CHAPTER XXII
THE ESCAPE--VILLAMONTE AGAIN BEATEN.
As General Serano stepped ever the threshold of the jail, O'Connorslipped the heavy bolts and turned the big key in the lock; then heplaced the key in his pocket.
"Who are you, and where is the captain of the guard?" asked Serano,starting back in surprise when he saw O'Connor.
"The captain is engaged at present," said O'Connor, bowing and smilingimpudently; "what can I do for your excellency?"
"Take me at once to the American prisoners. I have decided to revoke thetwo days' reprieve. Their sentence shall be executed in the morningunless they choose to bend their stubborn spirits and tell me for whomthey are acting. They are not alone in this thing. Even now theirfriends may be gathering and threatening our outposts."
"That is quite true, your excellency; it certainly is wise to take everyprecaution. Your visit was very well timed, as a few minutes later youmight have found the prisoners out. They were just starting for a littleairing. The prison is very close, don't you think?"
Serano looked puzzled, and O'Connor said, in English:
"Step forward, boys, and say 'How-de' to his excellency."
Harry and Bert came from behind the men, and stopping in front of thegeneral, saluted him gravely.
"What does this mean?" demanded Serano, looking from the boys toO'Connor, as a suspicion that all was not right flashed into his mind."Where is the captain of the guard? I insist that he shall report to meat once. And who are you, sir, who usurps the authority of thecommandant here?"
"I am Captain Dynamite, at your service, your excellency," saidO'Connor, making an elaborate bow and doffing his sombrero so that hisfeatures were revealed to the now thoroughly frightened general.
Serano leaped back and for a moment seemed dazed. Then his eyes fell onthe eight soldiers standing back of the boys. His waning couragereturned, and drawing himself up, he pointed his finger at O'Connor ashe addressed the men.
"There is a price on that man's head. Seize him and see to it that hedoes not escape."
Not a man stirred. O'Connor, who had rolled a cigarette, turned toSerano.
"May I trouble you for a light, general. There is no reason why weshould not talk this thing over calmly."
"Dogs," continued the general, stamping his foot, "why do you not obeyme? Seize that man. He is a desperate outlaw."
Some of the men jeered and others took a threatening step or two in thedirection of the general, who jumped back into a corner of the corridor.
"What plot is this?" he gasped.
"Those are my men, general," said O'Connor calmly. "I should advise younot to be so violent. They do not like your language, you see. May Itrouble you for that light?"
Serano drew out his match box and held it at arms length, lest O'Connorcome too near him.
"Have no fear, sir," said O'Connor, who saw his perturbation, "No harmwill come to you if you are wise enough to follow my instructions. Yousee, you are helpless. We hold the jail and no one will discover theplot until the watch is changed at midnight. Your guards are bound andgagged, and enjoying a siesta with your spy, Villamonte, in there.""Villamonte, too," exclaimed Serano, in surprise.
"Yes; he was kind enough to secure for me the entree to your jail, afavor any one in town would have been eager to grant, I doubt not, butMonte was the first to present himself. Perhaps you would like to seehim. You will find him in there with the others."
General Serano walked to the door of the officers' room and looked in.He started back with an expression of anger.
"This is an outrage on her majesty's soldiers for which you shall paydearly, sir."
"Let's not talk about pay between gentlemen, General Serano. I think youwill admit that if it came to a settlement I have rather the best of itjust now, and if I were so inclined, I could remove one of Cuba's mostimplacable enemies with one stroke of a machete. But I am not here forthat purpose. There are others who will undoubtedly attend to thatlater. Now, all that I require of you is that you sit down at that tableand write me a pass that will take me and my friends through yourlines."
"Never, sir. I will call the outside guard," and the general made a leapfor the door.
"The night is warm, general. Don't over-exert yourself. The door islocked and the key is in my pocket, and besides, if I should let you outyou would only fall into the hands of more of my men. Your outside guardis also bound and gagged, and reclining against the wall of the jail inthe shadow. The sentinels you saw on patrol when you approached the jailare my men. You see, there is no escape."
"But the uniforms--they are Spain's."
"Yes, they belonged to unfortunate men who fell fighting for your cause.We Cubans have quite a stock of them on hand. I think you said you wouldwrite that pass."
"No, sir, never," roared the general, with a rattling Spanish oath.
"Very well, then I am sure you will pardon a few liberties."
O'Connor turned to the waiting men and said: "Remove the general'suniform."
"What is the meaning of this new outrage?" gasped Serano, backing intohis corner again as O'Connor's men started to execute his order.
"Your uniform will serve as a passport if you refuse to write the pass,"said O'Connor laughing.
"I'll write the pass," said the general quickly, and O'Connor motionedback his men. "My uniform shall never be so disgraced."
"Suit yourself, general--uniform or pass--it's all the same to me. Thereis pen and ink."
Serano sat down and with ill grace wrote something on a piece of paperwhich he handed to O'Connor. The latter read it and handed it back, witha shake of his head.
"You will have to try again, general," he said. "Now write as Idictate."
"Never, sir."
"Your nevers come trippingly on the tongue, general. Boys, the general'suniform, please."
"No, no, I'll write it."
"Very well, but please to remember that I have no time for elocutionaryexercises. One more never and off comes that uniform. I'll give you justthree minutes to write this: 'Pass Captain O'Connor and his partythrough all Spanish lines and outposts.' That's right; now sign it."
Reluctantly Serano affixed his signature.
"Thank you," said O'Connor, with mock respect, as he took the paper."Now there is just one more little favor that I feel sure you will bepleased to grant me, and that is to step upstairs with my men and seehow you like the room the American boys have just vacated. You will findit quite comfortable. Our accommodations are a little overtaxed justnow. Don't forget to leave your key at the office when you go out, anddon't blow out the gas. Now boys, show the new guest to his room."
