THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE
 
 BEATRICE
 
 BY 
 
 ROBERT AITKEN 
 
 FRONTISPIECE BY 
 
 HARRISON FISHER 
 
 GROSSET & DUNLAP 
 PUBLISHERS - NEW YORK
 
 Copyright 
 
 The John McBride Company 
 
 Published October
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE 
 
 A NOISY knocking startled Corbyn, brush in hand 
 before his canvas and scowling blackly at the bare 
 studio walls. 
 
 It preluded the entrance of a prosperous-looking 
 youth, trimly attired in tight-fitting garments of pro- 
 nouncedly English cut, and carrying a cane. From 
 the soles of his neat shoes to the crown of his hat he 
 was the very pink and pattern of decorous propriety. 
 Even the plain leather watch-guard he wore outside 
 his double-breasted waistcoat seemed but to em- 
 phasise the solidity of his social and financial stand- 
 ing; it was as though he had no need to advertise 
 by means of a gold chain the fact that to the unseen 
 end of it there was attached the eighteen-carat 
 diamond -capped chronometer with which his great- 
 grandfather had timed the attack at Waterloo. 
 
 He greeted the preoccupied artist genteelly and 
 said with suave directness, "I wish you'd lend me 
 a V, old chap. I haven't seen such a sight as a 
 
 1 
 
 2134116
 
 2 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 cheque for centuries, and some infernal fellow's had 
 the impudence to stick a dispossess on the door of 
 my den. I think it would be wise to appease my 
 landlord with at least a five-dollar bill." 
 
 Corbyn did not at once reply. He stood still, 
 staring at his visitor, pipe in mouth, thumb in palette, 
 a shadow on his forehead, only his eyes showing 
 cognisance that he was not alone: a young man, 
 thin-faced, tanned, athletic in appearance despite 
 his careless studio dress, a man of open air propen- 
 sities, of the stamp that they mint at Yale. 
 
 "Florian's dead, Allardyce," he at length an- 
 swered, his tone unusually grave. "I'm empty- 
 handed. I'm trying to get this canvas covered on 
 the chance that it may fetch " 
 
 The other rose in haste from the decrepit chair on 
 which he had cautiously seated himself, and drew 
 from his waistcoat-pocket a rusty steel watch. 
 
 "The deuce!" he said, and moved towards the 
 door. His exclamation spoke quick, sympathetic 
 understanding. 
 
 " I'll be back within half an hour and bring some 
 money with me." 
 
 Corbyn heard him clatter downstairs, and re- 
 turned to his own task with a groan of disgust. 
 
 "I can't paint pictures; not to sell, at any rate," 
 he told his usual confidant, the limp lay-figure which 
 was all the model he could afford at that moment. 
 " I never could. I'll never be able to. 
 
 "The only profitable opening on Fifth Avenue
 
 THE ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE 5 
 
 for my brush is with the broom-and-helmet bri- 
 gade!" 
 
 He glared at the very creditable sketch before 
 him, and broke into doleful song: 
 
 " 'White wings that never grow weary,' " and 
 from far below there came a voice which finished 
 for him : 
 
 * They carry me cheerily over the sea.' ' 
 
 His face lit up, he laid aside the implements of 
 his craft and hurried out into the dingy hall-way as 
 there came clambering up one not unlike himself in 
 build but fairer of complexion, with twinkling Irish 
 eyes, who forthwith embraced him. 
 
 "Dennis O'Dare presents Himself in one act," 
 said that gentleman a little breathlessly, and " Hello, 
 Denny!" Corbyn cried in very genuine welcome. 
 " Where have you sprung from ? When did you get 
 back to Broadway? How are you, eh? What's 
 good?" 
 
 "Ask nothing more of me, sweet!" implored the 
 newcomer with melodramatic gesture. " Ask nothing 
 more, nothing more until you've helped me to a 
 little low seat and a big high-ball. These stairs are 
 
 steeper every time I climb them, and What ? 
 
 Nothing doing ! Ales, wines and spirits all run dry ? 
 
 "Oh, my prophetic soul, my Corbyn! How 
 sharper is it than a serpent's tooth to have an 
 unquenched thirst I" 
 
 "I'm drefful sorry, Denny," Corbyn apologised, 
 "but there's something rotten in the state of my
 
 4 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 exchequer. The oil and colour trade's gone back on 
 me. I'm all to the bad this Fall, and Florian's 
 dead." 
 
 " Not Fifi's brother?" 
 
 " Fifi's brother. He died two days ago, and she's 
 left penniless. His illness cost them everything. I've 
 done all I could for them, which wasn't much, of 
 course. And now I must see her through somehow; 
 I promised him. That's why the cupboard's bare. 
 I haven't even " 
 
 O'Dare held up a hand in protest. "You talk, 
 talk, talk," he complained, "until my head goes 
 round; and all / want to know is whether a ten 
 would be of any use to you. I've got one in my jeans, 
 and here it is. Now not another word, or you and 
 
 I'll part in pain and anger, and Here's the 
 
 British lion with a big bundle of filthy lucre. 
 
 "What ho, without! I give thee greeting, good 
 my lord." 
 
 "What, Denny!" exclaimed the Englishman 
 delightedly, dropping the bulky burden he had 
 brought with him. "I'm deuced glad to see you 
 again, old chap. Manhattan's been a howling wilder- 
 ness since you set out for Bullion City. How d'ye 
 do ? Eh ? I'm deuced glad to see you. 
 
 "Speaking of bullion, I've brought you an X, 
 ; Corbyn. Best I could do at such short notice, and 
 I'm afraid I'll have to take it out in board and lodg- 
 ing too I've brought my bedding with me, you'll 
 .observe."
 
 THE ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE 5 
 
 Corbyn looked anxious. "But but you haven't 
 given up your own place, have you, Allardyce ? " he 
 asked. " I should have told you " 
 
 "I'm homeless," answered Allardyce. "I've 
 parted with all my worldly possessions except these 
 blankets and the clothes I stand in for ten paper 
 dollars and a receipt for rent overdue, to date. 
 My landlord let me go without so much as shedding 
 a tear. 
 
 " Don't fuss. We'll camp here together until the 
 next earthquake." 
 
 " But Denny's cashed in a ten for Fifi," Corbyn 
 responded somewhat vexedly. " I wish I could have 
 let you know in time." 
 
 "However, we'd better settle you'd better set- 
 tle between you how much " 
 
 "You talk, talk, talk!" snorted Dennis O'Dare. 
 " Why don't you take the girl her twenty dollars, eh ? " 
 
 "Cut loose," commanded Allardyce. "I haven't 
 time to argue with you." 
 
 Corbyn obeyed with the greatest good will, and, 
 after he had gone, his two guests grinned at each 
 other genially. 
 
 "I'll stake my shirt you haven't even a bronze 
 Indian left to bless yourself with," the actor adven- 
 tured. 
 
 "Bet you a blanket I haven't any less than you,'\ 
 retorted his companion, and O'Dare laughed 
 delightedly. 
 
 "7 knew it! / knew it!" he asserted. "You'll
 
 6 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 never prosper in business like me, my boy; you're 
 too extravagant." 
 
 " I'm economical ; I've got two silver dollars saved 
 up. Yes, right here." He tapped a trouser-pocket. 
 "And now you owe me a blanket. That's how 
 I accumulate wealth." 
 
 "Poor Corbyn's still at outs with his dad?" he 
 went on more gravely, and Allardyce nodded. 
 
 " The old man's as hard as nails," he replied. " He 
 has no use for a son outside the business, and Cor- 
 byn's got about as much head for business as you 
 or I, Denny. It's our misfortune, but I don't see 
 that we should be blamed because we were born 
 that way. And, after all, this is a free country. 
 There's no law that I know of for forcing round 
 pegs into square holes. 
 
 "If my father had been a business man and in- 
 sisted on my following in his footsteps, I'd have 
 followed. But within a week he'd have offered me 
 half his remaining fortune to get out again, and stay 
 out. Corbyn's too conscientious to stick the old 
 gentleman for the price of experience, and all the 
 return he's got for his scruples so far is the key of 
 the street." 
 
 " He'll come out right side up in the end, all the 
 same," said O'Dare. "I've known Corbyn ever 
 since we were at college together. He'll stay the 
 course, or drop dead but he won't give up. And 
 Here he comes." 
 
 Corbyn looked depressed as he entered and threw
 
 THE ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE 7 
 
 himself down on the rickety couch. He had stopped 
 to open his letter-box in the hall-way both going and 
 coming, but found it empty. "Poor Fifi!" he said 
 presently. " It's not six months yet since she came 
 over to nurse her brother, and now " 
 
 " Will she go back to Europe ? " asked Allardyce. 
 " What does she think of doing ? " 
 
 The artist shook his head. "She hasn't a living 
 soul to go to," he replied. "Stephan was all the 
 world to her. 
 
 " No, she's made up her mind to stay right here 
 and seek work till she finds it. She's just as plucky 
 as her brother was, and just as proud. She won't 
 be idle long, I'm sure, and with the money you two 
 have put up for her she ought to manage. I had hard 
 work to make her take it, but she's a dollar or two 
 short since the funeral, and I succeeded in the end. 
 
 "She's been to see about a berth already, 
 and " 
 
 He was about to express her gratitude and his for 
 the most timely helping hand when O'Dare, fore- 
 seeing that, broke in : 
 
 " It's up to us three, then, to do a deal in futures," 
 he suggested. "I'm on the kerb myself the idle 
 of Broadway, you know and have been for so long 
 that I've almost made up my mind to move." 
 
 " Then, why the devil did you turn in that ten ? " 
 Corbyn interposed. "I thought you had just got 
 back to town and were still wallowing in wealth, 
 or "
 
 8 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " Now don't butt in," O'Dare commented, in mild 
 reproof. "Put that in your mouth, and smoke it 
 while I occupy the pulpit." He produced three 
 black cigars and passed them round. 
 
 "I may as well admit," he resumed, having lit 
 his own, "that I've been back from Bullion City 
 falsely so called, I assure you for a full month, i 
 reached the Grand Central Station without a cent. 
 That's why I haven't been here before, you'll under- 
 stand and there's no use kicking about it now, 
 Corbyn. 
 
 "Since then I've worn a rut in the Rialto, with 
 the usual result. My talents are thrown away in 
 New York and I haven't been able to get grub-wages 
 to go on the Road again. I've even tried vaudeville, 
 with the same result. Nothing doing. 
 
 " I'm down and out," he ended abruptly. 
 
 " Me too," said Corbyn with a wry grimace. " 1 
 chucked the illustrating game for Art with a big A 
 before I ought to, and forthwith ceased to earn a 
 living." 
 
 They looked at Allardyce, and he took up the 
 tale. "My expenses in Manhattan," he said pre- 
 cisely, "seem to exceed my earning capacity by 
 some three hundred and fifty per cent. I haven't 
 sold a manuscript for months, so last night I 
 burned the lot. It bores me to think about things. 
 I'm going on the wallaby again. That's my short 
 story." 
 
 "Then we're all three in the same street which
 
 is Queer Street," O'Dare summed up judicially. 
 " Who knows of any way out ? " 
 
 "I'm going on the wallaby again," repeated 
 Allardyce, "and that's as good a way as any." 
 
 The actor looked intently at him. " But is it wide 
 enough for three ? " he asked, with evident anxiety. 
 " Don't joke about it, Allardyce. I'm all in earnest." 
 
 " For twenty," the other assured him, and Corbyn 
 also looked relieved. " Here it is. Light the gas and 
 see for yourselves." 
 
 He drew forth an apparently empty pocket-book, 
 from which he extracted a newspaper-clipping, and 
 handed the latter to O'Dare. 
 
 Corbyn struck a match and lit a stump of candle 
 "The gas supply's cut off," he explained where- 
 after Dennis read aloud: 
 
 " ' Wanted Twenty young men for extremely 
 hazardous exploring expedition : must be acquaint- 
 ed with the use of fire-arms and be able to stand 
 severe marching : mounted : ex-soldiers preferred. 
 Write full particulars to Barr, Amberley House, 
 Mobile, Ala.' " 
 
 He rose, and, making joyful outcry, pranced about 
 the room. 
 
 " Now isn't that a lucky strike ! " he cried. " Where 
 did you " 
 
 "I cut it out of Sunday's paper," Allardyce pro- 
 ceeded, while his friends listened with breathless 
 interest, " and wrote the amiable Barr that afternoon. 
 
 "Here's his reply."
 
 10 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 He passed to O'Dare a telegram from Mobile 
 which said: 
 
 " Look out for Rose, Fifth Avenue Hotel, Man- 
 hattan, Saturday morning ten." 
 
 And that was all. There was no signature. 
 
 "Anything else?" asked Corbyn, and Allardyce 
 shook his head. 
 
 "To-morrow's Saturday," said O'Dare, and they 
 all fell silent. 
 
 The candle stump burned out, and still they sat 
 there smoking contemplatively. Outside, in Twenty- 
 third Street, it was snowing. The surface-cars 
 slipped past without their customary whiz and 
 rattle. There was no rumble of wheels on the 
 asphalt. Only a subdued murmur, very different 
 from the ordinary staccato outcry of the traffic 
 there, came skywards as far as the studio. 
 
 " It's very quiet here," Allardyce remarked incon- 
 sequently. 
 
 "The building is empty after business hours ex- 
 cept for this floor," Corbyn answered. "Do you 
 think there's anything in that advertisement ? " 
 
 "It reads like revolution," O'Dare suggested, and 
 the indifferent Englishman nodded entire agreement. 
 
 " And what if it does ? " the Irishman added 
 doughtily, his mind made up. 
 
 "A revolution, in our circumstances, is what we 
 want. I'm with you, Allardyce." 
 
 "Wait a minute," begged Corbyn, and left the
 
 THE ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE 11 
 
 room. He hurried downstairs to his letter-box. It 
 was still empty, and the last mail delivery for the 
 day had been made. He retraced his steps with 
 bent head, a sudden, desperate resolution taking 
 concrete shape in his mind. The reason therefor 
 he expressed to himself in words, but beneath his 
 breath, as he climbed the steep, dark staircase. 
 
 " I wouldn't have believed it of her," he whispered 
 grievously. " I was poor enough before, God knows, 
 but I'm bankrupt now, since she's deprived me of 
 hope and faith." 
 
 "Count me in, too," he told his friends from the 
 doorway, and was glad that the gloom hid his face 
 from them. 
 
 " That's settled, then," said O'Dare in great glee. 
 "And now put on your hats, brave hearts. I hear 
 a still, small voice that tells me it's long past dinner- 
 time. The banquet waits. We'll hie us to a restau- 
 rant and there celebrate this most suspicious " 
 
 "You cut along," amended Allardyce. "Corbyn 
 
 and I " He choked as O'Dare, having laid 
 
 hands on him after the manner of a professional 
 strong nlan, propelled him towards the door. 
 
 "The dinners are on me, confound you!" cried 
 that impetuous Thespian, and Corbyn followed 
 meekly. 
 
