CHAPTER XXIX.
FRIENDS IN NEED.
The boys touched each other’s manacled hands,—to effect a handclasp wasimpossible,—as they passed down the stairway. Now that it seemed allover they felt strangely calm. They were determined, at all events, toshow no sign of flinching when the crucial moment came. Till that timethey both determined to keep up stout hearts.
“Ben Stubbs and Billy won’t fail us if its humanly possible to gethelp,” said Frank.
“But how are they to storm a whole garrison,” demanded Harrydespairingly. His contention did indeed seem unanswerable and, till theboys and their guards had reached the center of the courtyard, no morewords were exchanged. A command to halt was abruptly given by theofficer in charge and the boys were led over toward the blank wall,—onthe other side of which lay the cells, one of which they had occupiedthe preceding night.
The men who had led them there then shackled their ankles and producedtwo long bandages of cloth. The boys saw at once that these wereintended to blindfold them with. Both gave a shudder of repulsion.
Their signs of objection were noticed by the officer who, rightlyinterpreting them, ordered the men not to tie the bandages on.Apparently he thought that at such a moment an exact compliance withregulations didn’t matter.
At the last moment Frank suddenly thought of the jewels in his pocket.There was only one thing to do and that was to trust to the honor of theofficer in charge of the firing squad. He had not a bad face and evenseemed disposed to be friendly to what small extent he could. Frank,with his head, beckoned to him. He hurried up.
“Can you speak English?” asked Frank.
“A little;” replied the officer.
“At least you can understand what I am going to say,” replied Frank “youconsider a dying promise a solemn one.”
The officer nodded his head.
“I have something to send to my father after I am dead and I am going toentrust you with the commission,” went on Frank, “will you promise tocarry it out faithfully?”
With another vigorous nod of his head the Nicaraguan assented.
“It is your promise?”
“It is.”
“And you will keep it, as a man of honor and an officer?”
“Assuredly, Señor.”
“Then feel in my right-hand pocket and take out what you find there,”said Frank.
The officer plunged in his hand and drew it out with almost a cry ofamazement when he saw the magnificent rubies that lay flashing theircrimson fire in his brown palm.
“You see why I exacted such a solemn pledge from you,” said Frank, “suchrubies as these might tempt any man to break his word.”
“But I am a Spaniard, sir,” proudly replied the young officer drawinghimself to his full height.
Frank saw that he could trust him.
“You will deliver these to Señor Chester at La Merced,” he said, “andtell him that two are to be the portion of Señor Barnes, youunderstand,—one you will keep for your trouble.”
The officer replied that he comprehended his commission perfectly.
“And—and,” Frank hesitated; do what he could his eyes would fill withtears as he felt that he was making what would be his last request;“tell my father that we died like Americans and to break it to ourmother as gently as he can. I think that is all—and thank you.”
The young officer seized the boys’ manacled hands and pressed themimpulsively.
“Ever after this shall I respect Americans, Señor. Forgive me for what Ihave to do,—it is my duty. Your commission I swear to execute.”
With a sharp click of his heels he turned to the firing squad and stoodat attention with his sword at his shoulder at one end of the line oftwelve men.
The boys, standing side by side, heard the first command ring sharplyout.
“Ready,—present!”
“Aim!”
“Good-bye, Harry,” whispered Frank.
“Good-bye, old fellow,” rejoined his brother. Each was glad to noticethat there was not even a tremor in the other’s voice.
“Fi——”
The command was never finished.
The firing squad, had their fingers on their triggers when,—with a crashthat caused them to drop their weapons in sheer amazement,—a shellripped through the roof of the garrison trial room from which Rogerostood sombrely watching them. It exploded the next moment with a forcethat showered the boys with splinters and debris and killed several ofthe firing squad outright.
“FI——!” THE COMMAND WAS NEVER FINISHED.]
