some of that clean cotton waste and wipe up all
round this magneto. Dry every part you can, and don't forget those plugs
on top of the cylinders."

He had already pointed out the ignition plugs to the Chinaman, for
they, like the rest of the engine, had been heavily sprayed with water.
Then he seized a rifle, jerked the magazine open as the Major had
instructed him when they first set out on the expedition, and levelled
his sights upon the advancing natives.

By now the latter were dangerously near, and already clouds of spears
were flying. It looked as if within a few seconds the steam launch would
be right alongside, and the black demons aboard her hurling themselves
upon the decks of the motor. But suddenly there came a high-pitched
shriek amidst the howls of the enemy, and to the relief of all in Jim's
party the course of the other vessel was abruptly altered. She shot away
obliquely to the left, while one of the white men who had been manning
the wheel was seen to tumble backwards.

"A grand shot," shouted Jim. "Now is our time to get this motor running.
Out of the way, Ching, and let me get to her. We'll see how she'll run
without water in her jackets."

The idea had suddenly flashed into his brain, and he proceeded promptly
to put it into execution. But, first of all, now that he had a short
breathing space, it was necessary to supervise the work that Ching had
been doing.

"It'll take 'em a good five minutes to round up and get back here within
range," he told himself, glancing across at the enemy. "That splendid
shot and the fall of their steersman have caused no end of confusion,
and now is the time to best them."

Laying his rifle down hurriedly, he bent over the magneto and seized a
handful of dry cotton waste.

"Me mop up all de water," grinned Ching, looking the coolest person
aboard the launch. Indeed, there seemed to be little doubt that he was
actually the least concerned of all the party, for his inexpressive
features had not changed in the slightest. There was not so much as a
tinge of red in his sallow cheeks, sure indication of some excitement.
His almond eyes--all aslant, as is common to this Eastern race--regarded
Jim, the useless motor, and the howling band of natives steaming across
the water with the same tranquillity. "Wipey all de water up, Mass Jim,"
he repeated. "Now, s'pose you start him. He go velly nicely p'laps. Den
run away from dem rascals, and Ching put de kettle on, hab someting to
eat, 'cos Ching hungry, velly."

"Get out of this!" cried Jim irritably. "Breakfast, man! Why, if we
don't get out of this in the next few minutes there won't be one of us
left to take a bite!"

He pushed the Chinaman to one side, and rapidly ran over his ignition
system. Ching had done his work with that painstaking thoroughness for
which the Chinaman is noted, and though hollows and crevices in and
about the motor still held pools of water, the vital parts were dry.

"Then I'll try it," he said. "Those beggars have managed to turn rather
quicker than I had imagined; but if I can only get her going within a
minute we ought to be able to escape them. Ah! here come their bullets
again, boys; get in at them with your rifles."

All the while he had been troubled with the want of one small article.
To keep the water out of his motor he must plug the opening which led
from the vessel's side direct to the pump. For the rest, it was an easy
matter, there being a tap which would drain all the jackets within the
space of but a few seconds. But that alone was insufficient; with the
water port still open, the pump would drive a column of fluid through
the jackets, and the ignition would be again drenched.

"A cork! a cork!" he cried. "Something with which to fill this port."

He leant over the side of the vessel and pointed out the opening to
Ching. And the wily, cunning Chinee immediately came to his assistance.

"A cork, sah; I's got the velly thing. You wantee someting to push in
dere. Ching hab plenty fine cork."

He moved with exasperating slowness across the engine well, and rummaged
in a locker in which his cooking utensils were stored. There came the
characteristic sound of a bung being extracted from a bottle, and then
Ching came back again, still slowly, still unconcernedly, still with
that unruffled countenance.

"He, he, he! him come out of the vinegar bottle," he giggled. "Him one
velly fine cork, Mass Jim. But yo gib him back when yo finished? Eh?
Velly fine cork dat."

Jim snatched it from his hand without ceremony, in fact with a
brusqueness altogether foreign to him. Then he leaned over the side of
the launch and gave a shout of triumph when he discovered that Ching had
supplied him with an article which fitted nicely. He rammed it home
forcibly, driving his fist through the water against the cork. Then he
bounded to the engine, jerked the starting handle into position, and
sent the motor whirling. Bizz! She was off. The engine went away with an
encouraging roar, while but a few ounces of water escaped from the rent
in her jacket.

"Wipe it up," he commanded Ching. "And guess you'd better keep clear of
the magneto and plugs and suchlike. If you touched them you'd get a
shock that would knock you endways. Gee! Ain't she buzzing! Hooray!
we'll best them."

Sam was already at the steering wheel of the launch, watching his master
out of the corner of his big eyes, and paying some attention to the
enemy. Indeed he would not have been human had he failed to cast more
than one anxious look in their direction. Sam was not the same stolid,
supernaturally unemotional individual as the Chinaman. He had nerves;
excitement told on the little fellow.

"Dey almighty near, sah," he sang out. "Dat motor goin'? den, fo'
goodness sake, put de gear in, push on, get away from dem demon."

"Dodge 'em; swing her about. Put out their aim," Jim called to him, and
at once pushed his gear lever home. Then, like the practical young man
he was, he reached over to his lubricators and sent them dripping at a
pace which, while they would not flood the engine and overlubricate her,
would still supply a more abundant amount than usual, and so in a
measure serve to counteract the want of water cooling.

"She's bound to run hotter," Jim told himself, "and as a permanent
arrangement the thing wouldn't do; but for the time being it's got to.
Round with her, Sam."

The launch meanwhile had floated quietly on the surface of the river,
and, owing to the fact that her propeller was stationary, being thrown
out of gear by the failure of the engine, she had lost steerage way, and
had drifted completely round. She was heading upstream when Jim set her
propeller thrashing the water again, and for a while she raced away from
the other vessel, the manoeuvre drawing shrill yells of rage from the
natives. But Sam had her in hand. The fine little fellow had not been
with Jim and his father all this time without learning how to steer a
launch, and at once, with a glance over his shoulder, he sent his wheel
round, causing the boat to flop over and heel till her rail was almost
under the surface. Round she spun on her keel, and within the
half-minute was heading direct for the enemy. A growl broke from Tomkins
as he laid his cheek once more down on the butt of his rifle.

"This time guess we'll make hay with 'em," he shouted. "Don't you be in
too much of a hurry, sir. You can make rings all round 'em and still
keep out of range. Dare say their bullets'll reach right enough, but
they won't strike hard enough to hurt more'n a fly. It's the spears I'm
frightened of."

And everyone else, too; for the natives aboard the oncoming launch had
again discarded their firearms, and were now standing, spear in hand
ready poised, waiting for the moment when they might cast them. Sam gave
every dusky warrior a start when he headed the launch direct for them.
It looked as if he were bent on a collision; but a minute later, when
effective range for the spear throwers had almost been reached, he put
his wheel over again, and shot the launch away at a right angle. Then a
figure aboard the enemy was seen to rise erect beside her steering gear,
and within the space of a few seconds she paid off in the same direction
as Jim's craft had taken--on a course, in fact, which would bring the
two boats alongside very shortly. Either that or they must run hard into
the bank.

"Right round with her again; dodge them!" shouted Jim, his heart in his
mouth. "Then take her up stream a little. We have the legs of them, and
if only we can shake them clear for a while we shall get past them."

That was the difficulty. The enemy remained all the while between them
and the lagoon, and in that direction safety lay. Even a swift boat such
as the motor launch had proved herself to be could not slip by easily,
unless she risked running so close into the other as to place her crew
in danger of those terrible spears; but Sam seemed fully to have
realized the difficulty, and at Jim's command he brought the boat
heeling round again. Hardly three lengths separated the combatants when
he swung the wheel again, and, driven by her fast-rotating propeller,
the launch shot obliquely up the stream, leaving the other heading
helplessly for the bank. Tom roared with delight, brandishing his rifle
overhead, while Ching giggled and simpered as if he looked upon the
thing as a glorious joke. But Jim's face was set and stern. He had been
so close when the vessel turned that he had been able to look into the
eyes of the natives; and the ferocity of their appearance, their
terrible shrieks and howls, and the cloud of spears which they had
discharged brought realistically to him the depth of their danger.
Within a foot of his hand a spear stood quivering, the blade sunk deeply
in the woodwork. It needed but a glance to tell him that the weapon was
capable of dealing death to anyone. However, they were out of range now,
and the time had come to practise a further manoeuvre. Jim waved his
hand in Sam's direction.

"Over," he shouted. "Let her rip for the lagoon."

Meanwhile the course of the other launch had been hurriedly arrested;
for the ruffian aboard her was a clever skipper, and handled the craft
with decision. The waters churned into white foam beneath her rudder,
and before Jim and his friend had completed their slanting run upstream
the rascal had his boat running rapidly astern in an effort to intercept
them.

"Gee, he'll do it, too!" shouted Tomkins. "Say, sir, we'll have to
charge them. But that would mean the end of everything for them and for
us."

Jim shook his head emphatically. "You're asking for a funeral," he said
bluntly. "We've got to dodge 'em, even if we play at the game for the
rest of the morning. Steady there, Sam; do anything rather than let them
get within close range of us. Boys, if only you could pick off that
rascal who commands them we would soon make an end of the others."

But the man aboard the other boat proved to be as crafty as he was
capable. True, they had obtained a clear view of him on one occasion, at
least, when he had dashed for the steering gear of his vessel. But now a
gaudily painted native occupied that responsible position, while the
Spaniard himself lay out of sight in the engine well, but near enough
to prompt him. The rim of his hat could be seen on occasion as he
glanced across at Jim and his party. As for our hero, seeing that the
course was blocked, and that for the moment their escape was cut off, he
coolly threw his lever out of gear and slowed down his engine. Then he
reversed his propellor for a while until the launch had come to a
standstill.

"Two can play at this sort of game," he told himself. "We'll wait and
see what that fellow proposes to do; but listen here, Tomkins, and you
other fellows. Next time we attempt a rush we have to make a big
impression on these natives. We'll get them end on, if we can, and then
try them with volleys. We want to make every shot tell, and that hasn't
been the case up to the present. A moving target isn't too easy to hit
from a launch when she's heaving and rolling."

"Lummy! Look dere! By de poker, dere more of de scum. Yo see dem black
sons ob guns coming right away dere? Dey likely to be very troublesome."

It taxed the perception of all to decide where this new arrival could
have come from; for up till that moment the banks on either hand had
seemed to be untenanted. Not a shot had come from them for quite a
while, and all imagined that every native taking part in this sudden and
unprovoked attack upon Jim and his comrades was embarked aboard the
other launch. And here, as Tom had brought to their notice, was another
boat, steering out from a bank to join her consort. It was a long,
dark-coloured craft, with sides protruding some little distance out of
the water, a stem erected high into the air, and bearing upon it a
hideous carving, while astern there was a platform perched up on the
post, and squatted upon it a painted and feathered savage, whose
steering oar controlled the course of the vessel. As for her crew, a
swarm of natives filled her from end to end; those in advance standing
ready, spear in hand, to join in the engagement, while the remainder,
situated aft, squatted on the floor and churned the water with their
paddles. In a little while she had come alongside the steamer, which now
rested across the centre of the stream.

"They'll talk for a bit now, I guess," growled Tomkins. "Then, like as
not, they'll make a dash for it. This here business ain't going to be
ended without a rare lot of bloodletting. It's that launch that's the
bother. She ain't as quick as we are, but she's swift enough to turn and
stop us now that she's got a position downstream. If only we had half a
dozen more men aboard here! I wouldn't funk, then, running aboard her.
We'd show 'em who was going ter be master."

The man's eyes were set and shining. There was a good deal of the bull
dog about Tomkins, and one had only to glance at him to feel satisfied
that when the crisis came the American could be trusted.

"As ef we was goin' down before a lot of black chaps same as they are!"
he growled. "But you can't get away from numbers. It's the crowd that
tells, and ef we lets 'em get close enough ter get their teeth
fixed--gee, it'll be a case! Funerals ain't in it. I for one ain't goin'
ter drop into the hands of sich rascals. I'll clear out all I can, and
then----"

His eyes were bent on his rifle, while his fingers--strong, brown
fingers--played with the lock.

Gurr! Jim switched the conversation in another direction by throwing his
gear in. "They're moving," he said. "Best get steerage way on the boat.
See here, boys, we've a heap of room upstream, and if they don't
separate directly I shall run up gently. We've always enough water to
turn in, and if only we can once fool the launch, and get by her, I
don't care a row of chips for the other craft. I'll run her down in a
winking. Ah, they're coming along! Swing her over, Sam. There's no
hurry: we'll see if the movement won't make them part company."

But the steamer and the huge war canoe held together. In fact, ropes had
been passed from one to the other, and the launch provided the power.
But men were stationed ready to cast off the bonds between them, so that
each craft could go separately. Jim's sudden movement produced nothing
more than a howl, while the steamer swung gently over towards him.

"That'll suit me as well as anything," he cried. "Let 'em hold together.
I'll tempt them across towards this bank, then double and be away before
they can cut the canoe adrift. How's that?"

The enemy answered the question. For, of a sudden, the ropes were cast
off, the canoe lay to in the centre of the stream, while the launch
steamed to intercept the other. It was a crafty move on the part of the
rascal who commanded the natives; for now he could rush at Jim. If he
failed to come to grips with him, and the latter attempted to slip
downstream, there was a formidable obstacle which was by no means to be
sneered at because she had no motor aboard. There were lusty arms to ply
the paddles, and when the backs of the natives were bent to the work
they could make their craft slip through the water at a pace which had
to be witnessed to be believed.

"Round we go, upstream for the moment," called Jim to the negro at the
wheel. "Easy does it: I'm only letting my motor out a little. We'll make
things hum before we have finished. She's coming along too. Well, we'll
make a race of it to the far side of the river."

All the time he was attempting to get the enemy so near one bank that,
in the race across to the other, the launch propelled by an
internal-combustion motor, which had already proved herself far the
speedier, would outstrip the other by so much that it would be safe to
head downstream and sweep past her without risking those formidable
spears. But always there was the crafty ruffian aboard the steamer to be
reckoned with. He turned as Jim's craft ran direct across to the far
bank, and followed swiftly. Then, as the motor launch approached close
to the far bank, the rascal coolly stopped his engine. When Sam swung
his boat round again the enemy had actually gained. A direct run
upstream would almost allow him to meet the motor launch.

"Gee, he's got us there!" cried Jim, disappointment in his voice. "I
thought we were going to do the trick nicely. But wait a little: we'll
be more successful on the second occasion. Run her slick across, Sam,"
he called. "I'm going to try and trick him."

There is little doubt that had the enemy desired it he could almost have
arrested their progress on this occasion, or forced Jim and his party to
change their course. But the commander of the steamer had his own ideas
as to how to accomplish his purpose. Ching simpered when he discovered
the truth of the matter, but had the good sense to mention his fears to
our hero.

"Oh, him one velly clever person!" he giggled. "Yo see what him up to,
Mass Jim. All de time him run across alongside ob us him slippey nearer
and nearer. Presently him so close dat de black man able to dig dere
spears in."

Jim shivered in spite of the heat, for the sun was now streaming down
upon the contestants. Then he looked closely at the enemy, and realized
that Ching had given him valuable information. For though the steamer
was cutting across the river on an apparently parallel course to his
own, yet all the while her steersman was jerking his helm over, bringing
her by degrees closer to Jim and his party. It was a difficulty which
needed to be faced promptly, and Jim's lips were hard set together as he
made his plans to meet it. Very gradually he slowed down his motor,
keeping a keen eye all the while upon the stern of the steamer, where
white foam showed how her propeller was working.

"I don't know that his game won't suit me very well after all," he said
to himself. "So long as he actually doesn't come within spear range of
us we are all right, and my aim all the while is to get him dead on a
line with us. Once there he can't catch us by suddenly swerving off from
his course, as was nearly the case this last time. Sam, boy," he called
out, "when I shout, bring her clear round and face her back on her
tracks right away for the other side. Tomkins, you can get your men
ready for a little bit of quick business."

For the past five minutes not a shot had left the rifles of his
comrades, though an occasional ball came from the deck of the steamer.
It was remarkable that the rascal there made no attempt to use his
revolver; but perhaps he had run out of ammunition, and in any case the
management of the craft occupied all his attention. As to the men under
Jim's command, all wore a grim determined expression. Even Ching seemed
to take some definite interest in the adventure, and, though one could
not be quite sure of the matter, those slanting, almond eyes bore just
the merest trace of anxiety. Otherwise, there was tense excitement on
board, for by now each man had realized the nature of the manoeuvre
about to be attempted, and the narrow margin which must necessarily lie
between themselves and safety. It was Tomkins who put in an encouraging
word.

"Jest you get in at it, pard," he said, moistening the palms of his
hands preparatory to gripping his rifle. "You ain't got no cause to fear
that we won't fight. When the ruction comes you can count on us, every
blessed mother's son of us; and, see here, siree, ef you don't happen to
bring off this trick, and there's a chance of them chaps driving us up
into a corner, jest round her and go baldheaded for 'em. I'm getting
sick of this here runnin'."

His two comrades nodded curtly to show that this statement met with
their full approval, while Tom, the noble fellow, who always seemed to
carry his young master's interests uppermost in his mind, stepped across
to the rear edge of the cab and leaned over towards the motor.

"We ain't gwine to knuckle down to dem black niggers," he said in a
voice which was meant to be a confidential whisper, but which as an
actual fact was a deep-chested roar that wellnigh drowned the noise of
the engine. "Yo ain't got no cause to fear, 'cos this here boy and all
de odders wants to get back right along home again. We ain't a-goin' to
let scum like this stan' in de way. Nebber. We's gwine to do as we
wants. Sam, jest see that you're nippy."

Tom gave his master one of his most expansive smiles; then, as if to
relieve his overwrought feelings, he swung round and glowered upon the
harmless but extremely energetic Sam. Indeed, if the fortunes of the day
were due to some extent to those who had wielded rifles, they were none
the less the work of Jim and Sam and Ching between them, while at this
very critical moment they may rightly be said to have rested in the
hands of our hero and the little negro only.

Jim glanced swiftly across at the steamer. By now she was almost abreast
of them, and if only he had but known it her commander was on the point
of bringing his scheme to a termination by a rapid movement. He imagined
that the slowing down of the launch was due again to further trouble of
her motor. It was distinctly an opportunity to be snatched at, and, with
a promptness which did him credit, he caused his steersman to swing his
helm over. In an instant the steamer had changed her course and was
heading for the broadside of the other vessel.

"Now," shouted Jim excitedly. "Right round with her. Let her rip. We've
got 'em nicely."

It is one of the advantages of a gasolene motor, that the engine is
capable of instant acceleration. A second before it had been purring
gently, whilst the propeller was barely turning; but now the machinery
gave out a sudden roar, while every plank and strut aboard shivered and
vibrated. Under her keel the blades of her propeller churned the stream
into milky foam, while the craft itself gathered way promptly. Once more
she rolled heavily as Sam swung his wheel. Then she came round on her
former course as if she were a living thing that understood, and was in
full sympathy with the work expected of her. She bounded forward,
raising her bows clear of the water, and by the time she had reached
midstream had gained five lengths on the steamer.

"Edge her down, Sam; edge her down," urged Jim, giving hasty directions
to his steersman. "Be ready to bring her over. That will be the time for
you, Tomkins, and the others with the rifles."

It hardly needs the telling that the din from those aboard the steamer
was now bewildering and deafening. But a few short seconds before the
game had seemed entirely in their hands; it looked as though they would
be aboard the other craft in a twinkling. Now they were hopelessly left
behind; every instant made their failure more certain. Puffs of smoke
burst from the crowded decks, while the huge bullets discharged from the
gas barrels owned by the natives splashed all round Jim and his friends.
Then there was a roar of anger as the launch turned once more on her
heel, exposing her bottom boards right down to the keel as she rolled to
the movement. A cloud of useless spears filled the air, while right aft
of the steamer a figure sprang on to the stern deck waving both arms and
shouting furiously. Tomkins's eye fell upon the man, and he gripped hard
to the rail of the vessel to steady himself whilst she was rolling. Then
down came his rifle, the weapon cracked forth a bullet, and the figure
beyond collapsed across the engine and was hidden from view in the depth
of the well which housed it. There were others amongst the natives who
met with their deserts about the same moment; while, as if to put the
question of the steamer's further utility entirely beyond discussion,
there came suddenly from the neighbourhood of her funnel a thick column
of hissing steam which rose in clouds over the river.

"I guess I'd had to shoot him," declared Tomkins grimly; "and well he
deserved it. Say, sir, you needn't think no more of that steamer, for
she's put clean out of the running. Reckon a bullet found her boiler and
plugged a hole clean through it."

Whatever the cause of that cloud of escaping steam the effect was to
bring the launch to a standstill. Indeed the position of affairs seemed
to have become suddenly reversed. A little while before it had been
Jim's motor which was _hors de combat_. He and his friends were stranded
and helpless on the water. Now the situation was pleasantly reversed. As
Tomkins had said, the steamer was out of the running.

"Dead straight ahead for them," called Jim, his eye fixed upon the huge
war canoe hovering farther down the stream. "If they swerve, swing over
towards them, and, when within a couple or more lengths, cut off in the
other direction. Don't forget to keep them a spear throw from us."

"And meanwhile pepper 'em with the rifles, eh?" asked Tomkins, grinning
over his shoulder, and wearing now a very different expression to the
grim, determined look he had shown but a short while before. "Pepper 'em
nicely, eh, so as to give 'em a taste of what's coming?"

But Jim shook his head decidedly. "There's been enough bloodlettin'
already," he said, using the very words which the policeman had employed
already. "We've done well with these other fellows, and have shot the
two rascals for whom we came in this direction. These ignorant natives
don't know any better. Guess we'll give 'em a chance."

A flush of vexation rose to Tomkins's face as he heard his suggestion
scouted. He turned with shining eyes upon our hero, and doubtless, had
the incident happened some few hours before, would have blurted out a
protest. But Jim's manly form, his stern, set face, and his coolness
disarmed the policeman and smoothed down his ruffled temper. He
recollected that it was to our hero's guidance that the party, so far,
owed in great measure its security. The young fellow had done right
well, as his worst enemy must needs admit. Then why should he, Tomkins,
step in to disturb him? True, Jim was not his lawful commander; but then
he himself had placed the lad in that position of responsibility, while
a sense of discipline urged him to support one who filled the post of
officer.

"Dash it all, man," he growled, "play the game! Don't he deserve it?"

"Right, sir," he said pleasantly, turning to Jim. "You've shown us a
cool head so far, and, gee! if I don't think you'll pull us through this
business. Not a trigger will we draw on those darkies till you give the
word, or till there's actual reason to teach them a lesson. Now, sonny,
you ain't got no need to glare at me as if I'd stolen yer last dollar. I
ain't done nothing to hurt your master."

It was Tom to whom he addressed himself on this last occasion, for the
watchful negro had overheard the words which had passed between Jim and
the policeman. Incensed at Tomkins's seeming disloyalty, and always
eager to protect our hero, Tom was on the verge of indignation. His big,
broad face, which had lost its happy smile since the beginning of the
action, now wore an expression akin to anger. His sharp, white teeth
were gritted together, while he leaned toward the policeman as if he
would do him an injury. But in an instant his manner changed. Tom could
not be resentful for more than a moment; besides, there were other
pressing matters to engage his attention.

"Yo hab a care, yo policeman," he cried; "me smash dem niggers easy. If
me commence on yo, knock de stuffing out ob yo altogether, make yo
terrible ill and shaky. Savvy dat? Den put dem in yo pipe and smoke
dem."

But Tomkins had already turned away from him with a grin and a shrug of
his shoulders, while Jim silenced the negro peremptorily.

"Get a grip of that pole," he cried, nodding to the one that Tom had
used on the previous evening, "just in case they happen to come within
close distance of us. I hope they won't. We ought to run slick past
them."

And that, in fact, seemed to be the most likely termination of the
matter, though it was a little disconcerting to notice that the huge war
canoe still lay stationary in the very centre of the river. So far it
had not been necessary for Sam to swerve the launch in the slightest,
and now, as before, she was running head on towards the enemy. In a
minute it would be necessary to cut away to one side or the other, the
choice resting entirely with Sam, the negro. Deliberately he swung his
wheel to the right, and shot the launch obliquely across the river. At
the very same instant the man squatting upon the high platform right aft
of the canoe shouted, and some fifty paddles plunged into the water.
With incredible speed the native craft made off, and shot forward at an
angle which would bring her alongside the launch. In spite of the
latter's speed it became evident, with startling suddenness, that she
could not escape contact with the enemy. It was Sam who decided the
course of Jim's party. He bent over his steering wheel till he seemed to
hug it. Then he twisted it to the left abruptly.

"Down under with you all!" shouted Jim. "We shall strike her. Tom, get
your pole ready." But the negro's services were not required, for the
collision and all that followed was ended with startling swiftness. The
bows of the launch swung round till they pointed but a few feet ahead of
the canoe. Then they came round a little more, while a terrible shout
burst from the enemy. There was a gentle shock as the launch struck the
stem post of the huge native craft, spears rattled upon her deck, and
then they were passed. As for the canoe, the collision had driven her to
one side just as she had seemed on the point of running along in close
company with the launch. She was now some twenty yards in rear, her crew
paddling hopelessly. That she had very nearly run aboard Jim's boat
there could be no doubt, for one of the warriors had actually managed to
leap forward and reach her. Tom discovered him clinging to the rail
amidships, his mouth wide open to hold his spears.

"Oh, dat yo, my frien'!" he laughed, peering over at him. "You hab a
free ride all fo' noding. But goodbye now. Sorry to lose yo: we a bit in
a hurry."

The burly fellow pushed his pole beneath the man, and by sheer strength
lifted him clear out of the water. He held him there for a little while,
casting choice expressions at him, then he cast him back into the water,
as if the native were some species of fish for which Tom had no use
whatever.

"Lucky him swim so well," he laughed. "Tom almost sorry he not kill um.
Not so sure dat blackguard not de one who shoot and hit him hand."

"Nonsense!" cried Jim. "Nothing of the sort. That man was aboard the
steamer. Stand out of the way, Tom! I think we may take it easily."

There was, in fact, no longer any reason for haste; therefore Jim slowed
down his motor. They cruised slowly across the lagoon, and lay close to
its exit. There, with the help of the kit of tools carried aboard, and
a strip of tinned iron cut from a biscuit box, our hero effected a
temporary repair to the water jacket, soldering the patch into position.
It was a triumphant crew which returned to Colon, for the Major was
himself again, and their duty was accomplished.




CHAPTER XII

An American Undertaking


"I never did meet such a fellow as you, Jim Partington," cried Phineas
Barton, when our hero and his comrades turned up at the house situated
above the huge dam of Gatun, in progress of building. "No, never before.
You get introduced to me after a likely enough adventure. Perhaps I
ought to say that I was introduced to you; reckon anyway our meeting was
as strange as one might imagine, and there was no end of excitement in
it. You behaved like a plucky young beggar."

Jim went very red at once. "I thought we weren't to hear anything more
about that," he said bluntly. "That was our agreement."

But Phineas only grinned at him. "Agreement or no agreement," he said
seriously, "there are times when a chap has just got to sit down and
listen. Reckon that time is here now, and you're the chap. I was saying,
when you interrupted me--ahem!--that you were a beggar for adventures.
You come to my house, do one day's solid work, and then get gallivanting
off with an exploration party. Of course, being fired at in the
meanwhile and the ruction you had with those rascals down at the hut
above Colon is nothing--just a kind of act between supper and
breakfast, as it were. Now there's this launch expedition, and there's
Tomkins--a surly sort of fellow, who don't often open his mouth, and
then not always to be pleasant; there's this policeman, with the Major,
his commanding officer, singing your praises down at the club, till the
boys are jest jumping to get a grip at you. Time supper's ended to-night
you've got to come right along there with me; and, jest remember this,
they ain't got an agreement with you."

Jim was horrified at the suggestion. Though he was American born, and
was blessed with an American's average allowance of assurance, the lad
was undoubtedly modest when his own actions were in question. He would
have given anything to escape from what promised to be an ordeal, and
made numerous excuses. But Phineas bore him off in spite of all of them,
and Tom and Sam and Ching fell in as a bodyguard in rear, in case his
protégé should attempt to escape.

"It's not what you owe to yourself," he said, with a laugh, "but what
you owe to the boys. Remember that they're working here all day, with
little chance of getting news but what comes to them at the club. We're
steadygoing stagers here on the canal, and it isn't often that a chap
like you turns up. When he does he's got to stand the ruction, and guess
that's what you've got to do. Don't I jest wish you and I could change
places."

Jim agreed with him heartily, though, as a matter of fact, when he came
to face what in his imagination would be an ordeal, he discovered it to
be but the pleasantest ceremony. Quiet, earnest men crowded round him
to shake his hand; then he was bidden to sit at a table in the centre of
his new comrades.

"Yer see," said Harry, who regarded our hero with an envious expression,
"that 'ere Tomkins ain't the man to talk, while the Major's much too
busy; besides, guess his head's much too sore for chatting. You jest get
right in at it, and give us the yarn from start to finish."

[Illustration: ATTACKED BY NATIVES]

Jim did as he was bidden, describing every incident, and drawing a growl
from many of his audience when he came to that part of his narrative
which dealt with the injury to the engine; for it can well be imagined
that amongst those white employees on the huge canal a goodly number
were, if not actually engineers by profession, certainly most strongly
imbued with a leaning towards it. All may have been said to have had
mechanical knowledge, since there were few who did not run a steam
navvy, a rock drill, a rail-laying plant, or a lifting derrick of some
description.

