Part 35 (2/2)
”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 s.n.a.t.c.hed from the midst of his men. Allow me to introduce Jaime de Oteros.”
His pluck evaporated, all his a.s.surance 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 s.h.i.+fty 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 sc.u.m 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 sc.u.m dat cause all de trouble. Him ride off from de ca.n.a.l works tinking he made fools of all ob us. But he hab to reckon wid very wise people. Ma.s.sa 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 ca.n.a.l 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 s.h.i.+ning 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 ca.n.a.l 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.
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