CHAPTER XXV THE MARCH OF TRIUMPH
Johnny and Curlie found no time for talk in the morning. They gulped downcups of hot, black coffee, then dressed as best they might for thetriumphal procession that was to accompany them down the mountain. Thenewly chosen native chief had decided that the passing of the 'Rope ofGold' from their midst should be made a memorable occasion.
Three hundred natives, resplendent in bright colored skirts and loincloths, awaited them. Heading the procession were ten native drummers.The doctor had given his word that for this one day no drummer would bemolested by native police or Marines.
Behind the drummers were the ten strongest natives of the tribe. Superbfigures they were, too! These were to bear on their shoulders the 'Ropeof Gold'.
"It," said Johnny, striving in vain to control his emotions, "why,it--it's like some picture taken from the Bible. The High Priests and theArk of the Covenant, you know. Makes a fellow feel sort of solemn,doesn't it?"
"Yes," said Curlie quietly, "it does."
The two boys took their appointed place behind the bearers of the goldentreasure, then the long march to Terre Plaisance began.
At the very end of the procession, stumping stubbornly along under theurge of native drivers, were Curlie's three donkeys. On their backs inhampers rode the mysterious mechanical giant who the night before hadfought so valiant a battle.
So all through that long, hot tropical day they marched until, just asthe sun sank low, they caught the gleam of white chateau and knew thattheir journey was near its end.
At nine o'clock that night they were assembled in the garden of thebeautiful old chateau. They were all there, the entire cast in thislittle drama of a strange tropical world. Curlie and Johnny, Doris, Dotand Dorn were all there dressed in their best; so, too, was the littledoctor and even Johnny's aged Professor, and the Marine King.
The bronze natives had gone back to their cave, laden with such food asthe whites could provide. Old Pompee, Mona and Nieta hovered in thebackground.
At this time all eyes were turned to Curlie, for, after all, had it notbeen his mechanical genius that had saved the 'Rope of Gold'? And howmuch did they know concerning that unusual mechanical giant who had savedthe day for them? Little enough, I assure you.
"Well," said Curlie, hesitatingly, "there really isn't much that I cantell. I got the idea first from a thing I saw in Chicago. Theadvertisement said that a mechanical man would wash clothes, sweep thefloor, light the lamps and all that.
"The man I found there was a joke. He had legs and arms of sheet steel.His face was painted on steel. He couldn't move a muscle, so to speak.But the things the operator did interested me. Simply by blowing whistlesof different pitch into a telephone he could make his mechanical manstart and stop a washing machine, a vacuum sweeper, and a lot of otherelectrical appliances. Then, one day in New York, while I was waiting forthe boat to sail for Haiti, I came upon old Mike himself. Some foreignfellow had brought him over from Europe. Hoped to make a lot of moneywith him in vaudeville. The thing had been a flop. The fellow was broke.I had some money I had made on rubber in South America, so I bought oldMike and brought him along. Glad I did. Thought he would be a lot offun."
"He was more than that," said Johnny quietly. "He saved our lives,without a doubt."
"I tried substituting drums for whistles," Curlie went on, "but itwouldn't work. Remember when you and Pompee saw the ghost of the blackking and his telescope bearer walking on the wall?" he asked turning toDorn.
Dorn nodded.
"That was Mike and yours truly. I was trying him out."
"That," said Doris, "explains the donkey tracks we saw up there."
"Exactly. And you can't imagine what a time I had getting the donkeys tocarry all that load up those steps," Curlie laughed. "But I did it. AndMike did his bit, wonderfully well even then. Mike is a marvel!"
"You have seen him perform," he said turning to Johnny, "but these otherpeople," he reached for a telephone receiver at his side, "haven't hadthe pleasure."
With that he blew a shrill note into the telephone. At once there soundedfrom a dark corner the clank-clank of metal striking on stone.
"Look!" said Doris, leaning eagerly forward. "He's coming, the man ofiron."
It was true. The giant towered before them.
"Pluto really did him very little harm," said Curlie. "His machetesevered two wires, that's all. There's a lot to him. Part is telephoneswitchboard equipment. Radio, of course, enters in and all sorts ofwheels. But all and all he's rather complete.
"See, I blow again into the receiver. This whistle is of a lower pitch.Now he begins to blink his eyes. And now," again a whistle, "he waves hisarms.
"He bows, he cracks his teeth, he strikes out. In fact," he said finally,"there is nothing he cannot do, providing one works out the mechanicalappliances for making him do it.
"It's too bad," he said with a note of regret, "that I couldn't supplyhim with a set of brains."
When Mike had furnished his share of the evening's entertainment and hadfrightened the black servants out of a year's growth in the bargain, hewas marched back to his place in a dark corner and it was time to talk ofother things.
"To-morrow the 'Rope of Gold' sails for America," said Johnny.
"Yes," said the Professor. "I was able to get in touch with the_Torentia_. She will touch at Cape Haitian. That saves you a tiresomejourney to Port au Prince and insures the 'Rope of Gold' a safe passageto America.
"And to-morrow," he added, a note of great gladness creeping into histone, "we begin the task of building up the waste places. In due time theold French aqueduct will be the new American one and thousands willbenefit by the pluck and daring of two American boys."
"Two boys and one giant," laughed Johnny.
Late the next afternoon a boy and a girl stood on the deck of the_Torentia_, bound for America. The shoreline of Haiti was fast fadingfrom their sight. America loomed far ahead. Already they were dreaming.Doris was seeing red, yellow, orange, pink and blue dresses withoutnumber. Johnny was dreaming of other far lands and strange adventures.
As for Curlie and Dot, who remained behind, they were seated beneath agreat, wind-twisted cocoanut tree watching the ship grow small in thedistance. Did they too dream? Beyond doubt they did; for Haiti is theland of sunlight and dreams.
So ends the story of the 'Rope of Gold'. Johnny Thompson's wanderingswere not yet over, as you will see if you find time to read our nextbook, entitled, "The Arrow of Fire."
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Transcriber's note:
--Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
--Obvious typographical errors were corrected without note.
--Non-standard spellings and dialect were not unchanged.
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