The Hero of Panama: A Tale of the Great Canal

  CHAPTER VI

  A Shot in the Dark

  Folks in the Panama zone do not keep late hours as a rule, for workbegins at an early hour, and he who would be fresh and ready must seekhis bed early. However, Jim and his friends were not to find repose onthis, almost their first night ashore, as readily as they imagined.Indeed they were to meet with an adventure which was startling, to saythe least of it. They were seated in the parlour, Jim and Phineas,discussing their work, while Sadie had retired for the night. Tom andSam were engaged in an animated conversation in the back regions, and,no doubt, were themselves preparing to turn in. Not one had an idea thata stranger was prowling about outside the house.

  "Thought I heard someone about," Jim had remarked, some few minutesearlier, but Phineas had shaken his head emphatically.

  "Imagination!" he cried. "There's no one comes around here atnighttimes. You see, this house lies away from the others, and up thehill. Unless a friend's coming up to smoke a pipe with me, there's noone this way of an evening; they don't fancy the climb. Sit down again,Jim. How much do you think you're going to earn on that digger?"

  Jim threw himself into his chair again, let his head drop back, andclosed his eyes. He already had an inkling of what he would earn. Thethought had brought him vast pleasure; for there was enough to pay forhis own and Sadie's keep.

  "Three dollars, fifty cents, less fifty cents a day for food," he said,after a while.

  "Put it at four dollars fifty," said Phineas. "Four dollars fifty cents,less fifteen cents for your dinner. T'other meals you take here. Soyou'll net four dollars twenty-five a day, and free quarters."

  "One moment," exclaimed Jim. "Free quarters! No, Mr. Phineas. You mustallow me to pay my way. I couldn't stop with you without making somesort of contribution to the expenses of the house."

  "Just as I should have thought," said Phineas, smiling at him. "Any chapwith a little pride would want to pay his way: but these quarters arefree. The Commission gives you so much a day, and free quarters. If Ichoose to have a companion, he don't have a call to pay for the rooms heuses; so that's wiped off. Then as to food: if you pay twenty-five centsa day for yourself, thirty for Sadie, seeing that she's only small,making fifty-five, and another ten for general expenses, there'll benothing more to be said. How's that?"

  Jim thought it was extremely fair, as indeed it was, and at once agreed.The arrangement would allow of his putting by some twenty dollars aweek, and at the end of a year he told himself that that would mount toa nice little sum. But again he heard a sound outside, and rose to hisfeet.

  "I'm sure I heard a footstep," he exclaimed. "There!"

  Phineas was doubtful, still he went to the door with him, and emerged onto the balcony. There was no one to be seen, and it was so dark that hadthere been anyone they would have escaped detection. They retired again,therefore, to the parlour, unaware of the figure skulking close down atthe foot of the veranda. The man--for a man it undoubtedly was--rose tohis feet stealthily, and stood there listening for a while, till heheard voices coming from the parlour. Then he clambered on to theveranda by way of the steps, and crept towards the square patch of lightwhich indicated the gauze-covered window of the parlour. Slowly heraised his head till he was able to look into the room. As he did so,the lamplight flickering through fell upon his head and shoulders sothat one could get some impression of his appearance. Decidedly short instature, the man's face was swarthy, while the eyes seemed to be smalland unusually bright, quite a feature of the face, in fact. He wore along, flowing, black moustache, while his chin was covered with astubbly growth a week old; but there was something about the face whichimmediately attracted one's attention more than any other feature. Itwas the mouth. The lips were parted in something resembling a snarl,showing a set of irregular white teeth, which with the lamplight shiningon them looked cruel. A Spaniard one would have said at once. More thanthat, his features were familiar. Little did Jim guess that the ruffianstaring in upon him was one of those who had fought for the boats in thewaist of the foundering ship on which he had been voyaging to New York,and that he himself had incurred the man's hatred by a blow which, nowthat the matter was over, he could not remember having given. But one'sactions in the heat of a contest often pass utterly unnoticed andunremembered. Jim had no idea now that this same man had dashed at himwith a drawn knife, and that he had floored him with a straight blowfrom his fist between the eyes. However, if he had no recollection theruffian had.

