Part 26 (1/2)

”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 ca.n.a.l 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 ca.n.a.l 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 ca.n.a.l 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 ca.n.a.l, 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 a.s.sembled 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 ca.n.a.l. 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 fis.h.i.+ng. 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 fis.h.i.+ng. He'll pa.s.s 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 n.i.g.g.e.r. 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.