"Gee whiz! That's hot!" exclaimed one of them, interrupting for a
moment. "One of those muzzle-loading gas barrels chucked a shot right at
your motor, did it? And knocked a hole clean through the water jacket?
My, that must have been awkward! Reckon the water pumped up most
everywhere, and swamped the ignition. Tell us jest how yer fixed it."

Jim described exactly what had happened, how he had plugged the water
entrance to the pump of his motor, and drained the jackets dry. "It was
a near thing," he admitted, with a grin. "I thought I should never get
going again; but we mopped the water from the magneto, and reckon we
fixed it just in time. Of course I gave her plenty of oil, and all the
time I was scared that the motor would become overheated."

"Excuse me, sir," said one of the audience, suddenly pressing forward
and disclosing himself as one of the officials. "All the time you were
fixing this motor, shots were flying, and I understand that there was a
boatload of dark-skinned gentlemen thirsting for the lives of yourself
and your comrades, and not forgetting to let you know it either. Reckon
many a man would have been too upset to think of extra lubrication,
though everyone here who knows a gasolene motor realizes well enough
that it was extra lubrication, and that alone, which saved your engine
from overheating."

He looked round at the assembled audience enquiringly, and was rewarded
with many a sharp nod of approval.

"You've got it, siree," cried one of them. "You've jest put your finger
on the very point I was about to ask."

"It's as clear as daylight," went on the official, "our young friend
here saved the whole party by keeping his head well screwed down and his
wits about him. If that motor had overheated, as any self-respecting
engine might well have been expected to do under the circumstances, you
were all goners. All dead, sir. Wiped out clean by those natives."

There came a grunt of acquiescence from the audience, while Jim went red
to the roots of his hair.

"You don't happen to have got fixed on a special job yet awhile?" asked
the official pointedly.

"I'm to take a steam digger away up by Culebra."

"And you wouldn't change, supposing I was to come forward with an offer?
See here," said the official eagerly, "I'm from the machine shops 'way
over at Gorgona. You've heard of them?"

Everyone in the canal zone had heard of these immense shops to which the
official alluded, for there a great amount of engineering work was
undertaken. In such a colossal task as this building of a canal between
Panama and Colon, between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the reader
will readily comprehend that an enormous number of locomotives, steam
diggers, and machinery of every sort and description was in constant
operation, and that, like machinery all the world over, such implements
break down on occasion and require repair. The works at Gorgona coped
with all such matters, and was staffed by such keen engineers that they
even did not stop at repairs of whatever description. There, in those
sheds, engines were constructed, from the smallest bolt down to the
heaviest crank shaft, according to the designs produced at the drawing
offices at Gorgona. The workers on the canal had long since discovered
that special machines were often required to deal with the special jobs
they had in progress. And clever heads at Gorgona invented means to
satisfy them. Witness the ingenious rail layer, without which the task
of delving would have been much delayed; witness that other clever
arrangement which did in seven minutes the work of a hundred men, and
swept the dirt clear from a whole line of earth wagons.

"You've heard of those shops 'way over at Gorgona?" asked the official
again.

"I have," Jim admitted. "I'm longing to see them."

"Then you shall, I promise. But, see here, about this job. A good man
deserves a proper place for his knowledge and his energies; down there,
at Gorgona, we've just turned out a gasolene rock driller that'll knock
the other steam-driven concerns into the shade. I'm looking for a man to
run it, one used to gasolene motors. Say, if I apply for you, sir, will
you take the work?"

Jim looked round the circle before he replied, and almost smiled at the
expression he caught on Harry's face. The genial fellow who had given
him a day's instruction in the working of a hundred-ton steam digger did
not look best pleased; but that was to be put down to his own keenness,
to the keenness which he inherited in common with every white man
labouring on the canal. For in Harry's eyes it was the machine which he
himself ran which was helping the progress of the canal; it was the
enormous mouthfuls of dirt which his digger tore from the soil that
placed the undertaking nearer completion. And every man he coached in
the task was something approaching a traitor if he abandoned that
particular machine for another. Then, of a sudden, his face took on
another expression.

"You ain't got no cause to think of me, young 'un," he said pleasantly.
"I don't deny as I'd have liked to see you running a digger, 'cos it's
me as taught you; but, then, I don't forget that you've shown that you
know one of these gasolene motors right away from the piston to the
crank shaft. You close with the offer if you like it; there'll be more
dollars in it, I reckon."

He addressed the last remark to the official, who nodded acquiescence.

"Special work, special pay," he replied curtly. "We want a man, and we
must be prepared to spend dollars on him. I offer a dollar more than
digger rates. What's the answer?"

"Of course he takes it!" burst in Phineas eagerly. "It ain't in human
nature to refuse advancement, and of course Jim'll take that motor. Do
you want him yet awhile?"

"In a couple of weeks perhaps. We're not quite ready."

"Then I accept, with many thanks," said Jim, his heart beating fast with
pleasure at such rapid progress; for here was advancement, here was pay
which made his own future and that of Sadie all the brighter. "In two
weeks' time; and in the meanwhile perhaps you'll allow me to see the
machine and get an idea of its construction."

"You can come along whenever you like and handle the concern. It'll
knock spots out of those steam drills," declared the official.

"And now, as this here business interview seems to have come to an end,
supposing we get to with a song," cried one of the audience. "Didn't I
hear tell as you could play a banjo, Jim, and sing a tune when you was
axed?"

"I've done so before; I can try," answered our hero, breathing more
freely now that his ordeal was over. "I'll buy a banjo as soon as I can;
then I'll let you see what I can do."

"You'll get right away in at it, siree," said the man severely, grinning
at his comrades. "See here, there's a banjo I brought along with me from
the States. Not that I can tune on it; I allow as I've tried, but, gee!
the performance was enough to make a cat laugh. The boys passed a
resolution axing me to give over at once, and fer that reason the
instrument's been lying idle in my quarters this three months past. Get
in at it, siree."

He produced a stained and somewhat battered instrument from behind his
chair and passed it to Jim. Now Jim was by no means a poor
instrumentalist, and in addition was one of those fortunate individuals
gifted with a fair voice. Thousands of men have found before this that
the power to sing and entertain their fellows is the key to popularity,
and Jim was no exception. It had been his fortune to live as a rule
amongst small communities, where any form of entertainment was
appreciated, and none more than a song. It followed, therefore, that
here again, as in the case of the gasolene motor, he had had experience,
and seeing that his audience were determined to hear him, he settled
down to the work without more ado. A fine young fellow he looked, too,
seated in their midst, the banjo in correct position as he leant over
it, touching the strings and tightening them till his keen ear was
satisfied. Burnt a deep brown by the hot sun of those parts, his hair
somewhat dishevelled, and his clothing by no means improved by the
adventures through which he had passed, Jim had a rugged, healthy,
out-of-doors appearance which was most attractive. That he was by no
means a weakling was at once apparent, for he filled his clothing well,
and presented a fine pair of broad shoulders. When he lifted his face
and glanced round at his audience, smiling in his own serene, inimitable
manner, there was not one who did not know in his heart that our hero
was a stanch and jolly individual, free from side and that stupid
conceit which spoils some young men of his age, but full of go and
energy as became an American; ready when his work was done, and only
then, to enjoy himself as much as possible and help to give enjoyment to
others.

"See here," laughed Jim, looking round the circle of men, all of whom
had their eyes on him, for there was no little curiosity to see how he
would accomplish the task; "if I break down, you must forgive me, for,
gee! it's like being in a cage with a whole crowd watching."

Down went the head over the banjo again, while his fingers played on the
strings; and at once, by the notes which issued, it became apparent that
here was no novice. Jim struck up a gay tune, and in a little while had
given his audience the first verse of a jaunty song, to which there was
an equally jaunty chorus; so that before the evening had passed the
rafters above were ringing to the sound made by a hundred or more lusty
voices.

"Fine, jest fine!" cried one of the men.

"Gee! If he don't take it!" shouted Harry.

"I'm shaking hands with myself," declared the official who had offered
him a post at Gorgona. "You men down here needn't think that you're
going to have young Partington all to yourselves. A fortnight to-day
he'll be a Gorgona man, when we'll send you invitations to our
concerts."

There was a shout at that, a shout denoting some displeasure. Phineas
Barton rose from his chair, his fractured arm swathed and bandaged and
slung before him, and regarded the official triumphantly. "Not a bit of
it, siree," he said. "Jim's my lodger. Don't matter whether he works
along here at Gatun or way over there at Culebra or Gorgona, he jest
comes home every night of the week. The Commission's jest got to pass
him a free ticket, and ef he's in a concert, why, guess it'll be here,
and the folks at Gorgona will be the ones to be invited."

There was a roar of laughter at the sally, and Jim was called upon for a
second song. Modestly enough he gave it too; for such open praise as had
been bestowed upon him is not always good for a lad of his age, and
might well be expected to turn the heads of many. Our hero had his
failings without doubt, and we should not be recording truly if we did
not allow the fact, but a swelled head was not one of the ailments he
was wont to suffer from. So far his friends and acquaintances had never
known Jim Partington to be too big for the boots he stood up in.

"Which is jest one of the things that made me take to him right away
from the first," said Phineas, when discussing the matter that same
evening with the police officer who had been in command of the launch
expedition. "He ain't bumptious, Major. He's jest a lively young fellow,
full of sense and grit, and I tell you, if there's one lad here in the
zone who's made up his mind to make a job of the canal, it's Jim. He's
fixed it that he's going to rise in the world, and if nothing unforeseen
happens we shall find him well up the ladder one of these days, and
making a fine living."

They called Jim over to them, where they were seated at a small table in
one corner, and at once the Major gripped our hero's hand, while he
acknowledged that he felt wonderfully better. His head was heavily
bandaged, for the bullet which had struck him had caused a nasty gash in
the scalp.

"Not that it did any great harm," laughed the Major. "They tell me that
there was tremendous swelling at first, but the blood which escaped from
the wound brought that down wonderfully; but I admit that at first I
felt that my head was as big as a pumpkin. How's your own wound?"

Jim had forgotten all about it, though on his arrival that morning he
had taken the precaution to have it dressed. But it was already
partially healed, and caused him not the slightest inconvenience.

"I think I had the best of the matter altogether," he answered, "for
though up there on the river I was unable to distinguish the man who
began all this business by firing at me, yet both were hit, and I fancy
pretty badly."

"You can count them as almost wiped out completely," agreed the Major.
"But I have serious news to give you regarding the other three. During
our absence Jaime de Oteros and his comrades broke out of prison and
made good their escape. The scoundrels are once more free to carry on
any form of rascality. Of course I have sent trackers after them; but
the latest news is that they have disappeared into the bush, and pursuit
there is almost hopeless. I own I'm vexed, for there is never any
knowing what such men may be up to. A Spaniard with a grudge to work off
is always a dangerous individual."

The information of the escape of the prisoners was indeed of the most
serious moment, and Jim and his friends were yet to learn the truth of
the words that the Major had spoken. For Jaime de Oteros had indeed a
grudge, and with all the unreasonableness of men of his violent
disposition he had already determined in his own mind that our hero Jim
was the cause of all his troubles. He brushed aside the fact that one of
his ruffianly comrades had most deliberately attempted murder, and that
the effort made to capture the offender was but a natural reprisal. That
effort had led to the discovery of the gang and its break-up, and in
Jaime's eyes our hero was the culprit. He swore as he lay in prison to
take vengeance upon him, while he did not forget his animosity towards
the police officials.

"I tell you," he cried fiercely, once he had contrived to break out of
the prison, "I don't move away from these parts till I've killed that
young pup, while as to these others, these Americans, I'll do them an
injury, see if I don't. I'll wreck some of the work they're doing; break
up the job they're so precious proud of."

Meanwhile Jim had many other things to think of, and very promptly
forgot all about the miscreants. He sauntered back to the house with
Phineas, and on the following morning boarded a motor-driven
inspector's car running on the isthmian railway.

"We'll just hop along first to Gorgona," said Phineas. "And on the way
we'll take a look at the valley of the Chagres River. You've got to
understand that right here at Gatun, where we're building the dam, and
where the river escapes between the hills which block this end of the
valley, we shall have the end of the lake we're going to form. For the
most part the valley is nice and broad, running pretty nigh north and
south. This track we're on will be covered with water, so that gangs of
men are already at work fixing the track elsewhere on higher ground. But
I want to speak of this valley. It runs clear south to Obispo, where
there is hilly ground dividing it from the valley of the Rio Grande, and
there, at Culebra, which is on the hill, we're up against one of the
biggest jobs of this undertaking. You see, it's like this: from Gatun to
Obispo we follow a route running almost due south, with the Chagres
River alongside us all the way; but at Obispo, which I ought to have
said is just twenty-six miles from the head of Limon Bay, the Chagres
River changes its course very abruptly, and if followed towards its
source is found to be confined within a narrow valley through which it
runs with greater speed, and in a north-easterly direction. Now, see
here, to figure this matter out correctly let's stand up in this car.
There's the track running way ahead of us through the Chagres valley in
a direction I described as southerly, though to be correct it is
south-westerly. Dead behind us is Limon Bay; right ahead is Panama. I've
given you an idea of the works we're carrying out at this end--first
dredging Limon Bay for 4-1/2 miles, then canal cutting for say another 4
miles. There you get three tiers of double locks, and the Gatun dam
that's going to fill in the end of this valley, and give us a lake which
will spread over an area of no fewer than 164 square miles, and which
will fill the valley right away up to Obispo, where the Chagres River,
coming from a higher elevation, will pour into it."

"And then," demanded Jim, beginning, now that he was actually in the
valley, to obtain a better conception of the plan of this huge American
undertaking. "I can see how you will bring your ships to the Gatun
locks, and how you will float them into the lake. I take it that there
will be water enough for them to steam up to Obispo. After that, you
still have to reach Panama."

"Gee! I should say we had. But listen here. Taking this line, with
Panama dead south-west of us, we come at Obispo to a point where the
designers of the canal had two alternatives. The first was to cut up
north-west, still following the Chagres valley where it has become very
narrow, and so round by a devious route to Panama. That meant sharp
bends in the canal, which ain't good when you've got big ships to deal
with, and besides a probable increase in the cost and in the time
required to complete the undertaking."

"And the second?" demanded Jim.

"The second alternative was to cut clear through the dividing ridge
which runs up at Obispo some 300 feet above sea level. Following that
route for 9 miles in the direction of Panama you come to the alluvial
plain of the Rio Grande, and from thence to the sea in another 6 miles.
Forty-one miles from shore to shore you can call it, and, with the
dredging we have to do at either end, a grand total of 50 miles. But
we'll leave this Culebra cutting till we reach it. Sonny, you can get
right along with the car."

Jim would have been a very extraordinary mortal if he had not been
vastly interested in all that he saw from his seat in the rail motor
car. To begin with, it was a delightfully bright day, with a clear sky
overhead and a warm sun suspended in it. Hills lay on either hand, their
steep sides clothed with luxuriant verdure, while farther away was a
dark background of jungle, that forbidding tropical growth with which he
had now become familiar. On his right flowed the Chagres River, winding
hither and thither, and receiving presently a tributary, the Rio
Trinidad. Along the line there were gangs of men at work here and there
laying the new tracks for the railway, while, when they had progressed
on their journey, and were nearer Obispo, his keen eyes discovered other
subjects for observation. There were a number of broken-down trucks
beside the railway, which were almost covered by vegetation, while near
at hand on the banks of the river a huge, unwieldy boat seemed to have
taken root, and, like the trucks, was surrounded by tropical growth.

"Queer, ain't they?" remarked Phineas. "Guess you're wondering what they
are."

"Reckon it's plant brought out here at the very beginning of this work,
and scrapped because it was found to be unsatisfactory."

"Wrong," declared Phineas promptly. "Young man, those trucks were made
by the Frenchmen. That boat is a dredger which was laid up before you
were born, and was built by the same people."

The information caused our hero to open his eyes very wide, for he, like
many another individual, had never heard of the French nation in
connection with the isthmus of Panama; or if he had, had entirely
forgotten the matter. But to a man like Phineas, with all his keenness
in the work in which he was taking no unimportant part, it was not
remarkable that French efforts on the isthmus were a matter of
historical interest to him.

"A man likes to know the ins and outs of the whole affair," he observed
slowly, as they trundled along on the car. "There's thousands, I should
say, who don't even know why we have decided to build this canal, and
thousands more who don't rightly guess what we're going to do with it
when it's finished. But Columbus, when he discovered the Bay of Limon
round about the year 1497, thought that he had found a short cut across
to the East Indies. He didn't cotton to the fact that the isthmus
stretches unbroken between the two Americas, and only came to believe
that fact when his boats came to a dead end in the bay he had
discovered. Cortés sought for a waterway at Mexico, while others hunted
round for a channel along the River St. Lawrence, and all with the one
idea of making a short passage to the East Indies.

"Then the Straits of Magellan were discovered, while some of those bold
Spaniards clambered across the isthmus and set eyes upon the Pacific
Ocean. You know what happened? Guess they built and launched ships at
Panama, and the conquest of Peru was undertaken, and following it gold
and jewels in plenty were brought by mule train from the Pacific to the
Atlantic, across from Panama to Colon. So great was the traffic that
even in the days of Charles V of Spain the question of an isthmian canal
was mooted; for, recollect, Spain drew riches from the Indies as well as
from Peru. And now we come to the nineteenth century. America badly
wanted an isthmian crossing which would bring her western ports closer
to those on the east, and vice versa. A railway seemed to be the only
feasible method, and we tackled the job splendidly. That railway was
completed in 1855, in spite of an awful climate, and guess it filled the
purpose nicely. Just hereabouts came our war, North against South, and,
as you can readily understand, there wasn't much chance of canal
building.

"Now we come to the Frenchmen, to Ferdinand de Lesseps," said Phineas,
pointing out another group of derelict trucks to our hero. "You want to
bear in mind that the question of an isthmian canal was always in the
air, always attracting the attention of engineering people. Well, de
Lesseps had just completed the Suez Canal, connecting the east with the
west, and guess he cast his eye round for new fields to conquer. He
floated a company in France, and raised a large sum of money. Then he
bought out the Isthmian Railway for twenty-five and a half million
dollars. You see, he knew that a railway was wanted to carry his plant,
and I guess that the fact of having that railway made him decide to
build his canal across where we are working. But there was
mismanagement. De Lesseps, like many another man, had been spoiled by
success, and had lost his usual good judgment. His expenses were awful,
and finally, when the money ran out, his company abandoned the
undertaking. In eight years he had spent more than three times the
amount for the Suez Canal, and had got through some three hundred
million dollars. He and his staff left behind them the trucks you see,
besides a large amount of other machinery. At this day there's many a
French locomotive pulling our dirt trains right here in the Culebra
cutting, while his folks set their mark on the soil. They, too, started
to cut through at Culebra, and in those eight years did real honest
work. But shortage of money ended their labours, and, as I've said,
they've left behind these marks of their presence, with rows and rows of
graves over at Ancon; for fever played fearful havoc with the workmen.
Yes, it was that which gave America her warning, and set our medical
folk at work to tidy up this zone and sweep it clear of mosquitoes and
fever."

It was all very interesting, and Jim listened most attentively, though,
to be sure, every now and then his mind was distracted for a brief
instant by some new object to right or left of the line; while from the
very beginning the desire to ask one question and to receive information
in reply had been present.

"That tale of the French is new to me," he said, "and I hadn't the
faintest idea that a canal had been previously attempted. You've said
that Spain desired one by means of which to reach the East Indies and
so save the long trip round by the Straits of Magellan; how does America
stand when all's finished?"

The fingers of Phineas's only usable hand were clenched instantly. Was
it likely that a man such as he, who had counted the cost of the
undertaking, and knew something of its vastness, would not also have
counted the gain?

"What do we get when all's ended?" he cried eagerly. "Guess for that you
require a map by rights, though I can tell you something from memory. To
begin with, take New York as our important eastern port, and San
Francisco as that on the west coast. Of course I know that we have an
inter-oceanic railway. But if goods in bulk were shipped, the boat would
have to steam right away south, round by Cape Horn and the Straits of
Magellan. The Oregon, one of our best battleships, was lying away up in
the Pacific when our war with Spain began. She had to steam more than
13,000 miles to reach Key West, and guess a ship wants overhauling after
such a long journey, putting aside the risks she ran of capture _en
route_, owing to her isolation. Well now, this isthmian canal will knock
the better part of 9000 miles off the route from New York to San
Francisco. The English doing business with our firms in that port will
have a journey less by 6000 miles, while New York will be closer to the
ports of South America by a good 5000 miles. It'll be a shorter journey
from Japan or Australia to New York than it is to-day to Liverpool,
while there's scarcely a trip from east to west that won't be helped by
this canal we're building. Just think of it, Jim! Where this trolley's
running there'll be, one of these days, deep water, with bigger ships
floating in it than you can dream of now. You and I will have helped to
bring about that matter. When we're old we'll be able to tell the
youngsters all about it; for America will know then that she owns
something valuable. Her people will have had time to grasp its full
significance, and guess then the question will not be, as now, 'Where is
the Panama Canal? What are our folks doing?' but 'How was America's
great triumph accomplished?' My! Ain't I been gassing? Why, there's
Gorgona. Hollo, sonny! Pull her up."

They descended from the car promptly, and made for the huge sheds where
one portion of the engineering staff undertook the upkeep of the
machinery engaged along the whole line of the canal. The friendly
official was waiting for them, and very soon Jim's eyes were bulging
wide with delight at the sight of the motor drill he was to manage.




CHAPTER XIII

Hustle the Order of the Day


Never in the whole course of his short existence had Jim come upon such
a busy scene as he encountered, when Phineas Barton at length contrived
to drag the eager young fellow away from the engineering shops at
Gorgona.

"My!" cried Phineas, simulating a snort of indignation; "I never did
come across such a curious chap in all my born days. I began to think
that you'd stick in the place, grow to it as the saying is. But there, I
don't blame any youngster for liking a big works same as this. There's
so much to see, huge lathes and planing machines running and doing their
work as if they were alive and thinking things out. Steam-hammers
thudding down on masses of red-hot metal, giving a blow that would crack
a house and smash it to pieces, or one that would as easily fracture a
nut. Then there are the furnaces and the foundry: guess all that's
interesting. But you've got more to see; it's time we made way up for
Culebra. Look here, boy, set her going, and mind you watch the spoil
trains."

The precaution and the warning were necessary, for the double track of
the Panama railway at this point was much occupied by the long trains of
cars filled with earth coming from the trench that was being cut
through the high ground just ahead. It was not until they actually
reached the neighbourhood of Culebra, which may be said to occupy a
place in the centre of the gigantic cut, that Jim gathered a full
impression of the work, or the reason for so many freight cars. But it
was true enough that the driver of the motor truck had to keep his wits
about him to escape collision; for every three minutes a spoil train
came along, dragged perhaps by a locomotive made at Gorgona, or by one
imported by the French, and of Belgian manufacture. Every three minutes,
on the average, a train came puffing down the incline from Culebra, and
nothing was allowed to delay it. In consequence, the motor inspection
car on which Phineas and his young friend were journeying was compelled
at times to beat a hasty retreat, or to go ahead at full power before an
advancing empty train--returning from the great dam at Gatun, where it
had deposited its load--till it arrived at a point where a switch was
located. There was nearly always a man there, and promptly the car was
sidetracked.

"It's the only way to do the business," explained Phineas. "The getting
away of those spoil trains means the success of our working. If they
don't get clear, so as to be back at the earliest moment, there's going
to be any number of steam diggers thrown out of work; for it's no use
shovelling dirt if there aren't cars to load the stuff in. If there's a
breakdown with one of the cars, guess the whole labour force is pushed
on to it, so as to get the lines clear. Telephone wires run up and down
the line, and a breakdown is at once reported. But we're just entering
the cut, and in a little while you'll be able to see and understand
everything."

To be accurate, it took our hero quite a little while to grasp the
significance of all that he saw, for the Culebra cut extends through
nine miles of rocky soil, and at the period of his inspection it had
already bitten deep into the hilly ground which barred the onward
progress of the canal at Obispo. One ought to say, in an endeavour to
give facts accurately, that this mass of material forms the southern
boundary of the huge Chagres valley which, when the works are completed,
will be flooded with water. It bars all exit there, though by turning
sharply to the left one may follow the course of the river through a
narrow, ascending valley. However, the scheme of the undertaking
required that there should be no sharp bends, and in consequence the
host of workers were toiling to cut a gigantic trench, of great width
and enormous depth, right through this hilly ground. What Jim saw was
somewhat similar to the works below Gatun, at the Colon end of the
canal, but vastly magnified. There were the same terraces, with tracks
of rails laid, bearing an endless procession of spoil trains and numbers
of steam diggers. There was the same pilot cut in the very centre, from
which the terraces ascended step by step, as if they were portions of
another Egyptian pyramid. But there comparisons ceased. This huge ditch
extended for nine miles, and throughout its length presented an army of
toilers, any number of dirt trains, and a constant succession of white
steam billows, at various elevations, pointing to the places where the
hundred-ton diggers were at work.

"You have to get right on the spot to see what's happening," said
Phineas, looking proudly about him. "You can see for yourself now that
it means everything to us to get rid of the dirt as quickly as possible,
and everything to have spare trains ready to fill the place of those
taking the spoil away. This concern is simply a question of dirt, and of
how rapidly we can shift it. If I was the President of the Republic of
the United States himself I should have to look lively all the same, and
dodge about so as not to get in the way of the dirt trains. But we'll
get out here and climb; I'll show you a thing or two."

He chuckled at the prospect before him, for to expatiate on the canal
works to a keen young fellow, such as Jim undoubtedly was, was the
height of enjoyment to the energetic official. Their car was switched on
to a side track at once, and, descending from it, the two clambered up
the scarped side of the trench till they were on the summit of the rocky
ground. Then it was possible to obtain a bird's-eye view of the whole
cut, and to appreciate its vastness. Jim noticed that the path he had
clambered by shelved rather gently, while elsewhere the bank of the
trench was steeply scarped, and at once drew Phineas's attention to the
matter.

"You don't miss much, siree," came the answer. "We've come face up
against more than one tough job 'way up here at Culebra, and the
question of the slope of our banks is one. You see, this trench will be
mighty deep, and if we were to cut the sides perpendicular they would
soon fall in. Most of the stuff's rock, of course, but it's queer rock
at that. It's soft, weathers quickly, and becomes easily friable when
water has got to it. So we've had to spread the banks wide, and make the
slope easy, except where the rock's harder and allows a steeper slope.
Now, guess we're near about the centre of the cut. You've seen what's
happening to the north. Dirt trains run down the incline, enter the
tracks of the Panama Railway, and run 26 miles to the dam at Gatun.
South of us the tracks fall to the plain of the Rio Grande, and the
spoil trains run down and dump their stuff on either side of the line
the canal will take. You've got to remember that this trench is 'way up
above tide level; so at the end of the cut, at Pedro Miguel, there is to
be a lock, or, rather, a double lock--one for a vessel going north and
one for a ship coming south. A matter of a mile farther along there is
another lock--the Milaflores lock--double, like the last, but with two
tiers. It will let our ships down into the Pacific. But you've got to
remember that there is a tide in that ocean, so the lift of the
Milaflores lower lock will be variable. Now, lad, come and see the rock
drills."

They descended into the bottom of the trench again, Phineas explaining
that when it was completed there would be a bottom width of 200 feet,
ample to allow the passing of two enormous ships.

"Guess it's the narrowest part of the canal," he said, "though no one
would call it narrow; but it's through hard rock, which is some excuse,
and then this narrowest part happens to be dead straight. North of us
the cut widens at the bottom to 300 feet, while elsewhere, outside the
cut, the minimum width is 500 feet. You've got to bear in mind that I'm
talking of bottom widths. Recollect that the banks slope outwards fairly
gently, and you can appreciate the fact that the surface width of the
canal stream will make a stranger open his eyes. Ah, here's a drill!
This is the sort of thing you'll be doing."

To the novice the machine to which Phineas had drawn attention was
indeed somewhat curious. It looked for all the world like an overgrown
motor car, constructed by an amateur engineer in his own workshop, and
out of any parts he happened to have by him; for it ran on four iron
wheels with flat tyres, and bore at the back the conventional boiler and
smokestack. In front it carried a post, erected to some height, and
stayed with two stout metal rods from the rear. The remainder of the
machine consisted of the engine and driving gear which operated the
drills.

"It'll get through solid rock at a pace that will make you stare,"
declared Phineas, "though our friend at Gorgona believes that this new
model that you're to run will do even better. But you can see what
happens; these drills get to work where the diggers will follow. They
drill right down, 30 feet perhaps, and then get along to another site.
The powder men then come along, put their shot in position, place their
fuse, wire it so that a current can be sent along to the fuse, and then
get along to another drill hole. At sunset, when all the men have
cleared, the shots are fired, and next morning there's loose dirt enough
to keep the diggers busy. Guess you'll be put to work with one of these
drillers, so as to learn a bit. You can't expect to handle a machine
unless you know what's required of you."

The following morning, in fact, found our hero dressed in his working
clothes, assisting a man in the management of one of the rock drills. He
had risen at the first streak of dawn, and after breakfasting, had
clambered aboard an empty dirt train making for Culebra.

"Yer know how to fire a furnace?" asked the man who was to instruct him.
"Ay, that's good; I heard tell as I wasn't to have no greenhorn. Ain't
you a pal o' Harry's?"

There might have been only one Harry amidst the huge army of white
employees; but Jim knew who was meant, and nodded promptly.

"And you're the chap as went off into the swamps, across a lagoon, along
with the Police Major, ain't you?"

