Where Duty Called Part 15

"Pardon me, Ronie," Colonel Marchand hastened to say. "I do not doubt you, but this is no time for explanations here. We have dallied too long already, if we would catch our birds. Go to the rear, you three, under an escort to protect you. Mind you, Lieutenant Garcia, the woman remains with you until I return. We will make short work of the mountain rebels."

Upon finishing his brusque orders, Colonel Marchand wheeled smartly about and dashed up the road, followed by his troops, numbering half a hundred or more, Lieutenant Garcia and three privates remaining to look after the two Americans and Senora de Caprian. The lieutenant showed by his reluctance to move on his duty that he was not well pleased with the plan, and he was heard to exclaim under his breath that it was a shame to be cheated of the sport at this juncture. However, he soon recovered his good nature, and, requesting his companions to follow, rode sharply in an opposite direction to that just taken by his superior officer.

About two miles below they came upon a small town, where Lieutenant Garcia ordered a halt until he should receive further orders from Colonel Marchand, or meet him in person. This place, which had been the scene of a stirring skirmish a few days before, was now in the hands of the government troops, which the latter did not hesitate to display in their actions. Though Senora de Caprian was treated with extreme courtesy, Ronie and Jack did not fail to observe that a strict watch was kept over her, and the room a.s.signed her at the house where the little party made its headquarters had a guard stationed outside the door. Of course, our heroes were allowed their liberty, but they were only too glad to improve the interval of waiting for the reappearance of Colonel Marchand by throwing themselves down upon the floor and seeking sleep.

It was broad daylight when they awoke, and the sound of a body of horse outside the building at once attracted their attention. They were soon highly pleased to find that Colonel Marchand had returned. News came to them that he had been successful in his pursuit of El Capitan and his mountain rebels. As anxious as they were to see their old friend, Ronie and Jack deemed it wise to wait until he had sought them.

This did not give over half an hour's suspense before an orderly called upon them to say that the colonel was awaiting them in his headquarters. It is needless to say that they lost no time in obeying this request to see him. They found the genial commander established in one of the smaller buildings of the village, engaged in studying a map of the country. But at sight of them he quickly forgot his chart, and motioned for them to be seated, saying:

"I have sent for you that I might know your story. We have sent the rebels flying back into their mountain caves like rats driven to their holes. They will not dare to show a head for at least twenty-four hours, so I have a half-day's leisure, except that I must prepare my report to send to General Castro. First I want to hear your story, and I suggest you begin at the very beginning, so I may understand its details and know how to act."

Ronie, acting as spokesman, told their story in as few words as possible from the time they had left Manilla to the present moment, interrupted several times by the impulsive officer, who was both surprised and pleased at the information they gave him.

"By the right hand of Bolivar!" he exclaimed finally, "you may not be aware of it, but you bear valuable intelligence that I shall take the liberty to forward to General Castro. The character of the _Ban Righ_ or the _Libertador_ has been pretty well known to us, but you make plain some things which have been dark. I can see how Harrie fell under suspicion under the conditions that he was taken prisoner."

"You can secure his freedom, can you not, Colonel Marchand?"

The colonel was a tall, slender man, with flashing, black eyes and long mustache, which he was wont to twist very vigorously when he was excited. He gave these a savage twirl now, and, springing to his feet, began to pace to and fro furiously.

"I know what I can do, I can try," he declared, returning to his seat after pacing back and forth several times. "If I had been a little more successful up this way, and he himself had not met with so many reverses, I can imagine he might be more willing to grant my request.

But I will try--of course, I will try! I can but fail. If I do," and here he lowered his voice, "by the right hand of Bolivar, the sword of Leon Marchand shall be sheathed while Cipriano Castro holds the rein of government."

Both Ronie and Jack were somewhat taken aback by this speech, which they could see was not a discreet one to make, especially in that place. But the excitement of Colonel Marchand pa.s.sed as quickly as it had arisen, and he resumed, with marked calmness:

"Coming here strangers, as you have, you can have little idea of the real feeling slumbering like a volcano in the hearts of us Venezuelans.

