Part 9 (1/2)
CHAPTER VII
ALL BUT KILLED
Undoubtedly an attempt had been made to deprive Hal of his charge. Had Hal waited another minute before discovering the absence of his possession, the thieves would certainly have escaped with the valuables.
”Yes, they are rogues,” said Mr. Brindle that evening, returning to the subject as he and Hal sat down to dinner, ”and the more I think about it the more certain I feel that I am right. After dinner we will endeavor to ascertain who they are.”
Accordingly, half an hour later, they rose from their seats, just as the train drew up at a platform, and walked from end to end of the long string of cars, failing, however, to see the two adventurers.
”They've gone; and, after all, it was to be expected,” exclaimed Mr.
Brindle. ”I suppose they slipped off a few minutes after boarding the train. There can have been no difficulty, as we crawled out of the station. Well, we shall not be troubled again; but let it be a lesson to you, Hal. Nowadays, one ought to be most careful when dealing with strangers.”
Sauntering back, they took their seats once more, and looked at the people on the platform. At length the bell clanged, and to the familiar cry of ”All aboard!” the cars were once more set in motion.
”Hallo! Those fellows were here all the time,” said Hal, glancing at two figures on the platform. ”Look, Mr. Brindle! There are the men who tried to steal the bag!”
”Ah, is that so, Hal?” exclaimed Mr. Brindle. ”Precious scoundrels they look too, and the one with the beard strikes me again as being a man I have met before. Well, we need not trouble, for the train is off, and they are left behind. Now, lad, we'll have a good sleep, and to-morrow, when we leave our berths for breakfast, we shall be within an hour of Sable Bay.”
Ten minutes later our hero was lying between the sheets, looking sleepily at the shaded electric light above him.
Meanwhile, what had become of the two men who had attempted to deprive Hal of the bag?
No sooner had the car pa.s.sed in which Mr. Brindle and his young engineer were seated, than the swarthy-looking foreigners leaped on to the step of the following one, and hastily pa.s.sing through the smoking-saloon, entered a small cupboard set apart for the porter.
”That was well managed, Senor Capitan,” the darker of the two at once exclaimed, seating himself. ”Ha, ha, did you not see them look at us? It is clear that they suspected our game, and no doubt their inspection of the cars was to discover us and have us ejected. We have played our cards well. While they fancy that we are miles behind them, we are in reality but a few yards away. No doubt this negro will entertain us till the time for action arrives, and then we will have the gold you say the bag contains, even though that stalwart young Englishman objects.”
He spoke in Spanish, gesticulating and gabbling the words, and introducing a tone of marked disdain when alluding to the porter. There was little doubt that he was a half-caste, and owed some part of his existence to the negro race to which he had alluded with such contempt.
”When do we make the attempt, Senor Capitan?” he asked. ”See, it is half-past eight now, and the majority of pa.s.sengers are thinking of going to bed. Shall you try at midnight, or will you think it best to wait till the early hours of to-morrow?”
The man addressed did not answer for the moment, but, removing the beard from his chin, slowly rolled a cigarette. He was a small, active-looking man, of undoubted Spanish blood. At first sight he would have been called a handsome fellow, but a glance at his eyes and mouth altered that impression. There was something not altogether pleasing about him.
”You are overhasty, and forget yourself, Pedro,” he said at length. ”One would have thought that it was all of your planning. Remember that it was I who decided how we would act; and do not forget that in undertaking to abstract this bag, I am risking far more than you.”
”For which you will, no doubt, extract a proportionately large share of the booty,” grumbled the one who had been called Pedro.
”Perhaps. And why not? Am I not the leader? and are you not the servant?
But do not let us argue so, or we might quarrel, and that would be bad for one of us. Listen to me, and see that you do not interrupt. This English brat, who just awoke in time to upset the plan which I had devised so carefully, is still in charge of the precious bag for which we have traveled so far, and from which we hope to recoup ourselves. We know that he is about to retire for the night, for the porter has told us so. Very good. What of the others? They are weary, and will turn in early, so as to awake fresh and rested to-morrow. Our accomplice here, the negro whom you scowl at so heavily, will tell us when all in that car have retired. That will be our time. Any noise we may make will be unnoticed, owing to the fact that it is so early; while if this young fool of an Englishman shouts--well, perhaps the rattle of the train will drown everything!”
”Perhaps,” Pedro growled. ”And what if the sounds are heard?” he asked.
”Supposing the Senor Englishman cries loudly for help?”
”Ah! then he must look to himself. We will deal gently with him till then; but if he refuses to be silent----In any case, you have the revolver and some inches of steel? Now we understand each other,” said the Spaniard. ”We will wait till all is clear, when we will enter the Senor Englishman's compartment and bind him. That done, this porter will signal for the cars to stop and will raise an alarm. Of course he will not know precisely what has happened, nor, if questions are asked will he have an idea of the appearance of the two mountebanks who have dared to commit robbery on the cars. Our friend, the Senor Brindle, will not dream of us; for did he not see us descend from the cars some miles back? By the time the pa.s.sengers have collected their senses we shall be a mile behind, hidden in the forest, and it will be evil luck indeed if the bag which we covet is not with us. Then back to 'the ever-faithful island,' Cuba, the island of freedom, where a Spaniard who is poor may live in contentment, certain of being able to return to his native country with provision for the remainder of his life, and all plucked from the islanders. Yes, Pedro, we will return home and, later on, we will repeat the process of bleeding the Senor Brindle.”
”Buenos, Senor Capitan! You are a veritable wonder!” Pedro cried excitedly, waving his cigarette in the air, and patting his comrade on the knee. ”And now to pa.s.s the time. It is dull sitting here doing nothing but smoke and listen to the rattle of the train. Here, boy, bring gla.s.ses and a bottle.”
Thus addressed, the porter produced a decanter of liquor and two tumblers, and for an hour or more the two conspirators refreshed themselves, and carried on an eager conversation in low tones, in the voluble, gesticulating manner common to their countrymen. At length the porter, who had departed and left them to themselves, returned to inform them that all was clear.
”Now for the money, Pedro!” the Spaniard exclaimed. ”Wait, though; let us pay this good fellow for his services.”