"Yes," responded our hero shortly.

"Huh! You and I is going to be pals. Harry's been blabbing. You don't
happen to have brought that 'ere banjo along with you?"

Jim had not, but promised to do so if this new friend liked.

"Why, in course we like," cried Hundley, for that was the man's name.
"Seems that you're to live 'way down there at Gatun, so the boys along
over there will get you of an evening; but you'll feed with us midday. I
tell you, Jim, there's times when a man feels dull out here,
particularly if he's had a go of fever, same as I have. It takes the
life out of a fellow, and ef he ain't brightened he gets to moping.
That's why I'm precious keen on music; a song soothes a man. There's
heaps like me up at the club; jest steady, quiet workers, sticking like
wax to the job, 'cos the most of us can't settle to pack and leave till
we've seen the canal completed."

There it was again! Right along the fifty miles of works Jim had come
across the same expressions. It mattered not whether a man drove a steam
digger or a dirt train, whether he were official or labouring employee,
if he were American, as all were, the canal seemed to have driven itself
into his brain; the undertaking had become a pet child, a work to be
accomplished whatever happened, an exacting friend not to be cast aside
or deserted till all was ended and a triumph accomplished. But Jim had
heard the request, and promptly acceded.

"I'll bring the banjo along one of these days right enough," he smiled.
"Perhaps you'll make a trip down to Gatun and hear one of our concerts.
They tell me there's to be one within a few days."

Hundley eagerly accepted the invitation, and then proceeded to instruct
our hero. As to the latter, he found no great difficulty in
understanding the work, and, indeed, in taking charge of the machine.
For here it was not quite as it was with a hundred-ton digger, when the
lip of the huge shovel might in some unexpected moment cut its way
beneath a mass of rock, and be brought up short with a jerk capable of
doing great damage. The rock drill, on the other hand, pounded away, the
engine revolving the drill, while the crew of the machine saw that the
gears were thrown out when necessary, and an extra length added to the
drill. If the hardened-steel point of the instrument happened to
catch--as was sometimes the case--and held up the engine, then steam had
to be cut off quickly, the drill reversed and lifted, so as to allow it
to begin afresh.

"You never know what's goin' to happen," explained Hundley; "but most
times things is clear and straightforward. You lengthen the drill till
you've run down about 30 feet: that means eight hours' solid work--a
day's full work, Jim. You don't see the real result till the next
morning; but my, how those dynamite shots do rip the place about! For
instance, jest here where we're sinkin' the drill we're yards from the
edge of the step we're working on. Well now, that shot'll be rammed
home, and the hole plugged over it. Something's got to go when dynamite
is exploded, and sense there's all this weight of stuff to the outside
of the terrace, and the shot is 30 feet deep, the outer lip gives way,
and jest this boring results in tons of rock and dirt being broken
adrift. It's when you see the huge mass of loose stuff next morning that
you realize that you ain't been doin' nothin'."

At the end of a week Jim was placed in entire charge of a rock drill,
while a negro was allocated to the machine to help him. Then, somewhat
later than the official had intimated, the motor driller was completed,
and our hero was drafted to the Gorgona works for some days, to practise
with the implement and get thoroughly accustomed to it. It was a proud
day when he occupied the driving seat, threw out his clutch, and set the
gears in mesh. Then, the engine buzzing swiftly, and a light cloud of
steam coming from the nozzle of the radiator--for, like all rapidly
moving motor engines designed for stationary work, the water quickly
heated--he set the whole affair in motion, and trundled along the
highroad towards the cut.

"If you don't make a tale of this machine I shall be surprised," said
the official, as he bade him farewell. "This motor should get through
the rock very quickly, quicker a great deal than the steam-driven ones.
But go steady along the road; steering ain't so easy."

Easy or not, Jim managed his steed with skill, and soon had the affair
on one of the terraces. He had already had a certain part allotted to
him, and within an hour of his departure from the works had set his
first drill in position. Nor was it long before he realized that the
desire of the staff at Gorgona was to be more than realized; for the
drill bit its path into the rock swiftly, more so than in the case of
the slower revolving steam drills, while there were fewer sudden stops.
That first day he accomplished two bore holes, giving four hours to each
operation. His cheeks were flushed with pleasure when he reported
progress to the official.

"And the engine?" asked the latter. "She ran well?"

"Couldn't have gone better," declared Jim. "She gives off ample power,
and there is plenty of water for cooling. That machine easily saves the
extra dollar wages you offered."

"And will pay us handsomely to repeat it, for then there will be more
dirt for the diggers to deal with, and the more there is the sooner the
cut will be finished. We can always manage to get extra diggers."

That the innovation was a success was soon apparent to all, and many a
time did officials come from the far end of the canal works to watch Jim
at work, and to marvel at the swiftness with which his machine opened a
way through the rock. It was three months later before anything happened
to disturb our hero, and during all that time he continued at his work,
coming from Gatun in the early hours, usually aboard an empty spoil
train, but sometimes by means of one of the many motor trolley cars
which were placed at the disposal of inspectors. At the dinner hour he
went off to one of the Commission hotels, and there had a meal, and
often enough sang for the men to the banjo which he had since purchased.
When the whistles blew at sundown he pulled on his jacket, placed a
mackintosh over his shoulders if it happened to be raining, which was
frequently the case, and sought for a conveyance back to Gatun. And
often enough these return journeys were made on the engine hauling a
loaded spoil trail.

As for Tom and Sam, the two negroes had received posts at the very
beginning, the little negro working with the sanitary corps and the huge
Tom being made into a black policeman.

"He's got a way with the darkies," explained Phineas, when announcing
the appointment, "and I've noticed that they're mighty civil to him. You
see, the majority of our coloured gentry come from the West Indies, and,
though they are likely enough boys, they are not quite so bright, I
think, as are the negroes from the States. Anyway, Tom has a way with
them, and don't stand any sauce; while, when things are all right, he's
ready to pass the time of day with all, and throw 'em a smile. Gee, how
he does laugh! I never saw a negro with a bigger smile, nor a merrier."

It may be wondered what had happened to the worthy and patient Ching.
The Chinaman was far too good a cook to have his talents wasted in the
canal zone, and from the very beginning was installed in that capacity
at Phineas Barton's quarters, thus relieving the lady who had formerly
done the work. The change, indeed, was all for the best, for now Sadie
received more attention.

Three months almost to a day from the date when Jim had begun to run the
motor drill the machinery got out of order.

"One of the big ends of a piston flew off," he reported to the official,
when the latter arrived. "Before I could stop her running the piston rod
had banged a hole through the crank case, and I rather expect it has
damaged the crank shaft."

It was an unavoidable accident, and meant that the machine must undergo
repair.

"You'll have to be posted to another job meanwhile, Jim," said the
official. "Of course I know that this is none of your doing. We shall be
able to see exactly what was the cause of the accident to that piston
rod when we've taken the engine down. Perhaps one of the big end bolts
sheered. Or there may have been a little carelessness when erecting, and
a cotter pin omitted. But I don't think that: my staff is too careful to
make errors of that sort. How'd you like to run one of the inspection
motor trolleys? They were asking me for a man this morning; for one of
the drivers is down with fever. You'd be able to take on the work at
once, since you understand motors. Of course there isn't any timetable
to follow. You just run up and down as you're wanted, and all you've got
to learn really is where the switches and points are; so as to be able
to sidetrack the car out of the way of the dirt trains."

So long as it was work in connection with machinery Jim was bound to be
pleased, and accepted the work willingly. The next day he boarded the
inspection car at Gatun, and within half an hour had made himself
familiar with the levers and other parts. Then he was telephoned for to
a spot near Gorgona, and ran the car along the rails at a smart pace.
Twice on the way there he had to stop, reverse his car, and run back to
a siding, there to wait on an idle track till a dirt train had passed.

"You'll get to know most every switch in a couple of days," said the
negro who was in charge of this particular point, "and sometimes yo'll
be mighty glad that you did come to know 'em. Them spoil trains don't
always give too much time, particularly when there's a big load and
they're coming down the incline from way up by Culebra."

The truth of the statement was brought to our hero's mind very swiftly;
for on the following morning, having run out on the tracks ahead of an
empty spoil train, and passed a passenger train at one of the stations,
he was slowly running up the incline into the Culebra cut when he heard
a commotion in front of him. At once he brought his car to a standstill
beside one of the points.

"Specks there's been a breakdown, or something of that sort," said the
man in charge, coming to the side of the car. "The track's clear
enough, but I guess there'll be a dirt train along most any minute. Are
you for runnin' in over the points out of the way?"

At that moment Jim caught sight of something coming towards him.
Suddenly there appeared over the brow of the incline the rear end of a
dirt train, and a glance told him that it was loaded. A man was racing
along beside one of the cars, somewhere about the centre of the train,
and was endeavouring to brake the wheels with a stout piece of timber.
Jim saw the timber suddenly flicked to one side, the man was thrown
heavily, then, to his horror, there appeared a whole length of loaded
cars racing down towards him, with nothing to stop the mad rush, not
even an engine.

"Gee, she's broken away from the loco!" shouted the man at the points.
"She's runnin' fast now, but in a while she'll be fair racing. Time she
gets here, which'll be within the minute, she'll be doing sixty miles an
hour. She'll run clear way down to Gatun. Come right in over the
points."

He ran to open the switch, so that Jim could reach safety, while our
hero accelerated his engine in preparation for the movement. Then a
sudden thought came to his mind. He recollected the passenger train
which was coming on behind him.

"Man," he shouted, "there's a passenger coming 'way behind us! The cars
were filled with people when I passed. She's ahead of the dirt trains,
and of course does not expect to have a full spoil train running down on
this line. She'll be smashed into a jelly."

"So'll you if you don't come right in," cried the man, waving to Jim
frantically.

But he had a lad of pluck to deal with. Jim realized that between
himself and the oncoming passenger train, now some six miles away
perhaps, there lay a margin of safety for himself, if only he could run
fast enough before the derelict spoil train racing towards him. But that
margin might allow him to warn the driver of the passenger train. He
took the risk instantly, shouted to the pointsman, and began to back his
car. Fortunately it was one of those in which the reverse gear applied
to all speeds, and, since there was no steering to be done, he was able
to proceed at a furious pace.

"Get to the telephone," he bellowed to the man as he went away. "Warn
them down the line."

Then began an exciting race between his car and the spoil train; for the
latter was composed of many long, heavy trucks, all laden to the brim
with rock debris, consequently the smallest incline was sufficient to
set them in motion if not properly braked. Now, when the whole line had
broken adrift from its engine, and had run on to the Culebra incline,
the weight told every instant. The pace soon became appalling, the
trucks bounding and scrunching along the tracks, shaking violently,
throwing their contents on either side, threatening to upset at every
curve, gained upon Jim's car at every second.

"I'll have to jump if I can't get clear ahead," he told himself. "But if
I can only keep my distance for a while the incline soon lessens, when
the pace of the runaway will get slower. But that man was right; she's
coasting so fast, and has so much weight aboard, that the impetus will
take her best part of the way to Gatun."

Once more it was necessary for Jim to do as he had done aboard the motor
launch. His ignition and throttle levers were pushed to the farthest
notch. He was getting every ounce of power out of his car, desperately
striving to keep ahead. But still the train gained. They came to a
curve, our hero leading the runaway by some fifty yards, and both
running on the tracks at terrific speed. Suddenly the inside wheels of
the inspection car lifted. Jim felt she was about to turn turtle and
promptly threw himself on to the edge of the car, endeavouring to weigh
her down. Over canted the car till it seemed that she must capsize. Jim
gave a jerk with all his strength, and slowly she settled down on to her
inside wheels again, clattering and jangling on the iron track as she
did so. Then he glanced back at the dirt train racing so madly after
him.

"She'll be over," he thought. "She'll never manage to get round that
bend at such a pace."

But weight steadies a freight car, and on this occasion the leading
trucks at least managed to negotiate the curve without sustaining
damage. The long train, looking like a black, vindictive snake, swung
round the bend, with terrific velocity, and came on after him
relentlessly. Then, as the last truck but one reached the bend, there
was a sudden commotion. The dirt it contained heaved spasmodically and
splashed up over the side; it seemed to rise up at the after end in a
huge heap, and was followed by the tail of the truck. The whole thing
canted up on its head, then swayed outwards, and, turning on its side,
crashed on to the track running along beside it. There was a roar, a
medley of sounds, while the actual site of the upset was obscured by a
huge cloud of dust.

"That'll do it," thought our hero. "If we have any luck, that upsetting
truck will pull the rest of the cars off the road, and bring the whole
train to a standstill."

But he was counting his chickens before they were hatched. The cloud of
dust blew aside swiftly, and, when he was able to see again, there was
the line of cars, nearer by now, leaping madly along, trailing behind
them the broken end of the one which had overturned. Right behind, the
other portion, together with the greater portion of the last truck of
all, was heaped in a confused mass on the second track of rails,
disclosing its underframe and its two sets of bogie wheels to the sky.

"That passenger train must be only a couple of miles from us now," said
Jim, as he desperately jerked at his levers, in the endeavour to force
his car more swiftly along the track. "If I can keep ahead for half that
distance I shall manage something, for then the incline lessens. Just
here she's going faster if anything. If only I could send this car along
quicker!"

He gazed anxiously over his shoulder, in the direction in which he was
flying, and was relieved to discover that the rails were clear. Then he
took a careful look at the line of cars bounding after him. There was no
doubt that the train was nearer. The leading car was within two hundred
yards of him, and a minute's inspection told him clearly that the
distance between them was lessening very rapidly; for the runaway now
seemed to have taken the bit between her teeth with a vengeance. Despite
the weight of earth and rock in the cars they were swaying and leaping
horribly, causing their springs to oscillate as they had, perhaps, never
done before. The wheels on the leading bogie seemed to be as much off
the iron tracks as on them, and at every little curve the expanse of
daylight on the inner side beneath the trucks increased in proportions,
showing how centrifugal force was pulling the heavy mass and
endeavouring to upset it. It was an uncanny sight, but yet, for all
that, a fascinating one. Jim watched it helplessly, almost spellbound,
conscious that the few moments now before him were critical ones. He
unconsciously set to work to calculate how long it would take, at the
present rate of comparative progression of his own car and the runaway
train, for the inevitable collision to occur. Then, seeing the heaving
bogies of the trucks, he leaned over the side of his own car and watched
the metal wheels. They clattered and thundered on the rails, the spokes
were indistinguishable, having the appearance of disks. But at the bends
this was altered. The car tipped bodily, the inner wheels left the
tracks, and at once their momentum lessened. Then, though he could not
see the individual spokes, the disk-like appearance was broken, telling
him plainly, even if his eyes had not been sufficiently keen to actually
see the fact, that the wheels and the track had parted company.

"Ah!" It was almost a groan that escaped him. In the few minutes in
which he had been engaged in examining his own wheels the runaway train
had gained on him by leaps and bounds. He could now hear the roar of its
wheels above the rumble and clatter of his own, that and the buzz of the
motor so busy beneath the bonnet. He cast his eye on either side, as if
to seek safety there, and watched the fleeting banks of the Chagres
River, bushes and trees, and abandoned French trucks speeding past. A
gang of workmen came into view, and he caught just a glimpse of them
waving their shovels. Their shouts came to his ears as the merest
echoes. Then something else forced itself upon his attention. It was the
figure of a white man, standing prominent upon a little knoll beside the
rails, and armed with a megaphone. He had the instrument to his mouth,
and thundered his warning in Jim's ears.

"Jump!" he shouted. "Jump! She'll be up within a jiffy!"

Within a jiffy! In almost less time than that; there were but two yards
now between the small inspection car and the line of loaded trucks. Jim
could see the individual pieces of broken rock amongst the dirt, could
watch the fantastic manner in which they were dancing. He looked about
him, standing up and gripping the side of the car. Then away in front,
along the clear tracks. He thought of the passenger train, and
remembered that he alone stood between it and destruction.

"I'll stick to this ship whatever happens," he told himself stubbornly.
"If the train strikes me and breaks up the car, the wreck may throw it
off the rails. Better that than allow it to run clear on into the
passenger train. Ah! Here it is."

Crash! The buffers of the leading truck struck the motor inspection car
on her leading spring dumb irons, and the buffet sent her hurtling along
the track, while the shock of the blow caused Jim to double up over the
splashboard. But the wheels did not leave the tracks. Nothing seemed to
have been broken. The dumb irons were bent out of shape, that was all.

"Jump, yer fool!" came floating across the air to Jim's ear, while the
figure of the man with the megaphone danced fantastically, arms waving
violently in all directions.

But Jim would not jump; he had long since made up his mind to stick to
his gun, to remain in this car whatever happened; for the safety of the
passenger train depended on him. True, a telephone message might have
reached the driver; but then it might not have done so. He recollected
that at the switch where this mad chase had first begun there was no
telephone station closely adjacent. It would be necessary for the man
there to run to the nearest one. That would take time, while his own
flight down the tracks had endured for only a few minutes, though, to
speak the truth, those minutes felt like hours to our hero.

Bang! The cars struck him again, causing the one on which he rode to
wobble and swerve horribly; the wheels roared and flashed sparks as the
flanges bit at the rails. The bonnet that covered the engine, crinkled
up like a concertina; but the car held the track. Jim was still secure,
while the second buffet had sent him well ahead. Better than all, he
realized that he was now beyond the steeper part of the incline, while
his engine was still pulling, urging the car backward. If only he could
increase the pace, if only he could add to the distance which separated
him from that long line of trucks bounding after him so ruthlessly. Then
a groan escaped him; for along the Chagres valley, where, perhaps, in
the year 1915 a huge lake will have blotted out the site of the railway
along which he flew, and where fleets of huge ships may well be lying,
there came the distinct, shrill screech of a whistle. Jim swung round in
an agony of terror. He looked along the winding track and his eyes lit
upon an object. It was the passenger train, loaded with human freight,
standing in the way of destruction.




CHAPTER XIV

The Runaway Spoil Train


Barely a mile of the double track of the Panama railway stretched
between the inspection car, on which Jim was racing for his life, and
the oncoming passenger train. Glancing over his shoulder he could see
the smoke billowing from the locomotive and the escape steam blowing out
between her leading wheels. Behind him there was the scrunch, the
grinding roar, of the long line of steel wheels carrying the runaway
spoil train. He kneeled on his driving seat and looked first one way and
then the other, hesitating what to do. The rush of air, as he tore
along, sent his broad-brimmed hat flying, and set his hair streaking out
behind him. His eyes were prominent, there was desperation written on
his face; but never once did he think of taking the advice which the
megaphone man flung at him.

"Jump for it! No! I won't!" he declared stubbornly to himself. "I'll
stick here till there's no chance left; then I'll bring this machine up
sharp, and leave her as a buffer between the spoil train and the one
bearing passengers. Not that she'll be of much use. That heavy line of
cars will punch her out of the way as if she were as light as a bag; but
something might happen. The frame of this car might lift the leading
wheels of the spoil train from the tracks and wreck her."

There was an exhaust whistle attached to his car, and he set it sounding
at once, though all the time his eyes drifted from passenger train to
spoil train, from one side of the track to the other. Suddenly there
came into view round a gentle bend a mass of discarded machinery. He
remembered calling Phineas's attention to it some weeks before. Broken
trucks, which had once conveyed dirt from the cut at Culebra for the
French workers, had been run from the main track on to a siding and
abandoned there to the weather, and to the advance of tropical
vegetation, that, in a sinister, creeping manner all its own, stole upon
all neglected things and places in this canal zone, and wrapped them in
its clinging embrace, covering and hiding them from sight, as if ashamed
of the work which man had once accomplished. Jim remembered the spot,
and that it was one of the unattended switching stations rarely
used--for here the tracks of the railway were less encumbered with spoil
trains--yet a post for all that where the driver of an inspection car
might halt, might descend and pull over the lever, and so direct his car
into the siding.

"I'll do it," he told himself. "If only I can get there soon enough to
allow me to reach the lever."

He measured the distance between himself and the pursuing spoil train,
and noted that it had increased. His lusty little engine, rattling away
beneath its crumpled bonnet, was pulling the car along at a fine pace.
True, the velocity was not so great as it had been when descending the
first part of the incline, that leading out of the Culebra cut; but
then the swift rush of the spoil train was also lessened. The want of
fall in the rails was telling on her progress, though, to be sure, she
was hurtling along at a speed approximating to fifty miles an hour; but
the bump she had given to Jim's car had had a wonderful effect. It had
shot the light framework forward, and, with luck, Jim determined to
increase the start thus obtained.

"But it'll be touch and go," he told himself, his eye now directed to
the switching station, just beyond which the mass of derelict French
cars lay. "There's one thing in my favour: the points open from this
direction. If it had been otherwise I could have done nothing, for, even
if I had attempted to throw the point against the spoil train, the pace
she is making would carry her across the gap. Why don't that fellow on
the passenger engine shut off steam and reverse? Ain't he seen what's
happening?"

He scowled in the direction of the approaching passenger train, and
knelt still higher, shaking his fists in that direction. It seemed that
the man must be blind, that his attention must be in another direction;
for already the line of coaches was within five hundred yards of the
points which had attracted Jim's attention, and he realized that she
would reach the spot almost as soon as the spoil train would.

"'Cos she's closer," he growled. "If he don't shut off steam, anything I
may be able to do will be useless. He'll cross the switch and come head
on to the collision."

A minute later he saw a man's figure swing out from the cab of the
locomotive on which his eyes were glued, while a hand was waved in his
direction. Then a jet of steam and smoke burst from the funnel, while
white clouds billowed from the neighbourhood of the cylinders. Even
though it was broad daylight, Jim saw sparks and flashes as the wheels
of the locomotive were locked and skated along the rails.

"He's seen it; he knows!" he shouted. "But he ain't got time to stop her
and reverse away from this spoil train. If that switch don't work
there's bound to be a bad collision."

There was no doubt as to that point. The driver and fireman aboard the
locomotive recognized their danger promptly, and, like the bold fellows
they were, stuck to their posts.

"Brakes hard!" shouted the former, jerking his steam lever over, and
bringing the other hand down on that which commanded the reverse. "Hard,
man! As hard as you can fix 'em! Be ready to put 'em off the moment
she's come to a standstill. This is going to be a case with us, I
reckon. That spoil train's doing fifty miles an hour if she's doing one.
We can't get clear away from her, onless----"

He blew his whistle frantically, and once more leaned out far from his
cab, waving to the solitary figure aboard the flying inspection car.

"Onless what?" demanded the fireman brusquely, his eyes showing
prominently in his blackened face, his breath coming fast after his
efforts; for both hand and vacuum brakes had been applied.

"Onless that 'ere fellow aboard the inspection car manages to reach the
points in time and switch 'em over. Guess he's tryin' for it; but there
ain't much space between him and the spoil train. There's goin' ter be
an almighty smash."

Thus it appeared to all; for by now men, invisible before, had appeared
at different points, and were surveying the scene, holding their breath
at the thought of what was about to happen.

"Best get along to the telephone and send 'way up to Gorgona for the
ambulance staff," said one of these onlookers. "That 'ere passenger
train ain't got a chance of gettin' clear away. She ain't got the room
nor the time. Fust the spoil train'll run clear over the inspection car,
and grind it and the chap aboard to powder. Then she'll barge into the
passenger, and, shucks! there'll be an unholy upset. Get to the
telephone, do yer hear!"

He shouted angrily at his comrade, overwrought by excitement, and then
set off to run towards the points for which Jim was making. As for the
latter, by strenuous efforts, by jagging at his levers, he had contrived
to get his engine to run a little faster, and had undoubtedly increased
his lead over the spoil train. He was now, perhaps, a long hundred yards
in advance.

"Not enough," he told himself. "Going at this pace it'll take time to
stop, though the brakes aboard this car are splendid. I know what I'll
do. Keep her running till I'm within fifty yards, then throw her out of
gear, jam on the brakes, and jump for it just opposite the switch. I'll
perhaps be able to roll up to it in time to pull that train over."

It was the only method to employ, without doubt, though the risk would
not be light. For, while a motor car on good hard ground can be brought
to a standstill within fifty yards when going at a great pace, when
shod with steel wheels and running on a metal track the results are
different. Jim's steed lacked weight for the work. Though he might lock
his wheels, they would skate along the tracks, and reduce his pace
slowly. The leap he contemplated must be made from a rapidly moving car.
That might result in disaster.

"Better a smash like that than have people aboard the train killed by
the dozen," he told himself. "Those points are two hundred yards off; in
a hundred I set to at it."

He cast a swift glance towards the passenger train, which was now
retreating, and then one at the spoil train. He measured the distance
between himself and the latter nicely. Then he dropped his toe on the
clutch pedal, and his hand on the speed lever. Click! Out shot the
gears, while the engine raced and roared away as if it were possessed.
But Jim paid no attention to it. He let it continue racing, and at once
jammed on his brakes. It made his heart rise into his mouth when he
noticed with what suddenness the spoil train had recovered the interval
between them. She was advancing upon him with leaps and bounds. It
seemed as if he were not moving. With an effort he took his eyes from
the rushing trucks, and fixed them upon the points he hoped to be able
to operate. They were close at hand. His glance was caught by the
operating lever. The moment for action had arrived, while still his car
progressed at a pace which would have made the boldest hesitate to leap
from it. But Jim made no pause, more honour to him. He left his seat,
placed one hand on the side of the car, and vaulted into space. The
ground at the side of the track struck the soles of his feet as if with
a hammer, doubling his knees up and jerking his frame forward. The
impetus which the moving car had imparted to his body sent him rolling
forward. He curled up like a rabbit struck by the sportsman at full
pace, and rolled over and over. Then with a violent effort he arrested
his forward movement. With hands torn, and every portion of his body
jarred and shaken, he brought his mad onward rush to a standstill, and,
recovering from the giddiness which had assailed him, found that he was
close to the all-important lever governing the points. With a shout Jim
threw himself upon it, tugged with all his might, and jerked the points
over.

[Illustration: "JIM TUGGED WITH ALL HIS MIGHT"]

Meanwhile the thunder of the spoil train had grown louder. The scrunch
of steel tyres on the rails, and the grinding of the flanges of the
wheels against the edges of the track drowned every other sound, even
the singing which Jim's tumble had brought to his ears. The runaway,
with all its impetus and weight rushing forward to destroy all that
happened to be in its path, was within a yard of the points when our
hero threw his weight on the lever. The leading wheels struck the points
with violence, and Jim, watching eagerly, saw the rims mount up over the
crossway. Then the bogie frame jerked and swung to the right, while the
four wheels obeyed the direction of the points and ran towards the
side track. But it was when the first half of the leading car had
passed the points that the commotion came. The dead weight of the
contents--projected a moment earlier directly forward--were of a sudden
wrenched to one side. The strain was tremendous. Something was bound to
give way under it, or the car would capsize.

As it happened, the wreck was brought about by a combination of
movements. The front bogie of the truck collapsed, the wheels being torn
from their axles. At the same moment the huge mass capsized, flinging
its load of rock and dirt broadcast across the track. The noise was
simply deafening, while a huge dust cloud obscured the actual scene of
the upset from those who were looking on. But Jim could see. As he clung
to the lever he watched the first truck come to grief in an instant.
After that he himself was overwhelmed in the catastrophe; for the
remaining trucks piled themselves up on the stricken leader. The second
broke its coupling and mounted on the first; while the third, deflected
to one side, shot past Jim as if it were some gigantic dart, and swept
him and the lever away into space. The remainder smashed themselves into
matchwood, all save five in rear, which, with retarded impetus, found
only a bank of fallen dirt and rock that broke the collision and left
them shaking on the track. When the onlookers raced to the spot, and the
people aboard the passenger train joined them, there was not a sight of
the young fellow who had controlled the inspection car and had saved a
disastrous collision.

"Guess he's buried ten feet deep beneath all that dirt and stuff," said
one of the men, gazing at the ruin. "I seed him run to the lever. Run,
did I say? He jest rolled, that's what he did. He war just in time,
though, and then, gee! there war a ruction. I've seen a bust-up on a
railway afore, but bless me if this wasn't the wildest I ever seed. Did
yer get to the telephone?"

His comrade reassured him promptly.

"I rung 'em up at Gorgona," he answered. "There's a dirt train coming
along with the ambulance and Commission doctor aboard, besides a
wrecking derrick. That young chap saved a heap of lives you'd reckon?"

It was in the nature of a question, and the answer came from the first
speaker speedily.

"Lives! a full trainload, man. I seed his game from the beginning, and
guess it war the only manoeuvre that was worth trying. It was a race
for the points, and the man aboard the inspection car won by a short
head. He hadn't more'n a second or two to spare once he got a grip of
the lever; but I reckon he's paid his own life for the work. He war a
plucked 'un--a right down real plucked 'un!"

He stared fiercely into the eyes of the other man, as if he challenged
him to deny the statement; but there were none who had seen this fine
display of courage who had aught but enthusiasm for it. There was no
dissentient voice; the thing was too plain and palpable.

"Some of you men get searching round to see if you can find a trace of
that young fellow," cried one of the Commission officials who happened
to come running up at this moment. "If he's under this dirt he'll be
smothered while we're talking."

Every second brought more helpers for the task, and very soon there were
a hundred men round the wreck of the spoil train; for the driver of
the passenger train had stopped his reverse movement as soon as he
saw that all danger for his own charge had gone. Then he had steamed
forward till within a foot of the inspection car which Jim had driven.
The latter, thanks to the fact that the brake was jammed hard on, came
to a halt some thirty yards beyond the points, and stood there with its
engine roaring. But the fireman quickly shut off the ignition.
Passengers poured from the coaches--for it happened that a number of
officials were making a trip to the far end of the Culebra cut to
inspect progress--and at once hastened to the side of the wreck. But
search as they might there was no trace of the lad who had saved so many
lives by his gallantry and resourcefulness.