All thought of the execution was forgotten in the mad panic into whichthe garrison was immediately thrown. Men rushed about and officersshouted commands,—the very suddenness of the attack seemed to haveparalyzed the whole barracks. In the midst of the uproar and turmoilRogero,—his face ablaze with hate and rage,—rushed into the courtyard.He had been unhurt in the damage the shell had done to the roof as itripped through and was mad with fury. He struck right and left with theflat of his sword at the fleeing men and then, with a bellow of fury,made at Frank and Harry who, helpless and half-stunned by the explosionof the shell, had reeled back against the wall.
“Yankee pigs! You escaped the firing squad but I’ll run you through ifit’s the last act I perform on earth;” he yelled, rushing at them withhis drawn blade. The next minute it was struck out of his hand and hehimself knocked sprawling by a blow on the point of the chin.
“That’s the ticket for soup,” the boys heard a well-known voice cry out,as their enemy measured his length; “and if you want any more, my finerooster, we’ve got it on tap.”
“Ben Stubbs!” they cried out gleefully.
“Yes, and not forgetting one Billy Barnes of New York;” joyously shoutedthe young reporter, racing up to them, covered with dust, but yellinglike a Comanche, “as soon as you’ve got that hardware off you we’ll havea talk-fest—I want to interview you, for the _Planet_.”
“What on earth has happened?” gasped the boys who only a few secondsbefore had made up their minds to die—and were still dazed at theamazing turn events had taken—
“Happened?” shouted Stubbs. “Well, shipmates, in a way of speaking aboutforty things has happened at once,—like they does in a four-ring circus.You twist yer head off looking fer ’em. In the first place me and Billystole two mules, got up to La Merced right after I wrote that letter andtold the folks of your plight,—and, here they come right now with theAmerican consul.”
He pointed to the barrack gate where, pushing through the demoralizedcrowd of scared soldiers, came the well-known figure of Mr. Chester,followed by the stalwart Blakely, and Mr. Olivares the American Consul.
“Yes, but that shell,” demanded the boys, “which saved our lives.”
“Oh, that was our friend on the revolutionary gunboat at a little targetpractice I imagine,” grinned Billy Barnes. “I see it touched the spot,”he went on gazing about at the havoc and confusion.
And then further explanations were interrupted for a time while the boysand their father embraced and exchanged such greetings as may beimagined. It had been an anxious time for Mr. Chester and his lined faceshowed it.
“But thank heaven, it’s all over now, boys,” he exclaimed, “the UnitedStates has taken a hand in the mess.”
“What?” cried both the boys.
“Yes,” chimed in Mr. Olivares, “the _Yankee_ and the _Dixie_, cruisersarrived off the town this morning with Rear Admiral Kimball andLieutenant Commander Symington on board. They have orders fromWashington to see that peace is at once restored even if Zelaya has toabdicate,—which he probably will in favor of Madriz,” he added—andafter-events proved him correct.
“And on top o’ that,” exclaimed Ben Stubbs, unable to keep quiet anylonger, “our friend Ruiz gave the government the licking of their younglives at Bluefields yesterday and steamed down here on his gunboat justin time to fire that shell and throw a sca
re into the spiggtys at thevery physicky moment,”—Ben meant psychological moment.
“Does his wife know that General Ruiz is safe?” asked Harry eagerly,after the boys had related how they became leagued with the insurgents.
“Yes,” replied Mr. Chester, “the news was brought by a runner whomanaged to get through Rogero’s lines two days ago. Poor woman, sheswooned when she heard the news; but now she is perfectly recovered andwill be here with Don Pachecho to meet him shortly.”
All this time Billy Barnes had been mysteriously missing. Suddenly,however, he reappeared, accompanied by two staunch sergeants-of-marinesfrom the _Dixie_, leading between them a crumpled, despicable figurethat even the boys, who had good cause to remember him, had somedifficulty in recognizing as that of General Rogero. If it had beenanother man his condition would have been pitiful. As it was, nobodyfelt much sympathy for him.
