CHAPTER XV
THE EXECUTION AT DAWN
"Who is there?" came a frightened voice from the farthest corner of theroom.
"It's the American boys who were talking with you at the window,"answered Harry, reassuringly. "We are friends. Do not fear."
"Oh," came in a gasp of relief. "I thought they were about to inflictsome new horror upon me. What have you done?"
"We do not quite know ourselves. In some way we touched a secret springthat rolled over this stone and formed a passage between these twocells. It is just possible that there may be another one. May we come inand look?"
"Yes, yes, come in. Oh, perhaps it is true--perhaps we shall be able toescape from this horrible place."
"Do not hope for too much. It was only a chance thought of mine.However, we better see."
The boys climbed through the opening without difficulty and foundthemselves in a room exactly similar to the one they had left, exceptthat it was furnished a little more comfortably for a woman.
The moon had set, but they were now so used to the darkness that withthe little starlight that penetrated through the barred windows theywere able to see quite well. They went at once to the wall directlyopposite and began an eager search for a diamond-shaped stone. There wasnone, nor was there any big slab-like stone resembling the revolving onein the wall through which they had just passed. They tried the other twowalls, but also without avail. It was evident that only these two cellswere connected.
"Well, Miss Juanita," said Harry, when they had assured themselves thatthere was no other opening, "we have only succeeded in widening ourprisons. There is no other means of exit but the doors. I am very sorryto have raised your expectations."
The girl, who had followed them eagerly from place to place as theyexamined the walls, held out her hands in protest at Harry's words.
"Oh, let me thank you for the ray of happiness you have brought me," shesaid, quickly.
"I can't think that we have in any way lightened your burden, exceptthat you may count on us to do anything in our power to help you, but Ifear that is very little."
"Ah, but you brought me news of him and--and the knowledge of the nearpresence of friends is cheering."
"Yes, Miss Juanita, and I think you can bank on hearing more news fromhim in the very near future."
"I hope so for--for all our sakes."
"Now that we are literally up against a stone wall, I think we betterclimb back into our own cell before the guard takes it into his head tolook around. Cheer up, Miss Juanita, Captain Dynamite will be on themarch before long, I'll warrant you. Good night."
"Good-night, my friends."
"Now I wonder how the old stone works backwards?" said Harry, when theyhad returned to their own room.
"Press the button and the stone will do the rest," said Bert, with agrim attempt at humor. He pressed the diamond-shaped stone as he spoke,but there was no answering creak, nor did the slab move.
"It is not likely that the same spring does double duty. We will have tohunt up the other," said Harry. "Now, by all the laws of symmetry thereshould be another similar stone on the other side of the slab--and hereit is."
He pushed on this as he spoke, and at once the grinding sound beganagain and the stone slowly settled back into place.
"Well, our discovery of the Don's secret inquisitorial passage does notappear to have done us much good," said Bert, as they stretchedthemselves out on their beds again.
"I'm not so sure of that," replied Harry, thoughtfully. "I think I see away by which at least one of us three can benefit by it."
"How?"
"Wait until I get it all thought out. In the meantime I am going to geta little more sleep."
They did not return to their own cell any too soon, for they had no morethan turned over for their second nap when a light flashed in their eyesand they sat up to find their silent jailor had opened the doornoiselessly and was inspecting the room with the aid of a large lantern.He nodded his head in a satisfied way and passed out again.
"Say, Hal, old man, this sort of thing is getting on my nerves," saidBert, when the man had gone.
"I wouldn't mind a few streaks of daylight myself, Bert."
Tired as they were, the boys' nerves were so worked upon that they wereunable to go to sleep again and tossed on their cots until the gray dawnbegan to show through the windows. They lay in a sort of lethargywatching the sky grow brighter and brighter until they were aroused toaction by the loud voices of men and the clanking of guns in the jailyard below.
"Holloa, I wonder what's up now," said Harry, jumping up and climbing onthe table to peer out.