"Come here and tell me what you think of this," suddenly said one of the
officials, drawing his comrades after him to the tail end of the train,
to the shattered remains of the two trucks which had overturned at a
bend, and which had been trailing and clattering along the track in wake
of the spoil train. He invited their inspection of the couplings which
had bound the last of the cars to the locomotive. There came a whistle
of surprise from one of his friends, while something like a shout of
indignation escaped another.

"Well?" demanded the first of the officials. "What's your opinion?"

"That this was no accident. This train broke away from her loco. when
she was on the incline because some rascal had cut through the
couplings. That, sir, 's my opinion," answered the one he addressed,
with severity.

There was agreement from all, so that, at the first examination, and
before having had an opportunity of questioning those who had been in
charge of the spoil train, it became evident that there had been foul
play, that some piece of rascality had been practised.

"But who could think of such a thing? There's never been any sort of
mean game played on us before this. Whose work is it?" demanded one of
the officials hotly.

"That's a question neither you nor I can answer," instantly responded
another. "But my advice is that we say not a word. There are but six of
us who know about the matter. Let us report to the chief, and leave him
to deal with it. For if there is some rascal about, the fact that his
work is discovered will warn him. If he thinks he has hoodwinked
everyone there will be a better opportunity of discovering him."

The advice was sound, without question, so that, beyond arranging to get
possession of the coupling, which showed that it had fractured opposite
a fine saw cut, the party of officials preserved silence for the moment.
Meanwhile American hustle had brought crowds of helpers to the spot. A
locomotive had steamed down from Gorgona, pushing a wrecking derrick
before it, and within thirty minutes this was at work, with a crew of
willing helpers. A gang of Italian spademen was brought up from the
other direction, and these began to remove the rock and dirt. As to Jim,
not a trace of him was found till three of the overturned and wrecked
trucks had been dragged clear by the wrecking derrick. It was then that
the actual site of the lever which operated the points was come upon,
the most likely spot at which to discover his body.

"We'll go specially easy here," said the official who was directing
operations. "Though one expects that the man is killed, and smothered by
all this dirt, yet you never can say in an accident of this sort. I've
known a life saved most miraculously."

The hook at the end of the huge chain run over the top of the derrick
was attached to the forward bogie of the overturned car, then the whole
thing was lifted. Underneath was found a mass of dirt and rock which the
impetus of the car had tossed forward. At the back, just beneath the
edge of the truck, where it had thrust its way a foot into the ground,
one of the workers caught sight of an arm with the fingers of the hand
protruding from the debris. "Hold hard!" he shouted. "He's here. Best
wait till we've tried to pull him out. The car might swing on that chain
and crush him."

They kept the end of the wrecked truck suspended while willing hands
sought for our hero. A man crept in under the truck, swept the earth
away, and passed the listless figure of the young car driver out into
the open. Jim was at once placed on a stretcher, while the Commission
surgeon bent over him, dropping a finger on his pulse. He found it
beating, very slowly to be sure, but beating without doubt, while a deep
bruise across the forehead suggested what had happened. A rapid
inspection of his patient, in fact, convinced the surgeon that there was
no serious damage.

"Badly stunned, I guess," he said. "I can't find that any bones are
broken, and though I thought at first that his skull must be injured,
everything points to my fears being groundless. Put him in the
ambulance, boys, and let's get him back to hospital."

An hour later our hero was safely between the sheets, with a nurse
superintending his comfort. By the time that Phineas arrived on the
scene he was conscious, though hardly fit for an interview; but on the
following morning he was almost himself, and chafed under the nurse's
restraint till the surgeon gave him permission to get up.

"As if I was a baby," he growled. "I suppose I fell on my head, and that
knocked me silly. But it's nothing; I haven't more than the smallest
headache now."

"Just because you're lucky, young fellow," quizzed the surgeon. "Let me
say this: the tumble you had was enough to knock you silly, and I dare
say that if you hadn't had something particular to do you would have
gone off at once. But your grit made you hold on to your senses. That
car, when it overturned, as near as possible smashed your head into the
earth beneath it. You'll never be nearer a call while you're working
here on the canal. Low diet, sister, and see that he keeps quiet."

Jim glowered on the surgeon and made a grimace. "Low diet indeed! Why,
he felt awful hungry."

But no amount of entreaty could influence the nurse, and, indeed, it
became apparent to even our hero himself that the course of procedure
was correct. For that evening he was not so well, though a long,
refreshing sleep put him to rights.

"And now you can hear something about the commotion the whole thing's
caused," said Phineas, as he put Jim into a chair in his parlour, and
ordered him with severity to retain his seat. "Orders are that you keep
quiet, else back you go right off to the hospital. Young man, there were
forty-two souls aboard that passenger train, and I reckon you saved 'em.
Of course, there are plenty of wise heads that tell us that the driver,
when he'd stopped his train, should have turned all the passengers out.
Quite so, sir; but then it takes time to do that. You might not have
opened the points, and the spoil train would have been into them before
the people could climb down out of the cars. So the general feeling is
that everyone did his best, except the villain who cut that coupling
half through. They've told you about it?"

Jim nodded slowly. "Who could have done such a miserable and wicked
thing?" he asked. "Not one of the white employees."

"It don't bear thinking about," said Phineas sharply. "No one can even
guess who was the rascal. Leave the matter to the police; they're making
quiet enquiries. But there's to be a testimonial, Jim, a presentation
one evening at the club, and a sing-song afterwards."

"What? More!" Jim groaned. "Let them take this testimonial as presented.
I'll come along to the sing-song."

"And there's to be promotion for a certain young fellow we know,"
proceeded Phineas, ignoring his remarks utterly. "One of the bosses of a
section down by Milaflores locks got his thumb jammed in a gear wheel a
week back, and the chief has been looking round to replace him. You've
been selected."

Jim's eyes enlarged and brightened at once. He was such a newcomer to
the canal zone that promotion had seemed out of the question for a long
time to come. He told himself many a time that he was content to work on
as he was and wait like the rest for advancement.

"The wages are really good," he had said to Sadie, "and after I've paid
everything there is quite a nice little sum over at the end of the week.
I'm putting it by against a rainy day."

And here was promotion! By now he had learned the scale of wages and
salaries that were paid all along the canal. Such matters were laid down
definitely, and were decidedly on the liberal side. With a flush of joy
he realized that, as chief of a section, he would be in receipt of just
double the amount he had had when working the rock drill.

"And of course there'll be compensation for the accident, just the same
as in the case of any other employee," added Phineas, trying to appear
as if he had not noticed the tears of joy which had risen to Jim's eyes.
For who is there of his age, imbued with the same keenness, with greater
responsibilities on his young shoulders than falls to the lot of the
average lad, who would not have gulped a little and felt unmanned by
such glorious news? Consider the circumstances of our hero's life for
some little time past. It had been a struggle against what had at times
seemed like persistent bad fortune. First his father ruined, then the
whole family compelled to leave their home and drift on the Caribbean.
The loss of his father and then of his brother had come like final blows
which, as it were, drove the lessons of his misfortunes home to Jim. And
there was Sadie, at once a comfort and an anxiety. Jim alone stood
between her and charity.

"There'll be compensation for the accident," continued Phineas, "and
reward from the Commissioners for saving that train of passenger cars.
You've got to remember that it is cheaper any day to smash up a spoil
train than it is to wreck one carrying people. One costs a heap more to
erect than the other. So there you saved America a nice little sum. I
needn't say that if the people aboard had been killed, compensation
would have amounted to a big figure. So the Commission has received
powers from Washington to pay over 500 dollars. I rather think that'll
make a nice little nest egg against the day you get married."

Phineas roared with laughter as he caught a glimpse of Jim's face after
those last words. Indignation and contempt were written on the flushed
features. Then our hero joined in the merriment. "Gee! If there ever was
a lucky dog, it's me!" he cried. "Just fancy getting a reward for such a
job! As for the nest egg and marrying, I've better things to do with
that money. I'll invest it, so that Sadie shall have something if I'm
unlucky enough next time not to escape under similar circumstances.
Bein' married can wait till this canal's finished. Guess I've enough to
do here. I'm going to stay right here till the works are opened and I've
sailed in a ship from Pacific to Atlantic."

Phineas smiled, and, leaning across, gripped his young friend's hand and
shook it hard. Open admiration for the pluck which our hero had
displayed, now on more than one occasion, was transparent in the eyes of
this American official. But there was more. Jim had caught that strange
infection which seemed to have taken the place of the deadly yellow
fever. It was like that pestilence, too, in this, that it was
wonderfully catching, wonderfully quick to spread, and inflicted itself
upon all and sundry, once they had settled down in the zone. But there
the simile between this infection and that of the loathsome yellow fever
ended. That keenness for the work, that determination to relax no
energy, but to see what many thought a hopeless undertaking safely and
surely accomplished, had, in the few months since he came to the canal
zone, fastened itself upon Jim, till there was none more eager all along
the line between the Pacific and the Atlantic.

"Yes," he repeated, "I'll stay right here till the canal's opened. By
then that nest egg ought to be of respectable proportions."

A week later there was a vast gathering at the clubhouse, when one of
the chief officials of the canal works presented Jim with a fine gold
watch and chain to the accompaniment of thunderous applause from the
assembled employees. At the same time the reward sent or sanctioned by
the Government at Washington was handed over to him. A merry concert
followed, and then the meeting broke up. It was to be Jim's last evening
in the neighbourhood of Gatun.

"Of course you'll have to live in one of the hotels at Ancon," said
Phineas, when discussing the matter, "for it is too long a journey from
there to this part to make every day. It would interfere with your work.
You can come along weekends, and welcome. Sadie'll stop right here; I
won't hear of her leaving."

The arrangement fell in with our hero's wishes, for there was no doubt
but that his sister was in excellent hands. She had taken a liking to
Phineas's housekeeper, and was happy amongst her playmates at the
Commission school close at hand. Jim left her, therefore, in the care of
his friend, and was soon established in his quarters in a vast
Commission hotel at Ancon, within easy distance of Milaflores, the part
where he was to be chief of a section of workers. He found that the
latter were composed for the most part of Italians, though there were a
few other European nationalities, as well as some negroes.

"You'll have plans given you and so get to know what the work is," said
his immediate superior. "Of course what we're doing here is getting out
foundations for the two tiers of double locks. You'll have a couple of
steam diggers to operate, besides a concrete mill; for we're putting
tons of concrete into our foundations. A young chap like you don't want
to drive. Though it's as well to remember that foreigners same as these
ain't got the same spirit that our men have. They don't care so much for
the building of the canal as for the dollars they earn, but if you take
them the right way you can get a power of work out of them."

The advice given was, as Jim found, excellent, and with his sunny nature
and his own obvious preference for hard work, in place of idleness, he
soon became popular with his section, and conducted it for some weeks
to the satisfaction of those above him. Nor did he find the work less
interesting. The huge concrete mill was, in itself, enough to rivet
attention, though there was a sameness about its movements which was apt
to become monotonous when compared with the varied, lifelike motions of
the steam diggers. Rubble and cement were loaded into its enormous
hopper by the gangs of workmen, and ever there was a mass of semi-fluid
concrete issuing from the far side, ready mixed for the foundations of
the locks which, when the hour arrives, will carry the biggest ships the
world is capable of building. On Saturday afternoon, when the whistles
blew earlier than on weekdays, Jim would return to his hotel, wash and
change, and take the first available car down the tracks to Gatun. A
concert at the club was usually arranged for Saturday night, while on
Sunday he went to the nearest church with Phineas and Sadie, and then
returned in the evening to Ancon.

"Strange that we should never be able to get any information about that
runaway spoil train," said Phineas, on one of the occasions when Jim
went over to Gatun. "There's never been a word about it. The police have
failed to fathom what is at this day still a mystery. But there's a
rascal at work somewhere. There's been a severe fire down Colon way,
sleepers near pitched a passenger train from the rails opposite the dam
there, while one night, when the works were deserted, someone took the
brakes off a hundred-ton steam digger, and sent her running down the
tracks. She smashed herself to pieces, besides wrecking a dozen cars."

The news was serious, in fact, and pointed unmistakably to a criminal
somewhere on the canal, someone with a grudge against the undertaking,
or against the officials. It made Jim think instantly of Jaime de
Oteros, though why he could not imagine. But he was soon to know; little
time was to pass before he was to come face to face with the miscreant.




CHAPTER XV

Jaime de Oteros forms Plans


If ever there were a rascal it was Jaime de Oteros, the Spaniard, who,
if his past history were but fully known, had left his own native
country, now many years ago, a fugitive from justice. Armed with
sufficient money to obtain an entrance into the United States of
America, he had quickly re-embarked upon the course he had been
following, and with the gang he had contrived to gather about him had
committed many burglaries. Then, the police being hot on his track, he
had left the country, and had begun operations again in southern
America.

"That is our information about the man," said the police major, as he
was discussing the matter with Phineas and Jim one Saturday evening,
when the latter was over at Gatun for the usual weekend stay. "The
rascal knew that the police in New York State were making anxious search
for him, and with his usual astuteness--for the man is astute without a
doubt, and is, indeed, well educated--he slipped away before the net
closed round him. Later we hear of him at various ports along the
Mexican Gulf, and then in the canal zone. Tom brings us news of great
importance."

The big negro stood before them, looking magnificent in his police
uniform, and with an air of authority about him which was entirely new,
and which caused Jim to struggle hard to hide his mirth; for he knew Tom
so well. Severity did not match well with the huge negro's jolly nature.

"I'se seed dis scum ob a man," he declared to them all, rolling his
eyes. "Yo tink Tom make one big mistake. Not 'tall; noding of de sort.
Me sartin sure. Him come out ob a house in Colon. Same man, but
different. No beard, face clean shaved; but scowl all de same. Tom know
de blackguard when he see um."

"But," said Phineas, "if you knew him why did you not arrest him? There
is a warrant out for his apprehension."

"And me try; but dat Spaniard dog quick, quicker'n Tom. Him slip back
into de house and clear out ob de back door. Not dere two second later,"
declared the negro. "And not dere agin when me and Sam go some hours
after. Not come all de time dat we hide up and watch. Him vanish into
thin air."

It was a pretty figure of speech for the negro, and brought a huge smile
to his jolly countenance. "Vanish right slick away into de mist," he
added, as if to give more weight to his words.

"And has not been seen by anyone else, before or since," said the Major,
his face become very serious. "But I believe Tom is right. Who else
could be the author of these many affairs along the line of canal
works?"

He looked closely at Phineas, and from him turned to Jim and then to
Tom. There was indecision on all the faces, though in the hearts of each
one there was not the smallest doubt that Jaime de Oteros was the
instigator, even if he did not actually carry out the work. The matter
was serious, very serious, without a doubt.

"It isn't as if there were one isolated case," said the Major. "There
have been many, and though so far the running away of spoil trains, the
upsetting of wagons, and so forth has not resulted in the killing of our
employees, it will do so, perhaps, next time, if we do not take steps to
put an end to such matters. The difficulty is to know where to begin. We
have men engaged in watching every mile of the track, but they do not
all know this ruffian, though we have circulated his photograph;
besides, he has altered his appearance. He is the most elusive criminal
I have ever had dealings with, and at the same time one of the boldest.
But a feeling of revenge cannot alone cause him to stay on here in the
canal zone, and risk arrest."

If only the Major could have known it, there was a good deal more than
the desire to pay off an old score to keep Jaime de Oteros in that
locality. The Spaniard had now put in at many a port along that part of
the world, and had discovered that the canal zone offered finer
opportunities to a man such as he was than any other place.

"Just because there's always money in plenty there," he told the four
companions he now had, for he had gathered two recruits to take the
place of those who had been lost on the launch. "It is like this, mates.
Here, on the canal, nearly every soul is at work during the hours of
daylight, and though the police have little to do, and therefore plenty
of time to watch for people such as us, yet the fact that there is so
little crime in the zone puts them off their guard. I'm tired of playing
off that score. Reckon I'm near even with the lot of them; but there's
still a little to do. There's that young fellow who ran the engine
aboard the launch, and who was the first to come upon our gang and split
it up. He's got to suffer."

He looked round at the ruffians assembled about him, and read approval
in their eyes.

"A grudge is a grudge," said one of them fiercely, dropping his hand to
the weapon he carried in his belt. "Where I came from an injury done was
never paid for till a knife thrust had been given. This young fellow
must suffer. How? What is the plan?"

Jaime shrugged his shoulders expressively, and shook his head. "That's
for the future," he said quickly. "I'm thinking it out. I've an idea, a
fine idea."

Into his eyes there came a savage flash which boded ill for our hero,
while the brows contracted and the lips slipped back from his sharp
teeth. At that moment Jaime de Oteros, in place of the polished,
smooth-spoken man he could pretend so well to be, was actually himself,
a villain who knew not the name of conscience, who would stop at
nothing, whose savage disposition was capable of carrying out any
atrocity. Then he smiled suddenly at his comrades, a crafty smile which
was meant to convey a great deal.

"Let it rest for the moment, this idea of mine," he said. "What we've
got to talk about is this cash. There's money due within a day or two,
money for the payment of the hands engaged on the canal. Well, we've
made one haul already; we can make another, and then clear for good.
This zone will be too hot to hold us once the work's finished. Now, let
me hear the report. A good general never enters upon an engagement
before he has made full arrangements to get clear off in case of things
going wrong. Well, things will go wrong here--not for us, but for the
officials. They'll be real mad, and will do all they know to follow. Let
me hear what has happened."

There was a snivel of delight on the face of the rascal who had formerly
spoken, and who now responded to his chief's invitation.

"I was to see what sort of a boat there was ready to put out from
Colon," he said. "I found one that was rather likely. The old pirate she
belongs to has been here all his life, and what he don't know of the
surroundings ain't worth knowing. He's ready to clear from the harbour,
with two of his sons and two others he'll hire, the instant we want him
to do so. Reckon it'll be nigh about sundown when the time for moving
comes."

Jaime nodded curtly. "About that," he agreed, "Well?"

"This old pirate likes fishing. He'll watch for a fire signal way up
over Gatun, and then he'll clear right off with his boat. Of course
he'll do it secretly, but not too secretly. People'll be allowed to
catch a glimpse of men getting aboard, and of the boat putting out.
She'll disappear."

"Ah!" Jaime rubbed his hands together, and then began to roll a
cigarette with the nimblest of fingers. A smile broke out over his face,
and for the moment the man looked almost handsome. "She'll disappear,"
he giggled. "Yes, where? I begin to follow the move."

"Where? That's for the police to decide. Ef they was to ask me at the
time I couldn't place a guess. But that old pirate knows a cove, quite
handy to Colon, where, once a man's lowered his topsail, he can lay hid
with his boat from all save those who care to come right into the cove.
Our man says he'll do a bit of fishing. He'll pass his time with that
and sleeping, while the police steam right on, searching for the boat
that left Colon so secretly. Ef they ain't bamboozled, wall, call me a
Dutchman."

There was a roar of merriment from the five ruffians. They lay back in
their chairs, and closed their eyes, as if thereby to help themselves to
imagine the spectacle of the Commission Police racing across the sea on
a wild-goose chase. Indeed it was one of the enjoyments of their
particular thieving profession to set the police at naught, and make
them look foolish by their own astuteness. And here was an astute plan.

"It licks creation," laughed Jaime, bringing a fist down with a crash on
to the table, and exposing a hand burned brown by the sun, and on the
fingers of which more than one ring glittered. "This old man of yours
will fool them nicely for us, and while the police are away on the sea,
we shall cut off in a different direction. That brings us to the second
report. You see I have to be very careful. Time was when I saw to all
these matters myself; but hereabouts I'm known, and badly wanted. In
spite of shaving off my beard I might easily be recognized, as by that
nigger. Gee! Ef he comes up agin me again I'll give him reasons to mind
his manners. Now, what about the horses?"

He turned to another of his comrades, to the second of the two new
recruits he had gathered to his band, and looked inquisitively at him.
The man was ready with his answer, and blurted it out eagerly, like a
schoolboy who longs to make his own voice heard before all others.

"Horses," said the fellow, a dusky South American, whose swarthy
features were deeply lined and pitted. "Trust me to pick the right sort
when they're wanted. You told me to seek mounts strong enough to carry
us across a rough country, and fix a rate to be paid for 'em. I went a
little better. There ain't many cattle in this place, so that one hasn't
to look far. But along over there," and he jerked his head over his left
shoulder, "there's a biggish farm, where there's a dozen mounts. We'll
want six, I guess, five for ourselves, and one for the dollars."

"Seven," corrected Jaime suddenly. "Seven, my comrade."

All looked at him curiously. Their chief was not wont to make mistakes,
but here it looked as if he were miscalculating. However, Jaime smiled
serenely back at them. "Seven horses without doubt," he said quietly,
blowing a cloud of smoke from his lips, and cutting it asunder with a
wave of his ringed fingers. "Precisely that number."

"I don't follow; six is the figure I put it at," came the answer.
"Unless----" and at the thought the rascal's face lit up with glee,
"unless you reckon the dollars'll be too many for one bag."

But the leader of the band shook his head, and smiled ambiguously.
"Seven horses will be required," he said slowly. "Tell us more of the
business. You arranged the payment?"

"I fixed the business in a different manner. I scouted round a little,
and soon found that, at nighttime, there were but one man and a woman
about the place. The stables are well away from the house, and easy to
get at. I fixed that there wouldn't be any payment."

There was a cunning expression about his face as he looked round at his
comrades, while the lines about his eyes were sunken deeper. Jaime
rewarded him with a loud "Bravo!" "You begin well with us, comrade," he
said eagerly. "The report is a good one. But one little matter occurs to
me: this farm is near the works, eh? It is connected by telephone?"

The other rascal at once relieved him of the doubt. "It lies packed away
in a hollow, just on the edge of the zone," he said. "The folks ain't
never seen a telephone."

"Then that matter is agreed upon. We can now begin to decide what each
one of us is to do. I'll tell you right now what I had intended. To call
away attention from the place where the money's banked we decided to
cause an upset pretty adjacent. Well, now, the Culebra cutting seemed to
be the most likely spot of all. I've been thinking and planning. A
ruction there could be heard way up and down the line, and would set
people running. The point was, how to cause that ruction."

There was more than passing interest on the faces of his followers. In
their opinion this leader of theirs was a fine fellow, a cunning man,
one whom it was an honour to follow. They awaited the details of his
plan with eagerness, not to say anxiety.

"And how did you fix it?" asked one of the men, proceeding to light his
cigarette by means of the candle burning before him. "Another train let
loose? A shot under the wheels of a passenger coach? A dozen diggers
sent scuttling?"

There was a snigger on his face, quickly copied by the others. Jaime
showed his pleasure by smiling broadly. After all, it was one of his
pleasures in life to have the praise and high opinion of his following.
He pulled at his cigarette thoughtfully, and then proceeded with his
plan.

"We've played too many of those games already," he said, with a short
laugh. "The officials of the canal are always on the lookout. But the
plan I fastened on to would have taken their breath away, if it didn't
manage to deprive some of them of the same for good and always. I'd been
watching those rock drills, and the powder men laying their shots. It
seemed to me that once the shots were wired, and connected to the firing
cables, a man had only to get to the firing-point and operate the
igniter. I got asking questions. I've done a bit on electricity works
before now, and I soon saw that the thing was possible. With a little
luck I could fire their shots for them."

The faces about him showed doubt and a lack of comprehension, for Jaime
was far more intelligent than any of the other members of his rascally
band. "What was the object of firing those shots?" they asked
themselves. But their leader soon explained the matter.

"It is like this," he said suavely, as if describing an everyday matter:
"the shots are laid ready for firing, and when the works are cleared the
man who operates the igniter gets to work and explodes them, one by one
or in batches, according to the wiring. Well, now, if the place is
cleared of workers, there's no damage done, though rocks and dirt fly
out in all directions. But if there was an accident--if, for instance, I
happened to meddle with the igniter before the works were
cleared--there'd be a tremendous ruction, and that's what we're
wanting."

The diabolical nature of his suggestion dawned only slowly upon the
minds of his following; but when it did so, when they fully comprehended
his meaning, their faces flushed with enthusiasm. Each of the five had
worked on the canal, and had seen those dynamite shots fired. Tons of
earth and rock spouted in all directions. That they had witnessed. To
remain in the neighbourhood meant certain death for many, injury for not
a few, and a commotion which the officials and workers had so far never
experienced. There was joy on their faces. They banged the table with
their fists, and stretched across to grasp the rascally palm of their
leader; but Jaime silenced them with uplifted hand.

"It sounded right, I grant," he said between the puffs of smoke; "but
there was a fly in the ointment. The igniter is kept under lock and key.
The place is guarded. These canny Americans know that those shots mean
danger, and they don't run risks. If I tried the game, the chances are I
should be disturbed or taken in the act of trying. So I wiped it out; I
started in to think out another plan, something noisy, something that
would draw all officials to the spot, away from the place where the
money is lying. And at last I fixed it. One of you men will change
places with a hand at Pedro Miguel, where they're building in their
foundations for one of the big locks at the end of the Culebra cutting.
You'll work with the rest till the whistles go at sundown, and then,
when the coast is clear, you'll sneak back to the workings. I'll give
you the rest of the plan later on; but you'll be the one to create a
most almighty ruction, you'll be the one to draw off every official, and
while they're busy we others'll get to work at the money. It'll be eight
o'clock before we can meet at this farm, and an hour later will take us
into the bush. Next morning we'll be right away in the swamps, with
friends about us, while the police will be following the old fellow, who
will put to sea the previous evening."

They sat in silence for a while, Jaime regarding each one of his band in
turn, scrutinizing their faces closely, as if seeking for something in
particular. Then he fastened upon one of them, and stretched across to
grip his hand.

"Juan is a brave man," he said impressively; "he will take the post of
which I have spoken. To him falls the honour of creating such a trouble
that those who go for the dollars may be able to take them easily. It is
a post worth the having."

The rascal greedily accepted it He was one of Jaime's old hands, and had
complete confidence in his chief. Moreover, he had now helped him in so
many risky operations that fear did not enter into his calculations.
Why should it, indeed, seeing that all others would be in ignorance? The
plot was being hatched in secrecy. None would know that anything was to
happen until the moment arrived. The hard-working officials of the canal
would be unable to recover from their astonishment before he and his
friends were gone. Juan drank deeply from the cup before him, and
replenished the vessel from a stone jar standing on the table.

"It is settled; whatever the plan, it is accomplished," he said with the
greatest assurance.

"Then we have merely to arrange the parts for the others. Miguel sees to
the horses. Our friend Alfonso, who made the arrangement with the
boatman, will be with Miguel, and will light a flare above Gatun at
seven in the evening, or sooner if he discovers that there is a
commotion. The two will then go to the farm, take the horses, and ride
towards Ancon. There is a spot at the bottom of a rocky hill, where the
road sweeps sharply round into the valley. My friends, we have all been
there before. It is there that we will meet when the work is finished.
Pedro and myself will take the money, then Pedro will carry it to the
horses. But I ought to have said that Alfonso and Miguel will not ride
towards Ancon with all the horses. They will leave three at the back of
Gatun, at a spot we can arrange upon. There Pedro will take the money
and load it on one of the horses. He will wait for me; I shall come, and
then we will ride to the place of meeting."

There were inquisitive glances thrown at the man by his comrades. The
question of the seventh horse again occurred to them. Jaime smiled when
he remarked their curiosity, and busily employed himself in rolling a
cigarette. It pleased him to watch his comrades as they endeavoured to
fathom his purpose.

"You ride to join Pedro after a while then?" queried the rascal Juan.
"What keeps you? Ah, I see it! A private grudge--that young fellow."

Jaime nodded easily, and smiled openly upon them all. "I have still some
work to accomplish," he said slowly. "You would not ask me to leave this
place allowing something to remain unfinished? Think for a moment. We
were comfortable and content here till that young dog pried into our
secrets. And what resulted? Three of us were arrested, and should have
been hanged perhaps by now had we not broken out of prison. Two of our
comrades were followed, and, though they were not killed, we have had
news that they were badly wounded. In addition, our game here was
spoiled for the time being. The officials locked their money up tighter
than ever, so that we had to move elsewhere in order to earn a living.
But that is all changed now; we are getting even with the fellows.
Already we have caused them much trouble, and now we will skin them of
every dollar, damage their works, and give this young dog such a lesson
that he will never interfere again. Good! It is fine to feel that the
day of reckoning has come at last. Juan, pass the bottle. With plans
like these to act upon a man requires a fillip."

Far into the night they sat discussing their rascally movements, and the
following day found all but Jaime abroad and active. That very
afternoon, in fact, Alfonso brought them information that a ship had
come into Colon bearing specie for the officials, money with which to
pay America's army of workmen.

"I watched it unloaded," said the rascal, glee on his face. "There were
boxes of silver and a huge mass of notes; for of course wages are paid
in paper. All the better for us, my friends. Paper is easy to carry, and
is still valuable. They can publish the numbers of the stolen notes as
much as they like, but still we can get value for them."

"And the destination of these boxes?" asked Jaime anxiously.

Alfonso told him with pride. He had followed the consignment, and had
seen it deposited at the door of one of the official offices. He had
seen it carried in, and drew a plan of the building.

"Then to-night," said Jaime, pulling at the inevitable cigarette. "Juan
has already gone across to Pedro Miguel. And you--you have made full
arrangements with the boatman?"

"Full and complete; there will be no hitch to-night," cried Alfonso,
banging the table.

