Produced by Al Haines
Cover art]
Round the World Library No. 86
Where Duty Called
OR
IN HONOR BOUND
By
VICTOR ST. CLAIR
Author of "On His Merit," "Zip, the Acrobat," "Cast Away in theJungle," etc.
STREET & SMITH CORPORATION
PUBLISHERS
79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York
Copyright, 1904
By STREET & SMITH
Where Duty Called
All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreignlanguages, including the Scandinavian.
Printed in the U. S. A.
Contents
Chapter
I. "A Grand Opportunity." II. A Suspicious Craft. III. The Young Exile. IV. Put in Irons. V. Escape from the _Libertador_. VI. A Swim for Life. VII. Taken Ashore. VIII. Jaguar Claws. IX. The Mystery of the Photograph. X. "We have been Betrayed!" XI. A Perilous Flight. XII. A Lonely Ride. XIII. In the Enemy's Country. XIV. Indian Warfare. XV. A Friendly Voice. XVI. Colonel Marchand. XVII. A Cunning Ruse. XVIII. Ronie Receives a Commission. XIX. The Scout in the Jungle. XX. Adventures and Surprises. XXI. "The Mountain Lion." XXII. A Fight with the Guerillas. XXIII. The News at La Guayra. XXIV. Interview with General Castro. XXV. The Spy of Caracas. XXVI. "It is Manuel Marlin!" XXVII. Good News. XXVIII. Victory and Peace.
WHERE DUTY CALLED.
CHAPTER I.
"A GRAND OPPORTUNITY."
"Hurrah, boys! here is a letter from home. At least, it is from thehomeland, as it is postmarked New York. Who can be writing us fromthat city?" and the youthful speaker, in his exuberance of feeling,waved the missive over his head, while he began to dance a lively step.
"I know of no better way to find out than to open it, Harrie, or letone of us do it for you; you seem suddenly to have lost your facultyfor doing anything rational yourself. Hand it to Jack if you do notwant to trust me with it."
"Your very words, to say nothing of your impatient gestures, Ronie,show that you are not one whit less excited than I am over receivingsome news from the great world outside of this lost corner," repliedthe first speaker, beginning to tear open the end of the bulky envelopehe held in his hand.
"There must be a lot of news, judging by the size of the package," saidthe second, approaching so he could look over the shoulder of hiscompanion while he tore open the covering.
"Go slow, lads," said a third person, who had been sitting slightlyapart from the others, but who moved near to the twain now. "It won'tdo to get unduly excited in this climate."
The three were none other than our old friends of the jungles of Luzon,Ronie Rand, Harrie Mannering and Jack Greenland, whose exploits inopening up one of the great forest tracts on that island were describedin "Cast Away in the Jungle," first of THE ROUND WORLD SERIES. Theyhad not been long in Manilla, the capital of the island, sincecompleting that hazardous undertaking, when an incoming steamer broughtthem the letter which awakened such an interest, and which was to playsuch an important part in their future actions. As its bulk indicated,it was a lengthy epistle, and this length was more than doubled inreading matter by the fine chirography which covered its large pages.
Standing where he could not scan the mysterious pages, Professor Jackfell to watching the countenance of Harrie Mannering as he followedwith his eye the closely written pages. As he read, his features beganto change their expression from gayety to seriousness, and by the timehe had finished a puzzled look had settled upon his sunburned butgood-looking face, and his lips, forming themselves unconsciously intoa pucker, gave vent to a prolonged whistle. Then, as if to obtain amore comprehensive understanding of the message, he returned to thebeginning, and was about to read it through again, when Jack said:
"Look here, boy, you are taking an unfair advantage of a fellow. Youmust know that I am just as much interested in news from the homelandas you, so read it aloud this time. If it is good news, I want toenjoy it with you; if it is bad news, then I certainly ought to shareit with you."
"Forgive me, or rather us, Jack--for I am sure Ronie has seen everyword--but it is all so strange and unexpected that my head is not quiteclear yet as to whether I have been reading or dreaming."
"Then it is all the more necessary that I should hear it, as it ispossible my poor head may help unravel the skein. You remember thestory of the great novelist, Sir Walter Scott, who, upon recoveringfrom a long illness, was given a book to read for amusement. But uponreading the book, he could get so little sense out of it that he fearedhe had lost his reason. In this perplexed state of mind he handed thework to another to read without giving his reason, while he waitedanxiously for the result. She, after reading a few chapters, threw thebook aside, declaring it was such senseless twaddle that she did notcare to follow it any further, whereupon the great author breathedeasier."
"No offense was meant, Jack, and I will try and make amends at once.In the first place, this is an invitation for us to start upon anotherundertaking somewhat similar to the one we have just completed."
"What! return to the jungles of Luzon?"
"No; it is to South America this time--to Venezuela. A party of men,some of whom are connected with the local government, are anxious toopen up the interior of the country in quest of rubber trees. Thewriter, who is one of the company, and, I judge, an influential member,has recommended us as 'capable persons'--you needn't laugh, Ronie, forthose are his words--to survey and engineer for the party. If weconclude to go, he wants us to meet him at Caracas as soon as possible.In the meantime, he will get everything in readiness to start as soonas we arrive. I am at a loss to know what to think of it. The writer,who is Colonel Rupert Marchand, is very enthusiastic over the scheme,and he seems anxious that we should come. I never thought the colonelwas one to get wild over anything that was not likely to provesuccessful."
Jack made no reply in words, but took the letter from the hand of hisyoung friend, and began to hastily run over its contents, saying, byway of apology for his action:
"You will pardon me, Harrie, but it may not be best for us to readaloud or talk to any great extent here. There may be those about whosemotives are not friendly."
