Bert Wilson at Panama

  CHAPTER XIII

  MARKED FOR DESTRUCTION

  Ofirio was speaking.

  "I am sure that nothing has been overlooked," he was saying, evidently inanswer to a question. "The charges of dynamite have been tamped into theholes, and there are enough of them, fired at the same moment, to wreckthe eastern gate. In any event, it will so injure the delicate machinerythat works them, that they cannot be moved. Portions of it, no doubt,will be blown into the Canal and block it so effectually that no ship canpass through. But, leaving that out of the question, if the gate cannotwork, the Canal is put out of commission. It would be a matter of weeks,perhaps of months, to repair the damage."

  "The longer the better, of course," said Namoto, "but we do not ask eventhat much of fate. Give us ten days of confusion and panic, with theAtlantic fleet on this side of the Canal and unable to get through to thePacific, and our victory is sure."

  "How about the tunnel?" asked Togi, the oldest of the three. "Are yousure there is no suspicion that it exists?"

  "Not the slightest," answered Ofirio. "I came through it myself, lastnight, entering it at the masked exit near the locks, and leaving it bythe secret opening in your cellar. Nothing has been disturbed, and thedivers' helmets were in their accustomed place. If the Americans had anyknowledge of it, their soldiers would already be in possession."

  "Provided that we can keep the secret until the day of the grandopening," muttered Togi, uneasily. "You are sure," he went on, "that theconnections are perfect?"

  "The wires have been so strung that not one of the charges has beenoverlooked," asserted Ofirio, confidently. "There will be no intervalbetween the explosions. When your finger presses that button, there willbe a roar that will deafen the city and shake the whole Isthmus."

  There was a brief pause, and Bert's heart beat so hard that it almostseemed as though it must be heard. The hideous plot had been revealed inall its blackness. His face was blanched as he thought of thepossibilities, but he exulted in the fact that, at last, he had definiteknowledge. He knew what was to be done--the destruction of the CanalGate. He knew how it was to be done--by an electric current sentthrough the wires to the concealed explosives. He knew when it was to bedone--on the opening day of the Canal.

  In his mind's eye, he could see the progress of the plan that had beenconceived and carried on with such infernal cunning. With the patienceof moles, they had dug an underground tunnel, extending from Namoto'smansion to within a short distance of the locks. The mention of thedivers' helmets gave him a clue to the way in which the holes had beenmade and the dynamite inserted. No doubt they had taken advantage ofstormy nights, lowering themselves into the water at a distance from thelocks and then slowly groping their way toward them. The wires had founda conduit in the tunnel, and ran directly to the library of Namoto. Hisindex finger was indeed the finger of Fate, that expected to write arecord of disaster to the United States. One pressure on a button wouldsend the electric current surging through the wires, and the great Canalwould, for a time at least, be put completely out of commission.

  But, after all, this was not an end in itself. It was only the means toan end. It would be mere vandalism to cripple the Canal, simply for thesake of inflicting damage. Besides, the injury could be repaired, and,in a short time, all traces of it would have vanished. There must be anobject for all this enormous toil and risk. What was it?

  Namoto had spoken of the Atlantic fleet not being able to get through tothe Pacific. "Ten days of panic and confusion." Why was it soimperative to prevent the warships on this side from joining theircomrades on the other? Naturally, to keep the Pacific squadron weak andless able to resist attack. Then, an attack was planned. By whom? Whocould attack us from the Pacific side but Japan? And when? Within tendays. And again Allison's words sounded in Bert's ears like the knell ofdoom: "Perhaps at this very moment a Japanese fleet is on its way to thePacific slope."

  With a sinking of the heart, Bert reflected on the vast number ofAmerican warships now at Colon or hastening there. The government hadplanned to make a great demonstration of naval strength, in order toimpress the nations of the world. For this purpose, many had been calledhome from European stations. Some of the most formidable dreadnoughtsbuilding at the navy yards had been rushed along in construction, so asto be manned and launched for the great review. Others, which naturallybelonged to the Pacific squadron, but had been in the drydocks forrepairs, would in the ordinary course of things, have been despatchedbefore this around the Horn, to join their brethren in the Pacific. Butsince the opening of the Canal was so near at hand, it seemed unwise tosteam ten thousand miles, when, in a little while, the same result couldbe attained by traveling fifty. Thus, from various causes, at leastthree-fourths of the American navy was on the Atlantic side. If it couldbe kept there, the Japanese could attack the remnant in the Pacific inoverwhelming force. Then, with these captured or destroyed, the Japanesevessels could bombard San Francisco and Seattle, land their troops fromthe crowded transports, and gain control of the whole western coast ofthe United States. It was an imperial idea--boldly conceived, broadlyplanned, patiently developed, but--and Bert thanked God--not yetexecuted.