 " We'll walk," explained the economical capitalist 
 as they stepped out upon the slippery pavement in 
 the direction of Sixth Avenue, "as far as a place I 
 know where they fill you with artificial grape-juice,
 
 12 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 garlic, and spaghetti for forty cents. The money 
 that we save in car-fares we'll invest in cocktails 
 lest we lose it. Come right in here." He led the 
 way into a cafe before they could demur. 
 
 Two men pushed out through the swing-doors and 
 paused to let them pass. Corbyn nodded coldly to 
 one of them, who returned the compliment w T ith for- 
 eign effusion. 
 
 "Who's your shifty-looking friend? '' asked 
 O'Dare, leaning opulently over the bar. 
 
 "He calls himself Gonzalez," the artist answered. 
 " That's all I know about him besides the annoying 
 fact that he seems to covet my studio. He came in 
 yesterday to ask if I'd oblige him by moving. He's 
 rented the one opposite and requires more room." 
 
 "I'd hate to meet him on a desert island," said 
 O'Dare dryly, and comforted himself with a cock- 
 tail. " I wonder why he wants the whole house to 
 himself; and wears a wig which doesn't match his 
 moustache ? " 
 
 Five minutes more took them to a bohemian 
 haunt in Twenty-seventh Street, where they were 
 warmly greeted by the careless cosmopolitans of 
 their acquaintance whose meagre incomes forced 
 them to frequent it. The diners were chiefly for- 
 eigners, actors, artists, musicians, a sprinkling of 
 tradespeople, with here and there a stray couple or 
 quartette of curiosity-seekers, their minds divided 
 between detestation of the execrable table-wine and 
 admiration of the insouciance with which Bohemia
 
 THE ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE 13 
 
 quaffed it. And there were among the habitues not 
 a few men of fallen fortune, facing the squalid pres- 
 ent and a barren future to the full as cheerfully as 
 they had squandered the good years behind them. 
 The meal according to the carte was an imposing 
 one for the price, but actually consisted of morsels: 
 tunny-fish and olives, soup, a fragment of malodorous 
 bass, a mouthful of doubtful veal, spaghetti, the 
 wings of a far-travelled fowl, a spoonful of sloppy 
 ice cream, black coffee. And, although Corbyn's 
 father, the irascible millionaire who had bidden his 
 only son to sink or swim as he would might have 
 held up his hands in horror at the mere idea of such 
 a dinner, that did not prevent his undutiful offspring 
 from attacking with appetite all that came his way. 
 While AUardyce, the man of family, a far-travelled 
 epicure, was far too frankly hungry for question or 
 cavil. Dennis O'Dare had often fared far worse in 
 his experience of one-night stands on the long road 
 he had elected to follow. He took whatever he could 
 get, and asked for more. 
 
 i Tongues wagged and babel broke loose as the 
 tablecloths were cleared away, from motives of 
 economy, while cheap cigars and cheaper cigarettes 
 created a blue cloud before which all the strangers 
 fled in fits of coughing. The double doors at the 
 inner end of the long room were withdrawn, one 
 seated himself at the piano in the alcove, another 
 brought forth from a safe place his beloved violin, 
 and on the silence which ensued there rose such music
 
 14 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 as men may make who have sore hearts behind their 
 shabby coats. They played for love as they could 
 never play for payment, and the lost chord was theirs 
 for once. It was a dead man's requiem. Corbyn 
 had told them that Stephan Florian would no more 
 eome among them, and they had loved the silent 
 exile for the magic of his touch upon the strings. 
 He would be sadly missed there. 
 
 The place began to empty quietly, until only the 
 three friends in misfortune remained. They stayed 
 another hour for the sake of the warmth and light 
 and comfort, and yet another that they might 
 still more fully discuss Fifi Florian's future and 
 finances. 
 
 Corbyn had been her brother's only intimate 
 among many acquaintances and felt himself in some 
 degree responsible for her safe guidance in the great 
 city of which she knew so little. The other two were 
 more than willing to back him up to the limit of their 
 powers, and, before they finally rose to go, it had 
 been arranged that they should mutually seek to 
 enlist the sympathy of one or another of their more 
 reliable women-friends on her behalf, that they 
 should, if it were humanly possible, act as her bank- 
 ers for so long as that might be necessary. 
 
 "And if she can handle a bow anything like as 
 well as her brother did," said O'Dare more cheer- 
 fully, " it won't be much she'll have to take from us. 
 Music of that sort's worth more than a gold-mine. 
 
 " Now where am I going to sleep to-night ? "
 
 THE ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE 15 
 
 " Corbyn can put us both up," Allardyce answered 
 hospitably, and they returned to Twenty-third Street 
 through the snow. 
 
 A single gas-jet was burning dimly on the studio 
 stair, and Corbyn, fumbling with frozen fingers for 
 the familiar key-hole, failed to find it. He struck 
 a match and looked again. Then they stared limply 
 at each other and their faces fell. 
 
 There was no key-hole in the heavy iron plate 
 which had been screwed fast to the wood and was 
 securely padlocked to the staple in another on the 
 doorpost. 
 
 "They've locked us out of house and home," said 
 O'Dare lugubriously. Allardyce grunted his dis- 
 gust, while Corbyn frowned and bit his lip. 
 
 "It's too bad!" he protested wrathfully. "I've 
 been too busy to keep count of the days of grace they 
 granted me, and " 
 
 "And they've evicted you, the soulless rascals!" 
 concluded O'Dare. "They seem to think that an 
 artist has nothing to do with his money but squander 
 it paying rent!" 
 
 The card which had served Corbyn for name-plate 
 had been torn down. 
 
 There were but two other doors on the top land- 
 ing, and one of these had recently been embellished 
 with the name of J. Gonzalez in large white letters. 
 No light was visible through the transom above it, 
 and that individual was evidently not at home, but 
 Corbyn shook his fist at it ere he turned to the second.
 
 16 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " I'll bet it was that ugly beast who egged them on 
 to turn me out like this," he muttered. " He wants 
 my room and this is how he means to get it. 
 
 " Let's see if my things are in the lumber-room 
 I have the key here, luckily. 
 
 " I thought so," he continued with rising anger. 
 " They've shifted everything in here so that he may 
 take possession in the morning." 
 
 " How would it do to camp among them till then ? " 
 asked Allardyce and peered in past him. The wis- 
 dom of his proposition was so obvious that no one 
 gainsaid it. The shelter of the lumber-room was 
 certainly preferable to the unsheltered street, and 
 O'Dare had already calculated their remaining cash 
 capital at twenty cents. 
 
 There were abundant blankets, and sufficient 
 space under the rafters for a dozen men. Cold 
 moonlight flooded the garret. They closed the door 
 and made themselves as comfortable as might be. 
 
 "I only hope Gonzalez won't shout fire and 
 thieves when he hears Denny snoring," whispered 
 the Englishman. "It would be deuced awkward 
 to be asked for explanations regarding this picnic, 
 and still more so to be turned out into the snow. 
 
 "Phew! but I'm sleepy. Look not upon the 
 wine when it is red ink, Corbyn, my boy. That was 
 pure laudanum we had to dinner, Denny. 
 
 " Let's turn in. There's nothing else to do, and 
 we'll be all the fresher for an early start after a good 
 sleep."
 
 THE ARTISTIC ATMOSPHERE 17 
 
 He rolled his outer garments up in the shape of a 
 rough pillow with all the indifference of an old cam- 
 paigner, removed his shoes, and lay down quite 
 contentedly. 
 
 " Call me in time for breakfast," he requested in 
 a drowsy voice, and closed his eyes. 
 
 Corbyn was prompt to imitate him, and, as soon 
 as O'Dare also had accommodated himself to cir- 
 cumstances, there was no more said. 
 
 It was not long before the other two men were 
 slumbering peacefully, but the less fortunate O'Dare 
 could not achieve a like result. There seemed to 
 be nothing but knots in the particular planks he 
 had unwillingly chosen for a couch, and a constant 
 turning over only induced a fresh crop. 
 
 "This is most cursedly uncomfortable!" he said 
 crossly to himself after an endless hour of it, and sat 
 up, shivering, to rearrange his coverings. 
 
 The sound of shuffling footsteps on the stairway 
 caught his attention and he leaned forward, elbows 
 on knees, to listen.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 BEATRIZ 
 
 THE other two were sleeping very tranquilly, 
 heads buried beneath their blankets. A mouse 
 which scuttled along the wainscot seemed to make 
 much unnecessary noise, and O'Dare, considering 
 attentively the echoes from below, felt cold and 
 lonely as these became more audible. 
 
 There was more than one person ascending. 
 There were two: two men. There were more than 
 two ; but the third was not necessarily a man. There 
 were no more than three, all told. 
 
 "Two men and a woman," he deduced inge- 
 niously, "with rather more supper than they can 
 conveniently carry on an even keel. They're 
 not very conversational: I wish they'd say some- 
 thing." 
 
 His wish was not granted, however; and the foot- 
 steps halted, so that there was funereal stillness for 
 a space. The ticking of his watch was like the 
 blows of a trip-hammer. He could hear his heart 
 beat. 
 
 "They've reached the floor below," he calculated. 
 "A festive sort of owl our Italian friend!" 
 
 18
 
 BEATRIZ 19 
 
 Suspicions of a silent scuffle reached his straining 
 ears, and then the nearer impression of slow but 
 steadier climbing. There were only two pairs of 
 feet now, and they seemed disproportionately 
 heavier. 
 
 "They're sober enough," thought the listener. 
 
 At the top of the stair they stopped again, and he 
 heard a hoarse whisper. Some one came forward, 
 and, having stealthily turned the handle of the 
 locked door behind which he was cowering, re- 
 tired, apparently satisfied, to insert a key in that 
 adjoining. 
 
 A match was struck, a gas-burner lit, and then 
 three people entered the studio of J. Gonzalez: 
 O'Dare believed that one of them had done so 
 under some compulsion, although without spoken 
 protest. 
 
 He did not quite know what to do next. It would 
 not have been wise to wake the others, lest by some 
 startled exclamation they should apprise the enemy 
 of their presence. He did not feel like lying down 
 again and letting ill alone. 
 
 He had no wish to interfere in what did not con- 
 cern him, but " I'll sit up for a while and see 
 
 what happens," he resolved, and rubbed his eyes as 
 there shot a ray of light from a crack in the plaster 
 of the partition facing him. Then he rose cautiously, 
 and, creeping towards it in his stocking-soles, 
 peered through. 
 
 The adjacent room was little larger than a cup-
 
 20 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 board and could boast no windows. Its walls were 
 bare. There was no carpet on the floor. The 
 furniture consisted of a single arm-chair. 
 
 Beyond it through an open door was a more com- 
 modious chamber, but almost empty also, in so far 
 as O'Dare could judge. 
 
 It was Gonzalez who had lit the gas. He was 
 bareheaded, but wore a fur-lined greatcoat, the 
 upturned collar of which covered half his face. He 
 glanced about him and then upwards before inviting 
 his companions in. 
 
 "You must have been mistaken, Schweitzer," 
 O'Dare heard him mutter. " There's no sign of any 
 trespass, and, as you know, the studio opposite is 
 already empty. I saw to that. The lumber-room's 
 locked. I think we're quite safe from outside 
 interference." 
 
 "There are fresh foot-prints on the stair since I 
 went out," answered a sullen voice from the next 
 room, " and " 
 
 "Oh, cease your croaking!" cried Gonzalez ir- 
 ritably. "The janitor no doubt came up to make 
 the other door fast. 
 
 "Come this way, senorita, if you please. Pardon 
 the poverty of my apartment, but, after all, it may 
 serve well enough for waiting-room." 
 
 A woman appeared in the doorway, a young 
 woman, almost a girl, and, pausing for an instant 
 on the threshold to look about her, came bravely 
 forward.
 
 BEATRIZ 21 
 
 Her hands were bound behind her, her lips sealed 
 by a silken handkerchief, but the bandage with which 
 they had also blinded her had been loosened from 
 about her eyes; and these spoke of overwhelming 
 anger. 
 
 She crossed to the chair, and sat down. It seemed 
 to O'Dare, looking on, that she did not stand in any 
 awe of her captors. 
 
 Gonzalez gave way before her, and she was fol- 
 lowed by a lean, dwarf -like, dried-up mannikin of 
 furtive mien and most unpleasant personality: "A 
 dangerous little divil that!" said Dennis O'Dare to 
 himself. 
 
 "You see, senorita," the former remarked with a 
 wave of the hand, "that it will be quite useless tt> 
 attempt escape. We are alone here, at the top of 
 an empty house. 
 
 " If you will grant me your solemn promise not to 
 cause any disturbance, I shall be glad to remove 
 the gag you have forced me to employ. Please nod 
 if you agree." 
 
 She appeared to consider for a moment, and then 
 accepted his condition with a haughty inclination. 
 He stepped behind her, unloosed her remaining 
 bonds, and came forward again. 
 
 " I trust you absolutely," he reminded her, and 
 braced himself to meet the storm of her displeasure. 
 
 She did not speak at once, but, when she did, he 
 shrank away with an uneasy movement. 
 
 "There is that between us now, Gonzalez," she
 
 22 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 said, in a quiet, level voice, as if addressing a delin- 
 quent servant, "which will one day be wiped out 
 very thoroughly and you with it." 
 
 The veiled threat was brief, but served its purpose 
 better than more voluble denunciation. 
 
 She looked past him at his companion, but did 
 not deign to address that evil-doer. Her count was 
 with the chief criminal: with his accomplices she 
 need not now concern herself. 
 
 " May I remind the senorita that I am acting under 
 instructions from His Excellency," Gonzalez ven- 
 tured in a propitiatory tone, "and that," he added 
 more malignantly, " she came here without 
 
 " You trapped me very cleverly," she interrupted, 
 and her eyes flashed again. " That also I shall not 
 forget." 
 
 "I could think of no other way," he answered 
 deprecatingly. "His Excellency's orders were most 
 stringent, and, had I failed, I should have incurred 
 heavy penalty. The senorita knows that I serve a 
 hard task-master. It is with him that she should 
 cast accounts not with his servants." 
 
 " Enough," she said. " Please leave me, if you will." 
 
 He bowed obediently, desirous to propitiate her. 
 "I trust you," he repeated, " since you have pledged 
 your word. 
 
 "Step outside, Schweitzer." 
 
 His underling obeyed, but he himself still lingered. 
 O'Dare judged that he was anxious to make his 
 peace with her.
 
 BEATRIZ 23 
 
 "The story of the accident was false," he said. 
 " It was part of our plan. The senorita's friend is 
 safe and well, so far as I know." 
 
 She took no notice of the information. 
 
 "I trust you, Dona Beatriz," he once more re- 
 minded her impressively, and shut her in, alone.' 
 Then her eyes brightened with relief, not altogether 
 due to his withdrawal. His news had evidently 
 been of much more import to her than she was willing 
 to admit to him. 
 
 She rose, that she might reach more easily the 
 pocket of her expensively simple gown, but her hand 
 came out of it empty. She swept her skirts to one 
 side with a silken swish, and looked down as if in 
 search of something she might have dropped. There 
 was nothing upon the floor but a pair of small feet 
 trimly shod in patent leather. She sank back into 
 her seat with an expression of puzzled disappoint- 
 ment, and sat still, thinking, one elbow on an arm 
 of the chair, chin on palm. O'Dare gazed at her 
 as though she had bewitched him. 
 