  "The very one," he told himself, with a hiss of anger, as he peeped inat the two unconscious men. "See the pup. He sits there chatting as ifhe had no fear, and as if he expected a Spaniard to forget. But I am notone of those; a blow for a blow, I say. I meant to thrust my knifebetween his ribs aboard the ship; now I will put lead into him. It willbe more certain."

  His hand went unconsciously to his face, and for a few moments he lethis fingers play very gently about his nose, for that was the organ onwhich Jim's fist had descended with such suddenness and weight. Even nowit was decidedly tender, and pained the man as he touched it. Thatcaused his sinister, bright, little eyes to light up fiercely, while thelips curled farther back from his cruel, irregular teeth as the fingersof the other hand fell upon the butt of a revolver tucked into his belt.

  "A blow for a blow; if not with the knife, then with the bullet.He who strikes a Spaniard must reckon with the consequences, andafterwards--pouff! there will be no afterwards. The bullet will endeverything."

  Slowly he drew the weapon, and pulled the hammer back with his thumbtill it clicked into position.

  "What was that?" asked Jim, hearing the sound distinctly. Even Phineasheard it this time, and stood to his feet.

  "Perhaps one of the boys is outside; perhaps your Tom, or Sam," he saidswiftly. "Certainly there is someone; we'll go and see."

  He went towards the door, while Jim rose from his chair and movedtowards him. It was an opportunity of which the Spaniard took thefullest advantage.

  "Now or never," he told himself. "If they come out, my chance is gone."

  He lifted the weapon till it was on a level with his face. Then hedirected it through the gauze window at Jim, and, pressing heavily onthe trigger, finally released it. Click!

  An oath escaped him, for the weapon had missed fire, while the two menwithin the room had already reached the door. He pulled again, till thehammer swung upward. Bang! There was a deafening report, a neat littlehole was torn in the gauze, while the leaden messenger he had dischargedstruck the doorpost, an inch above our hero's head, with a thud whichcaused him to start. As for the Spaniard, he did not wait to see whatsuccess he had had. He turned on his heel and fled down the steps of theveranda, and out into the night.

  "Gee! A shot! There was someone outside then!"

  Phineas swung round swiftly to stare at Jim. The latter nodded curtly.

  "Yes," he agreed. "A shot. There's the bullet."

  He took the lamp from the table and held it up towards the doorpost.

  "Just an inch above my head," he smiled. "I heard the thing bang intothe woodwork, and felt the wind of the shot. Close, Mr. Phineas!"

  "But--but who fired it? Why? Where from?"

  There were a thousand questions he wished to ask, and only the lastcould Jim answer. He took his friend to the copper gauze stretchingacross the window, which was otherwise devoid of covering, for no glasswas employed, and again with the help of the lamp showed him a neatlittle round hole punched through the gauze.

  "He stood outside there and stared in at us," he said, putting theevents as he guessed them. "He cocked his pistol, and we heard thenoise. Then he fired as we got to the door. Queer, isn't it, Mr.Phineas?"

  "Queer! It's downright, cold-blooded attempt at murder!" shoutedPhineas. "Call those boys."

  But there was no need to summon them. Tom and Sam were already at thedoor, while Ching was in the passage, a swaying lantern in his hand.

  "What dat?" asked Tom, his eyes beginning to bulge. "Someone fire ashot. Tom not like dat
at all; he tink someone try to kill him."

  "Boys," said Phineas, keeping perfectly cool, "some scoundrel came tothe window of the parlour and fired at Jim here. He missed him by aninch. We must follow and take the fellow, whoever he may be; it may bethe work of a lunatic. Bring along that lamp, Ching."

  "One moment!" cried Jim. "Best leave someone here in case the fellowreturns. Tom, you look after the house. I can trust you to frightenanyone away. Sam and Ching will come with us. Sam, we want you to openthose eyes of yours extra wide: that fellow must be followed. Now, arewe ready? But first, has anyone seen a stranger about here to-day?"