“Well, we got him;” exclaimed Billy triumphantly, “caught him sneakinginto the hotel. Now, Mr. Consul, I want to turn this man over to yourcustody as the murderer of Dr. Moneague, who is wanted for that crime bythe New York police. I’ll just leave him here till I telegraph to myfriend Detective Connelly and file the story for my paper—it will be acrackerjack.”
He hurried off, leaving Rogero between his two guards,—facing a groupfrom none of which he had any right to look for mercy. His army hadevacuated Greytown in a hurry on the arrival of the American cruisers,as no one of the officers wanted to put himself in the position oftaking up arms against the American government. Rogero was thereforealone,—and guarding the town that he had entered in triumph not so verylong before, lay a revolutionary gunboat and two trim Yankee cruisers.
“Well,” he said bitterly, “you have me cornered but it’s not my faultthat I didn’t finish off those cubs there before you did.” He indicatedFrank and Harry. The boys turned away. It was not in their nature toexult over a fallen enemy.
“I know there is one possession of mine which you intend to have if youcan succeed in fixing this trumped up charge of murder on me and that isthis—” he went on as he drew out a bit of parchment from an innerpocket. “I’ll foil you,—thus,” he exclaimed suddenly and tore the planof the Toltec treasure trail into a thousand atoms.
“Werry pretty I must say,” spoke up Ben Stubbs, “but a waste of time,ship-mate,—that hole into the treasure cave is filled up by theairthquake and the only way to get at the mines will be in anotherairship.”
Rogero’s face was a study.
“What, you forestalled me there, too?” he muttered savagely.
“Well I reckon these boys did that,” cheerfully replied Ben, “andthereby saved me from a maroon’s grave.”
Rogero’s rage was frantic when he learned this. He snapped his teethwith impotent fury as he was led off to a cell to await the arrival ofextradition papers from New York. It might as well be said here that henever reached there. A few hours after he was placed in the cellhe,—through some attendant who was faithful to his wishes to the last,or whom, as was more probable, he had bribed,—obtained a phial ofpoison. When next his cell was visited by the guard the tempestuousgeneral of the Zelayan forces was finished with his earthly battles andhad been dead some time.
The boys’ irons were struck off as soon as a blacksmith could be foundin the panic-stricken city, and that evening they sat in the places ofhonor at a gay banquet given to the officers of the two cruisers by Mr.Chester and the American Consul, at the hotel where their adventures inNicaragua had begun. While the festivities were at their height aservant hastened in and whispered to Frank that a man wanted to see himoutside.
In the hall Frank found a ragged-looking fellow awaiting him who held inhis hand a skin-bag.
“You are the Señor Chester?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied Frank.
“Don Alejo he tell me give you dees,” said the figure and abruptlyvanished. Inside the bag lay all the ten rubies and with them a shortnote.
“You see that a Spaniard can keep his word as well as an American hiscourage,—I do not need the ruby you offered me,” was all it said.
On his return to the banquet room Frank was compelled to tell in detailall their adventures to the intense interest of the officers and ofAdmiral Kimball. A buzz of admiration went round the table from time totime as he modestly related their perils and mishaps.
Early the next day Admiral Kimball sent for the boys on board the_Dixie_ just as Frank and Harry were congratulating General and Mrs.Ruiz on their happy reunion and thanking the former for his speedyvoyage down the coast to their rescue.
“I have been much impressed with your courage and adroitness,” said theadmiral, when they were closeted with him in his private cabin, “and Ibelieve you are just the boys the government want for a particularlyperilous and dangerous mission,—will you undertake it?”
The boys eagerly pressed him for details, which he gave, while theireyes shone at the opportunities he unfolded to them for fresh adventuresand feats in a newer, greater aeroplane than even the _Golden Eagle_.
What the Government’s special air-ship assignment was and how theboys,—despite hardships and danger,—carried it through to a successfulconclusion will be told in the next volume of this series:—THE BOYAVIATORS ON SECRET SERVICE; OR, WORKING WITH WIRELESS.
THE END.
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