A stranger happening to take rail at Colon on this day would have been
utterly astounded had he been informed that there was to be a commotion
that very evening. For the trip along the whole length of the Panama
Railway would have shown him armies of men and officials engaged
methodically with their work. The busy scene of smoking steam diggers,
of rock drills, and hustling spoil trains would have resolved itself
finally, when his eye was at last accustomed to the vastness of it all,
into a scene of order and method, into a gigantic undertaking which
occupied the wits and strength of all whom he saw. He would at last
have appreciated the fact that those vast works at Gatun, and between it
and Limon Bay, had a direct connection with that enormous cutting which
occupied the time of such an army of delvers at Culebra, though twenty
odd miles separated the two, and that throughout the length of the
Panama zone, stretching from north to south of the isthmus, the work
undertaken by any one man had some special relation to that appointed to
another. Moreover, that, in spite of distances, in spite of the fact
that the undertaking seemed to be progressing piecemeal at widely
separated intervals, yet each and every part was a portion of the whole,
a necessary portion, where the work in hand was conducted with a hustle
and method truly American, and with a swing which augured for success.
But of commotion there was not a sign. That traveller could not possibly
have guessed that the evening had a disaster in store for the people who
worked beneath his eye.

It was precisely half-past five on this special evening when a terrible
explosion shook every one of the wooden buildings at Ancon, and caused
the verandas at Gorgona to shake as if they would tumble. A vast flame
seemed to leap into the air, there came a thunderous report, that went
echoing down the Chagres valley, and then dust and debris obscured the
sky in the direction of Pedro Miguel. The serene face of this portion of
the zone, lit a second or so before by a wonderful moon, was obscured as
if by the work of a volcano.

Instantly men poured out from the Commission hotels, and stood in the
street of Ancon and the nearest settlement, asking what had happened.

"Guess it's the dynamite store gone off suddenly," cried one, his hands
deep in his pockets, a pipe in his mouth. "Hope none of the boys ain't
hurt, nor the works neither. It's been a bad blow-up anyway."

It was an hour later before details filtered through, then, all along
the line, it was learned that an attempt had been made to wreck the
foundation of the lock at Pedro Miguel.

"Another of them anarchistic attempts," growled one of the men. "Guess
this is too almighty queer fer anything. Here's spoil trains been sent
runnin' down from the cut, and the same with diggers. Sleepers and
suchlike laid on the rails in order to throw passenger trains off the
metals, fires, and what not. This is the limit."

"It's one of the most serious difficulties we have had to face, boys,"
said one of the canal officials, coming upon the group of men at that
moment. "I've just come along from the dock at Pedro Miguel, and there
isn't a doubt that some rascal endeavoured to blow the whole place to
pieces. It's Jim Partington's section, and he'd left everything safe and
sound. There wasn't a rock drill working there, and hasn't been this
three weeks past. Consequently there weren't any dynamite shots; but a
man was seen creeping down that way soon after sundown. Guess he'd fixed
to place his bomb right in the trench where the foundations are being
laid; but something went wrong with it. He was blown to pieces; there
were only scraps of him to be found."

There was a grunt of satisfaction at the news; the men felt that such a
fate was only just retribution.

"But what damage has been done, boss?" asked one of the men anxiously,
as if the success of the canal depended on the answer.

"None; in fact the explosion seems to have helped us. Young Jim
Partington tells me he was making a requisition for a rock drill this
coming week, as there was a heap of stuff to break down before the
diggers could get at it. Well, he's saved the trouble. That explosion
brought tons of stuff away, and now there's hardly need for a rock
drill. Of course you've got to remember that it's dark 'way over there,
and a man can't fix exactly what may have happened. But we made a quick,
and, I believe, thorough survey of the place, and I should say that I've
told you everything. This blessed cur who has been worrying us these
weeks past has come by his deserts at last."

There was, in fact, not the smallest doubt that the rascally plot of
Jaime and his followers had failed at the very beginning. Juan, who had
accepted the post of honour, had disappeared from the scene swiftly and
terribly. He had been hoist by his own petard, and, as the official had
stated, there was little left to show that he had actually existed.

But still there was Jaime to reckon with, Jaime de Oteros and his
fellows, and the reader need feel little surprise when he hears that,
later on in the evening, there was another disturbance. It was
discovered that the pay offices had been burgled, and that a vast sum of
money had been removed. Then came an urgent telephone message to Ancon.
The instrument at the club rang loudly and continuously, causing one of
the men to go to it instantly. Jim, who had just returned from an
inspection of his section, where the explosion had taken place, sat at a
table near at hand, and, though there was no reason why the telephone
should be calling him more than any other, he watched his comrade and
listened.

"What's that? Say, who are you?" he heard the man demand. Then he
suddenly looked over his shoulder, and if ever a man bore a startled
expression it was this one. "Say, Jim, there," he called out, "they're
ringing you from Gatun. It's Phineas Barton; there's trouble down there
as well."

Jim was beside him in a moment, the receiver to his ear; and at once he
recognized Phineas's voice, but strangely altered.

"Yes?" he asked as coolly as he could, though something set his heart
thumping. "It's Jim at this end."

"Then come right along without waitin'. We've trouble down this end.
Bring a shooter; I'll tell you about it when you arrive. The Police
Major is here waiting."

It was serious news, whatever it was, for Phineas's voice proved it. Jim
crammed his hat on to his head, raced back to his quarters and snatched
a mackintosh, a revolver, and a spare shirt, and then ran down to the
railway. He found a motor inspection car awaiting him, with a couple of
policemen in it, one of whom was Tomkins.

"You kin get along with it," said the latter curtly, addressing the
driver. "And we ain't nervous, so let her go as fast as you're able.
Jim, there's a regular upset from end to end of the zone, and I'm
beginning to get through with it. That explosion was a blind, meant to
occupy our attention while those rascals, for there's more than one of
'em, robbed the pay office. But that ain't all. They were up to some
other sort of mischief down Gatun way, and the Major 'phoned through to
us to come along that second. We were to bring you, too; so it seems
that you've something to do with the business."

Let the reader imagine how Jim fretted upon that quick journey. He
wondered why he should have been called, and how the matter could
specially interest him. A thousand ideas flashed through his busy mind,
and were banished as unsatisfactory. It was not until the motor raced
into Gatun, and he caught a glimpse of Phineas's face, that he realized
that the matter must be particularly serious. His friend took him by the
hand and held it.

"Jim," he said, and his voice broke ever so little, "those scoundrels
deserve hanging. We were right in thinking that Jaime de Oteros had to
do with the business, and I guess he'd made up his mind to get even with
you for finding the gang and getting it broken. He settled to blow up
your section, then he broke into the pay office, and last of all, to pay
you out properly, the ruffian slank down to my quarters. Sadie was
indoors, of course----"

Jim staggered backwards. He had never even thought of Sadie in
connection with this disaster. The fear that she had been injured,
perhaps killed, caused his cheek to pale even beneath the deep tan with
which it was covered.

"Get on," he said a moment later, pulling himself together with an
effort. "Sadie was indoors. Yes. That villain----"

"That villain had fixed to abduct her. We were all outside, watchin' for
another explosion. This Jaime, or one of his men, slipped in at the
back, seized the girl, and got clear off with her. Lad, it's a real bad
business."

Jim held to the rails of the station. His head swam; he felt giddy,
while the beating of his heart was almost painful. He was utterly
unmanned for the moment. He, Jim Partington, who had faced so many
dangers smiling, was utterly prostrated by the news imparted to him.
Then, like the brave fellow he was, he threw off the feeling of weakness
with a sharp shrug of his shoulders, and in a moment became his old
self, cool and self-possessed, as he asked shrewd questions shortly and
sharply.

"You will follow, of course?" he asked the Major.

"You can guess so. This time nothing shall turn me back."

"Then I can come?"

"Glad indeed to have you, my boy. We'll move the instant we get
information. I've men making enquiries down at the port, while your
negro, Sam, has gone off with a lantern. Better start on the right track
than start early. Let's get in and have some supper."

It was one of the most anxious meals Jim had ever attended. He was eager
to set out in search of his sister, but realized all the time that a
wrong start might be productive of great delay and failure.

"But Sam will hit their marks if anyone can," he told himself. "Then
I'll follow wherever the tracks lead. Sadie shall not stay in that man's
hands an instant longer than I can help it. And if I catch that Jaime
and his fellows----!"

His fingers came together; his two hands were clenched beneath the
table. At that precise moment good-natured Jim felt that he was capable
of anything.




CHAPTER XVI

The Major forms his Parties


Never before, perhaps, had the telephone system in the Panama Canal zone
been so busily employed as on the night of Sadie's abduction. The bell
of the instrument in Phineas's quarters seemed to ring without
cessation, while the Police Major had his ear glued to the receiver by
the ten minutes together.

"A crafty set of dogs," he declared, after one of these long
conversations with his office at Colon. "They laid their plans most
elaborately, and made every preparation to throw dust in our eyes. That
explosion way over at Pedro Miguel wasn't the only little bit of
by-play. It seems that they engaged a boatman to steal away from Colon
this evening, and give us the impression that they were aboard; but that
huge negro Tom put a spoke in their wheel. He happened to be in Colon,
and reported to the office at once that he had seen a fire signal up by
Gatun, way behind this house."

"And guessed it was meant for someone down by the sea?" asked Phineas,
rising from his seat at the receipt of such important information.
"Major, this Jim and his servants have done good service to our people
here. I'm glad that Tom has shown himself such an excellent constable."

"He's one of the exceptions one finds amongst big men," declared the
Major. "He's sharp, as sharp as a needle, for all his smiles and
easy-going manner. He spotted this flare way back behind us, and looked
well about him. He reported, a matter of two hours ago, that a boat had
put off with some four men in her. Two of the crew at least he knew to
be loafers about the streets of Colon, and one was the owner, a man of
bad repute. Still, the fourth might have been one of the rascals we are
after. So I sent out a steam launch, and her report has just reached
me."

"Well?" demanded Phineas shortly, while Jim leaned forward anxiously.
"It wasn't one of the rascals; it was a blind, as you've intimated."

The Police Major nodded promptly. "Number two of the schemes of those
rascals has failed. My people have just returned, and the sergeant has
'phoned me the news. He overhauled this boat and went aboard her. The
fourth individual was another well-known character from Colon, while the
owner of the craft, thinking perhaps that he would get into trouble, and
hoping to set matters right for himself, admitted that he had arranged
to slip off when a fire signal was lighted. The sergeant left him out
there to go where he liked, and steamed back as fast as his engine would
carry him. This time the pursuit will hardly be by way of the Atlantic."

"But perhaps by way of Panama, on to the Pacific," suggested Phineas.

"Or into the bush; that's where I imagine they may have gone," said Jim.
"It seems to me that we have every reason to suspect that that is the
course they will have followed."

His two companions in the room looked steadily at him. Before now they
had known our hero to give common-sense solutions when there was a
difficulty, and all through, since the moment when they had first known
him, he had proved himself to be possessed of a level head, of that
sharpness and shrewdness for which the American is notorious. It was
therefore with a feeling of interest that they waited for him to speak.

"Every reason to think they've gone into the bush," repeated the Major.
"I own that I have thought of the matter; but then, we all know the
bush. It isn't everyone who would willingly make a journey through it;
for fever frightens them, and besides, once you get a little distance
from the zone, there are natives. There aren't many men who can tell us
much about the latter. Of course it's part of my business to have found
out something; and I have ascertained that while some are friendly
enough, there are others who could not be trusted. They would kill a
white man for the clothes he stood up in. Then why do you consider that
they have gone by way of the bush?"

Jim stood up and walked the room backwards and forwards. Nerves were not
things that he had much acquaintance with, but the reader can well
excuse him if on this occasion he was fidgety. In fact, it was as much
as he could do to keep quiet. He longed to rush off and make some sort
of effort. It was only his solid good sense that restrained him, the
good sense that showed him clearly how a false start, pursuit along a
wrong line, might throw the game entirely into the hands of the
miscreants who had abducted Sadie. It was for her sake that he stayed
in the room, fidgeting at the delay, but waiting, waiting for some
definite information to show him where the tracks of the fugitives led.
And in his own mind he had traced those tracks.

"It seems clear to me, though of course I may be entirely wrong," he
said as he paced the room. "But those fellows have been proved to have
had dealing with the natives. The last time we chatted about the matter
you, Major, told us that you had certain information that they had been
selling guns, powder, and spirit to the natives along the coast. Then
see how those fellows we chased across the lagoon made friends with the
inhabitants of that part. It's perfectly plain that they had been
trading over there. That being the case, and perhaps because the police
have been careful to watch the various launches down at Port Limon,
these men decided not to fly by way of the ocean. They thought that the
bush offered better chances; but their destination is the same. They are
making for those parts where we did our fighting, and once they have
joined that tribe they imagine they will be safe."

The argument seemed to be clear enough, and for a while the Major stood
by the telephone thinking deeply. And the more Jim's suggestions
filtered through his mind, the more sure did he feel that there was
something substantial about them. At length he almost took it for
granted that the course outlined by our hero was actually the one which
the miscreants were following. Then the question arose: how could the
police best deal with the matter?

"See here, Jim," he said, after a while. "I believe you've just hit the
right nail on the head. Let us suppose that these men have gone by the
way of the bush, with the idea of joining hands with that tribe. What
course do you advise for those who follow?"

Jim gave his answer promptly. In fact, as the others admitted, there
could be little doubt as to the procedure to be adopted; but all
depended on one particular.

"How many men will you employ?" asked Jim.

"As many as are wanted. A dozen of my own men for certain, and I can get
a draft from the force of marines who are garrisoning the canal."

"Then I say that we ought to go in two parties. I with others will take
horses and push on through the bush, where Sam will be able to lead us;
the second party should make round by sea, cross the lagoon, and join
hands with us there. We shall, in that way, be able to take them between
us, and if one party is attacked first of all, it has the knowledge that
the other will come to support it."

The Major at once went to the telephone, and rang up his office. The
plan suggested seemed to him to be one of such common sense that it
needed little argument to convince him. Therefore, within ten minutes,
the officials down at Colon were making preparations.

"Meanwhile, those who are to follow by way of the bush had better be
making preparations," said Phineas, who was nothing if not practical.
"What have you to say, Major?"

"Just this, that I shall support you in every way. I shall command the
party which goes by sea, and Jim here had better take the other. Tom and
Sam can go with him, as well as Tomkins and four or five other
constables. You see, we can't send many round that way, for horses are
scarce hereabouts. Theirs must be in every sense a cutting-out
expedition. I take it that Jim made his suggestion with that in view.
What he wants to do is to rescue his sister. After that he will assist
us if possible, once he has made sure the girl is in safety."

"Then let us set to work with food and other things," cried Phineas.
"Look here, Jim, I can see that you're just fidgeting. Come along with
me; it'll settle you a little to have something to do."

They went off to the kitchen promptly, and with Ching to help them
quickly filled a sack with eatables. Meanwhile the Major again had
recourse to the telephone, had detailed the four men who were to
accompany Jim, and had asked for rations, arms, and ammunition.

"Not forgetting quinine," he told Jim and Phineas when they returned.
"If you'll take my advice you'll make every man of the expedition, white
or black, swallow two grains daily, just as a precaution. You can't be
too careful, especially if it happens to rain, as is probable."

It was wonderful how quickly all their preparations were completed; so
much so that when, an hour later, the diminutive Sam returned, Jim and
his whole party were collected at Phineas's quarters. The four policemen
had come up with ten horses all ready saddled and bridled.

"And we're lucky to have them," declared the Major. "I'm giving you ten
mounts, so that, although there will be only nine of you, you will have
a beast to carry blankets and ammunition. The men will carry their own
rations, which will last for almost a week. By then you will have to
fend for yourselves if you do not happen to reach us; but you should
manage that. The spot where our action took place is barely forty miles
distant. Of course, when you rescue the girl, you will put her on the
spare horse. Now let us interview Sam."

The little fellow was ushered into the room, still carrying his lantern.
Sam's face was sternly set, while his whole expression showed eagerness
and determination. Indeed the little negro would have done anything for
Sadie and for our hero. He put the lantern down on the floor and pulled
off the sack which covered his shoulders.

"Got um!" he cried jubilantly. "Dem fellers tink dey fool de lot ob us
nicely; but Sam tink otherwise. He get on de track ob one ob de men at
once, just as once before. Any fool able to follow; Sam manage him
blindfold. Him take Sadie way along at the back of Gatun, den him come
to a spot where horses waitin'. Dere are three. Sam count 'em. Dey ride
along towards Ancon, and me run all de way, followin'. Dere dey meet two
oders, and strike right off for de bush. I come back runnin'; time we
was after dem scum."

They gave the little fellow meat and drink instantly, for he was
exhausted after his efforts. Then the whole party mounted, Phineas
riding beside Jim, and just as the light was breaking they cantered
over the edge of the canal zone and plunged into the bush.

"Sam'll go ahead," said Jim promptly, reining back his mount. "Tomkins
and I will ride next; then, some twenty yards behind us, Tom and Ching,
with two of the constables. Phineas, you take the rear with the last of
the police, and ride within twenty yards of the main party. By dividing
up like that we stand a better chance in case they try to surprise us.
Now, Sam, we want to get ahead as fast as possible. The moon went down
early last night, and though it will have helped those rascals at the
beginning, they will have been forced to camp after a time. If, as I
imagine, they believe that we are not likely to follow through the bush,
in fact that they have covered their trail, and sent us off after that
boat, they are not likely to push along very fast. That will be our
opportunity; by making the pace we may come up with them."

Sam was like a dog as he followed. There was not the smallest doubt that
the little fellow was gifted with the most wonderful power of
observation, and with it that of deduction. For now that the sun was up,
and the light strong, he led the party at a trot, never even requiring
to climb out of his saddle. Dressed in tattered garments, which were
still drenched with the rain that had fallen upon him during the
previous night, the diminutive negro looked wonderfully woebegone; but
that was from behind. One must not always judge by the condition of a
man's garments; for seen from the front the little fellow was evidently
very much alive. That same intent expression was on his face, while his
piercing eyes were glued to the track. It was half an hour later when he
threw up his hand and slid from his saddle.

"Camp here, dem scum," he announced as Jim rode up. "Four ob de rascal,
and missie. Yo not tink so? Den see here; dem's her footmarks."

The most unbelieving person would have been convinced, for the ground
bore undoubted witness to what had happened. It was thickly marked by
horses, while near at hand the animals had been tied to the branch of a
tree hanging close to the earth. A little camp had been formed within a
few yards, and in and amongst the bootmarks of Jaime de Oteros and his
fellows were the smaller shoe impressions of Sadie. Jim glowered upon
them; his lips came firmly together, and with the impetuosity of youth,
which brooks no restraint, he set his party in motion again. But when
another two hours had passed Sam declared that the fugitives were still
far ahead.

"Yo watch de hollows de horses make," he said to Jim, inviting him to
join him on the ground. "It rain hard for ten minutes two hours ago, yo
remember."

Our hero had not failed to recollect the fact. It was one of those
little cloudbursts so often experienced in the neighbourhood. A sharp,
heavy shower had fallen, and then the clouds had cleared away as if by
magic, leaving a fine sky, with the sun floating in it.

"But how can you say from that shower that they are still far ahead?" he
asked the little negro.

Sam screwed up his eyes before he answered, and then bent over one of
the hoof impressions.

"Dere's water here, in de hole," he said. "Suppose no hole, den no
water. Run 'way along de ground. Ebery one of dese marks here when dat
shower come, and de water fill um. Yo not tink dat? Den look here; dis
horse go close under a tree, where de sun not manage to reach. What now
do you tink?"

Jim was wonderfully troubled. He had often read and heard of the ways of
trackers, and had imagined the art not so difficult; but here was a
poser. Jim showed him the hoofmarks of one of the beasts ridden by the
fugitives, pointing out that they lay beneath the shadow of a tree, and
asked him wherein lay evidence that the fugitives were far ahead. It was
a conundrum; he shook his head impatiently.

"Read it for me, Sam," he said, "and quick about it. How far behind them
do you reckon we are?"

"Tree, four hour p'raps. I tell like dis; dese marks here two hour ago,
when de rain fall. Dat sartin'; but yo look at de water in de holes.
Where de sun able to reach it it almost gone, sucked up into de sky. Dat
take little time, longer dan two hour. Under de tree de holes full to de
top, 'cos dey dere like de oders when de rain fall, and de sun not able
to reach 'em. Dose men travelling quick."

"Then so will we. Forward," commanded Jim.

"Better go slow and sure than fast and knock up the horses," cautioned
Phineas, riding up beside him. "Jim, if you'll take my advice, you'll
set a steady pace, and keep going at it for the hour together; then give
the animals a rest for ten minutes. In the end we'll cover the ground
quicker than those rascals, supposing them to be riding on direct
without halting."

It was undoubtedly good advice, and our hero took it. He found it hard
to curb his impatience, for he was eager to rescue Sadie from such
wretches. But he was sensible enough to recognize good advice when it
was given, and promptly issued his orders.

"See here, Tomkins," he called out. "You come along with the main party.
I'll go ahead with Sam, and one of your men can take your place. Then,
in case there's need to change our plans, I shall be right at the head
and able to stop the party."

They pushed on after that at a steady pace, covering ground which for
the most part was only thinly studded with bush, and stretched out flat
and level before them; but some five miles ahead a range of hills and
broken ground cropped up before them, hiding the country beyond.

"Perhaps we shall be able to catch a sight of those rascals from the
top," thought Jim, as he rode along in a brown study. "In any case
there's much to be thankful for. That rainstorm has softened the ground
and made it easy to follow; a little more this afternoon, or when the
night falls, would give us a fine line for to-morrow."

Some two hours later they emerged at the top of the hilly ground, still
on the tracks of the fugitives, and at a sign from Sam dropped from
their horses.

"Stop here," he said at once, raising a warning hand. "Not show up above
de skyline, else p'raps dem scum see us. Yo wait little while for me to
squint all round; but not t'ink I be able to see um. De bush down dere
very dense."

It was precisely as he had said, for as Jim laid himself flat in a
tangled mass of brier on the summit of the ridge, and wormed his way
forward till he was able to obtain a clear view beyond, he saw that the
country down below was green with jungle. A vast sea of waving treetops
lay below him, broken only here and there where rocky ground effectively
opposed the irresistible march of creepers and verdure. The sight was,
in fact, most beautiful, for the leaves shimmered and displayed a
thousand different shades of green beneath the sun's rays, while, far
off to the left, there came the gleam and scintillation of light falling
on water.

"De lagoon," declared Sam without hesitation, tossing a finger to the
front. "Not able to see de entrance, ob course, 'cos it too far away,
and trees hide um; and not able to see where de riber lie for de same
reason. But dat de lagoon. Sam stake him hat on it."

"And those men we are after?" asked Jim, his eyes searching every foot
of the huge green vista.

"Dey down dar somewhere. Not see um wid all dose trees; but dere fo'
sure. To-morrow we come up with them."

Our hero lay for a while gazing all round and thinking deeply. The sight
of the lagoon shimmering and flashing beneath the sun had reminded him
of those natives with whom the two rascals they had formerly followed
had struck up an acquaintance. Jim remembered that it was more than a
simple acquaintance, for it had since been proved that Jaime de Oteros
and his gang of evildoers had for long carried on an illicit trade in
guns and spirit with the tribe in that neighbourhood. Obviously they
were making in that direction to join hands with them, and, once there,
how was Sadie to be recovered?

"It will be harder than I imagined," he told himself despondently. "Once
these men reach the natives with their prisoner, nothing but a battle
royal and the defeat of the tribe can save her. If only I were near
enough to come upon them before they could reach their friends."

Again he lay silent and thinking, till Sam looked at his young master
wondering. "Not good lie here and stare," he said. "Dat not de way to
save de missie. S'pose we make right way down de hill and get into the
jungle. Dey down dere, I say. To-morrow dey come up wid the black men we
fight wid way ober by de lagoon."

"And once there Sadie is almost lost to us," cried Jim, a tone of
bitterness in his voice. "See here, Sam, I'm going to make a big effort.
Tell me, can those fellows travel once the night falls? Can they push on
towards those natives?"

"Dat not easy," came the answer. "Sam not tink dey try to do so. For
why? I tell yo. What fo' need hurry when dey tink no one follow? Back
away near de canal dey ride fast, 'cos p'rhaps someone discober where
dey gone, and follow quick; but dey seen no one to-day. Dat I sure ob,
'cos dere tracks have never stopped fo' once; so dey t'ink dey got heaps
ob time and all de jungle to demselves. Why den hurry, and bash de head
against a tree in de darkness? Dat not good enough fo' anyone; dat all
tommy nonsense."

"Then I shall do it."

Jim stretched his head farther from between the brambles and stared down
into the jungle beneath, as if he were trying to penetrate it to the
tree roots. As for Sam, the little fellow started, and looked queerly at
his master, as if he half thought that anxiety and excitement had
unhinged his mind; but Jim returned his gaze coolly, and once more
repeated the statement.

"Then I shall do it," he said. "Listen here, Sam, and tell me what you
think of the idea. You admit that these men will camp for to-night,
satisfied that they are not followed, and that they can easily reach
their native friends to-morrow. Once there, you can see that Sadie will
be surrounded, and that rescue will be almost impossible. Well now, I'm
going to push along through that jungle as quickly as horses can take
me, and as quickly as the undergrowth will allow. This evening, the
instant night falls, I shall go on on foot, taking the lantern. There's
not much danger of the light being seen with all those trees about, and
there is a good chance of being able to come up with the fugitives. If I
do, I'll snatch my sister away, and return towards our party, who will
mount and ride at the first dawn."

The little negro gasped as he heard the plan outlined. It was not that
the danger of such an attempt staggered him; it was the shrewdness of
the suggestion. He pinched himself as punishment for not having produced
it himself, and turned upon his master with a flash in his eye which
showed his pleasure.

"By lummy, dat fine!" he cried. "Dat de only way to do um. S'pose dem
scum camp as I say--I shore dey do it. But s'pose dey don't, and ride
right on, den no harm done; but if dey camp, den yo have de one chance
of savin' missie. Ob course I hab to go with yo; yo not able to follow
de trail widout Sam. And Tom extry strong, and able to creep along right
well, in spite of his size; besides, he able to carry missie once we
have managed to rescue her. Den Ching know de ways ob de jungle; he
mighty fine fighter. Him----"

Jim stopped the garrulous little fellow with a movement of his hand.
Suddenly his finger shot out from the brambles, and he pointed towards
the huge sea of waving palms and forest trees, all thickly clad in
green. But it was not the jungle to which he drew Sam's attention; it
was a wide patch of yellowish-white that cropped up amidst the green
some miles away, direct in the line of the lagoon.

"Watch that spot," he ordered curtly. "I saw something moving, but the
distance is too great for me. What do you see?"

Eagerly he awaited the answer, but it was more than a minute before the
negro ventured to open his mouth. He plucked Jim by the sleeve and drew
him backward, sliding through the briers himself as if he were a snake.

"Dat extry lucky," he suddenly whispered, when they had withdrawn from
the skyline, and as if he were afraid someone beyond would overhear him.
"Dat special fortunate, I tell yo. Fo' down dere on dat patch am de mens
we follow. Yo see de little game, eh? Not see um? Den I gib yo dere
reason. Dem scum now well away from de canal, and ride hard all de
while. Dey say to demselbes: 'Stop little bit here, let de hosses hab a
rest while watch de hill. If police follow, den sure to come by de way
of de tracks we leab. Good! We see um come ober de hill. If dey come, we
mount and push along; if not, take him easy, ride 'way on a little, and
den sleep."

"Then we will take good care not to show ourselves; but advance we
must," cried Jim. "See here, Sam, find a way over for us where we can
pass without anyone being able to see us. If necessary I'll push on with
a small party afoot and leave the horses to come later; but I'd rather
take the whole lot on their mounts, because then we shall be able to get
nearer to those ruffians. Look around and choose a likely spot."

He crept back to the party, while the negro stole off along the ridge,
keeping well away from the skyline. In ten minutes he was back with
them, his face shining under the sun, a hopeful smile on his lips.

"Come 'long, and lead de hosses," he whispered. "Sam make along de side
ob de hill and find a place where we can slip to de bottom; but not
ride. Ground very rough and full ob stones and holes."

They followed him in silence, each man leading his own horse, while the
huge Tom led also the beast which carried their blankets and ammunition.
And a very business-like party they looked as they filed away amongst
the bushes; for each one carried a rifle slung across his shoulders, the
muzzle sticking up well above his head, while a pouch attached to the
belt about his waist was filled with cartridges. Khaki clothing was
chiefly worn, for since the British introduced the colour many nations
have adopted it for their uniforms. Water bottles were slung to the
belts, and every member of the band was provided with a revolver.

"Best take 'em," said the Major, just before the expedition started. "I
grant that a rifle is useful most anywhere; but there are times when it
is apt to get into the way, and in case such a time should turn up you'd
better carry shooters."

"Halt! Not come too fast," said Sam suddenly, when he and Jim had
arrived at a rocky crevice which broke its way into the side of the
hill. "Plenty hole-and-corner 'way in here, and mind yo go very careful.
Yo Chinaboy, don't yo smile as if yo was clever'n anyone; yo hab a bad
fall if yo not extry cautious."

A grim smile lit the usually saturnine face of Tomkins, the surly
policeman; and indeed anyone could have been excused for merriment. For
Sam's importance, his high-flown language, to which we cannot here
venture to give outlet, and the quick way in which he flashed round upon
the harmless Chinaman, was most amusing. However, Tom quickly silenced
the little fellow.