  "Seed a nasty-lookin' Spaniard, I did," admitted Sam, his eyes shiningbright and eager in the lamplight. "Him one of de crowd working on decanal I tink; but me recognize him. Same man aboard de steamer, sah; yoknock him down when he come for yo wid a knife. Yo go bang, squelch! Himflop over on to him back, den creep away growling out, and sayin' tingsbeneath him breath. Him nasty fellow altogether."

  "Then there is the motive for the crime," declared Phineas at once."There is never any telling what some of these Southerners will do. Nodoubt, in the course of the fight aboard the ship, you knocked him down,though from the look of your face you evidently don't remember thematter. See here, Jim; let Tom go with you. I forgot that I have abroken arm, and am more likely to delay you; but I'll telephone down tothe police headquarters in Colon, and put them on the watch. I supposeyou'll follow?"

  Jim nodded promptly. "At once," he said with decision. "If I passed thematter now, he would make a second attempt, and I don't much fancy that.Sam's a splendid tracker, and if there's a mark he will be able to findit. Then come along, boys. Ching, bring the lamp; perhaps there'sanother we can have?"

  It took but a few minutes to discover another lamp, then the party setout. Meanwhile the diminutive Sam, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm,had been moving swiftly about the house outside.

  "Seen de footmarks, sah," he said, as Jim came out to join him, with Tomand Ching in close attendance. "Look, sah: he come up to de house byhere, and hide under de veranda. Den he creep on to it. Dere de muddyboots make a mark. He stand at de window and shoot bang right through.Plenty more mark outside. Soon find de villain."

  It had rained that evening, soon after the whistles had sounded for themen to cease work, and, since this side of the isthmus gets more than afair share of wet weather, the ground is generally somewhat soft. Infact, it was just the place a criminal should not have selected, for itgave opportunities of tracking even to amateurs. But Sam was no amateur.

  "When I live down south, often track de nigger," he explained to Ching;whereat the lanky, thin Chinaman wagged his head, shaking his pigtailfrom side to side.

  "Ob course not so easy, not at all, siree," added Sam, an air ofimportance about him. "Specially when dere so many mens about. But yosee, yo China boy; me soon come up wid dis fellow, and den skin umalive, cook um, see?"

  He gritted his sharp teeth together, and in the lamplight lookedparticularly fierce. Indeed the jolly little fellow seemed to betransformed by the work so unexpectedly placed before him. He wasdesperately serious now, and eager to proceed with the quest.

  "By de poker, but yo talk a heap!" exclaimed Tom, taking the lamp fromChing. "Now yo, Sam, yo get to work quick. Me help, but not jaw; time tochatter when de man found."

  "Den yo follow here. See dis! He shoot through de window and den run. Hejump from the veranda and come all ob a heap, so he did. Ha! Yo can seedat, eh? Eben a big, fat nigger same as you, Tom, can see dat?"

  Tom wisely ignored the remark. He followed Sam's indicating finger,noticed that the dirt marks on the veranda were widely splayed out, asfrom the feet of a man who was in a hurry, and again saw them, togetherwith a long, curling impression on the soil at the foot of the veranda,showing where the criminal's feet had slipped. Nor was that all. Onecould detect the spot where his hands had met the earth, together with adeeper mark where the muzzle of the revolver he had used had burieditself in the clay.

  "Him sure enough, de blackguard!" growled Tom. "Now den."

  Sam led them away from the house at a rattling pace, that caused Jim tomarvel. But the little fellow was no fool at the art of tracking, whilehis eyes, usually so slothful in appearance, were now evidently verysharp and observant. And if our hero thought at times that he was beingled on a wild-goose chase, Sam was always able to demonstrate that suchwas not the case at all.

  "Yo tink me not on de track?" he asked, after a while, when they pausedto gather their breath. "Well, den, see here. De same marks all dewhile. Him run like a hare; him wonder if him followed. Soon we come tode house where him hide. Den look out for fireworks. Him shoot like mad.Sam know de sort ob fellow."