Thinking this suggestion a wise one, Harrie and Ronie willinglyfollowed their companion to a more retired place, where the three spentfully five minutes looking over the lengthy missive together before oneof them spoke. Then Ronie said:
"Well, what do you think of it, Jack?"
"That it is a grand opportunity for two such adventure-loving fellowsas you are to embrace. But I would not advise less daring andenergetic youths to think of it for a moment."
"So you think there is likely to be some dangerous experiences attachedto the journey?"
"It has all of that appearance, though you may come out of it without ascratch. Colonel Marchand, unless I have misjudged him, is just such aman as would throw all thought of hazard to the wind if the prize wasworth striving for."
"You do not believe he would lead any one into needless danger, Jack?"
"Certainly not; he is too good a soldier for that, and you know he madean honorable record in our recent war with Spain."
"I judge, then, you think the people we should be likely to fall amongmight be a dangerous element," said Ronie.
"That is just what I meant. The inhabitants of the interior of thecountry where he would have you go are treacherous and dangerous, ifthey happen to take a dislike to you; and that they are more prone todislike than to like has been my experience."
"What about t
his rubber business?" said Harrie. "Colonel Marchandspeaks as if he wants us to take an interest in the company as part payfor our work. He seems very enthusiastic over that."
"His excuse for having us take some shares is that we might possiblyhave more interest in the venture," said Ronie. "That stipulationmakes me think there may be some sort of a trap to inveigle us into aprofitless adventure, though I do not think the colonel would do that."
"You are as well able to judge of that as I am. In regard to therubber part of the venture, to use a poor simile, that is very elastic.Unless you have given the matter some consideration you will not, atfirst thought, realize the importance of that commodity, which mustgovern the possibilities of the article in the markets. I willacknowledge that I am very favorably impressed with the idea. Rubberis fast becoming one of the most important commercial articles inexistence. Turn whichever way you will, do whatever you wish, and youwill almost invariably find that rubber is the most necessary thingneeded.
"Not only is it used in large quantities toward helping clothe men andcreatures, but it is used in house furnishings, such as mattings forfloors, stairs and platforms, on board of ships, as well as in houses,and in hundreds of other places. It is utilized largely in themanufacture of druggists' materials; in the manufacture of all kinds ofinstruments and machinery that require pliable bearings and supporters,printers' rollers, wheel tires, rings on preserve jars. Erasers onlead pencils call for tons of the article.
"Then steam mills must have rubber belts, cars rubber bearings, and gasworks call for miles of rubber hose, to say nothing of that used ingardens and on lawns. Billiard tables alone call for nearly a third ofa million dollars' worth of rubber every year, while over a milliondollars are spent for the rubber used in baseball and football!Typewriters call for a vast amount; so do the makers of rubber stamps,water bottles, trimmings for harness, and fittings for pipes of onekind and another. Altogether, the rubber factories of the UnitedStates alone utilize sixty million pounds of rubber annually. You willnot wonder now if I say that rubber ranks as third among the imports ofthe country, and that its handling is one of the most profitablecallings of the day. If this is the electrical age, as it has beencalled, it is rubber that makes possible the many applications ofelectricity."
"I had not thought it of such importance," remarked Harrie, frankly."Where does it all come from?"
"A very pertinent question," replied Jack. "Originally it came fromIndia, hence the name of India rubber, which still clings to it, thoughthe great bulk now, and that which is of the better quality, comes fromother countries. Foremost among these is South America. It is true alarge amount comes from Central America, the west part of Africa, andthe islands of the Indian Archipelago, but the best rubber comes fromthe great belt of lowlands bordering upon the Amazon, the Rio Negro andthe Orinoco, the last named tract lying largely in Southern Venezuela.This country in many respects is the Eldorado of South America."
"Then we shall not be going into a country without at least one sourceof wealth."
"No; Venezuela is wonderfully well favored by nature. Capable ofproducing abundant supplies of first quality coffee, sugar cane, cocoapalm and cotton plant, it has its rich gold mines, its mines ofasphalt, affording paving enough for the cities of the world; whilelast, but not least, are its rubber forests, which have only veryrecently been considered as a valuable and available resource. It ishere American capital has entered the field of conquest."
"Do you think we had better go there, Jack?"
"That is a question you must answer yourselves. I know you will notact hastily, and, having acted, will not regret the step taken."
"What about the climate, Jack?" asked Harrie. "I believe you have beenthere?"
"Yes, I have been there," replied the other, shaking his grizzled headslowly, "and it was likely at one stage of the scene that I should staythere forever. But I am not answering your question. The climate ofSouth America, as a whole, is not very bad, though much of itsterritory lies within the torrid zone. This is largely due to localmodifications. The burning heat of the plains of Arabia is unknown inthe western hemisphere. The hottest region of South America, as far asI know, is the steppes of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela; but eventhere the temperature does not reach a hundred degrees in the shade,while it rises to one hundred and twelve degrees in the sand desertssurrounding the Red Sea. In the basin of the Amazon, owing to theprotection of vast forests and the influence of prevailing easterlywinds, offshoots of the trade winds, which follow the great rivernearly to the Andes, the climate is not very hot or unhealthy."
"What do you say, Ronie? Is it go, or stay here until something elsecomes our way?"
"I will suggest the way I would settle it. Let each one take a slip ofpaper, and, without consulting the Others, write upon it his answer.Whatever two of us shall say to be our decision, to go or to remainhere."
His companions were nothing loath to agree to this, so paper andpencils were quickly obtained, and each one wrote his reply. Uponcomparing notes a moment later, it was found that all three had writtenthe short but decisive word:
"Go!"