 Her young beauty was sufficient excuse. 
 
 She was 'fair, of the north, whose snowdrops and 
 roses had lent her pure face their most tender tints. 
 Her troubled eyes were of misty blue, underneath 
 long lashes. The curve of the crimson cupid's-bow 
 that her lips made, compressed as they were, would 
 have drawn an anchorite from his desert, and yet 
 the aptest description that Dennis O'Dare could 
 supply from a memory well stocked with such
 
 24 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 quotations was the old one of " sweet, cold, chaste 
 lips, a mouth that had not yet dreamed of kisses, 
 most honest eyes.' 
 And her hair, 
 
 *'Hair, such a wonder of flix and floss, 
 Freshness and fragrance floods of it, too!" 
 
 her hair was loose under her broad, black hat. A 
 curl as thick as his wrist flowed distractingly past 
 the blue bow beneath a chin curved to that true 
 oval which artists love but so seldom see. She was 
 so unconsciously lovely in her abandon that sudden 
 compunction for his espial smote the enraptured 
 Dennis. He blushed in the darkness, bethought 
 himself of how he might serve her. 
 
 " I must have a word with her before I wake those 
 Rip van Winkles," he told himself, only half 
 repentant, and, putting his lips to the opening, he 
 whistled softly. 
 
 She did not seem to hear. He tried again, a little 
 louder, and, looking through, saw her scanning the 
 blank wall with anxious glance. 
 
 He made a megaphone of his two hands, and, " I'm 
 a friend," he whispered sibilantly. 
 
 She overcame her startled impulse to call out, and 
 turned one shell-like ear towards the spot behind 
 which he was standing. 
 
 "Draw your chair closer so that I can speak to 
 you," he begged, but she did not at once comply. 
 She rose instead, and took a turn or two about her cell.
 
 BEATRIZ 25 
 
 A light knock sounded on the door. " Come in," 
 she said indifferently. It was partly opened and 
 Gonzalez' face appeared. 
 
 "The senorita is restless," he remarked suspi- 
 ciously, and she stopped short. 
 
 " Must I sit still ? " she asked with assumed petu- 
 lance, and, pushing her chair back to the wall, sank 
 into it again while O'Dare grinned delightedly in 
 the darkness. 
 
 " She's wise," he told himself. 
 
 The brown wig disappeared, the door was shut. 
 She leaned back against the cracked plaster with a 
 gesture of weariness, and put a hand to her lips 
 lest any one should see them move. 
 
 " Who are you ? " she inquired eagerly. 
 
 " My name is O'Dare," explained that gentleman. 
 "Dennis O'Dare. Is there anything I can do for 
 you ? There are three of us in here, and we're 
 more than a match for " 
 
 "Are the other two listening?" she interrupted. 
 
 "They're sound asleep." 
 
 "Please, please, don't wake them," she implored, 
 "and promise me that you will tell them nothing 
 of How long have you been watching ? " 
 
 "I've seen the whole show." 
 
 " You won't disclose what you've seen, then, will 
 you ? I ask it as a great favour. 
 
 "Apart from that there's nothing you can do for 
 
 me, unless " She paused reflectively. " If 
 
 you would care "
 
 26 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "Of course I'd care," the impetuous Irishman 
 assured her gallantly. 
 
 "I came here under a misapprehension, and the 
 two men you saw seized me as soon as I entered 
 the door downstairs, and I've lost a letter I had 
 with me. I don't want them or any one else to get 
 hold of it. I must have dropped it just at the door. 
 Do you think you could find it for me without 
 letting any one know ? " 
 
 Dennis hesitated, and was lost. 
 
 "I'll find it for you," he asserted positively, and 
 had his reward in a shy glance of gratitude from 
 two entrancing eyes. 
 
 " I'll find it for you, and I'll fetch a policeman up 
 at the same time. I'll have those two arrested so 
 neatly that they'll scarcely notice " 
 
 "Oh, no! Please, no," she urged desperately. 
 "You mustn't do that. I'm in no danger and 
 you promised me. You mustn't say a word of what 
 you've seen to any one at all. It's to avoid such 
 needless scandal that I've submitted to so much, 
 and you won't betray me, will you?" 
 
 Her swift, appealing look was too much for 
 O'Dare. He did not understand, but he was alto- 
 gether at her service. 
 
 " I'll carry out your orders," he assured her. " I'm 
 off. If those two in front make any move toward 
 my friends in here, will you make noise enough to 
 wake them? I'll have to leave the door un- 
 locked."
 
 BEATRIZ 27 
 
 "I'll warn them in time," she assented. "I'll 
 sit here till you return. You won't be long ? " 
 
 "Trust me for that," he finished. "I'll be back 
 before " 
 
 He felt his way along the wall as far as the door, 
 found the key where Corbyn had laid it, and achiev- 
 ed a stealthy egress. From within the studio of J. 
 Gonzalez sounded gruff voices, but otherwise all 
 was still. He crept downstairs, and, when a step 
 creaked, stopped to listen fearfully but without 
 result. 
 
 There were no lights on the lower landings; the 
 hallway was black and dark. He went on blindly, 
 toward the door, feeling for a match, his head too 
 full of the grateful glance the girl had given him 
 to hold any doubts as to the wisdom of his enter- 
 prise, and hoping for at least a single smile when 
 he should have accomplished his errand. 
 
 "I would my name were Benedick since hers 
 is " he was muttering, when his romantic mus- 
 ings were abruptly put an end to. A blanket-like 
 covering descended upon his head, so muffling it that 
 he could not cry out, his arms were pinioned from 
 behind, his ankles held fast ina vise-like grip. When 
 he at last got his mouth open wide enough to howl 
 for help, his outcry all but deafened himself and did 
 not disturb his captors. 
 
 They bound him with convenient cords, and, 
 lifting him bodily, carried him back upstairs, 
 treating him none too tenderly by the way: but
 
 28 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 he was able to check their course as far as Gon- 
 zalez' door, within which he was conveyed and 
 quietly deposited on the floor. He could hear the 
 soft thud-thud of .several feet but nothing else, 
 until rough hands removed in part the wrap about 
 his shoulders, thrust a rude gag between his teeth, 
 and, finally, uncovered his face. 
 
 Looking irately upwards his eyes met those of 
 Gonzalez, who was inspecting him with a blankly 
 puzzled expression. Schweitzer stood at one side, 
 head poised, very like a serpent about to strike. 
 Opposite him there was a group whose faces O'Dare 
 could not recall, but none of them impressed him 
 favourably. "Black Hands," was his mental 
 summary of their most probable profession. 
 
 They seemed to be discussing him unfavourably 
 also, but in low whispers and in a language which he 
 did not understand; suddenly Gonzalez gave some 
 order and all but he and Schweitzer left the room. 
 
 The two took hold of their prisoner and flung 
 him to one side under a table, out of sight. To 
 hide him more completely they drew down a cor- 
 ner of the cloth which covered it. 
 
 He lay there helpless while Gonzalez once more 
 knocked and entered the inner chamber. The 
 girl within came forth reluctantly. Her gaoler turned 
 tile gas out, followed her, and locked the door. 
 
 "The senorita's carriage waits," he said. "If 
 she will swear to keep the strictest silence by the 
 way there will be no need to use this; but other-
 
 BEATRIZ 29 
 
 wise " He held up the silk handkerchief and 
 
 pointed to the rug which had already served to 
 silence O'Dare. She flushed up hotly. 
 
 "See that you do not try my patience too far," 
 she said, and there was that in her tone which cowed 
 him. But he was dogged in his determination to 
 run no risk. 
 
 "The senorita will go with us quietly?" he 
 demanded. 
 
 "I will go with you quietly," she replied. 
 
 He held the door for her, and she passed out 
 with a reluctant backward glance. Two of the 
 men there led the way downstairs: Gonzalez fol- 
 lowed at her heels. No ghosts could have moved 
 more noiselessly. 
 
 Schweitzer turned hurriedly to the table and took 
 from one of his pockets a tiny phial. He held it 
 up to the light which showed it full of a thick, colour- 
 less liquid. He shook it, and it clouded over. 
 
 He tiptoed to the door and called in the remainder 
 of Gonzalez' men, who, at a word from him, took 
 hold of O'Dare and lifted him from his corner. 
 
 One of them gripped him cruelly by the throat, 
 another loosed the gag, and Schweitzer deftly emp- 
 tied the contents of the phial into his open mouth. 
 He could not cry out, was quite powerless, and, as 
 the pressure upon his windpipe relaxed for a short 
 second, he swallowed wildly the sweet, sickly potion. 
 
 He suffered all the pains of purgatory for a space 
 while they stood watching him indifferently. A
 
 30 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 bluish pallor overspread his features, his jaws re- 
 laxed, his head drooped limply to one side. A quick, 
 convulsive shudder shook him from head to foot, 
 and after that his straining limbs were still. 
 
 " Untie him," Schweitzer ordered abruptly. " He's 
 safe enough now, and we're to take him along with 
 us."
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 
 
 A RAT of wintry sunshine, streaming through the 
 skylight overhead, fell full on Corbyn's face and 
 woke him more effectually than any alarm clock 
 would. He sat up blinking and looked about him. 
 
 Then he shook Allardyce out of sound sleep. 
 "Where's Denny?" he demanded. 
 
 " Eh yow-w-w ? " answered Allardyce, yawning. 
 
 "Where's Denny?" 
 
 "Where's Denny?" Allardyce parroted stupidly. 
 
 "Why " He stumbled to his feet and stared 
 
 at his companion. " Why " 
 
 They stood there gazing at each other. 
 
 " He's gone ! " cried Allardyce. 
 
 "That's evident," Corbyn retorted somewhat 
 crossly. 
 
 " I wouldn't have believed it," said the Englishman. 
 
 " Nor I," the American agreed. " I don't believe 
 it either. Something has happened him. He 
 wouldn't bolt without a word to us." 
 
 "The door's unlocked," whispered the other 
 after assuring himself of the fact. " What the devil 
 does it all mean ? " 
 
 31
 
 32 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 He looked blankly at Corbyn again. Corbyn 
 looked back at him. They were both dumfoundered 
 by their friend's defection. 
 
 " What the devil does it all mean ? " he once more 
 ejaculated and drew out his watch. " It's half past 
 seven too. Time to strike camp if we don't want 
 to be caught here." 
 
 "Yes, we'd better get a move on," Corbyn 
 assented. "I've shaving tackle somewhere about, 
 and we can snatch a wash at the tap outside. We'll 
 have to breakfast on water also unless our moneyed 
 member returns to the fold in time." 
 
 They made a hasty toilet without further conver- 
 sation, and, ten minutes later, left their temporary 
 quarters, Allardyce no less neat and correct than 
 usual, Corbyn equally well groomed. 
 
 A sudden inspiration caused Corbyn to stop at 
 Gonzalez' door as they passed it. " I'll knock and 
 ask if any one's been inquiring for me," he explained 
 in a low tone. "He'll think we've come up from 
 the street, and we'll find out if he's at home." But 
 all his knocking elicited no response. The studio 
 seemed to be deserted. On his way out he looked 
 into his letter-box, for the last time. It was quite 
 empty. 
 
 He followed his friend with a sigh, and for two 
 long hours they paced the pavements, discussing 
 O'Dare's most mysterious disappearance. With 
 that to occupy their minds they did not miss the 
 morning meal. But when, toward ten o'clock,
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS S3 
 
 they turned along Fifth Avenue to the Hotel, they 
 were no nearer any satisfactory conclusion as to 
 its cause. The only decision they could arrive at was 
 that, all things considered, it would not be advisable 
 to raise any hue and cry for the missing man. 
 
 "No sign of him here," said Corbyn disappoint- 
 edly as they went down the corridor together. " I 
 thought he might perhaps turn up at ten, since he 
 knew where to find us." 
 
 "I wish he had," answered Allardyce. "How- 
 ever, we'll hear what our good friend Rose has to 
 say in the mean time, and then we'll be free to find 
 Denny if he's to be found." 
 
 The spacious vestibule was thronged. They" 
 passed observantly from group to group, seeking 
 some sign whereby they might identify the object 
 of their quest. 
 
 "We'd better look out for him first, as instructed," 
 observed Allardyce. "If we can't find him other- 
 wise, we'll have to ask at the office, but 
 
 " Gad ! " exclaimed Corbyn. " If that isn't Of 
 
 course it is! Excuse me a moment, Allardyce." 
 
 His friend followed him with his eyes to where a 
 man was standing by himself, his back against a 
 pillar, scanning the passers-by without apparent 
 curiosity. A man of slightly less than middle height, 
 but very straight and well set up. 
 
 His irregular features, impressed with a blandly 
 whimsical melancholy, seemed in some degree 
 familiar to Allardyce who started as he observed 
 3
 
 34 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 that the stranger was idly twirling a red rose be- 
 tween two fingers. 
 
 Corbyn bore down upon him with outstretched 
 hand. "Hullo, Meggs!" he cried with all the 
 fervour that can be compressed into that abrupt 
 Anglo-Saxon apostrophe. 
 
 The other's outward gravity gave place to an 
 instantaneous and whole-hearted grin of pleasure. 
 He started forward, gripping the hand held out to 
 him with such intensity of welcome that Corbyn 
 winced. 
 
 "Great Caesar's ghost!" he ejaculated. "Phil 
 Corbyn of all people! Where under heaven did 
 you drop from ? What are you doing here ? Tell 
 me all your news. It must be three years since 
 we've met, and I'm not going to let you go till I've 
 heard the last of it. You'll stop and breakfast with 
 me. I'm hungry for some one to talk to, and, say! 
 Phil. If you're open for a sporting event, I've a 
 
 proposition to Give me five minutes more 
 
 here and we'll go inside. Then I'll explain." 
 
 Corbyn laughed, no less pleased than he over 
 their chance encounter. 
 
 " I've a friend with me," he said doubtfully, " and 
 what are you twiddling that rose for, Jerry ? This 
 isn't the Martha Washington." 
 
 Mr. Meggs groaned lugubriously. 
 
 "Phil," he answered with great solemnity, "I'm 
 broken-hearted. I'll tell you why, presently. The 
 beautiful language of flowers I'm using in the for-
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 35 
 
 lorn hope of finding even one man with enough 
 sense to see past his own nose, and because I couldn't 
 contrive any better scheme. I'm not half brainy 
 enough myself. That's what's the matter with 
 me." 
 
 "You've found two right away, all the same," 
 returned Corbyn contentedly, and signalled to 
 Allardyce that he should join them. 
 
 "This is Ainslie Allardyce, Englishman, Jerry, 
 and he's the first. I'm the other. Allardyce, this 
 is Gerald Meggs." 
 
 " The polo-player ?" said Allardyce as they shook 
 hands. "Thought I knew your face- You dined 
 with our mess at Woolwich one night a good many 
 years ago after a hard game. Met you there, but I 
 don't suppose you remember me." 
 