  The mere suggestion caused our hero to stop and think a little. That adastardly attempt had been made to kill him he was now sure, and therehad crept into his memory, as he followed Sam, the incident aboard theship which seemed to have been the cause of this attempt on his life. Herecollected that a brutal-looking Spaniard, some forty years of age, hadrushed at him, and had been sent reeling backward. Then the man haddrawn a knife, and had come on again furiously. Jim now brought to hismind his own behaviour. In the heat and turmoil of the contest, when itseemed that the Spaniards would prove too strong for the captain'sparty, and before the lusty Tom had put in an appearance, the man hadrushed furiously forward, and he (Jim) had met him with a terrible blowof his fist. He had seen the ruffian fly backwards and tumble on hisback; then the arrival of Tom, and the forward movement of the wholeparty had occupied all his thoughts, to the neglect of an incident whichseemed to be done with.

  "And Sam thinks he'll shoot again. Shouldn't wonder," he said tohimself. "Still, there's no reason why I should funk following him. Hehas to be apprehended, for otherwise he might try to shoot someone elsewho had a hand in that fight. Get along, Sam," he called out cheerily."If there are fireworks we must deal with them. I'm game to tackle thefellow again."

  Tom looked round at him severely. "Yo's got to go extra careful, sah,so yo hab," he said. "Dis fellow not care wheder yo white man; no, notone little piece. He shoot yo down like a dog. Yo leab him to Tom."

  "To a big hulking fellow like you! I like that," laughed Jim. "You'dcertainly be shot. You couldn't escape a bullet. But we'll see. If he'sto be found, we'll take him, however many bullets he may let off."

  They pushed on again in wake of Sam, and followed the tracks at ajog-trot. They led in the direction of Colon, and when near theoutskirts of the town, turned towards a hut lying to one side of theroad.

  "Him dere fo shore," declared Sam, pointing. "You find him in de hut.But mind what Sam say. Dis Spaniard not like to be taken. He shoot ateberyone. Him blaze away widout looking to see who it am. Sah, better yostay away back here. Tom and Sam and Ching soon finish de hash of datruffian."

  It was comical and somewhat pathetic to watch their care of Jim, for Tomand the Chinaman both joined with Sam in requesting our hero to remainat a distance. But Jim was not the lad to shelter himself behind thefigures of such faithful fellows. Rather was he the one to place himselfin the van, to take all risks himself, so that those who obeyed hisorders should not be the ones to suffer. Besides, a leader should lead.

  "Boys," he said, as if he had not heard them, "we'll surround that hut.Tom at the front, Sam at the back, Ching on the far side, and I willmake for the window through which a light is shining. By the way, bestdouse our lamps. They would show our position. And, another thing, ifthat fellow rushes at us, or begins to fire, knock him down flat. Don'tbe too easy with him. I've heard of these wild Spaniards before. Ofcourse they're not all the same as this one. Indeed, Mr. Barton tells methat they are well-behaved as a rule. But this man seems to have a beein his bonnet, or he wouldn't think so much of that blow I gave him.Anyway, if he rushes, knock him flat. Savvy?"

  Ching grinned. The slothful-looking Chinaman enjoyed the thought of aknockout blow, for this Oriental had been now so long resident in theStates of America that he had
actually acquired some knowledge of theart of boxing. He grinned widely, and began to wrap his swinging pigtailabout the top of his head. Sam's eyes bulged widely open; he lookedpositively ferocious, and stared at the hut as if he wished the contesthad already begun. But Tom only laughed inaudibly, and rubbed the palmsof his big hands together.

  "By de poker, but if him come up agin dat, him not know wheder him manor monkey," he said, doubling an enormous fist. "Massa Jim, yo not tall'nough to look in at de window. Better leave dat to Tom. Yo go to defront; plenty chance of fightin' dere."

  It was only another attempt of the big negro to place our hero out ofdanger, and Jim promptly scouted the suggestion.

  "You'll go to your stations right off," he commanded. "If I whistle, youcan come along and join me. The first thing to be done is to see if thefellow is in there."

