Part 39 (1/2)
”Oh? Is there a revolution, then, in the state of Bonista?”
”None that I know of,” Honda rejoined. ”Don Luis, I am from the national capital. I represent the government of the Republic of Mexico, and I have considerable power in this state. I am solely in command, at present, of all the national troops within this state. These army officers will a.s.sure you that I hold a national commission to investigate affairs even in this remote state of Bonista. I could show you my credentials from the national government, if it were worth while.”
”Then will you be good enough, Senor Honda, to tell me what you wish here.”
”Don Luis, I am here because I believe this to be one of the central points in the investigation that I am about to hold. I will come to the point at once. You have sold your mining property here.
One of my first acts will be to make sure that you do not draw the proceeds of the sale from any Mexican bank until after the national government is satisfied.”
”That is a high-handed proceeding, Senor Honda!” cried Montez, a deadly glitter in his eyes.
”It is such a proceeding as a national government may take at need,” replied Senor Honda, calmly. ”Of course, Don Luis, if your conduct in selling the mine is found to be blameless, then you will soon be able to use your money in any way that you please.
But, first of all, the government must be satisfied.”
”Have you any further questions that you wish to ask me at present?”
Montez demanded, suddenly.
Though he had kept himself rather calm up to the present, the rascal felt that he must soon vent the spite and hate welling up within him, or explode from the pent-up force of his own emotions.
The late mine owner, though he could not penetrate the mysteries of the present situation, was now sure that Tom Reade and Harry Hazelton must be in some way behind it. No matter what happened to him afterwards, Don Luis was now furiously bent on getting the young engineers off on the lonely mountain trail where Gato and his comrades were lying in wait for the two young Americans.
”I shall have no more questions for you, for the present,” Senor Honda replied. ”Just now I wish to have some conversation with these Americans.”
”Then come, senores,” cried Don Luis, with forced gayety, as he thrust a hand under the arms of Tom and Harry. ”Come, we will have our ride and our talk. We will be back here in half an hour and then we shall hear this affair through. Come!”
Tom Reade threw off the fellow's arm, exclaiming, warningly:
”If you touch me again, you snake in the gra.s.s, I'll reduce you to powder with a fist that's fairly aching to hit you!”
The vehemence of Tom's declaration made every one within hearing gasp with astonishment.
”What does this mean, Reade?” gasped President Haynes, looking thunderstruck.
”It means, sir,” reported Tom, wheeling about, ”that this fellow, Montez, threatened us with death if we did not sign a glaringly false report concerning _El Sombrero_ Mine. We were also to be killed if we did not stand by our report to the fullest degree after you and your friends arrived.”
”Then _El Sombrero_ Mine is worthless?” cried Mr. Haynes, his face turning a ghastly white.
”As far as I know, sir, or as far as Hazelton knows,” Tom Reade made prompt answer. ”_El Sombrero_ isn't worth the cost even of filling up the shaft.”
”And you, Reade--and you, Hazelton--the men we trusted implicitly--you stood by and saw us robbed!”
CHAPTER XXIV
CONCLUSION
”I don't blame you for being angry,” Tom answered, quickly. ”However, you may safely go a bit slow on the idea that we stood by to see you robbed, merely to save our lives. We had tried to escape from here. We even sent out two letters by secret messengers, these letters to be mailed at points distant from here. The letters would have told our friends in the United States what was up.
But, in some way of his own, Don Luis managed to catch the messengers and get hold of the letters.”
”Then,” added Harry Hazelton, ”we thought we were doomed if we didn't yield to Don Luis's commands. Even at that, we were prepared to accept death sooner than sell ourselves out. Death would have been the cheapest way out of the sc.r.a.pe. But at last we found a way of helping Don Luis in the way he wanted, and of getting square with the rascal at the same time. Tell them what I mean, Tom.”
”Why, it was like this,” said Tom, seating himself on the railing of the porch, and facing the a.s.semblage. ”Harry and I began to roam all over this property, as though to kill time. Out in Nevada, as it happens, we two and a friend of ours own a mine that seemed almost worthless. Almost by accident we discovered that we were working the mine just a little off from the real vein. Now, we didn't find that _El Sombrero_ was being worked off the vein.