"Yo leab dis Chinaboy alone," he cried, looking fiercely at Sam, but
showing his teeth in a grinning smile for all that. "Yo look to yoself,
little man. If dere holes way in dere, p'raps yo fall into one; den lost
fo' good. No Sam to be found. All de boys call out hooray! Yo get along,
young feller."

That set Tomkins grinning more than ever. To do the man but common
justice, he was an excellent fellow at heart, though his taciturnity and
the shortness and crispness of his remarks made people consider him to
be surly. No one saw the humour of the thing sooner than he did, and no
one was more ready to smile. He turned upon the two negroes a scowl
which would have scared them, had they not been accustomed to the
constable,

"See here, you two sons of guns," he cried, "there'll be something bad
happenin' ef we have more of your lip. Get in at it; we ain't here to
listen to darkies chatterin' as if they was monkeys."

Sam glowered upon the man, and looked as if he would be glad to do him
an injury; but Tom gave vent to a roar, and, dragging his horses after
him, stood to his full height within a foot of Tomkins. It looked for a
moment as if there was to be a fracas, for the two men, white and black,
glared at one another furiously; but no one could expect the jovial Tom
to wear such an expression for long. He burst out laughing, and,
swinging round, placed himself side by side with Tomkins.

"Oh, yo heard dat?" he called out. "He tink us like monkeys. Den yo say,
Massa Jim, who de most handsomest, Tom or Tomkins."

But Jim was in no mood for jesting. He sent the huge Tom to the rear
with an impatient movement of his hand, and then bade Sam push forward.
A moment later he was following, holding his horse by the bridle. For
the next half-hour silence again settled down upon the party, though in
place of the sound of their voices there came the slither of hoofs on
rocks, the crash of boulders falling, and now and again a sudden
exclamation as a man just saved his animal from falling; for the gully
which Sam had found and selected was rough, to say the least of it.
Probably in the wet weather it was nothing but a watercourse. Now it
displayed huge holes where the rains had washed the soil away, while
every few feet the members of the party had to negotiate boulders,
sometimes causing their animals to squeeze round them, and at others
having to urge them over the obstruction. Finally they all arrived at
the bottom, where they were thickly surrounded by jungle.

"Forward," said Jim at once, seeing the whole party mounted. "I suppose
the first thing is to get back on the track, and then ride for that
yellowish-white patch where we saw figures moving. Perhaps we'll get
there before those rascals leave; if not, we can but follow."

Some three hours later, after making but slow progress through a jungle
which was very dense in parts, and after having crossed a stream, the
bed of which was soft and boggy, they came to the rocky part where no
vegetation had succeeded in growing. It was almost dark then, and
experience told them that within a few minutes it would be impossible to
see more than a foot or two before them; for in jungle countries, even
under a brilliant moon, the shadows beneath the trees are of the
densest. No light can penetrate those thick masses of leaves and the
thousands of gaily flowered creepers which cling to the branches. Here
and there, perhaps, where the leaves give back from one another, or
where a veteran of the forest has fallen to the ground, some few rays
will filter through, making the trunks beneath look strangely ghostly,
but for the most part there is dense darkness, the kind of darkness
which one can almost feel.

"Here we camp for the night," said Jim, slipping from his saddle.
"Tomkins, I am going ahead with the two negroes and the Chinaman. I
leave Mr. Barton in charge of the whole party remaining; but of course,
if there is fighting, you will handle your men. See here, I'm going to
try to come up to the camp those fellows will have formed and snatch
away their prisoner. Whatever happens, ride at the first streak of light
and follow our tracks; we'll take good care to make them clear and open.
Tom shall blaze the trees as we pass."

Some fifteen minutes later, having meanwhile partaken of a hurried meal,
Jim, with Sam and Tom and Ching, slipped away from the little camp where
their friends were lying. For a minute, perhaps, the gleam of the lamp
that Sam carried remained visible; then the jungle swallowed it
effectually, so that presently our hero had disappeared entirely. He was
gone on an expedition which might bring success or failure, and which in
any case meant danger for him and his little party.




CHAPTER XVII

On the Track of Miscreants


To those who have had no experience of the jungle, who happen never to
have passed a night in such tropical forests as those which clothe the
ground about the Isthmus of Panama, the deadly silence that pervades
everything is perhaps the most noticeable feature of all. It is almost
terrifying in its intensity, and with dense darkness to help it is apt
to awe even the boldest. And when, as happens so often, that silence is
suddenly and most unexpectedly broken by the call of some prowling wild
beast, when a sharp hissing sound and a rustling amongst the fallen
leaves near at hand tells of a creeping snake, then indeed the nerves
tingle, the novice feels a strange sensation about the roots of his
hair, while perspiration gathers thickly on his forehead. Yes, the
bravest are awed. Even the old hand, the experienced hunter, holds his
breath and halts to listen, his senses all alert, ready to defend his
life against danger.

So it was with Jim and his friends. One only was accustomed to the
jungle; and for a while, after diving into its darkness, they were
overawed by its deathly silence at one moment, and at another moment by
the weird calls which came to their ears. The lamplight shining on
Tom's face demonstrated the fact that he was trying to smile; but it was
an uneasy and an unnatural movement.

"By de poker," he gasped, "but not like dis at all! De leaves whisper
murder. De branches ob de trees call out and say: 'Take care'. Tom all
ob a shiber."

"He, he, he! Yo not like him, dis forest," grinned Ching, though, to
tell the truth, the Chinaman's slanting eyes were moving restlessly from
side to side, in a manner which denoted fear. "Yo hold de hand ob dis
Chinaboy; den feel braver. No harm come when Ching near. Yo come along
wid me, Tom."

His bantering tones caused the huge negro to change his smile for a
scowl. He stretched out a hand and slowly doubled up the fingers, as
much as to say that he could with pleasure take the Chinaman in one hand
and crush the life out of him. He began to exclaim, but Jim cut him
short. Our hero brushed the sweat from his forehead, and swung round
upon the two.

"Silence, you babies!" he exclaimed. "A sound travels far in the jungle,
and who can say how near we are to those villains we are searching for?
Silence! Follow in single file, and take care that you do not tread on
fallen branches and twigs. I have often heard it stated that the snap of
a broken twig can be heard as plainly as the report of a pistol. Guess
it's true, too."

"But dere no fear jest now, Massa Jim," interrupted Sam, his little eyes
twinkling in the light of the lamp which dangled from his finger.
"Still, all de same, dat lubber ob a Tom better take care and keep him
mouth shut. Him never can speak soft; him shout and bawl. Him a great,
big, hulkin' bull, I reckon."

That brought the big negro to the point of explosion. After all, it was
an event of every day for these three faithful fellows, who had clung so
well to Jim, to banter one another, and for that bantering to turn
mostly against Tom. It was the fate of the ponderous fellow often to be
the butt of his comrades, to provide them with a ready cause for wit at
his expense, and always with the certainty that Tom would swallow the
bait and lash himself into a pretended fit of anger, in which he
threatened terrible things, gesticulated, and roared, and often enough
shook his huge fists and bared his fine white teeth in a manner which
would have disturbed the courage of a bold man, but which, with Ching
and Sam, who knew him so well, or with our hero, merely resulted in
roars of laughter and in further banter. However, this was not the time
for such fun and frolic, and Jim put a stop to the noise promptly.

"Come," he said; "guess we've got Sadie to think about. That's better
than badgering one another."

At once there came a serious look across the faces of his followers.
Their eyes shone more brightly, while Tom gave vent to an exclamation,
striking himself across his broad chest at the same moment. "I's ought
ter be kicked," he said indignantly. "Yo see, Tom not say anoder word
till missie found. But den, ha! yo take care, Tom smash dem rascals.
Knock 'em all into cocked hat; make jelly and jam ob dem."

All his pretended ferocity was turned upon the rascals who had abducted
Sadie; and to look at him as he spoke there was no doubt, remembering
the huge negro's prowess in former scuffles, that he would be as good as
his word. But Sam was already moving ahead, and Jim fell in immediately
behind him. With the Chinaman as third man, and Tom bringing up the
rear, the party pressed on as rapidly as possible through the forest.
Nor did Sam seem to find any difficulty in holding to the track. His
sharp eyes were bent for ever on the ground, while his lamp swung this
way and that, lighting the hoofmarks made by the horses of Jaime de
Oteros's party. And as they went, Tom, armed with a heavy knife, blazed
the trees to the left, to afford a guide to those who were to follow. It
was half an hour before the silence amongst them was broken; then Sam
came to a sudden stop, and drew Jim towards him.

"Dey get off de hosses here," he whispered. "Jungle growing so low, dey
couldn't sit in the saddle any longer. Now, yo watch extry close, and I
show yo what happen. Here one, two, three, yes four ob de scum. Four ob
de villain, sah, and here am anoder mark. Dat missie; yo see how small
it am? Den I's sure dat missie. She walk between de rascal; two go in
front, each leading a hoss. No; one ob dem hab two hosses. Den missie;
she not hab a hoss. Den two oder blackguard, one wid two hosses."

It seemed clear enough to Sam, though for Jim the reading of these
elusive signs was a somewhat different matter; but by dint of following
Sam's indicating finger, and with the help of a little imagination, he
was able to make out the various signs. Indeed, once the whole had been
shown him he began to wonder how it was that he himself had failed to
light upon them at once. However, a couple of hundred yards farther on,
when they came to a halt once more, he was again at as much of a loss as
before, and was glad to have Sam's help to read what the ground beneath
the jungle had written upon it.

"Six hosses," he said. "One for each of the four men, one for Sadie, and
a spare."

"For de swag," suggested Sam. "Dey's robbed de people ober at Ancon."

Jim remembered the fact, though till that moment he had lost sight of
it; for all his interest was, very naturally, centred in Sadie. In his
eyes that was the maximum offence Jaime and his rascals had committed.

"We'd best go very quietly now," he whispered to his companions. "If
they have dismounted, as the marks show, and if the jungle continues to
get thicker, as we can tell for ourselves is the case, why, guess
they'll soon come to a halt and camp. That'll be our chance."

"Halt any time," answered Sam, stopping for a moment and facing round
with brightly shining eyes. "Dey camp when dey find de right spot. Not
care to lie out here in de jungle. Dat not do; p'raps some beast come
along and gib trouble. Dey wait till dey find an open place, den spread
de blanket, boil de kettle, eat, and sleep. Sam know; him libed in a
jungle country before now."

He was filled with assurance, fortunately for Jim and his comrades, for
otherwise there was no doubt that without a guide they would have lost
the track and themselves many times before this. Seeing the difficulty
of making a straight path through this trackless forest, it became
evident to Jim before long that Jaime and his comrades, like Sam, must
have had experience of the jungle. Indeed, had he but been aware of it,
the ruffian who commanded the rascally band was an excellent leader in
more ways than one. Putting aside his vindictive and cruel nature, which
seemed natural to him, the man was exceedingly clever and cunning, as he
had proved to the police of many a port along the Gulf of Mexico. But he
was as accustomed to the wilds as to a city, and had indeed during the
past two years found that safety, complete security from arrest in fact,
lay in the jungle. He had made himself at home in it, had discovered the
ways of trackers, and, thanks to his own hardiness, had so far defied
fever. He was, then, just the man to lead a band across the isthmus, and
the straight line which his trail had held all along showed that no
novice was at the head of affairs. But in one particular he failed.
Jaime had been too successful; he had for so long successfully
hoodwinked the police, and had robbed with such little interference,
owing to his wonderful astuteness, that he had become too sure of
himself, and, as a natural consequence, had become careless. At this
very moment he imagined that no one was in pursuit. He had waited on
that open patch of ground where Jim's comrades were at this moment
encamped, and had kept a watch on the top of the ridge. The fact that he
had seen no one crossing it had convinced him that all was well, that
the scheme of the boatman who was to put to sea from Colon had again put
the police on a false track. And at once he had neglected further
precautions.

"We'll jest run ahead through the jungle," he told his followers, "till
we've put a good belt of it between us and the ridge. Then guess we'll
take a fine sleep, and so be fresh by the time we come to the end of the
journey. Gee! What a commotion there'll have been 'way down by Ancon!
That explosion fairly shook the whole isthmus; but why Juan never came
along is more than I can say, onless he was captured."

"Or blown sky-high with his bomb," ventured one of his fellows.

"Blown up by his own bomb! Don't you think it," came from Jaime. "Juan
is too clever by half to do a thing like that. Most like he found
himself cornered, and unable to come to our meeting place; so he's lying
hid up somewhere, and when he gets the chance will make across to join
us. See here, boys, we'll take a fine rest when we get to those natives.
We'll lie up for a month, till things get blown over a little, and until
people have begun to forget that dollar notes were taken; then we'll get
aboard the launch, steam out from the lagoon, and take one of the
passing traders. There won't be no difficulty about that. Guess we're
armed, and the folks aboard the traders don't carry a weapon. Once we've
got a boat, we'll sail to the nearest port, tranship to New Orleans, and
from there to France. Paris will take every dollar we have, even though
the numbers of the bills have been published. In six months' time we
shall have enough to make a tidy sum for each of us when the stuff's
divided."

He led his little following through the forest till they arrived at an
open, rocky space, where the blackened ground showed that a fire had
been made on a former occasion. Indeed it was a spot which Jaime knew
well, for he had travelled this route many times now. Here saddles were
taken from the horses, while the beasts were given a drink at a tiny
stream which trickled from the rocks; then they were tethered to long
ropes, which would allow them to graze. Sadie was not treated unkindly.
Indeed, hardened villain though he was, Jaime had some pity for the
child. He had her placed near the fire, and saw to it himself that food
and drink were given her.

"You'd best get settled down in one of the blankets and take a sleep,"
he advised. "I ain't goin' to put any ropes on you, and I'll tell you
why. If you were to try to make off into the jungle, you'd just get
lost, and there's wild things in the forest that would scare the life
out of you; so be sensible, and take a sleep."

Sadie was, in fact, far too frightened by her surroundings to venture to
move. To speak the truth, the trying scenes through which she had passed
had practically unnerved her, though the child had plenty of courage;
but she was a sensible child too, and saw the futility of attempting
escape at this moment.

As to Jim and his little band, they had no idea where the party they
were in pursuit of had camped, if, indeed, they had camped at all. They
pressed on slowly through the jungle, Sam leading with the lantern, and
Tom bringing up the rear, slashing a tree every few paces as he passed.
It was perhaps an hour later before the little negro came to a sudden
halt, and lifted his head in the air.

"Smell hosses!" he whispered, snuffing at the breeze for all the world
as if he were a dog. "Sartin sure I smell hosses!"

Promptly his hand went to the lamp and extinguished it. Jim heard the
catch click to, and found himself in utter darkness. But though he held
his head erect, and sniffed with all his power, he could detect nothing
but the strong, aromatic scent of some tropical creeper clinging to the
trees near at hand, and supporting from the finest tendrils some
magnificent blossoms.

"Horses? You're sure?" he asked.

"Sartin sure," came the confidant whisper. "Listen to dat!"

Through the silence of the forest there came of a sudden a dull cough,
and then a loud neigh. It was followed by a second, and then, faintly to
Jim's ears, but with startling loudness to Sam's, there came the sound
of stamping.

"I'se tell yo' all about it," whispered the little negro. "One ob de
hosses restless; de flies trouble him. He cough fust ob all, den he
neigh. Now he stampin'. Dat all simple, simple as A B C. But him very
close; too close. S'pose dem scum hab seen de lantern."

They crouched in the jungle in death-like silence for the space of ten
minutes, fearful lest what Sam had suggested were the case; but though
they listened there came no other sound than the stamp of the restless
horse which had first attracted their attention--that and an occasional
cough from the same animal. As to Sam's statement that he could smell
horses, a statement which must have been true, and which had undoubtedly
saved Jim and his party from blundering into the enemy's camp, our hero
could not even now detect the characteristic smell. Nor could Ching nor
Tom.

"But dem dere all de same," whispered Sam, chuckling at the recollection
of his own sharpness, "and precious near too. What yo do, sah? Wait here
and listen."

"No; I shall creep forward at once. We'll all go, for if we were to
divide we might never find one another. Wasn't there a moon when we
started?"

Sam took his young master by the sleeve and pulled his arm towards the
right, to a spot where the trees gave back from one another, and a long
ghostly stream of pure white light broke in from above and bathed the
tree trunks.

"What dat say?" he asked. "Yo can see fo' yoself dat dere's a moon; but
down here dark as a ditch, black as de hat. Out in de open splendid
light; see to read if yo like to."

"Then we may be able to see them. Lead along, Sam; clear the ground
before you as much as you can."

They set forward again, this time on hands and knees, and slowly, inch
by inch, approached the clearing where Jaime had made his camp. Not that
they could see it yet; but Sam proclaimed the fact that they were nearer
with his usual assurance.

"Tell dat by the sniff ob de hosses," he said shortly; "anyone can say
dat fo' sure. In ten minute yo see dese scum, and den know what to do."

True enough, that number of minutes brought the whole party to the edge
of the jungle, though as to their knowing how to act, that was a very
different matter. Jim stared out into the open, and saw there five
figures, huddled within a few feet of one another, wrapped from head to
foot in blankets. Farther away were the horses, half-hidden in the
shadow cast by the far edge of the jungle, while to one side was a pile
of bags and kit, amongst which were the saddles. And little by little,
as the scene unfolded itself to our hero, and from gazing at the whole
he was able to concentrate his attention on each individual item, he was
able to decide which of the five figures was that of his sister.

"She lies to this side of what has been a fire," he told himself, "while
those rascals are on the far side. That is in our favour at any rate;
but to reach her will be a bother. How's it to be done?"

Once more his eyes passed round the clearing. They went from the figure
of Sadie to those of the band of ruffians, and from the latter to their
saddles and other possessions. Then they passed to the horses, and so
round the edge of the clearing till he found himself leaning far out
from the undergrowth and staring into the faces of his own followers.
There was Sam's, his eyes twinkling as ever in the moonlight, every
feature denoting eagerness, while the broad line across the forehead,
and beneath the tattered peak of his dirty cap, seemed to show that he,
too, was puzzling his brains as to how to act. And there was Ching's
Oriental countenance next to Sam's, the slant-like eyes gazing upon the
scene as if it were one of the most ordinary, as if he could see nothing
before him to arouse unusual interest, nothing to disturb his accustomed
equanimity. The man was actually toying with the end of his pigtail, as
if he could find nothing better to do. But who could really read those
features? Not Jim, nor Sam, nor Tom; not even a European accustomed to
China and its natives. The face was inscrutable; those blank, immobile
features hid a mind which, for all its seeming somnolence, was working
fiercely, relentlessly, and shrewdly to provide a solution for this
difficulty. For Ching was possessed of a doglike faithfulness; he would
gladly have given his life for that of "the missie" or for that of his
master. And Tom--what did his expression show? The thick lips were
moving as Jim looked, while the alæ of his wide nostrils were dilated
widely, pulsating as if with excitement. The usually merry, childish
face was set with an expression so severe that our hero was astonished.
It brought a gulp to his throat as he suddenly realized to the full what
he had known now for so long, that these three men were such true
comrades. Then back went his eyes to the figure of his sister.

"I'll risk it," he whispered to himself. "I'll creep out there and bring
her back with me. But supposing they awake, supposing Jaime or one of
the others suddenly sits up and lets drive with a shooter?"

His hand dropped to the butt of his own weapon, and for a while he
crouched in silence. Across his mind there flashed a scheme which might
help. There were the horses; he could send Sam or Ching across to them
and cut them adrift. He could make it appear that an attack was to take
place from that quarter. Then he banished the idea just as swiftly.

"Wouldn't do," he told himself; "they'd sit there in the centre and
shoot. They would still be close to Sadie, and could hit anyone who
attempted to reach her. It's got to be done in some other manner."

He did not forget that Jaime and his comrades had already a reputation
as marksmen. Now that he and his fellows had actually reached the gang,
and were so near to success, Jim swore that he would not ruin everything
by acting hastily. Better, far better, sit there for a while than act on
the spur of the moment and lose his own life and that of his helpers in
place of effecting a rescue. It was Ching who came forward with a
cunning suggestion.

"Not move now, Massa Jim," he whispered. "Dey not dead fast asleepee. Yo
waitee little while, den creep in, and Ching come along wid yo. We go
round to de top side ob de clearing, and creep along de hollow. All open
here; but dere, shut in; keep away de bullet."

Jim stared in the direction indicated, and made out by the shadows that
a hollow ran across the rocky ground from the northern side, till it
actually reached the edge of the tiny camp which harboured the sleepers.
In fact, though he was ignorant of it at the moment, this was the
watercourse which, beginning still farther to the north, at the foot of
some rough rocks, carried a stream right across to the southern side of
the clearing. Instantly he decided to follow the advice given.

"See here," he said, calling his three comrades round about him till
their heads were as close as possible. "Ching has given good advice. I
shall go across to the far side in the course of an hour. That should be
giving them long enough to get dead sleepy."

"Dey sleep like pig den," agreed Ching. "Not wakee so easy."

"Then I shall creep along that channel, and Ching with me. You two, Tom
and Sam, will lie just here, where you can see everything, and will be
ready to shoot if there's trouble. But I hope there won't be that; we
ought to be able to retire up that gully without disturbing the gang. If
they do rouse, we shall still have a good chance, for the sides of the
channel will protect and hide us. So bear this in mind, even if they
suddenly get up, don't shoot unless you see that they have discovered us
in the gully. Then pepper them for all you are worth."

"Golly," exclaimed Tom, his eyes wide open with amazement, "dat a real
fine business! But what yo do supposin' dey discober yo?"

"I shall creep back along the watercourse or gully, whatever it happens
to be, while Ching will fire at the ruffians. Then we will all come
along here. Don't forget that, once we are hidden in the jungle, silence
is most required. A noise would bring bullets."

The three heads nodded vigorously, while muttered exclamations came from
the negroes. Then Sam asked a question.

"Yo and Ching creep along way ober dere. Dat right," he said. "Yo wake
de missie, and go back extry quick. Dat right also. What Ching do?"

Jim was ready with his answer, and flashed it at them. "Ching goes for a
special reason," he said. "I happen to have had a report from the police
major before I left Gatun. You will remember that a huge number of
American notes were stolen. They were tied in bundles, and wrapped in
waterproof paper, then the bundles were locked in boxes. Jaime and his
villains broke the boxes and carried away the bundles. If those two
objects out there are not the very ones we are talking of, why, call me
a donkey."

Out went his finger and he pointed to the piled-up saddles and other
articles which the gang had brought with them in their flight. The moon
fell clearly on them all, giving every item a sharp outline; but it fell
darkly on two of them, for the simple reason that they were covered in
black material. Without doubt the bundles were those containing the
notes filched from the Commission offices, notes which Jaime and his
rascals hoped to convert into silver dollars one of these days, and so
procure a fortune. Tom gasped, Sam's eyes looked as though they would
fall from his head, while the Chinaman gave vent to a sniggering giggle.

"Yo am velly cleber, Mass Jim," said Tom simply. "Dem bundles de swag
fo' sure, and, by lummy! me see what yo up to. Yo goin'----"

"Ching is going right now to bring 'em along with us," declared Jim in
an excited whisper. "If we can take Sadie from 'em, why we'll rob the
rascals of their booty also, I guess. And, gee! won't they be mad when
they discover what's happened. But, boys, see here. Our job is to get
away and leave them none the wiser. We want to clear off through the
forest back to our people, for you may be sure that Jaime and his men
will be mad when they learn how they've been fooled. So silence is
important, and you'll see to it."

As if by common consent they ceased whispering to one another, and for
the better part of an hour lay still in the jungle, only their heads
protruding. And during all that time not one of the blanketed figures
lying in the open moved so much as an inch, though there was an
occasional snort or a gentle stamping from the horses.

"Guess it's time," said Jim suddenly. "Those fellows haven't moved an
eyelash since we watched, and there's not a doubt but that they're
properly wearied and worn out by all that they've been doin'. Tom and
Sam, you know what's wanted. Give us a whistle as we come back, and then
be ready to make off through the forest."

They wasted no more words. Jim went off at once on hands and knees, and,
discarding the shelter of the undergrowth, made his way just within the
margin of the clearing. After him came Ching, his pigtail gathered into
a round coil beneath the billycock hat that he always insisted on
wearing, and which, indeed, has for long been a favourite with the
Chinaman. Otherwise the man was dressed in his native costume; for here,
again, the wily Chinee shows his astuteness. Indeed, John Chinaman has
proved to himself that his own clothing is infinitely more comfortable
than European when he is located in a hot climate, and he adheres to it
rigidly. Not a sound did the man make as he crept along, while Jim could
not have been accused of want of caution. He carefully set aside all
sticks and stones, and all fallen leaves, and never moved unless he were
sure that the path was clear before him. All the time, too, he kept
swinging his eyes round to the centre of the clearing. It seemed ages
before he and his companion reached the northern side; but at last they
were at the point where their attempt at rescue was to begin in earnest.
At their feet lay a pool of water, and from it a gully some four feet
deep ran right out into the open.

"Couldn't be better," whispered Jim. "We can get along on hands and
knees, or wade through the water; but I hope there's little of the
latter, as the splashing might be heard. Don't forget, Ching; once I
have my sister, you snatch the bundles."

He waited to see the Chinaman nod, and then at once pressed on into the
gully. Within a few seconds he had an agreeable surprise. Only a tiny
stream was trickling down the very centre, insufficient, in fact, to
cause any splashing, though the size of the gully itself, its smoothly
worn walls showing so clearly in the moonlight, demonstrated the fact
that when the rains fell, and the wet season was in progress, a torrent
went gushing along the channel. But now it was almost empty, while the
moon rays, falling obliquely upon one bank, cast a shadow more than
halfway across the gully.

"Step along here," whispered Jim, pulling the Chinaman on to the side
which lay in the shadow. "And one more warning. Supposing those men
suddenly wake, and look around for us. Just lie as still as a mouse
until you are sure they have spotted us in this channel. Then it'll be
time for shooters."

Once more the Chinaman nodded, and the moonlight falling on his face at
that moment showed our hero, if he had had any doubts, that here he had
a most excellent ally. For the same expressionless features gazed at
him. There was not so much as the smallest trace of fear or excitement
about Ching, the Chinaman.

"Forward!" Jim whispered the word, and promptly proceeded along the edge
of the channel. Bending low, so that he was altogether hidden, he halted
every ten paces, to glance across at the motionless figures of the
robbers; but there was not a movement from them till he was within some
fifteen feet of his sister. Then, suddenly, one of the figures rolled
over. A moment later the man was sitting up, still swathed in his
blanket. He leaned his weight on one hand, and cast his eyes in a wide
circle round the clearing. A horse stamped heavily, and coughed, and at
the sound the man slowly shook the blanket from him. Jim watched as he
dropped the covering and climbed sleepily to his feet. The fellow gazed
at the moon, and then, as if the soft, silvery light had affected him
peculiarly, stretched out his arms widely, rose on his toes, and yawned
loudly. At that a second figure moved. The man rolled over; then, to
Jim's relief, he snuggled down into his blanket, as anyone does who has
been disturbed, and who desires to rest further. In a moment he was as
motionless as formerly.

"Gee! Jaime of all people," said Jim suddenly, beneath his breath.
"That's bad for our business. I thought I recognized the rascal."

His hand went to his revolver, for he was tempted to use it; then he
sank still lower into the gully. For Jaime it was who had risen; the
rascally leader of the band stretched himself and yawned again in the
moonlight. He drew something from a pocket, and, to his disgust, Jim saw
that he was rolling a cigarette. Indeed the Spaniard was never awake but
he was smoking. The habit had grown upon him so that now once his
fingers were idle they always slipped into his pocket. It was a marvel
to watch how nimbly they plucked the shreds of leaf, how they rolled the
whole to a correct length and thickness, and how rapidly a cigarette was
completed. In less than a minute now there was one between his lips.
Jaime stepped slowly across to the blackened ashes of the fire, stirred
them with his foot, and selected a brand from the very centre. It did
not even glow red, but he managed to obtain a light from it. Then a
horse coughed suddenly, and once more Jaime swung round.

"Flies at them," Jim heard him declare. "Nothing more; there's no one
but ourselves hereabouts."

He strolled to and fro for some ten minutes, while Jim's impatience grew
almost unbearable; then he stood regarding the bundled blanket beneath
which Sadie was sleeping. A moment later he stepped across to the two
parcels which contained the stolen notes, and a gleam of triumph swept
across his bearded features.

"Riches!" he growled. "The finest haul we have ever made. If things go
on like this America'll find it'll cost her a heap more to build that
canal than she looked for. Helloo! That horse again. It's flies for
sure."

The same beast stamped again, and whinnied. Jim could see its legs
moving. It swayed to one side, and bumped into the next animal, causing
the latter to kick and squeal angrily, while the one who had caused the
commotion responded with a savage bite which caused the other poor beast
to squeal again still louder. The noise and commotion set Jaime off in
their direction. Jim watched him as he sauntered down towards the
horses, and waited till he had reached them.

"Ready?" he asked, swinging swiftly round upon the Chinaman. "Then
forward. Seize the bundles; I will take Sadie."

In an instant he had crept from the gully, and with Ching close behind
him slid at once towards his sister.




CHAPTER XVIII

Rescue by Moonlight


"Golly! Him must be mad! Yo see him? Yo see de master come out ob de
hollow den? By de poker, but him scared right clean off him head. Sam, I
tells yo him mad. Him blind; him eberyting yo like to think ob."