  "Dat sartin; I know him dere. I ready to swear it," declared Sam.

  "Then come along."

  Without more ado Jim led the way, and presently, when they were within astone's throw of the hut, they separated, each to seek the position towhich he had been appointed. Jim himself stole on tiptoe towards thewindow of the hut, and, having arrived at it, lifted his head inch byinch, and, pulling off his cap, stared into the room. Then he bobbeddown again, and had circumstances permitted of it he would certainlyhave whistled; for there were five men assembled in the hut, and one ofthe number was undoubtedly the man for whom he and his friends had setout, the one, in fact, who had that very evening attempted to kill him.In a flash he recognized the ruffian. Then his eye ran swiftly round thecircle grouped about a rough plank table, on which bottles and glasseswere to be seen, and promptly the faces struck him as likenesses ofthose he had observed the evening before on a slip presented to allworking on the canal. It was a police notification, and had been sent toPhineas so that, in appointing European labourers, he might beware ofemploying those whose portraits appeared. And Jim brought to memory thewords beneath the portraits.

  "The police of the canal zone are in search of a number of men, amongstthem the above. It has come to their knowledge that a band of Europeanthieves has gathered in the neighbourhood, and several robberies ofCommission stores prove their arrival here. Any who recognize the aboveshould at once give notice of their whereabouts. From foreign officialsources we are informed that at least one of the men is a dangerouscriminal, wanted for acts of violence to the person."

  "Phew!" Jim went hot all over. He recollected that Phineas had spoken tohim of these men, and had explained to him that it was not until aftertheir arrival on the isthmus that the police received a warning fromforeign parts.

  "No doubt the fellows had made their last haunt too hot for them," heexplained, "so, hearing from their comrades that America had brought aheap of valuable stores here, and that where there are workmen theremust also be, often enough, large sums of money with which to pay theirwages, these rogues came along to the isthmus, took posts with the gangsof labourers, and then laid their plans to rob. One of our pay officeswas broken into and rifled a month ago. That put the police on the _quivive_. Then came a robbery at the far end of the canal. The culpritswere not discovered, but immediately afterwards the police received thisinformation from abroad, together with photographs."

  "Which they publish here for the information of canal officials," saidJim.

  "Jest so," agreed Phineas. "And I suppose these rascals got to know thattheir game was ended. Somehow they have means of their own of gettinginformation. Anyway, they disappeared, and weren't missed from amongstthe armies we employ. Reckon some of them got aboard that ship that youand I took passage in. If that's so, they're back right here now,waiting for another steamer."

  If the whole truth had been known, the gang of desperadoes of whom theCommission police had obtained information had indeed found the zonealready too hot for them. They were a band consisting sometimes of fivemembers, sometimes of more or less. And for a long while now theirattention had been particularly turned to ports near to the Gulf ofMexico. Appearing to be but Spanish workmen, they escaped often enoughthe attention of police officers, and had done so at Colon. There theyhad contrived to burgle two of the pay offices, and, as Phineas hadrightly surmised, had sailed on the very steamer on which he and Jim hadtaken passage. There, having come into contact with our hero, they hadmet with a misfortune, which had brought them back to the isthmus.

  "Just showing that it's here we're meant to do our work," had said theleader of these rascals, a scowling individual boasting the name ofJaime de Oteros, "See here, friends; the police of the zone are lookingfor us amongst the labour gangs. We've dollars saved in plenty, and noneed to work; supposing we find some quiet place near at hand, and taketoll of another pay office."

  "And first of all pay back the scores we owe," the rascal who had sorecently fired at Jim growled. "I've sworn to give back what I was givenaboard that ship, and since I believe the young pup who was so free withhis fists is staying on here, why, I'll finish him. Eh?"

  His suggestion had met with the hearty approval of all. There was not aman in the gang who would not do the same; for to these lawless fellowsa blow received demanded repayment. As to the risk, that was nothing.They were accustomed to the feeling that their arrest was aimed at. Iftheft could pass without actual discovery, then a shot in the night, andthe death of a white official, would equally escape detection.