 "This is the top note!" Meggs declared in an 
 ecstasy of satisfaction. "Of course I remember 
 you. I've got the mark of your stick on my shin- 
 bone yet to keep me from forgetting you. I never 
 enjoyed a game more. And it's a godsend to me to 
 see you both here. Come in to breakfast and I'll 
 tell you all about everything. You haven't fed yet, 
 have you ? " 
 
 " How about that rose ? " Allardyce asked in turn. 
 
 "That's what we're going to talk about," Meggs 
 replied. " I'm from Barr of Mobile. But the rose 
 is my own idea." 
 
 They found a secluded corner in the breakfast 
 room, and, over the lavish repast he ordered, ar-
 
 36 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 rived by degrees 'at a mutual understanding. They 
 could all trust each other without preliminary in- 
 quiries. Corbyn had been on intimate terms with 
 their gratified host since they had been school- 
 boys together, and could therefore vouch for each 
 of the others. But that was unnecessary, since 
 Allardyce had been in the British army, and Meggs 
 had met him at his own mess. A perfect under- 
 standing prevailed. 
 
 "What's driven you into the revolutionist busi- 
 ness, Jerry ? " demanded Corbyn as they sat down. 
 "You surely haven't got through ah 1 your money 
 since I saw you last!" 
 
 "The money still keeps coming in faster than I 
 can spend it," Megggs declared dismally, and hesi- 
 tated for a moment. "I'm broken-hearted, Phil. 
 That's what's the matter with me, and I may as 
 well tell you frankly, since it's the sole and sufficient 
 excuse for the tangle I've got myself into. I fell in 
 with the dream of my life last time I was in London, 
 and she turned me down. It's no laughing matter 
 either, confound you! You'd feel very sorry for 
 me if you'd seen her. Barr of Mobile means busi- 
 ness, too, and but for her I wouldn't be mixed up 
 with him." 
 
 " What's his game ? " Allardyce inquired, very 
 busy with bacon and eggs. 
 
 "There you have me. It's a surprise packet for 
 somebody. I met him in New Orleans when I 
 left London I ran up and down the world like a dog
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 37 
 
 with a tin can tied to its tail and, as soon as he had 
 sized me up, he talked to me so cunningly that I 
 consented to run this show for him. I was feeling 
 pretty cheap at the time, and of course I jumped 
 at the chance of a little healthy excitement. I'd 
 be jumping still, I suppose, if I hadn't found out a 
 thing or two about the same Barr. He's one of those 
 exported Scotchmen who leave their consciences 
 behind them in the old country, and they're about 
 the most dangerous devils I know. 
 
 "All he'd tell me was that it will be a risky ven- 
 ture. If we get nipped by the way, there won't be 
 much chance for us. It's outside civilisation, you 
 know, and we leave the Stars and Stripes behind 
 when we sail. I'm to take twenty men down to San 
 Benito, under sealed orders, when he says, * Go ! ' 
 and act on these orders when I get there. That's 
 his side of the question, and I signed." 
 
 "It sounds interesting," Allardyce commented, 
 and helped himself to more coffee. 
 
 "They're having the time of their lives scrapping 
 with each other in San Benito at this identical mo- 
 ment," continued Meggs. " But that doesn't mean 
 that we're going to liberate any oppressed republics. 
 No, sir. I made Barr swear by all he holds holy 
 that we're to have nothing whatever to do with any 
 of their private dog-fights. Ours is one of those 
 high-class side-shows which are warranted not to 
 bring a blush to the cheek of innocence. If we end 
 up with our backs against a brick wall and bandages
 
 38 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 over our eyes, it won't be because we've mistaken 
 our mission in life to that extent. And the only 
 weak point in the whole programme is that old 
 Barr is a most monumental liar." 
 
 "But can't you find out " Corbyn inter- 
 rupted, and Meggs held up a protesting hand. 
 
 "Half a minute, Phil," he requested. "Let me 
 get it all off my chest in one spasm. What do you 
 think I'm chasing about New York with a blush- 
 rose in my hand for, anyhow ! I've been working 
 my mind double shifts of late. That's what's the 
 matter with me. And what I've decided to do is 
 to lay a sheet-anchor to windward of my slippery 
 friend while the fair weather lasts. I'm willing to 
 go there blind myself, but I am not going to throw 
 away twenty other men's lives to no purpose. I'll 
 tell you what my idea is. I'm going to form a 
 syndicate to insure us all a square deal. 
 
 "Now, how are you fellows fixed? Will you 
 come in with me ? " 
 
 "I'll take five cards," said Allardyce casually. 
 "My present hand isn't good enough to go on with." 
 
 Corbyn merely nodded, and Meggs whistled in 
 great glee. A waiter came forward in haste. He 
 sent the man off for cigars, and resumed in a 
 quieter key. 
 
 "There's a boat sails for La Boca this afternoon. 
 How would it suit you to drift into San Benito on 
 her and find out how the land lies ? Then if there's 
 any hankey-pankey on tap we'll be able to turn the
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 39 
 
 tables on Barr before it's too late. It will be 
 if we have to cross the mountains without knowing 
 where we're at." 
 
 "We're your men, Jerry," Corbyn said briefly, 
 after a quick, interrogative glance in the direction 
 of Allardyce. "Nothing would suit us better, and 
 I've been in San Benito before, too. I know La 
 Boca slightly, and also Alta Cruz, the capital." 
 
 Meggs sat back, almost overcome by emotions 
 of joy. 
 
 "What a combination!" he cried. "Phil, my 
 rose was an inspiration." 
 
 "There's another man we might get to join us," 
 suggested Corbyn, still hoping that Dennis O'Dare 
 would turn up in time. " Would three be too many 
 in the advance-guard ? " 
 
 "I'll leave that to you," Meggs rejoined without 
 thinking twice, " and remember expense is no object. 
 I'll give you a cheque in advance for any amount 
 you like. No, it's not my own money, for I made 
 Barr cash up handsomely in advance and I have an 
 absolutely free hand. I told him I'd take what 
 steps I thought fit to insure our safety, and, of 
 course, he couldn't raise any objection to that. 
 
 " Don't forget either that, if we ever get back, the 
 Northern Corporation will honour our pay-drafts. 
 I haven't trusted to luck in that respect. No, I 
 wouldn't take Barr's word for a paper of pins. 
 
 "You'll start to-day, then, and I'll be after you 
 with twenty of the bravest and best the minute he
 
 40 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 slips the leash. I only wish I were going with you, 
 but it won't be long till we join forces. Wait hah* 
 a minute." 
 
 He left the table, and shortly came back with a 
 slip of grey-green paper which Corbyn pocketed 
 as Allardyce flicked it across to him. Having 
 lit cigars, they turned to other topics. All three 
 were well accustomed to act on few words, and the 
 more salient features of Meggs' sketchy programme 
 were quite sufficient for the other two. Their part 
 at present was that of scouts in an enemy's country, 
 and they found no occasion for further question as 
 to such simple duty. 
 
 Allardyce spoke lightly of his wanderings since 
 he had left the English army with some vague idea 
 of earning his bread and butter by means of the pen 
 in place of the sword. Corbyn explained straight- 
 forwardly his own anomalous position as a poor 
 artist and the son of a rich man who did not believe 
 in artistic idleness. Meggs entertained them both 
 with London gossip, but did not again refer to his 
 reason for leaving that city. 
 
 "I met your sister one day at Hurlingham, 
 Phil," he remarked, and Corbyn's face lit up. 
 
 " Where is Doll at present ? " he asked eagerly. 
 " I had to tell her not to write me till Dad cools off, 
 in case he should quarrel with her about me." 
 
 "She and her husband should be here in New 
 York very shortly," Meggs told him. "They are 
 coming over in their own boat, and intend to stay
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 41 
 
 on this side for some months. Landguard has 
 resigned from the army. She made him. And 
 he's a bit restless, with nothing to do. What corps 
 was he in, do you know, Allardyce ? " 
 
 " Landguard was in the Gunners, same as myself," 
 Allardyce answered. "I didn't know his wife was 
 your sister, Corbyn, old chap! I've never met her, 
 but I used to know Landguard well. He's a good 
 sort, too. He would have been in this with us 
 like a shot, if he had had the chance and were still 
 a bachelor." 
 
 "Yes, Landguard's all right," said Corbyn, and 
 rose. "Come on, Allardyce. It's time we began 
 to get busy, if we're to sail in the afternoon." 
 
 They parted with Meggs after a few final words 
 as to future arrangements, and left him, greatly 
 delighted with the success of his scheme, to the 
 task of recruiting a few of his rank and file from 
 among the many who had written Barr of Mobile. 
 Allardyce beamed on Corbyn as they bowled smooth- 
 ly down Broadway in the hansom they had hailed. 
 
 " Luck has turned at last, old chap," said he in a 
 tone of great contentment. " And what a difference 
 it makes having Meggs to deal with instead of some 
 Spanish cut-throat as we expected. I'm rather sur- 
 prised, all the same, to find him playing at soldiers 
 of fortune." 
 
 "Poor Jerry!" Corbyn rejoined soberly. "He's 
 harder hit than you'd think, Allardyce, whoever 
 the girl was. He doesn't squeal, but he's feeling
 
 42 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 it very badly. I can't understand He has more 
 
 than enough money to make him a catch, and yet 
 he gets turned down too." 
 
 "The ways of women are past finding out," 
 Allardyce interrupted briskly, and Corbyn did not 
 contradict him. 
 
 They spent a busy forenoon winding up the 
 threads of their own affairs and spinning fresh 
 ones for the future. The booking-clerk at the 
 office of the Golden Cross Line had bidden them 
 be on board their steamer, the Hilario, by four, 
 but they found time to seek O'Dare in all his usual 
 haunts before that hour, and, in the end, reluctantly 
 came to the conclusion that they must count him 
 out of their plans. 
 
 Another disappointment was in store for them 
 when they drew up, on their way to the dock, in 
 front of Fifi Florian's modest lodging. 
 
 The woman there informed them that the girl 
 had given up her room that morning, and Corbyn's 
 added inquiries only elicited the sulky supposition 
 that she had perhapc found work in some other 
 quarter of the city. 
 
 "That must be it," he said more hopefully, and, 
 having left word for her, in case she should return, 
 that she would hear of something to her advantage 
 by calling at their bankers, they went on. 
 
 " We've done the best we can for her and Denny," 
 Corbyn assured himself. "I only wish we could 
 have found them both."
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 43 
 
 When they got to the pier from which the G. C. 
 boats start once a fortnight for La Boca it was 
 already in a state of ferment. They gathered from 
 the sulphurous conversation of truckmen and ste- 
 vedores that a consignment of cargo which ought 
 to have been on board the day before had been kept 
 back till the last minute, greatly to the hardship of 
 those who had now to handle it. 
 
 "They must be a musical lot in San Benito!" 
 said Allardyce laughingly, and pointed to a solid 
 square of packing-cases all bearing labels which 
 announced that they contained pianos and must 
 therefore be treated tenderly. 
 
 "Who's that chap watching us so closely?" he 
 whispered. "Keep still for a moment and then 
 look round." 
 
 His friend obeyed him. " Why, it's my worthy 
 friend Ganzalez," he answered. " And what a sight ! " 
 
 It was the individual in question, but so dis- 
 guised that it would have been difficult to swear 
 to his identity. He was wearing a great fur-lined 
 overcoat, his head was bandaged in a black scarf, 
 he had a soft hat pulled well down over his face, 
 and spectacles upon his nose: but for the tell- 
 tale wig which showed between the brim of his hat 
 and his up-turned coat collar he would scarcely 
 have been recognisable. 
 
 " I'll have a word with him," said Corbyi impul- 
 sively. "He may know something of Dennis 
 O'Dare."
 
 44 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 He hurried forward, but the fur-lined coat became 
 at once invisible; nor could he find it anywhere 
 about the pier. He came back disconcertedly, and 
 followed his friend up the gangway. 
 
 A sulky steward showed them to their berths 
 within a dingy stateroom on one side of the old- 
 fashioned poop cabin, and, after they had bestowed 
 their scanty belongings in such wise as to discourage 
 intrusion, they went on deck again, to kick their 
 heels there until dinner-time. 
 
 Few of their fellow-passengers appeared at that 
 function, and such as there were did not impress 
 them favourably. They turned in early to escape 
 the chaos reigning high and low on the Hilario, and 
 heard but dimly the hoarse blast from her steam 
 siren which proclaimed the hour of her departure, 
 two A. M. 
 
 The Golden Cross Line was a government concern, 
 the property of the Republic of San Benito, and, 
 needless to say, it paid no dividends. In its case 
 might was right regarding any ready cash that came 
 into its coffers ; the hapless folk who parted with 
 good money for their passages by one or other 
 of its ancient vessels received considerably less at- 
 tention on them than did the unfailing " deadheads." 
 
 "They treat us like a lot of stowaways!" said 
 Allardyce disgustedly as he and Corbyn paced the 
 poop together after breakfast, watching the land lie 
 down below the quarter-rail. "Somehow I don't 
 think that we're going to enjoy this trip, old chap."
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 45 
 
 " I shall be thankful if we get there safely," Cor- 
 byn answered. "It will be less amusing still if it 
 comes on to blow. I've never seen a shadier-looking 
 lot of navigators outside Sheepshead Bay. The 
 skipper jars me worse than a dentist's drill!" 
 
 "I don't half like the looks of our cabin-com- 
 panions either," added the Englishman. "The 
 crowd that buzzed on board after we went to bed 
 comes from the Bad Lands or I'm a double-Dutch- 
 man. I don't mind betting that there will be 
 trouble stirring when they get ashore." 
 
 The atmosphere on the Hilario, seemed, indeed, 
 to be one of mutual distrust and suspicion. No 
 one had a good word to say to the two English- 
 speaking passengers, and, when they happened to 
 approach one or another of the whispering groups 
 which were forever forming, it would melt away, to 
 coalesce again in a different corner. Wherefore 
 they made no overture to any one, but passed the 
 time in unbroken partnership. 
 
 The days were long and dull, but seven of them 
 made a week, and on the Sunday afternoon they 
 sighted San Tomas. By nightfall they had cleared 
 the Islands, and were heading for the harbour of 
 La Boca. 
 
 There was no wind. The tropic temperature was 
 stifling. A most malodorous and all-pervading in- 
 cense made life below unbearable. 
 
 Corbyn and Allardyce sought refuge from it in 
 the shadow of the after wheel-house, and made their
 
 46 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 minds up to remain on deck till dawn should bring 
 a cooler hour or two. 
 
 They had smoked their final pipes, were nodding 
 drowsily in their uncomfortable seats, when from 
 amidships there broke forth a sudden uproar, and, 
 while they rubbed their eyes, a struggling mob be- 
 sieged the bridge and chart -house. 
 
 The whip-like crack of a revolver set them fumbling 
 at their own belts and, as they drew the weapons 
 there, was answered by another, and another. Some 
 one laid hands upon the whistle-cord and set the 
 siren screaming: another lit a blue-light, and its 
 flare showed a dark mass of men swarming about 
 the quarter-deck. 
 
 The officer on watch was standing with his hands 
 above his head, and, while he waited helplessly, 
 his fellows were brought forth and bundled up to 
 the bridge beside him. The whistle-cord was cut, 
 and heavy silence supervened. 
 