The huge negro Tom gripped at the ground on which he lay with his strong
fingers, and writhed beneath the covering of undergrowth. His staring
eyes passed from the crawling figure of Jim to that of the Chinaman, and
then slid away to regard the horses on the far side of the clearing.
Back they came to Sam's face, as he lay beside him, and there they
rested eagerly, as if seeking some consolation. But the little negro was
just as scared as Tom. He, too, had watched the figure of Jaime de
Oteros rise from its blanket, he had kept his eyes on the robber chief
as he stretched and yawned beneath the moon, and more than once Sam's
hand had slid down to his revolver. Then he had stared at the man as he
strolled away towards the horses.

"Now," he told himself, "am the time for Massa Jim." And then a second
later: "No. Not do now. Dat scum turn and see um; then not hab time to
creep away. Hab to rush, and dat spoil eberyting. Yo stop still and
shut yo ugly mouth," he exclaimed, turning angrily upon his comrade. For
the over eager and less crafty Tom was grunting and groaning as if he
were in pain, and Sam was fearful that the sounds might betray them. "Yo
lie still dere and wait till yo's told to speak," he commanded. "Little
bit more, and yo wake ebery one of de rascal; den see Massa Jim cut to
pieces. Fine dat, eh? yo great big silly."

Tom nearly exploded with anxiety for his young master and indignation at
Sam's words. He stifled his groans with difficulty, and, so as to hold
himself in as it were, and keep control over his feelings, he dug his
fingers deep into the ground, and tugged heavily. Meanwhile Jim had not
been idle. With an eye always on the horses, and the figure strolling
round them, he stepped briskly across from the gully, his back bent
double, his figure close to the ground. It seemed an age before he
reached the blanketed figure which he believed to be Sadie, though as a
matter of fact only a few seconds had passed. He was in the act of
stretching out his hand to touch her when Ching suddenly arrested the
movement.

"No, no, no," he whispered urgently. "Not missie; look at de boot."

Jim did so, and the sight staggered him. He went pale for the instant;
for the boot was large, and bore a spur at the heel. It obviously
belonged to one of the miscreants, and distance had deceived him as to
the size of this figure. Hurriedly he looked at the others. One turned,
the one nearest to him, rolled over on its side, and then suddenly sat
up. The blanket fell back from the head and shoulders, and then, to his
delight, there was Sadie, her long hair streaming about her shoulders.

"Sadie, Sadie," he whispered ever so gently, and to his surprise,
instead of showing astonishment, his sister merely smiled at him, shook
off the remainder of the blanket and stood up. "Come," whispered Jim.
"Come with me."

He beckoned to her, and, stepping swiftly across to where she stood,
took her by the arm. Within a minute he was hurrying her into the gully
which had allowed him and the Chinaman to approach so close to the group
without danger of being seen.

[Illustration: THE RESCUE OF SADIE]

"Jim, I knew you'd come," whispered Sadie bravely, clinging to her
brother as if he alone stood between her and the miscreants who had
taken her from Gatun. "Ever since that horrid Spaniard came to Mr.
Phineas's quarters and forced me to accompany him, I guessed that you
would follow and rescue me. But, oh----"

She was beginning to sob, now that the greatest part of the danger
seemed to have passed. Her voice trembled; but Jim silenced her firmly
and kindly.

"Hush!" he said. "Not a sound, lest they hear us. Guess we've friends
close at hand, and in a little while we shall be with them. Stop here a
moment; we must wait for Ching."

He peeped out of the gully and watched the Chinaman bending over the
bundles that contained the precious notes which Jaime and his comrades
had stolen. Then he found it hard to repress a shout of warning; for the
figure which he had taken for that of Sadie, the man wearing the boot
with the spurred heel moved. Then the man sat up suddenly, and rubbed
his eyes. A moment later he was regarding the Chinaman's back,
endeavouring, no doubt, in his half-awake state, to determine who it
could be. As for Ching, he seemed to have forgotten all about the gang
of desperadoes. Jim could have kicked him for being so irritatingly
slow, and to all appearances careless; but he could not read the
thoughts passing through the Chinaman's brain, nor guess what it was
that delayed him. A moment later, however, he became aware of the fact
that if his follower were to carry out the orders given him he must bear
away from the enemy's camp more than had been arranged for. For the two
dark-coloured bundles were wound about with rope, through which a chain
had been passed, and the latter had been locked to an iron bar passing
across the top of a form of pack saddle. As Jim looked he saw Ching whip
out a knife, and deliberately set to work to sever the strands of rope.
But by then the man behind him was fully awake. He started to his feet
with an exclamation, that caused Ching to swing round on the instant. A
second later a shot rang out, and our hero saw his follower stagger
backwards and tumble across the bundles.

"Stay here; don't move an inch," he commanded Sadie. "I'm going back to
help him."

But whatever help he could have given would have been useless to the
Chinaman by the time Jim could have arrived; for the rascal who had
fired followed up his attack by rushing towards the fallen Chinaman. Jim
saw him bend down swiftly, and then, just as swiftly, he went reeling
to one side; for Ching had risen. Like a greyhound set loose he sprang
upon his enemy, and the moon shining down upon the whole scene flashed
upon something in his hand. Ching had used his formidable knife. The
Chinaman, it appeared later, when he was able to give his tale, had
merely feigned to be hit. He had waited for the man to come closer, and
then had stabbed him. Now he finished the work he had begun with a
swiftness which was appalling. He was close to his man in an instant,
showing an agility of which Jim had never suspected him capable before,
and quick as a flash the knife went home, sending the robber thudding to
the ground.

"Back! Run!" shouted Jim, for there was now no need to keep silent.
"Back here, and let us get to cover quick!"

"I coming, allee lighty," came the laconic answer. Ching swung the two
bundles across his shoulder, bearing the pack saddle with them, and ran
swiftly across to the channel; but as he ran the two remaining figures
beside the blackened ashes of the fire sprang to their feet, and shots
rang out loudly. There came a loud thud as one of the bullets struck the
pack saddle, then Ching was out of range.

"Allee lighty, Massa Jim," he sang out coolly. "Ching here; him follow."

And our hero waited for no further information. He took his sister by
the arm and hurried her along the gully.

"Bend low," he urged her as they came to the end. "Then run into the
jungle; I shall be just behind you."

In a moment or two they were speeding across the open, across the rocky
ground which intervened between themselves and the forest, and with a
gasp of relief Jim felt that the branches and leaves had closed over
them.

"You there?" he demanded of the Chinaman.

"Allee lighty, massa," came the laconic repetition.

"Then lead the way; you know it."

He gripped Ching by the end of his pigtail, for the Chinaman handed him
that article promptly, realizing, perhaps, that it was well suited for
the purpose; then, holding Sadie with the other hand, he followed close
on Ching's heels. In that order they came within a few minutes to the
spot where Tom and Sam were lying.

"Missie! De Lord be praised!" exclaimed the former with a sob of relief,
taking the child in his arms in his delight at her deliverance. Then he
swung her up on to his shoulder in preparation for the flight which must
now commence. As for Sam, though none the less demonstrative where Sadie
was concerned, he knew well enough that the safety of the party depended
in no small measure on him.

"Massa Jim," he called gently. "Dis way; yo come 'long o' Sam. Him hab
de lantern all ready lighted, and hidden way ober here. Yo come right
'way at once, before dem debil see yo. Dey makin' dickens of a
hullabaloo."

Jaime and his comrades were indeed creating an abundance of noise, and
for a while amused themselves by blazing away with their weapons into
the forest. And, as fortune would have it, the leader of the gang went
within an ace of being slain by one of his own following; for it will be
remembered that a fit of restlessness had caused Jamie de Oteros to rise
from his blanket and go down towards the horses. The crack of his
comrade's revolver had set him running back towards the camp, and it was
at that critical moment that a second follower, springing to his feet,
and as yet not fully awake, nor alive to the circumstances of the
matter, took him for an enemy and fired point-blank at him. With a shout
Jaime reached the man, and floored him without hesitation; but being
unable to trace at the moment what had actually happened, or where those
who had intruded in the camp had disappeared, he joined his fellows in
firing wildly in every direction. Then, with an angry shout, he stopped
the fusillade.

"This won't help us," he exclaimed. "Let us decide what has happened.
Ah, Pedro is killed! Strange, he often had an idea that a man would stab
him. I saw a man dressed as a Chinaman strike at him."

"It was a Chinaman," declared Miguel. "I saw him distinctly. I fired
direct at him, but the bullet drilled a hole through the pack saddle."

"Pack saddle, man! Pack saddle!" shouted Jaime, a horrible suspicion
crossing his mind. "What do you mean?"

Miguel felt frightened for the first time for many a day. Jaime glowered
at him and toyed with his revolver, as if he would willingly shoot him
if his answer were not satisfactory; then he blurted out the truth.
"Why, the pack saddle with the two bundles of notes chained to it," he
said sullenly. "The Chinaman stole them."

"And you let him go free! Gurr!"

Jaime stamped in his anger. He kicked the ground as if it had done him
some injury. Then he stepped across to the spot where the five figures
had been stretched when Jim and his friends first looked into the
clearing.

"The girl?" he demanded. "She has gone too? With the Chinaman?"

"With another man. I just caught a glimpse of him; he was standing in
the centre of the hollow that carries the stream."

Slowly the matter dawned on Jaime in its true light. He came to see that
this attack was not what he had at first suspected--a sudden raid made
by natives living in the forest, a raid led by some stray Chinaman, who
had taken service with them. It was an organized raid, an attack made by
those men from Colon. In a flash he realized that his carefully laid
schemes had come to naught, that his track through the forest had been
discovered, and that already his enemies were about him. The thought
sent the blood flying from his swarthy face till the skin looked ashen
grey and lifeless. He growled out violent exclamations beneath his
breath, and for a while paced to and fro restlessly. Then--for custom is
so strong that few can resist it--the fingers of his right hand dived
into his pocket, and within a moment he was rolling a cigarette.

"I see this," he said at last, when the weed was lighted, and he had
puffed some clouds of smoke into the air; "the men who just now took
the girl away, and stole our money, were not strong enough to capture
our whole party. We were but four, so that we may argue that their
numbers were no greater. It follows that if we get on their track and
pursue we may find ourselves the stronger party, and so may retake our
possessions. I will tell you something. I feared some sort of trouble,
and before we set out on this journey I forwarded a warning to our
friends the natives. I asked them to come towards the zone, so as to
meet us. They will not be far away; to-morrow we may meet them. Then
they will pick up the tracks of these rascals and follow. To-morrow will
be soon enough, for none but a native can pass through the forest
swiftly in the darkness. Besides, these men who attacked us will be
tired; and, also, they have the girl with them."

In the course of a life which had been evilly spent almost from the
beginning Jaime de Oteros had met with much good fortune. On this
occasion he seemed to be in luck's way as much as ever. For those two
shots fired in the clearing had reached the ears of the party of natives
waiting his arrival, and to his huge relief they put in an appearance
within some twenty minutes of Jim's retreat into the jungle.

"Get the lamps lighted at once," commanded Jaime, beckoning the native
chief to come to him, and addressing him as if he--Jaime himself--were
king of the race. "Now, my friend, let us have the best trackers, and
put them on the trail of these people. There must be no delay; take care
of that. I'll give fifty guns, with powder and bullets, if we retake
the girl and the booty these rascals stole from us."

The promise of such a rich reward caused the chiefs eyes to dilate, and
at once he set his men to accomplish the task before them. Within the
space of a few minutes the sharp eyes of the natives had discovered the
track made by Jim and Ching as they escaped with Sadie. Swiftly it was
learned that two others were of the party--one a small man, and a second
of abnormal proportions. Then the chase began in earnest, Jaime and his
comrades following the party, while three of the natives came behind
with the horses. So rapidly, in fact, did the trackers amongst the tribe
who had come to Jaime's help pick up the trail left by our hero, that
but a couple of miles separated the two parties. Indeed, within half an
hour of Jim's entering camp, and being greeted by Phineas and the
others, Tomkins reported that he had seen a lamp swinging in the forest.
Sam declared within the minute that he could hear men moving, while
hardly had the words left his lips when a number of men burst into the
moonlit opening. There came at once a sharp fusillade, while bullets
spluttered about the heads of Jim and his comrades. Then Tomkins
shouted, and without a second's hesitation threw himself face downward
on the ground, and jerked his rifle into position.

"Get down close, every mother's son of you," he called out, while the
lock of his weapon clicked sharply. The butt came to his shoulder, his
cheek fell upon it, and then a stream of flame issued from the muzzle.
Nor were his comrades slow to follow his example. Before the enemy were
halfway towards them all the members of the party save Jim and Sadie
were using their rifles.

"They'll never face a fire like that," called out our hero, standing to
his full height and watching the horde of natives rushing forward. "Keep
peppering them. I will look for some spot where we can get shelter."

He took his sister with him, and clambered towards the centre of the
rocky elevation which cropped up in the middle of the clearing; then he
shouted again.

"Mr. Phineas," he called out.

"Aye, aye," came back the cheerful answer. "We drove 'em off easy. Guess
they've left a few kicking the dust down there."

Jim had, in fact, seen the swarm of natives, with three white men
amongst them, suddenly turn tail and run, and his watchful eye had also
observed the figures lying prone not far from the edge of the forest.
But he had some intelligence of his own to communicate, and shouted back
to Phineas.

"Bring the whole party right away up here," he said. "There are boulders
hereabouts which will shelter us and help to keep off their bullets.
Make a run for it; bring all our baggage."

He left Sadie in a large hollow on the summit of the eminence, and
returned to his comrades. By then bullets were coming thick from the
depths of the jungle, and here and there queer little jets of dust
spurted up from the ground, while there was a strange whistling in the
air. But our hero had been under fire before, and took not the smallest
notice of the missiles. He reached the camping ground which he and his
friends had been occupying but a short while before, and at once
snatched up the two black bundles which contained the store of notes
which Jaime and his rascals had stolen. Then, waiting to see that the
others were already running up the hill, he followed swiftly, the huge
Tom bearing a case of ammunition just before him. Two minutes later all
were under cover.

"What now?" said Phineas, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I never
did come across such a fellow as you are, Jim. Always getting into
scrapes, and dragging your friends into them with you. But what now?
Here we are under cover, and I ain't so sorry. But there must have been
fifty of those natives down below, as well as the three white men. Jaime
and his crew, I suppose?"

"Jaime for sure, and sorry he'll be that he ventured to follow,"
answered Jim curtly. "I tell you straight, that fellow has been no end
of a bother to me. And now, to add to all the mischief he's done, he
deliberately fires at Sadie. Luckily the bullet just missed her. But
there you are! I say he'll live to be sorry. I'll teach him a lesson
this time that he won't forget."

They were big words, spoken in a moment of intense vexation; but big
words for all that, as Jim was the first to acknowledge when his temper
had cooled a little. Here was his slender little party surrounded, and
the enemy were by no means to be laughed at; for Jaime and his comrades
had been busy on those occasions when they had been away from the Panama
zone. They had done a big trade in rifles, or, rather, in obsolete
muzzle loaders, with which almost every one of the natives accompanying
them was armed; while the latter began to prove already that, obsolete
though their weapons might be, they could at that range make fine
practice with them. Indeed, every second now a ball struck the boulders
behind which Jim and his friends were crouching, while before many
minutes had passed the shots came from almost the entire circle of
jungle. The party who had come to rescue Sadie was, in fact, practically
surrounded.

"Which don't say as they're goin' to take us," growled Tomkins, who was
endowed with splendid pluck. "Now that we've got this shelter, and each
man has selected a spot from which to fire, I guess we'll give a good
account of ourselves. But what are the orders?"

He appealed as if by custom to our hero, and Jim answered promptly.

"We lie just as we are," he said. "I see that each one has taken up a
position, and the only alteration I can suggest is that the four
policemen separate and place themselves between the others. They are
used to rows more than we are, and will be able to give advice. For the
rest, reckon we'll sit tight."

"Sit tight!" echoed Phineas, somewhat at a loss.

"Just lie as we are, and never give them a shot back unless a man
exposes himself. When'll the moon go down?"

It was a question of some importance, and our hero breathed more freely
when he heard that the morning would come and still find the moon in the
sky.

"Then we shall have light right through," he said in tones of relief.
"Don't forget; not a shot unless you see a man. Just lie still under
cover. Ching, guess you could manage to light a fire and get some grub
cooking."

The Chinaman smiled on them all. Cooking, after all, was his forte, not
fighting, though he was no laggard where that was concerned, having
already shown that he possessed courage. He rose from his prone
position, re-arranged his pigtail, and set about the preparation of a
meal for the whole party with just the same calmness and method as he
was wont to employ in Phineas's kitchen. Within five minutes he had
collected sufficient driftwood to make a fire, and had laid it at the
bottom of a little hollow. In double that time he had a billy slung over
the flames, so that very soon a most appetizing steam pervaded the
place. Then he wagged his head in a manner all his own and declared that
the meal was ready.

"And we for it," said Jim, rising from the position he had taken beside
Tomkins. "See here, Ching. Dish out an allowance for each man, and bring
it to him. It won't do to leave our stations. We'll grub right where we
lie, and so be ready."

It was a wise precaution to take, for none could say when the enemy
would attempt a second rush. Meanwhile bullets streamed from the jungle,
now from this point, and then from that, a splash of flame lighting up
the dense shadows for an instant. But of late the firing had become far
less rapid, while the characteristic crack of the Mausers which Jaime
and his rascals employed had ceased altogether.

"Simply showing that they are otherwise engaged," said Jim, discussing
the affair with Phineas and Tomkins. "They are, no doubt, hunting for a
likely spot from which to make a charge; and to my mind there's one spot
above all others which they are likely to select. Look away over here.
This rocky eminence runs on into the jungle, so that a band dashing out
there would not have to come uphill. It's level ground all the way.
Again, it happens to be a shorter cut from the jungle, and will give us
less time to put in our shots. That's my opinion."

Tomkins surveyed his surroundings in silence for some little while, as
he ate his steaming rations methodically and unconsciously. He showed
not the smallest trace of alarm, though he must have known, better
perhaps than any of the others, how desperate were the fortunes of the
party. But the man had such a reputation for brusqueness and straight
speaking that Jim felt sure that if he disagreed with what he had just
expressed as his opinion, Tomkins would promptly say so, and that with
the utmost bluntness.

"Guess you'd better make a change in the posts we're filling," he said
at last. "Ef there's a rush, it'll come from 'way over there where
you've been pointin'. That bein' so, better fix it to pour in a fire
that'll choke 'em. There won't be too much time, and it'll want to be
magazines, and shooters to follow if they get within distance. Pity we
couldn't place a mine to blow 'em to blazes, or have a gun to shoot
direct at the varmint. But guess our rifles'll make hay with 'em; the
boys here'll make them niggers sit up lively."

He relapsed into a moody silence, and went on eating his meal, his eyes
roving along the edge of the jungle; but he was ready as soon as Jim
called him. Our hero placed the four police behind a mass of boulders
facing the part from which attack was feared, and then stationed Tom and
Sam and Ching behind them.

"You'll just lie here with Mr. Phineas," he said, "and if there's a rush
you will be ready to come to the help of the one who's most attacked.
You can see that the policemen are three yards good from one another, so
that it may well happen that one will be more pressed than his comrades.
For the rest, you'll keep an eye all round, and look after Sadie."

Very quietly the men moved into their positions, crouching low as they
went, so that the enemy might not see them. Then, each man having
selected a niche through which he could fire, and Jim also having
discovered one for himself in their centre, all lay absolutely still,
awaiting developments.

"Look out for trouble, boys," sang out our hero a good half-hour later.
"Their bullets are beginning to come along again, and I should say that
we guessed right when we decided their rush would come from over in this
direction. Do you hear that? A Mauser for sure, and there's another and
another. That shows where the leaders are."

Tomkins, who lay next him, gave vent to a hoarse chuckle. "That 'ere
Jaime thinks he's a fine dog, he do," he called back. "See what trouble
he took to throw us off the scent from the beginning. Now he's
manoeuvring a rush, and telling us just where we may expect it because
he must go and blaze with his own rifle. Ah! That was a man; I saw him
come from the jungle direct before us. Gee! The game's beginning."

The words had hardly left his lips when a couple of dark figures leaped
from the cover, brandishing weapons over their heads. An instant later
twenty dusky natives had joined them, while in their centre were the
figures of three white men plainly distinguishable under the moonlight.
There came a loud shout across the clearing; then, as if shot from the
same gun, every one of the figures bounded towards the spot where Jim
and his friends were lying.

"Magazines," growled Tomkins, dropping his cheek on to the butt of his
weapon. "Let 'em have it."

"Fire!" shouted Jim.

Bang! His own rifle was the first to discharge a missile; but the others
followed swiftly, and within the minute five men were engaged in sending
a shower of bullets at the enemy. Never before had Jim worked so
energetically. No sooner was the trigger pressed than his hand gripped
the bolt and threw it open. Click! The empty case flew back over his
shoulder, while another rose from the magazine as if by magic to replace
it. Bang! He pushed the lever home, and down went his eye to the sights
so quickly that it never seemed to have left them. As for the enemy,
they came forward at an astounding pace, without pause or hesitation. In
spite of the number which fell out of their ranks and went crashing to
the ground, the remainder came on steadily. Then a second party
followed, as if to reinforce their comrades. Phineas gave a shout
instantly.

"Get along into the firing line, boys," he called to Ching and Sam and
Tom. "I'll stop back here and make sure that none are trying to come
from behind. Then I'll join you."

"You can go now, Mr. Phineas," came in a quiet voice from close beside
him, and, looking down, he saw Sadie, her cheeks pale perhaps, but her
eyes and her lips steady. "Go," she said. "I will watch behind you, and
will call if there is need."

Phineas gripped her hand promptly, and ran forward. By then his own
little party had joined Jim's, and were aiding them with their rifles.
Indeed the rattle of the weapons was deafening, while anyone could see
that the enemy were suffering. But the natives hardly seemed to know
what fear was, while Jaime and his fellow robbers showed splendid pluck.
Nothing stopped them. They leaped over the bodies of their fallen
comrades, and came racing forward, their eyes blazing, their weapons
brandished over their heads. In an incredibly short space of time they
were within ten yards of the spot where the defenders lay.

"Time for revolvers," shouted Jim. "Up on your feet--revolvers and
clubbed rifles!"

The scene which followed was almost too rapid for description, for the
leaders of the attacking party threw themselves on Jim and his men with
a ferocity and a quickness which were appalling. Revolvers snapped on
every hand, while two of the policemen clubbed their rifles and dealt
swinging blows. It was left to the huge Tom to relieve the situation.
Rifle in hand, he sprang over the intervening boulders and launched
himself upon the attackers with a howl of rage. His huge mouth was
opened wide, displaying a set of formidable teeth, while his muscular
arms swept the rifle round in huge circles, laying the enemy low for all
the world as if it were a scythe. Then he pursued his old and favourite
tactics. He hurled the weapon at one of the white men, and, leaping
forward, gripped Jaime round the waist. The rascal was whirling in the
air in a second, and within the space of three had been thrown into the
centre of his supporters.

"Bravo, Tom, bravo!" shouted Jim, rushing to join him, with Ching and
Sam close at hand.

The enemy were more terrified by Tom's presence and appearance than by
all the bullets. They turned as Jim came forward and fled for their
lives, dragging Jaime with them. A minute later the defenders were
behind their boulders once more, breathing heavily, while the fusillade
of musket balls had again opened from the fringe of the jungle. Still
the enemy were not beaten. As the dawn came they showed at the edge of
the forest, and with shouts of triumph announced that they had received
reinforcements. Indeed, within a few minutes Jim saw that at least a
hundred men were crouching just within the shadow. Then there came
another shock, which set his heart palpitating.

"More of the varmint," suddenly announced Tomkins, swinging round and
pointing to a spot behind the party, where, up till now, they had seen
no enemy. "Gee, if there ain't two hundred against us!"

He dashed across the hollow, threw himself on his face, and levelled his
rifle. But he never pulled the trigger: Jim stopped him peremptorily. A
single figure suddenly pushed to the front of this second mob of
natives, and advanced a few paces bearing a white flag. He waved it and
shouted. Then, followed by his men, he came running towards Jim and his
fellows.




CHAPTER XIX

Jim Meets with a Surprise


It was an exciting and an anxious moment for Jim and his comrades as
they saw the strangers bounding towards them, and for one brief instant
our hero hesitated, wondering whether he ought to respect the white flag
which the leader of this new band bore. He had already arrested
Tomkins's intention of firing on them, and now peremptorily restrained
the others.

"Stop!" he shouted. "Not a shot. I believe they are friends. Why, as I
live, if that isn't a white man at their head!"

But the light just now was not so good as it had been. The moon was
waning, and the dawn half broken. In consequence, though the party
anxiously watching the strangers from the rocky eminence could make out
their numbers, and each individual member of the band, they could
distinguish nothing more than that. Phineas drew in a deep breath. He
had learned to trust Jim's judgment, but on this occasion he feared
greatly that he was making a gigantic error.

"Gee!" he cried in anxious tones. "Supposing they are enemies like the
rest. They will cut us to pieces. Get ready to shoot, you men."

"By de poker, but if dey not friends, den Tom talk to them same as he
talk wid de oders," growled the negro. "But me tink Massa Jim right;
Massa Jim neber make mistake."

It was like the huge fellow to support his young master, of whom he had
an absurdly high opinion; but Sam and Ching were just as emphatic.

"Not need fear rumpus any longer," said the former, dropping the butt of
his weapon to the ground. "Massa Jim know what him talking about. No
flies on him anyway."

"He, he, he! Velly nice for dis party," lisped the Chinaman. "A minute
ago me tink soon hab ebelyting ober. Soon be chopped to little pieces,
same as Ching chop de meat for de stew. But now ebelyting jolly. Yo see
precious soon. Ching knowee well dat dat a white man. Him seen him
before; him know de movement of him legs. Him and Ching great friends
some time ago."

Could it be true? Even Jim, as he anxiously watched the approaching
band, and with no little doubt as to their friendly intentions, could
not fail to observe that the leader, who in the dim light had the
appearance of being a white man, certainly walked in a manner with which
he was familiar. The swift fling of the legs reminded him of someone;
but whom? Where had he known that someone? That was the question. Less
than a minute later he was staggering backwards as if someone had struck
him a heavy blow. As for the strangers, there was now no doubt that a
white man led them. A tall, thin young man, with somewhat cadaverous
cast of countenance, halted within ten paces of the party, still waving
his white banner, and gave vent to a cry of astonishment, a cry which
Jim echoed. Then Sadie, half-hidden behind the men of her party, pushed
her way resolutely through them, ran forward, and gazed at the man. In
an instant she had thrown herself upon him.

"Jim!" she screamed; "it's George, George come back to life! George
alive, when we thought he was dead in the jungle."

[Illustration: "IT'S GEORGE, GEORGE COME BACK TO LIFE!"]

The meeting staggered our hero. He could hardly believe that it could be
his brother, he whom they had lost in the jungle now so long ago. Even
the strong grip which George gave him failed to convince.

"How's it happened?" demanded Jim. "We settled that you were dead, that
the fever had killed you, and that you had fallen in some hollow in the
jungle. Who are all these men here? How is it that you have turned up
right away at the very instant when help is wanted? My head is all of a
whirl: I guess I'm getting silly."

"Then you needn't blame yourself," came George's answer. "Reckon you'd
be a strange fellow if you weren't a little bit overcome by my turning
up after you'd given me over for dead. But, see here, Jim; I'm your own
brother George right enough, though how it comes that I am still alive
and kicking is a long story. As to how I arrived here on time, that's
much simpler. The natives I have been living with are at daggers drawn
with a tribe over by the lagoon, and have been greatly troubled because
some beggarly European rascals have been selling guns and powder to
them. For three months past I've been a kind of king amongst them, and
of course I've taken steps to have that other tribe watched. Well, we
heard that an expedition was coming this way. We shadowed the natives
through the forest, and then heard a shot. Later we followed again, and
then there was heavy firing. I made out your party from the edge of the
jungle, and I reckoned that I would help. Of course I couldn't tell who
was in the right. I only knew that the natives who are enemies of ours
were attacking a small party, and so I decided to help the weaker side.
Here we are, seventy of us in all, and quite sufficient to make short
work of those fellows. Now tell me all about the bother."

As rapidly as possible Jim told him how Jaime and his rascally comrades
had abducted Sadie, and how he had followed.

"It's a precious long yarn, like yours," he laughed, gripping George's
hand for the twentieth time, for even now he found it hard to believe
that this good news was actually and really true. "But, to begin with, I
took a job on the Panama Canal."

"Won a job is truer, I guess," interrupted Phineas, who was beaming on
our young hero and his long-lost brother. "Won a job on the Panama
Canal, sir. Let me tell you that this young Jim of yours has done mighty
well since you took it into your head to clear off into the jungle. To
begin with, he started right off for New York; for he had to find a job
somewhere. Then there was a collision. The ship foundered, and I was
left aboard her when the crew took to the boats. Jim there swam out and
saved me. Give you my word, the risk he ran makes my hair stand on end
even nowadays. Of course I was grateful. After all, life's pleasant
to a man working on the canal; there's a real interest in it. I
offered to get our young friend a job, and house his sister. That's how
the business started. He won the job, siree; won it outright and by as
fine a show of grit as ever you could come across."

George's sallow, fever-haunted face brightened at the words: he
stretched forward a hand to grip his brother's, and then to take that of
Phineas.

"It's the one thing that has troubled me ever since I was lost in the
forest," he said feelingly. "There was always Sadie, and what had
happened to her. I knew that Jim and the boys would stick to her and
support her; but the willingness to do so doesn't make it always
possible. Guess I owe you a lot, Mr. Phineas, and Jim's my own brother.
I always knew he had grit."