  "Five of them." Jim counted them off on his fingers as he again raisedhis head. He squinted in through the corner of the window, and inspectedeach one of the gang separately. And now he recognized them not alonefrom the leaflet which he had seen, but from amongst the faces of theSpaniards who had been aboard the steamer. Of an evening he had oftenstood at the rail above and looked down into the waist of the vessel,watching the dusky faces of the Spaniards, and scenting the rank odourof the cigarettes they smoked. Features which then had made no greatimpression on him, but which had, unconsciously as it were, been tuckedaway within his memory, now struck him as familiar. Little by little herecollected exactly where he had seen each man, and what he had beendoing, so that within the space of a few minutes he was sure that everyone of them had been aboard the steamer.

  "And are now wanted by the police here," he thought, "while the fellowsitting at the far end of the table is wanted more than them all, seeingthat he has attempted murder. But how to do it? There are five, and allprobably carry arms."

  A second glance at the men persuaded him that there was little doubt onthe last matter; for the leader of these ruffians had placed his weaponon the plank table before him, while a second was cleaning his revolverwith a piece of dirty rag. A third wore a belt, as could be clearlyseen, since he had discarded his coat, and carried both a revolver and ahuge knife attached to it.

  "Ugly fellows to deal with, I guess," thought Jim. "The question isthis: ought we to attempt a rush? or ought we to set a watch on thehouse and send for the police?"

  Obviously, with only three to help him, the last suggestion was the oneto follow, and having pondered the matter for a little while Jim came toa decision. Peeping in at the window again, he watched the men as theyrolled and lit cigarettes, or filled their glasses from the bottles onthe table, then he crept away to Sam, and with him went to join Tom. Asignal brought Ching to them promptly.

  "Come away over here," said Jim softly. "I want to talk."

  He led them into a thick belt of bush which had escaped the billhooks ofthe Commission sanitary corps, for the reason that it stood on highground, and then came to a halt.

  "Wall?" asked Tom, his face indistinguishable in the darkness, but histones eager. "He's right there, I reckon. He only wants taking?"

  "He's there; but for the moment we can't easily take him. Listen here,"said Jim. Then he explained that there were five men in the hut, andthat if he were right in his surmise, and his eyes had not misinformedhim, they were a gang of criminals of whom the police were in search.

  "And all armed," he added. "I thought at first that we might rush them;b
ut even supposing they were not armed, one or more might escape. So Iguessed the best plan would be to send off for the police, while wewatch the place. Say, Sam, you could find the office in Colon?"

  The little fellow nodded and gave a grunt of assent.

  "Easy as cuttin' chips," he said. "What den?"

  "Run there as fast as your legs will carry you, and tell them that wehave located the gang of men whose portraits they have been circulatingamongst the canal officials. Tell them of the attempt made to shoot meto-night, and warn them to come along cautiously. Get right off. We'llstand round the place till you come along."

  Sam set down his lantern at once and disappeared in the darkness, makinghardly a sound as he went. Then Jim led the others back towards the hut.

  "We'll take the same places," he said. "Of course, if they separate weshall have to follow; but I rather think they live here. If that's so weshall have them."

  Waiting till both Tom and Ching had taken up their positions he crepttowards the hut, and, having reached the window, raised his head andpeeped in. None of the men had moved. The ruffian who had been handlinghis revolver was still cleaning it with the dirty rag, while the man whohad come that evening to the house which Phineas occupied, and haddeliberately fired through the gauze window, was staring moodily at theempty glass before him. The others were engaged in an eagerconversation, carried on in low tones. Jim put his ear as close aspossible, for though he knew only a few words of Spanish it waspossible that English was the language employed. Then he heard a sudden,startled cry, and, looking in, saw that the rascal at whose arrest heaimed had risen to his feet. The man was staring hard at the window, andin a flash Jim realized that his own presence had been discovered. Heducked swiftly, and as he did so there came the report of a pistol. Aninstant later a bullet smashed the glass just overhead, smothering himwith debris. Then a babel of cries came from the hut, the door wasdragged open, and in a trice five men had thrown themselves upon him.