 The two men aft were too far off to interfere even 
 if they had desired to do so. The tumult had died 
 down before they could come to any understanding 
 of the incident. 
 
 "It's mutiny!" said Corbyn as the noise ceased. 
 "It's barratry," amended Allardyce. "Barratry 
 on the high seas. Our sporting friends have seized 
 the ship. The crew are quiet as mice. " 
 
 The moon showed over the horizon, and its silver 
 radiance cut a clear swathe across the gloom. 
 
 "Come inside," Corbyn whispered, and drew his
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 47 
 
 friend after him as he slipped cautiously into the 
 tiny shelter at their backs. 
 
 " What are we going to do ? " he demanded 
 hastily. " Those fellows will probably disarm us if 
 we let them. Do you think it would be safe " 
 
 Allardyce let the brass-railed window down and 
 looked out. 
 
 "They're coming aft," he said. "We'll stand 
 them off until we hear what's what." 
 
 They closed and bolted both the doors, and laid 
 the muzzles of their Colts across the window-ledge 
 commanding the two ladders which led from the 
 main-deck to the poop. 
 
 None of the contingent which had started in 
 their direction appeared. Part of them halted by 
 the main-hatch and began to strip the tarpaulin from 
 it: the others entered the saloon by the companion- 
 hatch between the ladders. 
 
 " If we had rifles we could held the fort till dooms- 
 day," Allardyce said. "I'd love to GadJ 
 
 They're getting a piano up!" 
 
 He grinned and Corbyn chuckled quietly as the 
 great square case swung in its tackle and came 
 crashing down on deck. They heard the splintering 
 of wood, and Allardyce gave vent to an ejaculation 
 of dismay. 
 
 "They'll play no love-songs upon those," he 
 stated with great gravity. "They're full of 
 guns." 
 
 They watched and waited for ten minutes longer
 
 48 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 while from both ends of the ship came men who 
 went away with arms. 
 
 "I've counted thirty," Corbyn asserted, "and " 
 
 "Standby!" snapped Allardyce. " They're after 
 us. 
 
 "Halt there, sir! One step forward and I fire." 
 
 The head which had popped up above the top- 
 most step of the starboard ladder popped down 
 again with all celerity. 
 
 "They're on the poop-deck," cried a voice, and 
 there ensued an unseen scramble. 
 
 " Do you know who spoke ? " asked Corbyn of 
 his ally; and, without pausing for reply, "It was 
 Gonzalez," he said definitely. 
 
 Allardyce had not time to contradict him, even if 
 he had felt inclined to do so, before there showed in 
 front, under the full light the moon was now shedding, 
 what looked like a white handkerchief tied to a 
 rifle-barrel. 
 
 " One of you may come up," shouted the English- 
 man in easy Spanish. After much muttering and 
 hesitation, there appeared the face of Gonzalez, but 
 with black hair above it in place of brown. 
 
 "You won't shoot?" he asked nervously. 
 
 "Not unless we need to," answered Allardyce. 
 *' Tell your friends down below to stay there." 
 
 "What have you to say?" 
 
 "Will you surrender to the Red Junta of San 
 Benito?" 
 
 "Why should we do so? We have nothing to
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS 49 
 
 do with you and your Juntas, nor you with us. 
 We're simply passengers on board this steamer." 
 
 More muttering, and afterwards, "They will use 
 force if you defy them," said Gonzalez. "They 
 offer you a fair trial " 
 
 "Fair trial for what?" demanded Allardyce in- 
 dignantly. " Who do they think we are ? They 
 must be mad." 
 
 "You refuse?" The anxious face was slowly 
 disappearing. 
 
 " Here, wait a minute ! What " 
 
 " For the last time Do you refuse ? " The face 
 had gone, and in its place there was a flash of light, 
 a crash; a bullet bit the steel front of the wheel- 
 house, and the spattering lead splashed back along 
 the deck. A cackle of amusement came from the 
 group below. It amused them to think that their 
 ingenious emissary had got at least one shot hi under 
 the white flag. 
 
 "Above there! You two spies!" Gonzalez fin- 
 ished, from safe shelter. " We're going to shoot you 
 at our leisure. It would have been a waste of time to 
 try you, anyway."
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 
 
 THERE were two carriages in waiting at the kerb 
 when Joaquin Gonzales and his prisoner stepped 
 out into the street. Into the first of these he handed 
 the girl, and with her was driven off at a great pace 
 in the direction of the river. 
 
 The second vehicle, into which Schweitzer and 
 his underlings crowded above the body of O'Dare, 
 started a little later and made slower progress. 
 
 A steam launch, lying alongside the pier at which 
 each in due course , drew up, had carried off the 
 earlier arrivals before the others got there. They 
 waited, cursing, until it came back, and then trans- 
 ferred to it the limp encumbrance from the con- 
 veyance, which clattered away at once. 
 
 "Let go," commanded Schweitzer, and drew a 
 hand across his damp forehead as the boat-hooks 
 fell and they sped downstream. 
 
 " Sangre de dios!" he said blasphemously, "but 
 I'm glad to be afloat again. Gonzalez doesn't 
 grudge a risk when it does not affect his own 
 safety." He shivered, and drew his great-coat 
 more closely about him. 
 
 50
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 51 
 
 No one else spoke. 
 
 A short run with the current brought them abreast 
 a long, low craft, lying at anchor in mid-river, with 
 only riding-lights on view. The launch swung 
 round her stern, came up again to port of her, and 
 ran alongside with a clumsy bump. Dark figures 
 on the deck above made fast the lines that were 
 thrown them, and then the body was hauled on 
 board the bigger craft in the bight of a rope. 
 Schweitzer climbed up after it, and Gonzalez met 
 him at the gangway. The launch cast off and 
 dropped quietly away with the tide. 
 
 " Shall I slip this carrion overside ? " asked 
 Schweitzer eagerly, but his superior did not im- 
 mediately reply. 
 
 "Wait till we're at sea," said that diplomat at 
 length. "The people here set so much value on 
 their carcasses that they might call us to account 
 for it. We'll learn by precept rather than experi- 
 ence, Schweitzer: we're not so far away as was 
 Raisuli." 
 
 " Where shall we stow it, then ? " 
 
 "Oh, anywhere out of the way. You know the 
 Mariposa well enough for that. 
 
 "And now I'm going to get some sleep: I have 
 to be ashore again at eight. You'll stay on deck: 
 you will have lots of rest to-morrow. There's 
 nothing else for you to do then." 
 
 He turned on his heel and disappeared, leaving 
 the other to his own devices. Schweitzer swore
 
 52 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 wrathfully, but did not dare to disobey since it was 
 necessary to have some one who could speak English 
 on watch with the look-out men. And when the 
 police patrol swept past a little later he hailed them 
 cheerfully, holding some conversation with them 
 ere they ran out of earshot. 
 
 Gonzalez came on deck again soon after dawn, 
 and set forth early for Manhattan, from which he 
 returned after some hours of absence. 
 
 "Where's the torpedo-gunner?" he demanded of 
 the sentry who received him. 
 
 " The senor Schweitzer is in the magazine, sefior," 
 the man said sullenly. 
 
 Dennis O'Dare had suffered agonies of all sorts 
 since he had started from the lumber-room upon 
 his fatal errand. The fear that, through his folly, 
 his two friends might suffer had been chief of these, 
 and then there was his failure to make good upon 
 the mission with which he had been entrusted. It 
 made him frantic to imagine what the fair cause of 
 all his anguish must think of him when he did 
 not return to her after his glib assurances, while the 
 impression Corbyn and Allardyce could scarcely help 
 but form about his conduct was still more bitter to 
 think about. 
 
 As soon as he understood that Schweitzer meant 
 to poison him and so prevent his bearing witness 
 against the gang he had so fortuitously disturbed at 
 its nefarious work, it struck him that the balance of 
 events was swinging more evenly. It was unpleasant
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 53 
 
 to be done away with in such rough and ready fashion, 
 but, since that was part of the performance and he 
 could not help himself, he must put up with it. In 
 other words, he did not fear to face the finish. Den- 
 nis O'Dare was no coward. 
 
 The pangs of dissolution over, he felt optimistically 
 curious. Once dead he had become reincarnated 
 in an agreeably sunny corner, and, opening one eye 
 cautiously lest he should have to endure fresh dis- 
 appointment, he saw above him a white-painted 
 ceiling. 
 
 Further inspection showed that it had suffered 
 extreme heat: great flakes of paint had fallen from 
 it. Dennis shook his head very disconsolately 
 and became aware that he was afflicted with a 
 headache: which proved, to his intense bewilder- 
 ment, that he was still in the body corporate. He 
 stretched his limbs and found that they were all 
 complete, in working order. 
 
 "I don't believe I'm dead at all!" he muttered 
 angrily, and on the instant there arose within his 
 bosom a most burning resentment against Gonzalez 
 and his evil crew. His senses had come back to him 
 and he recalled with growing rage all the indignities 
 that had been put upon him. 
 
 A sudden snore apprised him of the fact that he 
 was not alone. He raised himself upon one elbow 
 and caught sight of Schweitzer slumbering on a shelf 
 almost within arm's length of where he lay. Peering 
 about, he recognised the garniture of a small craft's
 
 54 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 interior, and from the tubes upon their chocks in 
 front deduced that she was a torpedo-boat. 
 
 "I've been shanghaied!" he said to himself with 
 steadily rising wrath. "I'll kill that shark-faced 
 
 devil as soon " He lay down hurriedly and 
 
 shut both eyes as a step sounded on the deck above 
 and some one clambered through the hatch beyond 
 the open door. 
 
 "Schweitzer!" a voice cried, and O'Dare knew 
 joy once more, for it was Gonzalez'. " Schweitzer 
 wake up, man! I have news for you." 
 
 His satellite responded to the shaking with which 
 the words were emphasised by biting viciously at 
 the hand which had disturbed him, and then sat up, 
 scowling. "Ten thousand devils!" he exclaimed. 
 " Oh, it's you, is it ? I thought " 
 
 "Turn out," the other ordered sharply, "and 
 attend. Gather your wits together. I've little 
 time to spare and much to tell you." He closed 
 the door behind him and became impressive in his 
 speech. 
 
 "The revolutionary Junta's taken space on the 
 Hilario" said he, " for a big lot of arms and am- 
 munition; and all their fighting men here go 
 with it." 
 
 Schweitzer's thin lips curled at the corners. 
 
 Gonzalez showed his teeth and seemed to smile. 
 
 " They'll seize the steamer south of San Tomas," 
 the spy continued, "and their intention is to make 
 a landing on the Lower Coast, where their friends
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 55 
 
 will be waiting them. The Reds are strongest in 
 that district." 
 
 "How many war-heads have you, Schweitzer?" 
 
 "Sufficient to sink a fleet, if need be. Where 
 will the Mariposa pick her up?" 
 
 "Somewhere among the Islands, but not before 
 they've made their coup. I'm going with them, 
 and I'll do my best to hasten matters. The signal 
 will be one blue-light and a long blast on the steam- 
 whistle." 
 
 " Remember, though, that there will be no open- 
 ing for torpedo-practice until I'm safely back on 
 board the Mariposa. Make no mistake on that 
 point, mi amigo." 
 
 "I wouldn't think of such a thing!" Schweitzer 
 assured him in an injured tone, but with eyes be- 
 lying lips. "I won't pull trigger till we have her 
 tied up in La Boca and you are once more with me." 
 
 "That's all, then," said Gonzalez. "I've given 
 the commandante his sailing-orders. The senorita's 
 
 settled, and Oh, yes. Her new companion will 
 
 be on board as soon as the launch gets back. She 
 seems to have found out that the woman she had 
 has been tampering with her letters, and so dismissed 
 her. I had to engage another in a great hurry. I 
 don't think we'll get much out of her." 
 
 He spoke contemptuously, yawning, as he turned 
 towards the door. 
 
 "The Junta meets for the last time at three," he 
 finished ; " I must be punctual, to escape suspicion.'*
 
 56 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 He lingered still, and his glance fell on Dennis 
 O'Dare, in his corner. 
 
 "I didn't notice," he said sharply, poking that 
 individual in the short ribs with a painfully pointed 
 shoe, "I didn't notice that thing." 
 
 "You'll notice this, then," snapped O'Dare, 
 springing to his feet, his face aflame with fury; 
 and, ere the bewildered couple confronting him 
 could even imagine what had struck them, he had 
 them in a heap on the steel floor, where he pro- 
 ceeded to deal justly by them after a crude but very 
 effective fashion of his own. 
 
 Each time they rose he laid them low again with 
 flail-like fists ; they lacked and scratched each other 
 in their blindness while he knocked their heads 
 together. He did not disregard ring rules in spite 
 of dire temptation, but otherwise set science aside 
 and thrashed them thoroughly. 
 
 The sentry overhead heard the resounding 
 uproar, but thought at first that Schweitzer and 
 Gonzalez were engaged in argument. Then he 
 risked reprimand by looking in, and, seeing the 
 fracas, climbed down. He clubbed his carbine 
 with felonious intent, and was about to smite 
 the stranger from behind when two white hands 
 caught the uplifted butt and a woman's voice cried, 
 "Danger!" 
 
 O'Dare slipped from the tangle dexterously, and, 
 arming himself with a heavy spanner from the tool- 
 rack, backed against the forward bulkhead to draw
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 57 
 
 breath : Gonzalez and his ally staggered upright, and 
 stood gasping. 
 
 " Must you do murder here before my eyes ! " the 
 girl demanded hotly, scanning Dennis for some clue 
 to his identity, while he regarded her with the most 
 grateful sensations. 
 
 "We are the murdered not the murderers," 
 Gonzalez answered, and his adversary laughed 
 with heartfelt glee. 
 
 " Just say the word, Miss Beatrice," he begged, 
 "and I'll complete the contract. We owe these 
 two- 
 
 She started, realising, in the nick of time, that 
 this must be her unseen friend of overnight, and, 
 taking that for her cue, turned upon him with seeming 
 anger. "I shall be forced to dismiss you, too, sir," 
 she said sternly, " if I have any further fault to find 
 with your behaviour." 
 
 He looked most blankly at her as Gonzalez asked, 
 "Is this this gentleman in your employment, 
 sefiorita ? " 
 
 "He is my private secretary Mr. O'Dare," she 
 made answer boldly, without hesitation, hoping that 
 she was not mistaken in the deduction she had drawn. 
 
 Gonzalez' face fell as he saw all hope of revenge 
 frustrated. He could not deny her statement, and 
 would not dare to interfere with any member of her 
 household. 
 
 "It's just as well for him," he asserted darkly, 
 "that he was brought on board. You will have
 
 58 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 to find quarters for him, Schweitzer, and see that 
 he has proper treatment. The senorita must have 
 no cause for complaint, lest she should find herself 
 unable to commend us to His Excellency. 
 
 "Now I must take leave. I shall not have the 
 happiness of travelling to La Boca with you. 
 
 "Your most humble servant, senorita. Yours, 
 senor secretario. Remember, Schweitzer. Quedan 
 Vds. con dios." 
 
 He bowed stiffly and left them, Schweitzer 
 following. The other two were left together in the 
 torpedo-magazine. 
 