  These thoughts had passed through his mind with lightning rapidity. Butnow, the plotters had resumed their talk. This time, it was Togi whospoke.

  "I would that the time were set for to-night," he said. "The present isin our hands. The future is uncertain. Fortune is fickle. Fate has itswhims, its bitter jests. All is ready. One pressure on that button, andbefore ten seconds have passed, the work is done. Is it wise to wait,Namoto?"

  Bert scarcely dared to breathe, while he waited for the answer. It waslong in coming. Namoto seemed wavering. Togi had spoken truly. Thepresent moment was his. The future was on the "lap of the gods."Perhaps, in obedience to the mysterious laws of mind, the very presence,though unknown, of Bert, just outside the window, made him sense dimlysome crouching danger. But the moment of indecision passed, and heanswered, slowly:

  "It cannot be, Togi. We must wait. We have waited nearly three years.Surely the gods of Japan will not desert us in the next two days. Thereare many reasons for waiting, but here are two:

  "The shock must come at just the right moment. It will be tenfold moreparalyzing, more panic-breeding. When bells are ringing, when crowds arecheering, when America is exulting, when the world is watching--at justthat instant the blow must fall. The power of the unexpected isirresistible. The enemy's fall will be more crushing, and Japan willloom up, a sinister image of dread, that will fill the whole horizon.

  "Then, too, with every hour that passes, our fleet is drawing nearer.From all quarters of the compass they are converging. Of course, theywill not form a compact squadron, until the news is flashed to them thatthe Gate has been destroyed. Then they will unite for the last greatrush upon the Coast."

  "I should think," ventured Ofirio, "that so many Japanese warships in onepart of the Pacific would be noted by merchant ships and reported totheir governments. Do you not fear that suspicion may be aroused beforeyou are ready?"

  "Not so," answered Namoto. "Our Naval Department has shown the utmostcare and caution. For a year past the vessels have been sent to variousports along the coast of Japan. In every harbor they have lurked, onehere, another there, at Nakodate, Miyako, Nagasaki, Noshiro, Ohama, andothers. Some have been reported in the naval bulletins as drydocked.Others have been sent, in ones and twos, on missions of courtesy ordiplomacy to China, Australia, and other countries bordering on thePacific. So adroitly and innocently has this been done, that not even arumor is current in any foreign cabinet that anything is afoot, and eventhe masses of the Japanese themselves do not know what their governmentis doing. But all the commanders have had definite orders so to timetheir departure from the various ports as to meet at a given parallelwithin a day or two of the time set for the opening of the Canal. Thatparallel is between Hawaii and San Francisco, barely two days
distantfrom the latter. Steam is up, the magazines filled, the guns shotted,the plan of campaign worked out to the last detail. Like hawks, they arehovering within easy reach of each other, ready for the signal. Themoment I press this button, the wireless will flash the news across allthe continents and all the seas. Then the captains who smashed theRussians at Port Arthur and in the Sea of Japan will turn their vessels'prows toward arrogant America, and within forty-eight hours our guns willbe thundering at her western doors."

  A dull glow crept into his sallow cheeks and his eyes blazed, as he sawin vision the victory of his beloved Nippon.

  "But there," he said, as though repenting his outburst of enthusiasm, soforeign to his habitual reticence and self-control, "they will do theirpart. It only remains for us to do ours. I will not keep you longerto-night, Ofirio," he went on, by way of dismissal. "Report to meto-morrow at the same hour for final instructions."

  He pressed a bell, and a servant, bending low, ushered the Cuban out intothe night.

  But Togi still lingered. The lines in his face had deepened. His longexperience had taught him how often the cup is dashed from the lips asone makes ready to drink. The reaction and depression that come to onewhen, after tremendous toil and strain, his plans await fruition, heldhim in their grip. It is true, those plans seemed faultless. Nothinghad failed in their calculations. The mechanism was working without ajar. But this very perfection was in itself ominous. Perhaps, eventhen, fate was preparing to spring upon them and lay their hopes inruins. And again his eyes turned longingly toward the button, thelightest touch on which would shock the world to its center.