"See here," burst in Phineas, who seemed to have suddenly found a loose
tongue, "you don't owe me a cent's worth. I'll get ahead with this yarn,
for this young Jim ain't likely to give it all. And ef I wasn't to tell
every word, there's Tom and Sam and Ching would soon see that the news
reached you. Eh, boys?"

In the fading moonlight Tom gave an expansive, seven-foot grin, and
wagged his head. Sam's little eyes twinkled brightly, while the Chinaman
undid his pigtail, and coiled it again, glancing from one to the other.
"If you not guess dat Mass Jim play de game, den you velly stupid, sah,"
he said. "But you know him from de days when we were all on de salvage
boat. Massa Jim a demon to work, and never know what it am to fear."

"Listen to this," went on Phineas, wagging a finger at the three, to
silence them. "There were a number of Spaniards aboard the boat that
foundered. They fought for the boats, and Jim and Tom had a stand-up
fight with them, supporting the captain and crew thoroughly. Well, Jim
here knocked a rascal down, who, it turned out, was one of a gang of
ruffians who had been infesting ports along the Gulf of Mexico, and who
of late had been carrying on their evil practices on the canal zone.
This rascal was brought back to Colon with the others, and the gang
began operations again. But this particular man imagined he had a grudge
against Jim. He deliberately fired at him one night when in my quarters.
Of course we followed, that is, Jim and his boys did. They tracked the
fellow to a house where the gang were situated, and as a result, when
the police arrived, three of the gang were taken, though not until Jim
had nearly lost his life. Two got away, and the police followed right
away along the coast, across a lagoon to the jungle 'way ahead of us.
There was a fight between themselves and the native tribe these rascals
had taken refuge with, while the two men were killed or severely
wounded. Back comes Jim, takes on a special job on the works, and then
gets mixed up with the remainder of the gang. They play all sorts of
tricks, and finally rob the Commission offices, and, as a special mark
of their hatred to Jim, abduct Sadie. There we are, siree. Right down to
the present moment. Jim and the boys went off this very evening, crept
up to the gang, and brought away the girl and the plunder. You've seen
what followed."

The sallow face of the man who had so suddenly joined the party lit up
again, while he regarded his brother in a manner somewhat different from
that he had been accustomed to aboard the salvage boat. For then Jim had
appeared as only a boy to George. But now it was as a man that his
brother found him, a young, strenuous, self-possessed man, who, without
a shadow of doubt, had been winning the golden opinion of those with
whom he had come in contact. In place of being stranded by his past
misfortunes, and finding life a struggle, George had now learned that
Jim was prospering, that he had won a lucrative job on the canal works,
and later, when Phineas was able to speak further with him, that there
were many amongst the officials who predicted that our hero would rise
high, and would, when he was a little older, fill a position of
responsibility.

"And so you rescued Sadie, and took their plunder from them!" gasped
George. "That's a good beginning, and those bodies lying out there show
that your party has done well in the attack. Now let me give a little
further information. Guess those rascals you followed across the lagoon
were wounded only, for our tribe have had certain news that two white
men were with their enemies. Guess they've come along with this second
party, and have now joined hands with the men you tracked to this spot.
Who's leader here?"

Phineas jerked his head in Jim's direction, while Tomkins, who had stood
near at hand all the while, grinned ever so little.

"Young, ain't he?" he asked, in his usually blunt manner. "But there
ain't no flies on him, siree. He's shown us how to move, has Mister
Jim."

"Then what do you propose? Stay here and build up a barricade of stones,
or attack the enemy boldly?" asked George.

Jim did not answer for the moment. He knew that even now that his party
had been so well reinforced it was smaller in numbers than the enemy. To
march out across the open would certainly lead to great loss, for most
of the natives with Jaime and his ruffians were armed with firelocks. On
the other hand, there was not much to be gained by staying in their
present position, for that would carry them no nearer to safety.
Unless----

To the surprise of all he suddenly struck his thigh with the palm of his
hand, and gave a shout of triumph. He was in the very act of telling
those who stood around what plan he suggested, when a rifle snapped from
the forest, and a bullet whistled just overhead. Then a storm of balls
came swishing out over the open, and were followed by the appearance of
the enemy. They swarmed from the shadows, massed in one corner, and
then, to the thunderous beat of native drums came racing forward.

"Back to your places," shouted Jim. "Fire as soon as you are in
position. George, how many of your men are armed with guns?"

"Thirty at the most; they trust to spears and a long curling knife."

"One more question; did those rascals see you join us?"

"Certain to have done so," answered George. "But whether they have a
correct idea of our numbers is an altogether different matter."

"Then line up all the men without guns at the back of the firing party.
When I give the word, lead them out against the enemy; we must drive
them back whatever happens."

The ten minutes which followed were full of movement, and were, in fact,
more than strenuous; for Jaime was desperate. He was furious to have
been worsted so easily, and, reviewing the whole affair, it made him
tremble with rage when he recollected that all his carefully made plans
had come to naught. The greatest blow of all was that the treasure which
he had stolen had been taken from him, and that by four men alone,
simply because he himself had relaxed his usual caution. It was
therefore with shouts of rage that he led the enemy. Dashing forward at
the head of some hundred and fifty of them, he urged them on in spite of
the bullets which hissed through their ranks. He himself seemed to bear
a charmed life; for though Tomkins made more than one effort, he failed
signally to bring the robber chief to the ground. Always his bullet
struck the man on one or other side, or him who was following.

"Thunder!" shouted the policeman at last, angry at his want of success.
"That's the fifth time I've drawn a bead on him and missed. See if I
don't do it this time. It's the only thing that'll save us."

He leant his cheek against the butt of his rifle with more than usual
care, and pulled steadily on his trigger. Then he jerked the weapon
backward with an exclamation of disgust, and rapidly pushed a charge of
cartridges into his emptied magazine; for Jaime was still untouched. The
bullet intended for him had struck one of his white followers, and those
who watched saw the man pitch forward with arms and legs outspread, and
come with a thud to the ground. Nor did he move a muscle afterwards. By
then Jaime and those with him were within twenty yards of the eminence.

"Ready?" asked Jim, placing himself beside George at the head of his
natives, while the ever-watchful Tom came sidling up to him, his rifle
gripped in his enormous hands. "Then charge!"

George shouted. A man amongst the natives blew on a horn, while another
beat a drum. Then some forty of them launched themselves past the firing
line, and fell upon the charging enemy furiously. At once it became
evident that the fight was to be one to a finish. The men who had
followed George had without doubt the greatest hatred for those others,
and for that reason fought with a ferocity which was terrible. Shouts of
consternation came from the enemy at their sudden appearance. Men in
rear turned and fled, while those in the van came to a halt. Jaime
turned and beckoned to them. In the short space at his disposal he
threatened his followers. Then he and those with him were overwhelmed.
In one brief minute the rush of Jaime and his supporters was converted
into a mad retreat, with a band of dusky men in rear of them slashing
and cutting desperately. As for Jim and George, they were carried
forward by the natives, and, with the lusty Tom beside them, thrust
their way far in amongst the flying enemy, striking right and left with
their rifles. Nor was Tom satisfied with that. The negro was possessed
of enormous strength, and nothing could resist him. He dashed far beyond
his comrades, discarding his rifle. His ponderous fists shot out in
every direction, flooring the enemy; then, catching sight of Jaime
struggling amidst the natives, and possessed, it seemed, with the same
terror which had suddenly assailed them, Tom leapt at him, covering the
ground in enormous bounds, and easily clearing a path before him. In a
trice he was level with the robber, and though the latter turned and
endeavoured to bring a weapon to bear on the negro, the gallant Tom was
too quick for him. He had him by the collar in an instant, the fingers
of his right hand encircled the back of the neck, causing the wretch to
drop his revolver and shriek. Then, just as had happened earlier on, the
man was swung like a bale into the air, and was whirled above the heads
of the others.

"By de poker, but dis time yo not get 'way!" bellowed Tom, mad with
excitement. "Yo not get back to dem scum to lead dem against Missie
Sadie. See here, me break yo neck if yo move. Me crush ebery bone in yo
body. Yo hear dat? Den keep quiet or me pound yo to a jelly."

The miserable fellow was not able to move so much as a finger, so firmly
did Tom grip him; and if he imagined that his comrades would help him,
he was much mistaken. For they were terrified, and fled back to the
forest with George's men hanging on behind them. Indeed, in five minutes
there was not a trace of the enemy, save the numerous bodies which lay
in the open. There was only Jaime de Oteros, a prisoner now, cringing
at the feet of our hero, and looking askance at the panting men about
him.

"Now, sah," said Tom, drawing in a deep breath, "not want dis scum any
longer. Suppose we hang um straight off and so save heap ob trouble."

"Tie him up fast, and set a watch over him," commanded Jim promptly.
"Now, George, I'm ready to give you my plan for the future. I was about
to do so when the enemy charged. But, first, are they likely to leave
us?"

George shook his head promptly, then exchanged a few words with one of
the natives who was evidently of some importance. "They will stay there
in the forest," he said at last. "They have the great advantage of
possessing rifles, and guess they still far outnumber us. So they'll lie
there in hiding, and pepper us whenever we show a finger. If we go out
to attack them, they will break up and move away; but if we attempt to
make for Colon, they will hang on our flanks and kill us little by
little."

"Then we'll keep them hanging about in the forest. See here, George,"
said our hero eagerly. "This party of mine was to be merely a sort of
cutting-out expedition. We rode hard in order to come up with this
ruffian Jaime, and rescue Sadie. The main party was to steam to the
lagoon, and there attack the natives. They were then to endeavour to
join hands with us. Seems to me we have an excellent chance of a
combined movement. We stay here, and make pretence that we dare not
move. Meanwhile you send off a couple or more men to our other party.
When could they reach us?"

"To-morrow morning, perhaps a little earlier. Gee, this is a good plan!
The head of the lagoon is only a bare twenty miles from us. My men could
reach the spot by late this afternoon. Your other party would march
right off, and, allowing for the difficulties of getting through the
jungle, could be here even earlier than I said. It's a fine move; fine,
and will be just the thing to put an end to this matter."

"And your men could start at once, and leave without the enemy being the
wiser?"

Once more George appealed to the native chief, and presently returned to
his brother. "They shall go at once. We will send two parties,
consisting of three men each. They will slip away from this spot without
anyone seeing them, and will each bear the same message. They will march
back with your people, and will crawl in here to let us know of their
arrival."

Jim called Phineas and Tomkins to him, and discussed the plan with them
for a few moments. Then, as all agreed with it, George nodded to the
native. Almost instantly six men stood forward from amongst the seated
throng, their eyes shining in the sunlight, for by now broad day was
upon them. A few guttural words were spoken, then, one by one, the
natives wormed their way from the eminence. Jim could hardly have
believed it possible that men could leave the spot without watching eyes
discovering them; but he had never watched such natives as these before,
nor seen how it was possible to take advantage of hollows and boulders.

"Gone!" said George, at length, giving vent to a sigh of satisfaction.
"Now I suppose we can settle down to the ordinary life of those who are
besieged?"

"Which reminds one of breakfast. Ching!" shouted our hero. "Breakfast
for our party, and slippy with it," he commanded, when the Chinaman had
put in an appearance. "I suppose your natives will fend for themselves,
George?"

"They are almost vegetarians," came the answer, "and each man carries
sufficient with him to appease a hearty appetite and to slake his
thirst. That's the best of their diet. It supplies food and drink at the
same moment. And talking of vegetarians reminds me of myself; you
remember I was down with fever?"

"And dived overboard when delirious," Jim nodded.

"And swam like a maniac till I reached the jungle. Well, I must have
raced through it for a couple of miles or more before I came to a stop.
At last I dropped down in the very middle of a camp formed by these
natives. I was dead beat, raving with fever, and as weak as a child. By
all accounts, too, guess I had hardly a shred of clothing left on me,
and my skin was torn by brambles. By good luck, anyway, I had stumbled
amongst natives who had met white men before, and had no particular
dislike for them. In fact, they have an absurdly high idea of them. They
treated me like a brother. They looked upon me from the first as if I
were a great chief, and fed me with fruits taken in the forest. And it
seems that fever is not unknown amongst them. You see, they don't
inhabit the swamp lands, so they do not often come in contact with
malaria. Guess they ain't acclimatized to fever the same as other
natives who live on the lagoons; in consequence they get attacks
whenever they come down to the water, and have learned how to treat
their patients. I mended slowly. For weeks I couldn't walk, and had to
be carried on a form of stretcher; but I shook off the fever. Life
became altogether more pleasant, and though, of course, I was longing to
get back to settled parts, so as to rejoin you and Sadie, yet, while I
was tied by weakness, I admit that I found life pleasant, and kinder
hosts I could not have wished for. At last I was about strong enough to
travel, and had already arranged for an escort to take me to Colon when
this affair turned up. Gee! It's the strangest thing that ever happened.
To think that in place of discovering you in New York, or somewhere in
the States, you should have run up against me out in this jungle!"

They chatted for long over their breakfast, Jim learning every detail of
his brother's life, while George gathered a good deal of what had
happened at Colon. But from Phineas he heard fuller particulars.

"You can't expect the lad to talk about himself," he told George. "It's
dead against his modest nature. But he's done fine. He's shown real grit
from the beginning, and alongside of it a determination to get on and a
common sense that was bound to win advancement. He's earning good wages.
Jim is well enough off at this moment to offer you a home, and can
support you till you also are earning wages. Mark this too: if we come
out of this soundly, and Jim gets back to Colon with those dollars, the
Commission will have heaps of praise and thanks to give. Shouldn't
wonder if it resulted in further advancement. I know he's young; but
guess that don't matter. America's a go-ahead country. She don't reckon
a man to be a Solomon just because he's old and wears hair on his face,
no more than she reckons that a youngster without a line on his lip is
clear out of sense. She judges a man by what he does, and gives her
favours without thought of years and appearance. Well, here's Jim young
enough we'll allow; but he's done things. His name's known better than
the Police Major's from end to end of the canal works. He's come out
trumps on every occasion, and if he wins home now I say it'll be a
triumph."

Let the reader imagine George's amazement at all he heard, for he had
always looked upon Jim as too young for serious consideration. And here
he was, a man in effect, though hardly come to that station in point of
years; but a man for all that, and already occupying a fine position. It
afforded food for thought, and for long George sat sucking the stem of
the pipe which Tomkins had generously loaned to him. And all the while
bullets flickered from the jungle; they clipped corners from the
boulders, smashed heavily against trees on the far side of the clearing,
or sent spurts of dust into the sunlit air. It was an occupation, in
fact, to watch the result of the enemies' efforts, and to speculate on
the effect of the next shot. But it was an occupation also which was apt
to become monotonous. Men fell asleep, in spite of the bullets, and only
wakened now and again when the thumping of a native drum warned of a
possible rush; but though the enemy massed at times, and seemed on the
point of charging, they never actually came into the open. They
contented themselves with more or less continuous firing.

"Which don't hurt a fly, and only makes a chap hungry," said Tomkins, as
he lay on his back in the shelter cast by a boulder. "But guess we shall
want to be careful once the darkness comes. If there's a bright moon
it'll be right enough; if not, there'll be ructions."

The hours dragged by slowly, and at length evening arrived. Jim looked
overhead anxiously, and noted that thick banks of clouds were floating
in the sky, while the moon would not rise for two hours.

"It'll be dark in an hour," he said, stretching himself beside Phineas
and his brother. "I've been talking to Tomkins, and he agrees with me
that the most dangerous time will be before the moon rises, which means
that the enemy may attack immediately night comes. Have either of you a
suggestion to offer?"

"Just this," answered George. "As soon as it is sufficiently dark we'll
send my fellows into the jungle across there. They'll be back within
five minutes with as much firewood as we want. Then we'll lay a pile
some twenty yards from our position, and so all round this eminence.
Once in position we'll set fire to them, and the glow should last till
the moon helps us."

The scheme found approval with Jim and Phineas at once, so that, as soon
as it was dark enough, George sent a dozen of his natives creeping into
the forest. They were back within a few minutes, and at once others
helped them to place the wood they had brought in piles all round the
eminence. The last match was being lighted when the silence of the
forest was suddenly broken by the beating of a drum. And then a horde of
natives launched themselves into the clearing.




CHAPTER XX

Success to the Panama Canal


Even in the machinery shops at Gorgona Jim had never listened to such a
din as came from the charging enemy as they burst from the cover of the
forest; for a dozen native drums were being thumped, horns were sounded,
while each individual shouted and shrieked at the pitch of his lungs. It
seemed, indeed, as if Jaime's followers imagined that the racket would
scare the defenders and help them towards victory. The giant Tom,
standing over the captive, saw his eyes scintillate, while Jaime half
rose to his feet; but in a moment he was cowering again. Not because Tom
scowled at him, and stretched forth a hand, but because the native
placed to guard him flourished his long knife before the prisoner's
face.

"So, yo know what to expect if yo try to escape," said Tom. "I leave yo
wid dis friend while I go to teach those scum manners. Yo move one
little piece, and see how nicely he cut yo to tiny bits."

He indicated the native with a wave of his hand, then went off to the
firing line, swinging his rifle as if it were a toy and weighed but a
few ounces. Meanwhile the defenders had opened fire upon the enemy.

"Steady does it, boys," sang out Tomkins, who was a tower of strength
to Jim and his friends. "Use your magazines, but see that every shot
tells. It don't do to fire and miss every time. Let each bullet find its
man. It'll bring them to a halt sooner than anything."

But there are limits to the powers of such a small force as Jim
commanded; for though George's natives who were armed with guns blazed
at the enemy, it was clear that they missed their aim more often than
not. Then, too, the light was tricky. The flickering flames cast by the
circle of fires served to show the figures of the enemy; but here and
there were black shadows, and the rifles had to catch their men as they
raced across the lighted parts. In consequence the host of attackers
soon approached the eminence on which the defenders had taken their
stand. They were abreast of the fires in two minutes, and, at a shout
from Jim, George prepared to launch his second party of natives at them.

"Wait till they have almost reached us," cried Jim; "then let them go.
Call to the others who are firing with their guns to join in the charge.
This time every man will have to be employed."

The situation was indeed very critical, for the enemy had advanced in
full strength, while the fitful light had helped them. In the space of a
few seconds the leaders were within a yard of the boulders behind which
Tomkins and his party were lying, and rifle practice was no longer
possible. George shouted. His natives gave vent to a hoarse bellow,
while the man with the drum thumped it madly. Then some seventy black
figures leaped over the boulders, and there began a hand-to-hand
contest, the ferocity of which can hardly be described. The two
bodies of men, attackers and attacked, swayed this way and that. Some of
the enemy even managed to leap over the boulders and gain the inner
circle, only to be shot down instantly by Jim and his friends. Then,
when matters had become desperate, and the din was deafening, shouts
were heard from a distance. Sam dashed up to Jim, his face working with
excitement, his eyes blazing.

"Friends comin', sah," he bellowed. "I see dem run from de forest. Dey
charging from behind; dey policemen."

Whoever they were, the rear ranks of the enemy quickly discovered their
presence, and turned to face them. Then across the clearing there came
the sound of cheering. A loud command rang out, and in a trice a strong
body of men had hurled themselves against the enemy. Not a shot was
fired; for to have done so would have been to have risked shooting Jim
and his party. But long, gleaming bayonets were at the ends of the
rifles, and the strange weapon played havoc with the natives. The shouts
of those in rear reached their comrades in front, and caused them to
turn away. Then, for some five minutes, the enemy were caught between
two forces, George's natives using their knives with terrible purpose. A
few moments later and those of the enemy who were left turned tail and
fled to the forest, pursued by volleys.

Have you ever heard excited men cheer, men who had hardly expected to be
alive at that moment? That is how Jim and his men cheered. They set the
jungle ringing, they dashed out into the open and wrung the hands of
the Police Major and his party, and then they sat down and roared at the
antics of George's natives; for the latter were filled with triumph.
Undoubtedly they had fought most bravely, and had proved the salvation
of Jim and his tiny party; but in doing so they had gained their end.
They had broken the power of the tribe which had threatened to molest
them, and which had been so plentifully supplied with muskets by Jaime
and his men. George's hosts had broken their power for evil, and had
themselves now become possessed of the weapons; for the enemy had cast
them to the ground as they fled.

"Gee! What a sight!" cried the Major, as he surveyed the scene, now that
the moon had risen and lighted the clearing. "There's a heap of men
killed, and I'm told that amongst them are four white men. But Jaime
isn't there. The scoundrel who led the robbers, and caused all this
trouble, has had his usual good fortune, and managed to get away."

Jim smiled, and winked in Tom's direction. Then he nodded to Ching, and
at the signals the two fine fellows darted away to the back of the camp.

"Major," said our hero a moment later, as he saw Tom and Ching
returning, "allow me, first of all, to present you with a prisoner. He
is Tom's capture, and was snatched from the midst of his men. Allow me
to introduce Jaime de Oteros."

His pluck evaporated, all his assurance gone, Jaime stood with Tom's
grip on him as if he feared that the next moment would be his last. His
knees knocked together, his lips trembled, while his shifty eyes looked
askance at the negro.

"Dere you am, sah," cried Tom, lifting his prisoner by the arm as if he
were a toy. "Dis am de scum dat cause all de trouble, dat dare to
capture missie."

For a full minute the Major regarded Jaime; then he spoke quietly.

"Jim," he said, "it's you who should have the post of police
superintendent, for this is a most important capture. Tom, too, has done
finely; finely, I say. But in capturing this man you give us the
opportunity of bringing him to his deserts, and so making absolutely
sure that no other people shall be victimized. More than that, perhaps,
you give the Commissioners a chance through him to recover the money he
has stolen."

Jim signalled to Ching, and at once the Chinaman approached the party,
his pigtail swinging out behind him. On his broad shoulders two black
bundles were supported, and these he dumped upon the ground at the
Major's feet without the smallest ceremony. Indeed he might have been
handling merely a parcel of clothing.

"Why! What are these? Where's that description?"

The police officer dived into an inner pocket, but Jim saved him the
trouble of referring to the description of the missing property. "See
here, Major," he said, "Ching and I had a bit of fine fortune. When we
crept into Jaime's camp to rescue my sister we brought away at the same
moment these two packages. We knew the dollars stolen were wrapped in
black waterproof paper, and we guessed clean off that these were they.
Since then I have opened both in Mr. Phineas's presence. There ain't a
doubt as to what they contain."

The Major could have hugged our hero. His delight was more than evident.
The sight of the recovered treasure took his breath away, and sent him
spluttering and coughing. Then he began to laugh. He rocked from side to
side, holding his flanks, till the tears ran down his cheeks. And Tom
joined in with him. The huge negro's face broadened, his mouth expanded
till it was a veritable cavern, then he bellowed with laughing, shaking
in every limb, and almost knocking the breath out of his prisoner's
body.

"Gee! It do take eberyting, don't it, Major, sah?" he shouted, when at
length he could control himself. "Here am dis scum dat cause all de
trouble. Him ride off from de canal works tinking he made fools of all
ob us. But he hab to reckon wid very wise people. Massa Jim dere to
stand in him way, and yo too, sah, I reckon. See what happen. All him
friends killed, and, lummy, dat a good t'ing for 'em. Missie am taken
from de ruffian, and den, on top of all, he lose ebery one of de
dollars. Oh, dat too sweet altogether! Him should be very happy now, for
when him hanged he hab nothing to lose but him life, and dat ain't worth
countin'."

The huge fellow went off into another loud guffaw till Jim stopped him.
As for the Major, he had now become more serious. Warmly he
congratulated Jim and his comrades on their prowess, while George came
in for a particular friendly greeting.

"Guess there'll be shouts when we get back to the canal works," he said
at length; "and the sooner we go the better. Are your party too tired
to march in the morning?"

"They'd rather set out soon than stay here much longer," came the
answer. "We've still some hours before morning, and if you and your men
will settle matters here, and see to the burial of those who have been
killed, my party will take a sleep, which will put them on nicely. It
will be the first time many of us have closed our eyes since we parted
from Colon."

A little while later a number of figures were snoring in their blankets,
while the natives whom George had brought aided the Major's party.
Wounded men were attended to. Palanquins were made for those amongst
their number who were unable to walk; and fortunately there were only
three in the Major's party, while Jim's had come through the ordeal
scathless. As to the men who had suffered damage amongst George's
natives, arrangements were made for them to stay in the clearing till
their comrades returned. At an early hour on the following morning the
whole party set out for Colon, a dozen of the police going by way of the
lagoon, where they would pick up the long launch which had brought them,
while the rest--Jim and the Major amongst the party--rode through the
forest. About noon on the following day they reached the summit of a
ridge overlooking Gatun, and at once cheered loudly.

"Ain't it a sight for sore eyes?" cried Phineas, his face shining in the
sunlight. "You'd hardly expect to see men 'way over there, working as if
time was pressing. But see 'em. Gangs at the dam, gangs on the railway,
and hundreds hidden from sight in the valley, or 'way up at Culebra.
And watch the smoke from the diggers, the locos, and the drillers! It's
good to think that it's all American, and that things are going
smoothly."

"Thanks to the fact that a rascal has been captured," ventured the
Police Major. "Don't forget that, please. The best of energies may be
brought to naught if there is a rascal secretly at work attempting to
wreck matters. Things were getting to look bad when our prisoner made
his last little effort. But Jim has seen to that. Say, lad, was it a
section you were bossing?"

Our hero coloured and admitted the fact as if he ought to be ashamed of
his advancement.

"Ah, well," went on the Major, smiling slyly, "guess there's other
billets going! But there's Gatun: I'll send the sergeant along with
Jaime to the station, and then we four will ride to Ancon. There I can
report, and hand over the dollars."

Need the reader wonder that the return of the party caused a huge
sensation? Indeed the excitement nearly caused a stoppage of work along
the zone, a matter almost without precedent. For the hustle and
perseverance of the white employees is something out of the ordinary.
The fever to press on with an undertaking in which their own personal
honour becomes, sooner or later, helplessly involved will hear of no
delay, and thrusts aside all obstacles. But the news 'phoned up and down
the zone was really too entrancing. Jim's name was soon on every man's
lips, while even stolid officials cheered when they heard that the gang
of robbers was destroyed, the leader captured, and the dollars
recovered. Besides, Sadie was back again, and that caused the utmost
satisfaction, her abduction having roused the anger of the workers. A
week later found Jim promoted to a still more responsible position,
while a reward in money was handed to him, and to his three trusty
servants. With the help of Phineas and other people George obtained a
post amongst the employees, and should you happen to call in at the
isthmus, there you will find him and his brother, as eager as their
comrades.

For strenuous work is the order of the day, and every day, along the
fifty miles of works. Let Americans not forget it. Let those who can,
pay a visit to their kith and kin slaving at the vast project their
country has commenced on, and bear in mind that the spirit of dogged
courage, of common sense and energy, which won advancement for the hero
of this narrative, is possessed by one and all of the workers. For those
others, the more numerous body, who for business reasons and others are
unable to visit Panama or Colon, we say, let them obtain the fullest
information as to the giant canal which is building there. The day is
coming, is indeed getting very near at hand, when America will achieve a
triumph, and when it will behove each and every citizen to know every
detail, so that the boys and girls of the race, the future citizens of
America, always eager for knowledge, may be told how the triumph was
accomplished, how thousands laboured and slaved for years far from the
sight of their fellows, and how by dint of superhuman effort, by
astuteness and most praise-worthy perseverance, they brought their task
to a successful termination. For ourselves we long for the day when we
may board a steamer and voyage on her decks from the Atlantic up through
the giant locks of Gatun to that vast lake which will extend to Obispo,
and from thence steam through the cutting at Culebra, finally descending
through the locks at Pedro Miguel and at Milaflores to Pacific level. We
look forward to that great day, knowing that none will admire more than
we shall the work which Jim and thousands of others will have helped to
accomplish. As for Jim himself, we wish him all prosperity. He is a true
American. Idleness he does not know, while a strenuous life attracts
him. Our hero is made of the stuff which forces difficulty and danger
aside cheerfully, and which points without hesitation the road to
success.

       *       *       *       *       *

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

_At the Villafield Press, Glasgow, Scotland_

       *       *       *       *       *

BY CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON


The Great Aeroplane. A Thrilling Tale of Adventure.

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How Canada was Won. A Tale of Wolfe and Quebec.

With Wolseley to Kumasi. The First Ashanti War.

Roger the Bold. A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico.

With the Dyaks of Borneo. A Tale of the Head Hunters.

Foes of the Red Cockade. A Story of the French Revolution.

A Knight of St. John. A Tale of the Siege of Malta.

Indian and Scout. A Tale of the Gold Rush to California.

John Bargreave's Gold. Adventure in the Caribbean.

Roughriders of the Pampas. A Tale of Ranch Life in South America.

Jones of the 64th. A Tale of the Battles of Assaye and Laswaree.

With Roberts to Candahar. A Tale of the Third Afghan War.

A Hero of Lucknow. A Tale of the Indian Mutiny.

A Soldier of Japan. A Tale of the Russo-Japanese War.

Under the Spangled Banner. The Spanish-American War.

In the King's Service. A Tale of Cromwell's Invasion of Ireland.

In the Grip of the Mullah. Adventure in Somaliland.

With Rifle and Bayonet. A Story of the Boer War.

One of the Fighting Scouts. A Tale of Guerrilla Warfare in South Africa,

The Dragon of Pekin. A Story of the Boxer Revolt.

With Shield and Assegai. A Tale of the Zulu War.

A Gallant Grenadier. A Story of the Crimean War.


LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED, 50 OLD BAILEY, E.C.