 Dennis O'Dare awaited his new employer's pleas- 
 ure, and presently she spoke. In the broad light 
 of day he thought her even fairer than before. Her 
 voice was an enchantment. 
 
 " How came you here ? " 
 
 "They caught me at the stair-foot," he replied 
 concisely, "and carried me upstairs again. And 
 then they drugged me." 
 
 " I'm sorry," she said softly, " to have brought you 
 into all this trouble. I found my letter, too, on the 
 way out." 
 
 " The last half hour has made up for any trifling 
 inconvenience," he assured her. 
 
 "But this is only the beginning," she responded. 
 "There was no way to save you from them but by 
 claiming you I know too well how little value 
 human life has in their eyes and now you will have 
 to travel with me to La Boca."
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 59 
 
 " I'll travel round the world, if need be," he as- 
 serted recklessly, "although I'd like to let my 
 friends know first " 
 
 " We are close prisoners," she told him. " There 
 is no hope of getting word ashore. That's why 
 I'm sorry." 
 
 A pause ensued. Then with a gesture of decision 
 she continued: 
 
 " I had better tell you now that I am Beatriz Ybar- 
 ra, half -cousin of the President of San Benito." 
 
 "Half-cousin of a precious scoundrel!" thought 
 O'Dare rather ruefully, recalling what he had heard 
 of that individual, "but, after all, there's a black 
 sheep in most flocks." 
 
 " His Excellency sent for me, but I refused to go 
 to him. He has used force in consequence, and, 
 to save scandal, I submit. I do not fear him, and 
 you need not while you are with me ; but if they seek 
 to separate us " 
 
 The sentry at the deck-hatch knocked upon the 
 scuttle, and Gonzalez' voice called down: "Here is 
 the lady, your companion, senorita. The Knnch 
 waits, and, once more, adios" 
 
 "Come through into my sitting-room," she taid 
 to Dennis, leaving unsaid the finish of her former 
 sentence. 
 
 The average torpedo-boat can boast no ladies'- 
 cabin, but the Mariposa had been built to represent 
 an entire navy and serve many purposes. Ex- 
 tensive preparations had been made on board tor
 
 60 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 the reception of His Excellency's cousin; the quar- 
 ters in which she had been installed were wonder- 
 fully comfortable and commodious. 
 
 O'Dare sat down at a sign from her, but, as she 
 turned to greet the stranger announced, he rose 
 again in obvious astonishment. 
 
 A girl was standing in the doorway, dressed all in 
 black but pretty as a picture even in such sombre 
 garb, despite her pallor and the apprehension in her 
 attitude. 
 
 "Fifi!" cried Dennis, and wondered if, after all, 
 he could be dreaming. 
 
 She looked at him in blank bewilderment and 
 then her face lit up. 
 
 "Oh, I'm so glad to see you, Denny!" she said 
 tremulously, using the only name by which she had 
 known him in that strange new world to which her 
 dead brother had introduced her, a world wherein 
 good comradeship replaces ceremony. But before 
 O'Dare could reply, her glance had met that of Bea- 
 triz, and, while he in turn looked on in amazement, 
 they were clasped in each other's arms. 
 
 He turned away, and coughed, and blew his nose, 
 as a man will when women show emotion, standing 
 with eyes averted until they had in some degree 
 recovered their composure. There were many ques- 
 tions to be asked and answered among the three of 
 them. Fifi and Beatrix had first met in Vienna, 
 before the former's family had fallen from its high 
 estate there. The recollection of those happy days
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 61 
 
 in contrast with their present circumstances had 
 brought quick tears to the eyes of both, but these 
 soon passed. Neither was of the metal which 
 spends itself in vain repining. 
 
 " But how did you come here ? " Dennis O'Dare 
 asked. All else had been cleared up between 
 them and there was only that one point to be 
 explained. 
 
 " I came in a steam launch," Fifi replied. " The 
 gentleman who took the studio next door to Mr. 
 Corbyn's engaged me as a companion to a lady going 
 south for the winter in her yacht, and here I am. 
 I thought it wasn't very like a yacht at first, but now 
 I understand. 
 
 "And, Denny, I want to thank you with all my 
 heart for " 
 
 "Not a word not a word more, Fifi," cried 
 O'Dare, and backed out with uplifted hands, be- 
 taking himself to the torpedo-magazine, where he 
 made himself quite at home in Schweitzer's quarters, 
 there to think things over, and leaving the two girls 
 at liberty to exchange further confidences between 
 themselves. 
 
 " I'm so glad Denny is with us," said Fifi simply 
 as the door closed behind him. "He's such a safe 
 friend." 
 
 "Who is the Mr. Corbyn you spoke of, Fifi?'* 
 Beatriz asked in a low tone. 
 
 "An artist," Fifi answered. "Philip Corbyn. 
 He was Stephan's best friend, and I can't tell you
 
 62 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 how good he has been to us, Beatriz, poor and all 
 as he is." 
 
 " But, surely," Beatriz objected, "he If it. is 
 
 the same Philip Corbyn I know, his father is a 
 millionaire." 
 
 "Yes," said Fifi sadly. "But there was trouble 
 between them some girl his father wanted him to 
 marry, and he would not. I was so sorry for 
 him, and " 
 
 " Does he belong in San Francisco ? " 
 
 " Yes, he has often spoken of his home there." 
 
 Beatriz pondered the matter for a few moments, 
 a shadow on her fair forehead showing that she did 
 not yet fully understand. But she knew that the 
 struggling artist who out of his unaccustomed pov- 
 erty had so effectually befriended the exiles was that 
 same Philip Corbyn who 
 
 " Fifi," she whispered with a quick, urgent craving 
 for sympathy in her distress. " Phil Corbyn asked 
 me a year ago to marry him, and I I had to tell 
 him to wait. I couldn't help that, but I feel now 
 that I've been the cause of his troubles. I I've 
 been to blame, but I didn't know." 
 
 The Mariposa put to sea that night, attracting 
 no undue attention, and made easy weather of the 
 long Atlantic swell outside. Once free of unfriendly 
 observation all restrictions upon the liberty of her 
 three passengers were removed, and, although the 
 deck-space was limited, they did not lack room 
 either there or in their quarters below. Schweit-
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 63 
 
 zer and the ship's officers were berthed fonvard and 
 the magazine had been allotted to the so-called 
 secretary, Mr. O'Dare, whose self-imposed duty it 
 now became to keep his employer and her companion 
 in the best possible spirits. 
 
 In that direction he was not unsuccessful, his 
 irresistible Irish humour making light of their suf- 
 ficiently grave situation, and when he learned, as 
 he did in due course, that Beatriz was interested in 
 his good friend Corbyn, he did not find it difficult 
 to entertain her. Fifi also had much that was good 
 to say on behalf of her dead brother's closest inti- 
 mate, while Dennis found means to keep her, too, 
 from brooding upon the dangers ahead. His solici- 
 tude on their behalf left himself little time to antici- 
 pate evil, and since he was but human it was scarcely 
 to be wondered at that he could even enjoy his 
 present predicament. 
 
 The days were uneventful, and time passed not 
 unpleasantly, no one molesting them, until one after- 
 noon, among a group of lovely islands in the Carribean, 
 they were aware of an unusual bustle on the bridge ; 
 and, shortly afterward, a quartermaster came to 
 them with the polite request that they should go below. > 
 
 It would have been futile to object and they 
 obeyed with a good grace. The sentry was replaced 
 at their companion-hatch and they were once more 
 under close confinement. 
 
 " They must have picked up the Hilario," O'Dare 
 told his two companions. " She left New York the
 
 64 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 same night we did, and we've been dodging about 
 these islands until she came up with us. We are 
 travelling faster now, you notice." 
 
 A thrill ran through the slender hull within which 
 they were seated and the dull thud of the propellers 
 struck a higher note. 
 
 He did not deem it desirable to tell them what 
 he had heard pass between Gonzalez and Schweitzer 
 as to the purpose of the pursuit in progress. There 
 would be time enough for that when it was abso- 
 lutely necessary. 
 
 They dined in due course, and the evening passed 
 as usual save that they felt their imprisonment after 
 liberty and it was very sultry under deck. Word 
 had been brought them that they might expect to 
 reach La Boca before morning, but they were dis- 
 inclined to separate since sleep was patently im- 
 possible in that close atmosphere. 
 
 Soon after dark the rhythm underfoot slowed 
 down, they heard the sound of hurrying feet close 
 overhead, the clank of chains on the steel deck, the 
 creak of rusty hinges. 
 
 " They're opening the torpedo-magazine," O'Dare 
 told himself, but did not impart this surmise to the 
 others. 
 
 The engines stopped, for the first time since they 
 had left the Hudson River, and on the silence which 
 ensued they heard the swish of water overside until 
 a hoarse roar startled them and they half rose from 
 their chairs.
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 65 
 
 " The captain is hailing some one through a mega- 
 phone," said Dennis somewhat shamefacedly and 
 sat back again. 
 
 Listening intently he could make little of the loud- 
 voiced conversation which ensued. It lasted five 
 minutes, short and sharp on the part of those on 
 board the Mariposa, defiant, hesitant, then sup- 
 pliant and cringing as regarded the unseen answerer. 
 When the propellers began to churn again Beatriz 
 Ybarra gave vent to a long sigh of relief. 
 
 " It was the Hilario," she said slowly in response 
 to O'Dare's mute glance of inquiry, " with men and 
 arms and ammunition to be used against the govern- 
 ment of San Benito. They threatened to torpedo 
 her without a moment's mercy unless she changed 
 her course and headed for La Boca. They will 
 escort her in: it isn't far now." 
 
 It was but three short hours, in fact, and they were 
 thankful, when the anchor-cable clanked out through 
 the hawse-pipe, that nothing had happened in the 
 interim. 
 
 Coincidently with that welcome sound they heard 
 a. tender steam alongside, and a few minutes later 
 there appeared at the entrance to the cabin in which 
 they were waiting a slight, dark, aristocratic-looking 
 man of medium stature, who came forward hastily, 
 knelt before Beatriz Ybarra, and kissed her hand. 
 
 "Welcome back, cousin and queen of my heart," 
 he said in Spanish. "I say so for myself and San 
 Benito." 
 5
 
 CS THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " A patriot would put his country first, Ygnacio," 
 she responded coldly. "In any case you sent for 
 me and I am here." 
 
 " Why did you seek to escape me ? " he asked in 
 tender reproach. " You know 
 
 " Wait till we have more privacy," she begged. 
 
 " Are these your people ? " he asked with royal 
 indifference. "The senorita Florian and senor 
 O'Dare; I heard that they were with you. Send 
 them on deck. I have so much to say to you." 
 
 She signed to them that they should go. 
 
 " That is President Ybarra," said Dennis as he 
 escorted Fifi to a quiet corner of the deck. He's 
 the Bogey Man of Central America. They call 
 him the Tiger of San Benito." 
 
 "He has a cruel face," said Fifi soberly. 
 
 Schweitzer came shuffling through the gloom and 
 her hand sought O'Dare 's, who clasped it protect- 
 ingly. He stopped at the gangway opposite and 
 presently the sound of oars foretold the approach 
 of further visitors. From underneath his coat he 
 brought forth a dark lantern, slipped the slide once 
 in signal and covered it again. O'Dare looked right 
 and left, and saw that all deck-lamps had been ex- 
 tinguished; the skylights were closed down and 
 covered with tarpaulins. 
 
 The lights ashore showed the Hilario lying to 
 the south, a hulking silhouette dgainst them; and 
 outlined a cloaked figure at the Mariposa's rail. 
 It was Gonzalez.
 
 THE TIGER OF SAN BENITO 67 
 
 "What does His Excellency say?" he was de- 
 manding of the impatient Schweitzer. "I saw his 
 launch pass. Has he come on board ? " 
 
 "He's here," the mercenary answered, "and 
 approves. We're to let go. He has insured the 
 Hilario against war-risks and, as you know, money's 
 scarce ! " 
 
 "Is the tube laid?" 
 
 " It's ready to touch off." 
 
 Gonzalez grinned and rubbed his hands. 
 
 "Good! Very good!" said he. "There is one 
 man especially on the Hilario of whom His Excel- 
 lency will be glad to be well rid. 
 
 " We'll turn the search-light on her, and " 
 
 They hurried off together, and as O'Dare grasped 
 the dire import of their most devilish scheme he felt 
 a cold sickness creeping over him. What could he 
 do alone against them ! But he must try 
 
 " Wait here," he said to Fifi. " I've a word to " 
 
 He tiptoed after them until they separated, Gon- 
 zalez going to the bridge and Schweitzer forward. 
 He followed Schweitzer until a hoarse order from 
 behind brought down upon him many men who, 
 after a brief struggle, overpowered him, holding 
 him there until they should be told what was to be 
 done with him. 
 
 As Schweitzer was about to launch the torpedo 
 O'Dare spat at him for want of other weapon of 
 offence. The little man made a bad shot, and, 
 looking up, shook his fist, screaming, at the ag-
 
 6* THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 gressor. Then he shipped a fresh tube and Den- 
 nis was dragged away, still fighting like one 
 possessed. 
 
 It would indeed have gone ill with him, for one of 
 his captors, irritated by his stubborn resistance, 
 would have struck him down with a cutlass, had not 
 Fifi flown between them with a choking cry and 
 shielded the helpless Dennis at the risk of her own 
 life. 
 
 What happened afterwards was like an evil 
 dream. 
 
 A long white lane of light was cloven through the 
 darkness from the Mariposas bridge, and, in the 
 heart of it, lay the Hilario, broadside on, moored 
 stem and stern so that she should not swing. 
 
 She staggered and sank sideways for a single 
 instant as if smitten to the heart, and then became 
 invisible. Where she had been there was a great, 
 grey cloud of frothing water, a blinding flash 
 of flame which vomited a myriad fragments and 
 black, woolly smoke: a seething whirlpool full of 
 fountains where the torn and broken debris fell. 
 
 A dull, ear-splitting crash was echoed and re- 
 echoed by the mountain-face above La Boca.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 A STRANGE TARGET PRACTICE. 
 
 JOAQITIN GONZALEZ, secret service agent of the 
 President of San Benito, was disposed to take credit 
 to himself for the manner in which he had carried 
 out the important double mission whereon he had 
 been despatched by his august employer. That 
 had been, briefly, to bring or send, no matter by 
 what means, His Excellency's wealthy cousin, the 
 senorita doiia Beatriz Ybarra to San Benito; and, 
 by the way, to do as much harm as he might to those 
 of the Red revolutionists who, it was understood, 
 were active in New York. 
 
 He had reached New York only a few hours after 
 Beatriz had arrived there from Europe. The 
 dowager who had acted as her companion abroad 
 had been one of his creatures, as Beatriz had found 
 out too late. From her he had learned all that he 
 needed to know concerning Corbyn, and the rest 
 had been simple enough. A single bold coup had 
 sufficed to carry the girl off, and she had shown no 
 inclination to seek outside help against him. Corbyn 
 had been got rid of without the least difficulty, and 
 did not even know that his name had been used as 
 a bait to entrap her. 
 