The truth is, our people are the most ungrateful on the face of the earth. All of the revolutions and political plots that have hara.s.sed our country have been almost entirely uncalled for, though I will confess our leaders have made an excuse easy through their eagerness to "feather their nests," as you would say. But honest men have ever found little encouragement to remain honest, when the populace stands ready to take up the cry of 'fraud' the moment some disgruntled office seeker utters such a cry to cover his own disappointment. The utterance of the word becomes instantly the battle cry to call the mob to riot and ruin. From a Venezuelan riot a general uprising will follow in a single day, until the country is ravaged far and wide.

This is accounted for mainly by the fact that the population is made up to nine out of ten of Indians, half-breeds and mulattoes, who are naturally ignorant and easily aroused to fight.

"Matos is followed by just such a rabble. He is rich, but not a soldier by training. Still, it was enough that he was brilliant in uniform and pompous in bearing; these, coupled with the rattle of the drum and the tramp of many feet, aroused the mongrel crowd, until the disgruntled rebel found himself tagged by an army of ragged, boisterous, hungry men, who gladly followed him, and follow him still.

We saw an example of the stock in El Capitan's mountain horde. He escaped me only by the skin of his teeth."

"Here I am making a proclamation of war when I ought to be preparing my dispatch for General Castro. I will use every argument I can for Harrie, as I know he is a n.o.ble boy, and that his imprisonment is unjust and wicked."

"How about Francisco de Caprian?" asked Ronie, for Colonel Marchand had not hinted of him.

"I can do nothing," he replied, with a shake of the head. "The De Caprians are very much in ill-favor just now. However, for your sake I will mention him, and suggest that it will do no harm to set him free.

I think you said he suggested that he was willing to espouse our cause.

By the way, what do you say to a campaign under the ill.u.s.trious Castro, the modern Bolivar of Venezuela? I will mention your willingness, and you can answer me afterward."

Then Colonel Marchand became very busy with the preparation of his dispatch. When it was finished he called an orderly, who was told to see that it was forwarded to the commander-in-chief with as great promptness as possible.

"Bring me back a reply," added the colonel, and when he had seen the messenger depart he turned to resume his conversation with Ronie and Jack.

CHAPTER XVII.

A CUNNING RUSE.

"Speaking about joining our forces," said Colonel Marchand, "under the circ.u.mstances it will be impossible for me to fulfill my promise to you when I wrote. Neither would it be practicable to carry out plans made under different conditions. Join our army for a while; it will prove a lively vacation for you, and just as soon as this little cloud blows over we will start. We will have the government behind us, too. It is a great undertaking in more senses than one. I expect to become regularly attached to Castro's army within a short time. In fact, I am away now only temporarily. What do you say to becoming comrades under Castro?"

"I should want to consult Harrie before I decided," replied Ronie.

"So you shall. Now that is settled, let us talk of other matters. It is perfectly natural, however, that you should cast your fortunes with ours for a short time. Venezuela does not forget that it was due to Miranda's experience gained in fighting for the independence of the Great Republic that he learned something of what might come to his native land, and that it was the friendship of Lafayette, Hamilton and Fox which encouraged him to push forward. When the revolution opened in 1810, the United States furnished Venezuela with her munitions of war. Two years later, when the earthquake destroyed twenty thousand of our people, she sent supplies with a liberal hand to us. In this crisis, which I believe is to be the most important affair in her history, we stand in need of Northern friendship. Europe is against us, and in the jealousy of the powers there would gladly hail any pretext upon which she could seize us."

"The Monroe Doctrine must be a great safeguard to you."

"If it hadn't been for that these little South American republics would have been swallowed by European powers long before this."

"While the swallowing would have caused some b.l.o.o.d.y wars."

"Very true, but we are used to that. There has not been a time within my remembrance when there has not been a war of some form in process.

Speaking of the European nations swallowing us, you may forget that we are three times as large as France or Germany, and five times as large as Italy. We are larger than any European country outside of Russia.

Something of its natural features may be understood from the fact that it holds within its domain some beautiful bodies of inland water, the largest of which, Lake Maracaibo, is somewhat larger than Lake Ontario.

Within the republic are over a thousand rivers, the largest of which is the Orinoco, next in size to the Amazon of the rivers of South America.

"In regard to its physical features, the country may be divided into three great zones, increasing in size according to the following order: First, the zone of agriculture; second, the zone of grazing land; last, the larger in area than both of the others, the zone of the forests.