  Namoto noticed the direction of his glance and smiled.

  "Be not impatient, Togi," he said. "Soon now the hour will strike thatmarks the beginning of a glorious era for our loved Nippon."

  "Glorious, yes," answered Togi. "Whether we win or lose, it will beglorious. Our soldiers will know how to fight and die for their country,as they have always done, and even if defeated they will not bedishonored."

  "Dream not of defeat," protested Namoto. "Let not that word of evil omenpass your lips. To doubt may draw down on us the frown of the gods."

  "But America is a great country, and her people, too, are brave.Besides, they are as the sands of the seashore for number."

  "So was Russia great, and yet we beat her to her knees. We hurled backher armies and we crushed her fleets. So will we do to this haughtycountry, that sneers at us as an inferior race. America has had no realwar for fifty years. She has no veterans left. We have hundreds ofthousands who have had their baptism of fire on the field of battle. Cantheir raw volunteers face the seasoned warriors of Japan? Their regulartroops are but a handful and are scattered all over the country. Beforeany real force can be brought against us, we will have subdued all thecountry west of the Rocky Mountains. Then will come negotiations. Asthe price of peace, we will wrest from her Hawaii and the Philippines,and Japan will be the unquestioned mistress of the Pacific."

  "But before this can be done," objected Togi, "will not the Canal berepaired, so that the rest of the American fleet can pass through andattack us?"

  "No," replied Namoto. "Our first care will be to seize the Canal at thePacific end and blockade it. The ships can only come out one by one, andthey would be an easy prey to our vessels awaiting them in overwhelmingforce. We would be like cats waiting at the door of a mouse trap. If,on the other hand, they abandoned this and sailed around the Horn, itwould be a matter of many weeks before they would reach us, and then theywould be strained and weather tossed and uncoaled. Then, too, thePacific squadron will have been destroyed, and we will have the advantagein ships and guns. If, on the way, they attacked Japan in retaliation,our fortifications, backed by our land forces, would hold them off.""They could land no troops and would have to content themselves with aharrying of the coast that would amount to nothing."

  "Our plan is perfect," he went on; "everything has been provided for.But all depends on the blocking of the Canal. If, by any chance, itshould fail, the campaign would be abandoned. Our navy is not yet largeenough to match itself against the combined naval strength of America.We can only win by dividing the enemy, and beating his squadrons, one ata time. If the Atlantic fleet gets through to the Pacific, at theopening of the Canal, our labor of years will vanish into nothingness.The ships will return quietly to Japan by various, routes, and thegovernment will be ready to deny that any such plot ever existed. If youand I are charged with the plot, our country will calmly disown us andleave us to our fate.

  "And we would gladly meet that fate for Nippon's sake, would we not,Togi? We would go to our death with banzais on our lips. It is sweetand glorious to die for one's country."

  "We are prepared in any event," said Togi. "If we succeed, your yacht iswaiting in the harbor ready to carry us home more swiftly than any canhope to follow. If we fail--" He made across his breast the sign ofhari-kari--the Japanese form of suicide.

  "If we fail," agreed Namoto, solemnly, "our home will be with theimmortal gods."

  He reached out his hand, and Togi grasped it firmly. For a moment theylooked into each other's eyes. Then with a murmured word of farewell,the elder man turned and glided from the room.

  Left alone, Namoto rose and strolled restlessly about. Then heapproached the window, beneath which Bert lay hidden.

  For a while he stood there motionless. Then he leaned out to catch therefreshing breeze. Bert tried to make himself as small as possible, andpressed close against the house. Namoto's eyes, glancing carelesslyabout, suddenly fell on the crouching figure.

  Startled, he drew back, a cry shrilling from his lips. Like a flash,Bert straightened up, leaped through the open window, and the nextinstant his hands had closed about Namoto's throat. Down to the floorthey went with a crash.

  But the mischief had been done. The cry of Namoto had carried beyond theroom. The door burst open and a horde of retainers rushed in. There wasa stunning blow on the head, a shower of sparks streamed before his eyes,his grasp relaxed, and Bert felt himself sinking, sinking into afathomless abyss.