Part 26 (2/2)
”It is your duty, lads, to remain here. I know Captain de Caprian would wish it. Look sharp to yourselves, while I join the troops in their welcome to El Capitan.”
The young engineers were fain to agree to this, feeling that it was better they should. Especially was this the situation as they were not regularly attached to the regiment.
The ”welcome” extended to El Capitan and his followers was given near the lower end of the town, where the mountain ranges drew so near together that the valley was narrow, uncomfortably narrow for the surprised insurgents. El Capitan will never forget that ”welcome,” nor will his men, who quickly scattered like sheep scaling the mountainside. If outnumbering the government troops three to one, numbers did not count then. Among those who won special distinction was Manuel Marlin.
As soon as he could do so, Captain de Caprian sought his American friends to congratulate them, while he described the complete victory of his troops. Altogether, it was a happy occasion to them.
”I shall order an immediate return to the capital,” declared the young patriot. ”You had better go to Caracas with us, friends.”
They were nothing loath to do this, and it was an exceedingly happy company which found its way back to the mountain citadel, where they were hailed with delight by the president himself. El Capitan, the insurgent chief who had been so feared, was turned over to the proper authorities, while Manuel Marlin, in consideration of his recent bravery, was fully pardoned for any error of the past. Our friends at this time witnessed what seemed to them rather a peculiar trait of public justice. This was the return to Caracas of El Mocho, who, it will be remembered, had been kept a prisoner at San Carlos for a long time. He had been accused, and apparently with good reason, of infidelity to the government. But this was now overlooked, and General Castro openly welcomed him to his arms, upon his promise to be faithful in the future.
”It is a good specimen of South American sense of justice,” remarked Jack. ”One day a man is hunted as an enemy, and the next he is embraced as a loved friend. It may be all right. I cannot say.”
In their happiness our heroes had no desire to criticise, much more to condemn, such a practice. Ronie was extremely thankful for this meeting with his mother. While they had many explanations to make and long stories to tell of what had happened since their parting, there is little I need repeat here. It was perfectly natural that Mrs. Rand should seek to improve the opportunity to meet Ronie in Caracas, and she did not dream of the suffering it was going to cost her, of the terror of captivity or the horrors of her long imprisonment, but these had been safely pa.s.sed, and all felt like rejoicing over the outcome.
Another couple especially happy were Francisco and his mother, whom our Americans quickly learned to love and respect. She proved indeed to be a gentlewoman of the n.o.blest type, who adored her patriotic son.
Naturally it was not long before our engineers felt it was time for them to move on their work, but this could not be done until Colonel Marchand, who joined with them in their happiness, could recover from his wounds so as to accompany them. While these healed, and our friends pa.s.sed the time pleasantly in the capital, flitting back and forth between their friends, the warlike affairs of the republic grew apace. There was some fighting to be done, but mainly it had come to be a matter of diplomacy and argument between the powers, until finally the glad news of a peaceful negotiation came to them.
Once more President Castro had triumphed, achieving this time, it seemed, his grandest victory. When the account of this rang over the mountain city our American engineers began to prepare for an arduous campaign of an altogether different kind from that which befell them when they were COMRADES UNDER CASTRO.
THE END.
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