There are two seasons, the wet and the dry, called winter and summer.

"Venezuela is thinly populated, having about two and one-half millions of inhabitants. They still preserve the type of the Spanish race, which afforded them origin, though they have become largely a cosmopolitan race, due to the mixture with the natives. These have retained to a wonderful extent their primitive beauty, so the men are manly and symmetrical, the women graceful and beautiful."

"How is it about the wild horses our geographies describe as still roaming with flowing manes and foaming nostrils and llanoes and pampas?" asked Ronie.

"They disappeared before the buffalo vanished from your Western plains.

I would say also of the people, instead of the wild beauties your books tell you are yet living in almost primitive simplicity, you will find, when you get to the capital, women and maidens looking quite as anxiously for the fashion sheet from Paris as her sisters in New York.

We are apt to think the only civilization is that around us. How well do I remember that my first impressions were that the little s.p.a.ce about me in which I was reared comprised the world. Gradually my vision extended, and my knowledge expanded, until I find it is a big old world, and that it holds many people."

Colonel Marchand's kindly words, and his willingness to inform his friends, put our couple very much at their ease. Ronie improved the first opportunity to speak of that matter which was frequently uppermost in his mind, the finding of his mother's photograph under such peculiar circ.u.mstances. He was unable to offer any solution of the mystery, while he showed a deep concern.

"I cannot think your mother would come to this country, even with the hope of meeting you, without first sending me word of her intentions.

Of course, I should have tried and met her at La Guayra."

"You have not heard from her?"

"Not a word, though I did expect to get a letter in regard to your coming. I feel very sure the photograph must have been brought from New York by some disinterested party, who came into possession of it by accident. I cannot imagine anything else, though this is rather hard to believe."

Realizing that Colonel Marchand had affairs that needed his attention, Ronie and Jack asked if they might look about the town, and the simple request being granted, they pa.s.sed the next few hours in exploring the place, though finding little to interest them. The regular inhabitants had nearly all fled, and those who had remained appeared ill at ease under the existing conditions, as they might have been expected to be.

"I tell you what it is, Jack," said Ronie, "it looks to me as if these revolutions are sapping the very life out of the country."

"Ay, lad; and now it looks as if you and I were to become actors in one of them. I wonder what is going on yonder."

These words were spoken by Jack as their attention was caught by the sight of a group of people gathered near the building where they had been lodged. As they advanced with quickening steps, it became evident that a fight or street brawl was in process. Around this a couple of dozen or more civilians had cl.u.s.tered, and by the way they encircled the combatants it looked as if they were trying to shield them from the gaze of the soldiers, should any of these happen to come that way. For a wonder not one of these was in sight at that moment, though the steady tread of the sentry within the building could be heard as he paced back and forth with measured step.

"Better give them a wide berth," declared Jack. "It never does any one good to get mixed up in one of these senseless encounters. Why, if you should go to the a.s.sistance of one of them, thinking he was being abused, the chances are more than even he would join with the other in abusing you. By the horn of rock--Gibraltar, if you please! this does not seem to be a fight by common brawlers, for their _mantas_ show they belong to the better cla.s.s of civilians."

The garment which had attracted the attention of Jack was the _manta_ or _poncho_ made of white linen, which has the quality of repelling the heat of the sun on a warm day. These garments are worn almost continually by certain cla.s.ses, among them the vaqueros, or riders of the pampas. That of the latter consists of two blankets sewed together, one of a dark blue color and the other of a bright red.

These hues are universally selected for a purpose, as they receive light and heat differently, and are used so as to afford the best results. Thus in dark and cloudy days the dark side of the blanket is turned outward; on other days this is reversed. The double blanket thus formed is quite two yards square, with a hole in the center to admit the head of the owner. Its purpose is two-fold, to protect the rider from the heavy dews and showers of the tropics, and to spread under him at night when there is no place to sling up his hammock. But the effect of this linen _manta_ worn by these street fighters was even better than that of the woolen _cobija_ of the vaqueros. These _mantas_ worn by this twain were fancifully embroidered, and showed that they were expensive garments. At a distance they would present a striking, picturesque appearance.