The yard was still full of dark shadows and the forms of men were notfully distinguishable, but Harry could make out a group of armedsoldiers standing at ease, chatting and smoking cigarettes near one ofthe gray walls. An officer, apart from his men, strutted pompously upand down the yard.
"I guess they must be going to drill," said Bert, who had climbed upbeside Harry.
"Pretty early for drill."
"Time doesn't seem to cut any figure in this country. I've been doingsomething night and day ever since we struck the place. I should like toget home to a quiet life again."
Another officer entered the yard and approached the man who paced to andfro. He handed him a paper which the other read, nodded as if in assent,and turning to the men gave an order in a sharp voice. The soldiers fellinto a file of threes and at another word of command marched quicklyinto the jail, the officer following them, leisurely rolling acigarette.
In another moment the boys heard the tramp of feet at the lower end ofthe corridor outside of their cell.
"Are they coming for us, do you think, Hal?" asked Bert, in a tremulousvoice.
The footsteps came nearer and nearer. Now they were just outside thedoor and the boys involuntarily caught their breath. They passed onwithout stopping and they heard them die away down the passage. Againthere was silence and then a sound as if a heavy iron door had beenclosed with a bang. This was followed again by the regular tramp of thesoldiers' feet as they returned along the corridor. They passed the doorof the boys' cell and again the sound died away.
Harry turned again to the window. The soldiers filed rapidly into theyard, but this time there was another in their ranks. A man in his shirtsleeves with his hands bound behind his back marched with head erectbetween the two middle ranks. He was a tall, muscular man, broad ofshoulder and lithe of limb. His face was pale, but the expression wascalm and determined. His step was firm and the soldiers at his backfound no need to urge him on. They marched straight to the wall of theyard that faced the jail, and at a command from the officer, thesoldiers parted, leaving the man standing with his back to the wall andfacing his captors.
As the soldiers fell back they formed ranks of six on either side of theprisoner, the butts of their rifles resting on the ground. Down thisnarrow human alley the commander strode until he stood face to face withthe man against the wall. He spoke to him in Spanish and the prisonerreplied briefly, at the same time lifting his head proudly and lookinghis questioner firmly in the eye. Although the boys could understandnothing that was said, it was easy to tell that the officer had madesome offer which the other proudly rejected. The boys looked on with afeeling that they were about to witness a tragedy, but some strangefascination prevented them from turning away.
The commander turned to the jail and lifted his hand as a signal. Afriar in long solemn robes walked slowly down between the ranks ofsoldiers, his eyes fixed on the ground. As he reached the prisoner, hestopped in front of him and raised his head. In his thin, worn facethere was an expression of gentle sorrow. He spoke a few words andraised a cross before the face of the other, who leaned eagerly forwardand kissed it. The friar bowed his head and fell back a few paces. In alow voice he repeated what was apparently a prayer, and then once moreholding the cross for a moment before the eyes of the doomed man, heturned and walked slowly back to the jail, his lips still moving inpra
yer.
A man stepped out of the ranks and tied a silk handkerchief over theeyes of the prisoner. The boys, watching breathlessly through the barsof the window, were pale with the horror of the scene. They nowunderstood the tragedy that was about to be enacted, but they could notshake off the desire to look.
The soldier moved back into the ranks, there was another sharp commandand the lines wheeled and marched in a single rank of twelve back to thejail wall. They were now directly under the boys and out of their lineof vision. All they could see was the man with the bound hands andbandaged eyes standing calmly facing them.
There was another quick command, followed instantly by a rattle of arms.
The boys cast off the spell that had held them, and with a cry of horrorjumped down from the table and throwing themselves on the beds placedtheir hands over their ears.
Another command in a low tone, and the discharge of twelve guns as oneended it.
"I hope she did not see," said Harry, raising his white face.
He had scarcely uttered the words, when the wild shriek of a woman rangout on the morning air.
A loud, coarse laugh from the jail yard followed the pitiful cry andHarry clenched his hand in futile anger.