 69
 
 70 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 With the revolutionists he had had equal success. 
 They had admitted him, on his carefully forged 
 credentials, to their most secret councils, and he 
 had won their hearts by helping them headlong 
 adown the path which must lead to their ultimate 
 destruction, smoothing the rough places for them, 
 egging them on to action, shepherding them to their 
 fate with conscienceless skill. Another had mooted 
 it, but his had been the brain which conceived for 
 them the idea of seizing the Hilario, and when he 
 had volunteered to sail with the ship even the most 
 timid had felt that success was assured. 
 
 He had been absolutely astounded to see Corbyn at 
 the steamer, and could not but believe that the young 
 American had by some means found out about 
 Beatriz's abduction. There could be no other ex- 
 planation of his travelling to San Benito. Gon- 
 zalez secreted himself in his cabin, devoting deep 
 thought to the problem of what should be done 
 with the interloper. A quick solution presented 
 itself. From his hiding-place he let it be known 
 that he believed there were spies on board. 
 
 The fear of treachery is always present in a con- 
 spirator's mind, and what more natural than that 
 his credulous dupes should suspect the unknown ? 
 Suspicion became certainty when, the steamer 
 seized, all others overpowered, it proved that the 
 perfidious foreigners alone had found refuge from 
 them. Thanks to Gonzalez' agency, the revolu- 
 tionists had met with no real opposition in their
 
 A STRANGE TARGET PRACTICE 71 
 
 first active effort, and their elation made them the 
 more bellicose against the two defenceless strangers 
 who had defied them. Gonzalez rubbed his hands 
 in the shadow as he heard them breathing dire 
 threats. It pleased him to see his plan running 
 smoothly toward its foreseen conclusion. It would 
 please his master to hear that Corbyn had been 
 finally disposed of, and amuse him to hear how. 
 
 "They might afford us a target for some rifle- 
 practice," said he, and the suggestion found instant 
 favour. 
 
 His valiant brothers in arms were already pining 
 for an opportunity to test their untried rifles without 
 too much risk to themselves. 
 
 "We'll lay a light aft and fire from the bridge- 
 deck," one suggested and the others acclaimed him 
 a master-mind. 
 
 "They've only revolvers with them," he con- 
 cluded with becoming modesty. 
 
 They ducked and ran, one at a time, for the more 
 distant shelter, while Allardyce and Corbyn laughed 
 at their precaution, but, when a cluster of electrics 
 was carried abaft the engine-room skylight and 
 trained on the after wheel-house, both became 
 grave again: and when the first shot whistled past 
 them their gravity gave place to sudden in- 
 dignation. 
 
 "The swine! The low-down, dirty swine!" cried 
 Corbyn as a second effort which showed better 
 marksmanship was greeted with a chorus of approval
 
 72 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 by its partisans. "They're going to bombard us 
 at long range while we can't reach them. How 
 far will your Colt carry, Allardyce ? " 
 
 "As far as that light at any rate," answered the 
 Englishman through set teeth. " We've got to douse 
 it, old chap, or they'll douse us." 
 
 He fired, and missed ; and was answered by a spat- 
 tering volley. He fired again before the others could 
 extract spent shells, and then stooped down to escape 
 the ensuing shower of bullets. 
 
 "It's lucky this old hutch of ours is steel," he 
 said, and filled the empty chambers of his magazine. 
 " I'm not much of a shot, it seems, although I used 
 to fancy myself at forty yards." 
 
 "The target is an uncommon one," Corbyn re- 
 plied. "I'm going to draw their fire now and try 
 my hand. You'd better stand by, in case there's 
 any one about who thinks of stepping upstairs. If 
 they were men they would rush us at once." 
 
 He thrust his hat above the window-ledge upon 
 the handle of a deck-broom he had found behind 
 him, and a hail of lead greeted its appearance. 
 Then he looked out, took aim despite stray shots 
 which followed, and, pulling with steady pressure at 
 the trigger, scored a success. His shot smashed the 
 white back-plate of the cluster and set it swaying 
 wildly. 
 
 "Good man!" commented Allardyce. "One 
 more like that and they'll need new illuminations 
 for their shooting gallery. I'll rake them with a
 
 A STRANGE TARGET PRACTICE 73 
 
 quick-fire Gad ! Get loaded quickly here they 
 
 come ! " 
 
 He aimed at the first of the dark shadows creeping 
 towards them below the bulwarks under cover of 
 a continuous flash and crackle from the bridge-deck. 
 Their stubborn resistance had already enraged the 
 riflemen, and their position was to be carried by 
 assault. Whereafter there would be short shrift 
 for both of them. 
 
 "Wait till they top the ladders," Corbyn cried, 
 and was filling his mouth with cartridges when 
 "Sail ho!" shrieked a terrified voice from forward. 
 "See the torpedo-boat coming up astern!" 
 
 No thunderbolt could have produced among them 
 a more profound sensation of disaster. The firing 
 ceased, the light was turned off, and the storming- 
 party fled back to the bridge-deck. 
 
 Corbyn caught Allardyce's eye and they smiled 
 somewhat sickly at each other. In such short space 
 of time the nervous tension had been high. 
 
 They waited quietly where they were, and heard 
 what passed between their would-be executioners 
 and those on board the craft which presently caught 
 up with the Hilario. Thereafter they were left in 
 peace, and no one seemed to think it worth while 
 to hold further parley with them. 
 
 The sudden surprise of capture had thor- 
 oughly cowed the revolutionists and they made 
 no demur when, having dropped anchor off La 
 Boca, a boarding-party from the Mariposa bade
 
 74 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 them lay down their arms and drove them below 
 with blows. 
 
 It was too late, after they had been battened under 
 hatches, to bewail the absence from among them of 
 their comrade Gonzalez, but notwithstanding they 
 did bewail it very volubly, conceiving themselves 
 betrayed. 
 
 The couple in the wheelhouse had come forth 
 tentatively, but, when they saw the sort of treatment 
 being meted out to their unfortunate fellow-passen- 
 gers, they deemed it more judicious to postpone 
 all explanation of their own presence on board for 
 the time being. They knew that mere assertions 
 would go for little in the darkness, and decided 
 to wait for day-light to prove their identity as 
 neutrals. 
 
 It seemed to them quite providential that Gonzalez 
 should ignore them as he did, and, when that scoun- 
 drel clambered down into the boat which was to carry 
 him and his assistants into safety, they congratulated 
 themselves on his short memory. 
 
 "There was a spy on board, you see," said 
 Allardyce, "and there he goes. The others are all 
 prisoners below. The deck is deserted. Let's see 
 if we can swing a boat out-board and cut ashore." 
 
 They scrambled forward and set hastily to work, 
 but scarcely had they stripped the cover off the 
 smallest of the life-boats when the search-light fell 
 upon them and they had to hide again. 
 
 "What's that?" asked Corbyn anxiously, and
 
 A STRANGE TARGET PRACTICE 75 
 
 pointed to a long, black object which went churning 
 past the steamer's stern with a white wake behind it. 
 
 "Good God!" his friend cried, leaping to the 
 rail, " they're trying to torpedo us ! Can you swim, 
 Corbyn ? Then dive ! Dive deep ! " 
 
 He set the example on the instant, going overside 
 with a clean downward sweep which carried him 
 to a great depth, and even then he kicked his way 
 still lower. 
 
 A sudden, heart-rending shock withdrew the 
 dead weight of the water from on top of him, and he 
 had only time to draw a single breath of agony 
 before the chasm closed in again, burying him so 
 that it seemed as though he might never escape. 
 The whirlpool caused by the sinking ship dragged 
 him still deeper in its wild vortex. He was almost 
 insensible before he felt solid foundation underfoot, 
 and, kicking off with a final, despairing effort shot 
 surfacewards again. 
 
 The blood rushed to his head, his lungs were 
 bursting, but he kept his mouth shut, and, after an age 
 of suffering, shot waist-high from the swirling brine. 
 
 A gasp of anguish escaped him and he sank 
 again, but not so far; and in another moment he 
 was swimming, somewhat feebly but with free air 
 to help him. 
 
 A floating spar swept past on the still boiling eddy. 
 He clutched at it with hands that were almost im- 
 potent, and clung to his hold till he had recovered 
 his wits sufficiently to make more use of it; when
 
 76 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 he drew himself partly out of the water and looked 
 despairingly round. 
 
 He was alone, but in the blinding light which 
 swept the scene he saw not far away an upturned 
 face. He left his ark of refuge without hesitation 
 and struck out towards it. 
 
 "Corbyn!" he cried. "Corbyn, old chap!" 
 
 "Lie low," replied the face, "in case they spot 
 us." 
 
 He uttered a sharp sigh of thankfulness, and 
 spat the salt water from his mouth. " Good God ! " 
 said he again, " but that was a close call. Are you 
 all right?" 
 
 " More or less," responded his friend. " I'm 
 
 Oh, the brutes!" 
 
 A shrill, metallic buzzing broke upon their ears 
 and a dull, distant crackle told them whence the 
 missile had been sped. 
 
 "They've spotted us," said Corbyn quietly. 
 
 A spitfire fusillade lifted fountains of spray all 
 round them as the bullets took the water with a 
 hollow plup-p. They dived, and once more came 
 up floating, only nose and forehead above the sur- 
 face, but still the leaden storm encompassed them. 
 A sudden, needle-like pain in the calf of one leg 
 caused Corbyn to kick spasmodically, and his in- 
 voluntary action brought down on them a closer 
 shower. 
 
 Their position was well-nigh desperate when, out 
 of the immediate darkness, there bore down upon
 
 them with the rush of a racer a little low grey launch, 
 which slowed, and stopped, and backed and stopped 
 again almost on top of them. Two boat-hooks 
 caught them by the collars, dragging them alongside. 
 Strong hands hoisted them helplessly on board. A 
 heavy body overbore them, and, while they lay there 
 struggling vainly, she sprang forward quivering and 
 went swishing out to sea. 
 
 A ceaseless rifle-fire enveloped her until at last 
 she had run out of range, but still she was kept going. 
 When distance had curtained her from the relentless 
 light, she was slowed down a little, and a voice said, 
 "Root out the rum, Mickey, and pass it aft. A 
 taste of it'll maybe do your Dago brethren here no 
 harm." 
 
 "Dago yourself!" interpolated Allardyce indig- 
 nantly. " We're white men. What are you ? " 
 
 " Better say Bourbon, Mick," the voice continued 
 cheerily. " Excuse me, boys. I ought to have asked 
 the colour of your complexions, but " 
 
 " Let me apologise," said the Englishman, sitting 
 up. "I thought you were the enemy, and you're 
 American ? " 
 
 "From Newspaper Row. The New York Wire- 
 less owns me. My name's Challoner. Here's the 
 rye drink hearty !" 
 
 They both obeyed, with great good will, and felt 
 much the better of their captor's prescription. " I'd 
 give you a cigar," he added, "but it would be too 
 dangerous. We'll show no light until we're safely
 
 78 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 ashore. I'll head back for La Boca now, and by 
 the way we'll have time to swap stories. 
 
 " I suppose you know there's trouble afoot in this 
 cursed country. That's why I'm inhabiting it." 
 
 " What sort of trouble ? " Corbyn asked curiously 
 as the light craft turned almost on her heel and held 
 a straight course for the far-off lights. 
 
 "Two sorts," the correspondent answered care- 
 lessly. "One's civil war, the other woman. My 
 business is with the former." 
 
 A somewhat awkward silence supervened. He 
 seemed to be awaiting their reciprocal confidence, 
 but neither felt inclined to mislead him, on the one 
 hand, or, on the other, to explain their presence in 
 such company as that from which they had been 
 so abruptly severed. 
 
 He spoke again himself. "A rose," he said, 
 " by any other name " 
 
 "Mine's Allardyce," said that youth frankly. 
 
 "And your friend's is Corbyn," Challoner con- 
 cluded in a whisper. " I'm glad to meet you both." 
 
 "We're rather more than thankful that you met 
 us," Corbyn assured him. 
 
 " But how do you happen to know who we are ? " 
 
 Their rescuer cogitated for a time before he 
 answered, and then spoke swiftly in a low tone: 
 "My man Miguel's a good fellow," said he, "but, 
 all the same, I never open my mouth too wide when 
 he's about. 
 
 " They're cruel devils in this locality, and very apt
 
 A STRANGE TARGET PRACTICE 79 
 
 to screw what information they want out of a native : 
 so that it's safer to say little and listen a lot. 
 
 "Now I want you gentlemen to understand that 
 I'm here for my paper only and all the time. The 
 Wireless wants war news, and I supply it. You 
 know what that means, Mr. Allardyce. You don't 
 remember me, but we met at Pinar del Rio 
 in '98." 
 
 "I was there for the British News Bureau," the 
 Englishman answered, " but " 
 
 "And I was working for the Wireless, in the 
 costume of a teamster," the other explained. "I 
 wanted very badly to borrow some tobacco from you, 
 but the Spaniards were so suspicious that I didn't 
 dare to look your way. 
 
 "However I heard that you had sailed on the 
 Hilario, and, when the Mariposa brought her in, 
 I thought I'd take a run round the bay. 
 
 " Every one here knows what her cargo was, and 
 as soon as the President came cavorting down from 
 the capital it was easy to foresee trouble for those on 
 board. They call him the Tiger of San Benito and 
 he's proud of his reputation. 
 
 " But here you both are, safe and sound in spite of 
 him; which is good enough to go on with." 
 
 That was all that passed at the moment, but the 
 two drenched adventurers surmised that he knew 
 something of the errand which had brought them 
 there. 
 
 They would have asked further questions, but
 
 80 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "Stand by!" said Challoner suddenly. "They're 
 after us." 
 
 Against the glare ashore they saw a dim black 
 shape which became a boat as they bore down upon 
 it under their own impetus. A stumpy funnel 
 showed it to be a steam launch. The land-breeze 
 brought to their ears the echo of angry voices. 
 
 " I tell you she put out to sea," one was protesting 
 volubly. "There's no such craft belonging to this 
 port, and, while we're pottering about here they'll 
 have made a landing behind Punta Gorda." 
 
 "For dios, then!" another cried, and he spoke 
 like Gonzalez, "put us about and get back to the 
 Mariposa. His Excellency will be wild with us, 
 and all the wilder if we keep him waiting. 
 
 " It may be that the cockle-shell has sunk. Some 
 of our bullets must have bitten through her." 
 
 *' Hist ! " snapped the first. " A light here, quick ! " 
 
 He was obeyed, and a big lamp shone forth across 
 the water. 
 
 "Duck down," commanded Challoner, "we're 
 going to get it." 
 
 Hardly had he spoken when the dancing rays 
 descended upon his head and shoulders where he 
 was sitting up to steer, and, with a howl of triumph, 
 those on board the steamer gave the order to head 
 after him. 
 
 Zip-zsss-s-s a bullet came whistling past, and 
 others followed. It was evident that the enemy 
 was well-armed, and little disposed to offer quarter.
 
 The motor-boat held a straight course across 
 their bows. " Ram her ! " Gonzalez screamed ecstati- 
 cally. 
 
 " Sit tight," said Challoner, and took both hands 
 to the tiller. 
 