O'Connor laughed until he was forced to hold his sides as his men,delighted with their task, roughly hustled the astonished and fumingofficer along the corridor and up the steps. They heard an iron doorslam and the men returned and saluted with grinning faces.
"Always find it a good thing to let your men have a little enjoymentmixed in with their work. Come on now, let's say good-bye to Monte andgo. It only lacks an hour of midnight and when the watch changes it willnot be long before our little game is discovered."
As he spoke, O'Connor walked to the door of the officer's room andlooked in, followed by the boys.
"Good-bye, Mr. Interpreter," said Harry, "what are the quotations onglory to-night?"
Villamonte wagged the ends of his waxed mustache in an effort to speak.O'Connor laughed and turning to the door, unlocked it, and slipping backthe bolts, gave a low whistle, like the one the boys had heard fromtheir cell window. In a moment the answer came.
"Come on," said O'Connor, "the coast is clear."
They passed silently out into the night. The eight men joined theircomrades and the next moment, one by one, they darted across the streakof moonlight and disappeared in the deep shadow of the building at thecorner of the square. O'Connor stopped and looked around to see if theyhad been observed, but the streets were deserted.
"Aren't you afraid that
General Serano will yell through the window andgive an alarm?" asked Harry, looking up to the bars of the cell they hadso recently occupied.
"My men never leave a prisoner so that he can yell," said O'Connor,chuckling. "We have about an hour's start, and if we make the best ofthat we should be well out of the woods before the escape isdiscovered."
O'Connor walked rapidly and they soon reached the outskirts of thelittle straggling town without meeting anyone to question them. Now andthen Harry saw dark forms ahead gliding along in the shadows of the lowbuildings or darting swiftly across patches of moonlight, and he knewO'Connor's men were within call. O'Connor, himself, walked openly, witha boy on each side of him. In half an hour they had left the last of thehuts of the reconcentrados behind them and struck boldly out into theopen country, the twelve men, at a command from O'Connor, falling intomarching order behind him.
In the dim distance lay their haven of safety: the dark, woodedfoothills of the mountain that towered in black, ragged outlines beforethem, and the low-lying jungle at its base, within whose shelterO'Connor knew nearly a thousand determined men lay, only waiting wordfrom him that his mission had failed, to move like a whirlwind on theunsuspecting outposts entrenched between them and the town.
"We must be getting close to their lines," said O'Connor, looking at hiswatch. Then he turned quickly and put his hand to his ear in a listeningattitude. At first the boys could not distinguish the sound that hisquick ear had caught, and then indistinctly a faint, hollow clatter cameover the plain from behind them. They strained their eyes but could seenothing that might cause it.
"It's a horse--galloping hard," said O'Connor, and his mouth set intothat straight line that the boys knew so well. "Lie down."
O'Connor set the example and dropped on his stomach, with his ear to theground. After a moment he raised his head slightly, and said:
"I think there is only one, but it will be safer to get under cover.Crawl to those bushes and lie low."
They all wriggled along the ground until they were partially concealedfrom view by one of the clumps of low trees and shrubs that dotted theplain.
"Do you think they have discovered our escape?" asked Bert.
"Can't tell yet," answered O'Connor, who was standing up behind a tree,trying to catch a glimpse of the rider whose approach was heralded bythe vigorous pounding of his horse's hoofs. "I am satisfied that thereis but one horse and it hardly seems likely that one man would set outin pursuit of a dozen, nor can I think it is a courier riding so hard atthis time of night."
The clatter of hoofs now became distinct, and away in the distance theycould see a speck that grew larger each minute, until it took the formof a horse and rider. The course he was taking would bring him within aneighth of a mile of the party. As he came nearer O'Connor strained hiseyes to make out the rider. The moon was getting low, but there wasstill light enough on the plain to make it possible to distinguish facesat some distance.
On came the horse, and the watchers could see that his rider was urginghim with voice and spur. Nearer and nearer they came until the foamflecks shone white in the moonlight.
"By thunder," said O'Connor, suddenly; "it's the old villain, Monte. Howdid he get out?"
"Who is it?" asked Harry, eagerly.
"Villamonte, the interpreter."
"Then the escape has been discovered."
"Undoubtedly."
"But what is he doing out here alone?"
There was a moment's silence while O'Connor watched the panting horsecome tearing on. Now he was almost abreast of the clump of trees, andeven the boys, with their untrained eyes, could make out theirpersistent enemy, Villamonte.
"He's riding for the outpost to revoke this pass," said O'Connor, slowlytapping the pocket that contained the paper. "They think that is thebest means of trapping us."
"It's all up with us then, if he gets there first," said Bert, "and wehave no horses to stop him."
"No, but we have something just as good," said O'Connor, turning quicklyto the man behind him; "let me have your Mauser, Pedro."
He took the rifle and stepped out into the open. Dropping on his knee,he raised the weapon to his shoulder and seemingly without aiming at theflying mark, fired. The boys shrank back involuntarily. Bloodshed, nomatter how necessary, was revolting. Still, they could not help watchingto see the result of O'Connor's shot. The horse pitched forward androlled over on his side, pinning his rider beneath him.
"Shoot the horse if he is not already dead, and bring in the man," saidO'Connor, coolly handing the rifle back. Two men started on a dog trotfor the fallen horse and rider.
"Is--is he dead?" asked Harry, hesitatingly.
"The horse or the man?"
"The man."
"No, there is nothing the matter with Monte more than a broken armperhaps. I shot at the horse. I am sorry--I would almost rather haveshot the man. But it had to be done."