 He turned her almost squarely off her course and 
 she careened to starboard till she all but overturned, 
 but still she shot ahead and the very suddenness of 
 the movement disconcerted her pursuers. 
 
 Corbyn looking back saw one of the men in the 
 boat level a rifle very carefully at Challoner, and 
 springing up, pulled the correspondent aside as a 
 dull flash and a quick burning agony in his own 
 right arm told him that he had been in time and 
 no more. 
 
 "What's up?" asked Challoner. 
 
 "Nothing," he answered dully, and crouched 
 down again, setting his teeth against the hurt. 
 
 The pursuers had to slacken fire because there was 
 not room for more than two or three riflemen in 
 their bows and these spoiled each other's aim, but, 
 with a roar of baffled rage, they followed at their 
 best speed, their funnel spitting flame and sparks. 
 
 Challoner laughed to himself as they dropped 
 astern. "We've got the heels of them," he volun- 
 teered, "and once we're out of sight I'll turn and 
 run for the landing. It's lucky that we met them 
 where we did, and now we know exactly where they 
 are; if it had been closer in-shore they might have 
 kept us out all night and nipped us in day-light." 
 6
 
 82 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 A breathless ten minutes took them across the 
 bay. They slipped quietly past the Mariposa, 
 which was still using her search-light seawards to 
 help the launch, and shortly ran alongside a ledge 
 of rock on the outskirts of La Boca. 
 
 "Step lively, please," requested their almost in- 
 visible friend, and they jumped ashore with great 
 good will. 
 
 " I like dry land," said Corbyn aside to Allardyce. 
 "Don't you?" 
 
 " I love it," answered the other, shuffling gleefully 
 on solid earth. 
 
 "When you're quite done dog-dancing," Chal- 
 loner interrupted, "perhaps you'll lend a hand to 
 house the boat. It would be awkward for us if " 
 
 They turned and saw the man Miguel laying a 
 roller down on the gently shelving strip of sand that 
 lay between the water's edge and the black wall of 
 rock behind them. All four laid hands on the little 
 craft and she ran smoothly up the ways to her hiding- 
 place, a low cave at the cliff-foot. A heavy door, 
 swinging on well-oiled hinges, shut her in as soon as 
 Miguel had retrieved the rollers. " Come this way 
 and step lively," said Challoner, turning along the 
 beach. 
 
 They tramped along the shore for ten minutes, 
 and then turned up a steep slope which took them 
 to a level road running parallel at that height with 
 the curve of the coast. Challoner called a halt till 
 he could be sure that no passer-by would observe 
 them, and they crossed it quickly. Another climb.
 
 A STRANGE TARGET PRACTICE 83 
 
 but longer, brought them to a squat building which 
 occupied a little plateau, a mere terrace in the rock- 
 face, overhung by the heights above, looking down 
 into the depths below, approachable only by the 
 path they had followed. 
 
 "This is my shack. Come right in," he said 
 hospitably, and threw open the door of a snug, lamp- 
 lit living-room which opened on to the wide, trellised 
 porch. "I'll fish out some dry kit for you, and 
 Shucks! They hit you, did they? That was why 
 you pulled me aside when we were at close quarters 
 with those pirates ! It's your right arm, too. That 
 bullet would have come close to corpsing me if you 
 hadn't - 
 
 "It's nothing," Corbyn broke in, looking down 
 at the blood-stained handkerchief he had managed 
 to bind about his wound in the darkness, and 
 Challoner said no more. He set the other down 
 in a chair, brought in warm water and a case of 
 surgical implements, cut the coat-sleeve clear, and 
 doctored the hurt very deftly. 
 
 "Clean through," he announced on examination. 
 " A nickel-nosed bullet. If it had been soft lead I'd 
 have had to saw your arm off, my friend. As it is, 
 you'll be all right in a few days, but it will be a bit 
 stiff and sore to-morrow." 
 
 He knotted the bandage he had applied with 
 dexterous fingers, and, as Corbyn rose, led them 
 through to an inner room, threw open a capacious 
 cupboard, slipped back a panel and pulled forth a 
 great variety of costumes.
 
 84 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "My stage wardrobe," he said briskly "I 
 sometimes have to dodge about in disguise. Suit 
 yourselves as to cut and colour. I'd recommend 
 these dark things and a soft sombrero. They're less 
 likely to attract attention than the clothes you're wear- 
 ing, and I've ruined your coat in any case, Corbyn. 
 Supper will be waiting by the time you re ready." 
 
 He nodded approvingly when they appeared in 
 their change of clothing. 
 
 "You'll pass all right in the crowd," said he. 
 "Sit in." 
 
 Over the welcome meal he had provided they were 
 too busy with healthy appetites to talk much, and 
 afterwards their host explained very frankly that he 
 could not keep them longer. 
 
 "I'm here myself on sufferance," he informed 
 them apologetically, " and I can't afford to be under 
 the slightest suspicion of complicity in any matter 
 which does not immediately concern the Wireless. 
 I know you won't bear me any ill-will on that ac- 
 count, and I've had to send Meggs word to the 
 same effect. Yes, I had news from him about you, 
 and I've done what I could in consequence. I don't 
 know what his game is, and I don't want to be told 
 if you know but I hope you and he won't get into 
 any trouble. I'd do more than a good deal for Meggs 
 but I'm drawing pay from the Wireless, and it 
 won't allow me to have any friends while I'm work- 
 ing, in case the authorities here turn sour on me. 
 
 " That's why I must ask you to forget that you've
 
 A STRANGE TARGET PRACTICE 85 
 
 met me, and all you've seen: especially the boat, 
 and where I keep it. Henceforth we're strangers in 
 a strange land. I'm sorry, but it's absolutely neces- 
 sary, and, if God's good to us all, we'll maybe meet 
 again in Manhattan. Then I'll be better able to 
 prove that I'm not ungrateful to you for having 
 saved my life, Corbyn. And, apart from that, I 
 owe Landguard, your brother-in-law, more than 
 one good turn. Yes, I know him pretty well. I 
 met him in Egypt. 
 
 "Do you need any money? Talk straight 
 about it." 
 
 They shook their heads. 
 
 " Got your guns ? " 
 
 They nodded. 
 
 "You'll find oil and rags and mixed ammunition 
 in that cigar-box. Help yourselves to anything you 
 find useful." 
 
 He left them for a few minutes and when he re- 
 turned they were once more ready for action. 
 
 "The road is clear," he said, and escorted them 
 to the foot of the path, keeping carefully in the deep- 
 est shadow. 
 
 " I hate this hole and corner work," he muttered 
 as they shook hands at the roadside, "but you 
 can understand my position. Turn to the right, 
 and the high-road leads straight to La Boca. Look 
 after yourselves there, and bear in mind that the 
 natives, who ought to know what they're talking 
 about, call it La Boca del Tigre.
 
 86 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "Good-bye, good-bye. No, you don't owe me 
 a word of thanks. I'm in your debt. That's how 
 we stand. Good luck to both of you!" 
 
 He hurried after them, "Give Meggs my 
 remembrances when you see him," said he. "I 
 don't know where I may be by then. And I almost 
 forgot to tell you that you'll find fairly safe quarters 
 at the Golden Eagle, if you mention Rose to the fat 
 woman you'll find there. I fixed that with her. 
 It was all I could do for you." 
 
 "Good little sort of old Samaritan!" Allardyce 
 soliloquised, as he and his friend followed the dusty 
 road at a round pace. " I almost wish he were with 
 us in this. Newspaper corresponding is a soulless 
 business. 
 
 " What kind of place is La Boca del Tigre, Corbyn ? 
 The English of it's the Tiger's Mouth, eh?" 
 
 And Corbyn laughed inconsequently as he re- 
 plied, "Yes, the Tiger's Mouth."
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS. 
 
 SEATED in the small cabin of the Mariposa with 
 the Tiger of San Benito confronting her, the outward 
 attitude of Beatriz Ybarra showed no trace of her 
 inward discomposure. 
 
 She answered half disdainfully his cursory in- 
 quiries as to her treatment on the trip from New 
 York, knowing that he was already posted in all its 
 details, and evinced no curiosity whatever as to the 
 further dispositions he had made for her. Only 
 when he expressed the hope that she had come 
 prepared to remain among her country-folk did she 
 deem it worth while to utter a quietly emphatic 
 negative. 
 
 "I shall return to Washington when I think fit," 
 she added. 
 
 "And yet you were born under the Golden Cross, 
 my cousin," the President said, his hot eyes drinking 
 in all her beauty, and her heart sank, for he spoke 
 truth. Above the home in Washington to which 
 her father, the minister of San Benito, had taken 
 his American wife, had floated the emblem of the 
 republic he represented. And now her country 
 
 87
 
 88 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 claimed her, through its head, for though she had 
 been born in the United States and was to all intents 
 and purposes an American, she still owed allegiance 
 to San Benito. 
 
 "It makes no difference," she said steadfastly. 
 "I have come here peaceably rather than run the 
 risk of public scandal, but do not think that I fear 
 you, Ygnacio. I shall return to Washington when 
 I think fit. My home is there, where my father and 
 mother are buried. 
 
 "You will be well advised not to give me cause 
 to cut my visit to this country short." 
 
 "But first you will go with me to the capital," 
 he stipulated cunningly. " The populace is all agog 
 to see you. It is so long since you were with us, 
 and they love you, Beatriz, even as I do. Your 
 presence in the palace will be very helpful to me 
 in my task of government. You are aware, no 
 doubt, that these are troublous times in San Benito. 
 Surely you will do so much for your native 
 land." 
 
 " Please, spare me argument of that sort," she inter- 
 rupted fearlessly. "It rings too falsely from the 
 mouth of him they call 
 
 The Mariposa shook from stem to stern under 
 the shock of a most deafening explosion. The 
 speaker held up helpless hands as a fell glare crim- 
 soned the tiny cabin. She sank back, shuddering, 
 and shut her eyes, but did not once cry out. 
 
 Ybarra cast one anxious glance towards her and
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS 89 
 
 then sprang through the doorway. He had been 
 waiting for that moment. 
 
 He knew exactly what had happened, since it 
 was by his order that the inhuman crime had been 
 committed. A moment's survey of the scene above 
 assured him of his own immunity from danger, and 
 with that he went forward as far as the bridge. 
 
 He met O'Dare carrying Fifi aft in a half -fainting 
 state. 
 
 "Go to your mistress," he said gruffly. 
 
 "Go to the devil," Dennis retorted with equal 
 acerbity, and so passed on. 
 
 Gonzalez was at the search-light on the bridge, 
 and His Excellency greeted him with words of 
 approval. 
 
 "A well-planned piece of work," he said, and the 
 man who had sold his shipmates bowed before 
 him. 
 
 " Humilde servidor de Vuestra Excelencia," he 
 answered, a tinge of irony in his tone. "Your 
 Excellency's humble servant." 
 
 The President glanced sharply at him Ybarra 
 was quick-witted and he went on, in haste. 
 
 " Your Excellency had word from me of the Ameri- 
 cano, Corbyn, in whom the doria Beatriz was in- 
 terested." 
 
 " What of it ? " snapped Ybarra. It irritated him 
 to be reminded that some other man might have 
 forestalled him with his cousin. Gonzalez knew 
 it would.
 
 90 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " He has followed her here from New York," he 
 said, still more daringly. 
 
 "Thousand thunders of God!" cried his master. 
 "Why do you stand there idle while he still lives? 
 Would you mock me, dog! with indifference? Is 
 it thus that you do the work you are paid for ? " 
 
 Gonzalez shrank from before him. 
 
 "Pardon, Excellency," he stammered. "Give 
 me time to finish. Then judge whether I have done 
 my work well or ill. It was on board the Hilario 
 that he came to La Boca." 
 
 Ybarra's lips closed over his snarling teeth again. 
 The insane, unreasoning anger in his eyes gave 
 place to a horrid mirth. He threw back his head, 
 and laughed aloud. 
 
 " It was on the Hilario that he came to La Boca ! 
 You have done well, Joaquin. On the day that I 
 wed the dona Beatriz you will have your reward. 
 Not before then, for the treasury is almost empty, 
 but not a day later, I pledge you my word. You 
 have done well." 
 
 Gonzalez felt glad that he had been allowed to 
 finish, and resolved that he would not again impart 
 such news piecemeal. It was too dangerous to 
 trifle with the Tiger. Such jests were all too apt to 
 recoil on the jester's head. He started nervously as 
 the President gripped his arm and pointed to a 
 floating spar on the still boiling surface of the sea 
 which now hid the Hilario, but, understanding in- 
 stantly, called his men forward, bade them open
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS 91 
 
 fire on every visible object. In his zeal he had the 
 President's own launch manned, was about to set 
 out in it to make sure that the process of extirpation 
 was quite complete, when he saw a little low grey 
 motor-boat shoot suddenly into the danger-zone, 
 stop there, and then speed seawards. 
 
 Ybarra had also seen it. He cursed Gonzalez hotly 
 for his slowness, and bade him capture or sink the 
 small boat whatever effort it might cost. 
 
 "And don't be long about it, either," he ordered 
 contradictorily. " I'm going ashore in an hour, and 
 I'll want the launch." 
 
 When the launch got back he was waiting it at 
 the gangway, in no very amiable frame of mind, to 
 judge from the greeting he gave its occupants. 
 
 " Did you get them ? " he demanded. 
 
 "Si, senor Presidente," answered Gonzalez in a 
 propitiatory tone, "we riddled them so that they 
 sank, but only after a stern chase." 
 
 He lied; the men about him knew he lied, but no 
 one dared to contradict him. The Tiger's temper 
 was altogether too variable to encourage the taking 
 of risks in the cause of truth. 
 
 "Make ready to receive my lady cousin," said 
 that personage abruptly, and went back to the 
 cabin, from which he presently emerged with Beatriz 
 and her small suite. 
 
 Silence obtained among them on the way shore- 
 ward, but at the landii i^-stage there was no lack of 
 noise and light.
 
 92 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 La Boca was ostensibly and ostentatiously loyal 
 to the party in power. The President had struck 
 hard at the revolutionary movement in condemning 
 the Hilario with all on board to total annihilation. 
 The town was ready to acclaim him; he was the 
 hero of the hour. 
 
 It was known also that his cousin was on board 
 the Mariposa; florid accounts of his romantic 
 passion for her had appeared in the local press; 
 great stress was laid upon her wealth and power and 
 beauty; she was the favourite daughter of San 
 Benito. 
 
 " Viva Ybarra ! Long live his espoused ! " was 
 the ceaseless cry of the mob beyond the barriers, 
 while the guns boomed and rockets spat sky- 
 wards. And Beatriz, on his arm, passed up the 
 crimson carpet between two thickets of bayonets, 
 because she could not help herself. 
 
 Under an illuminated arch of triumph at the 
 street-corner they entered an open carriage, drawn 
 by four splendid horses, while the troopers of the 
 cavalry escort about it sat with swords at the carry 
 and young Von Rudolf, their foreign general, swept 
 hilt to chin and swore beneath his breath for shame 
 of his employment. He knew himself a hireling, 
 but it hurt sorely that a woman of the outer world 
 should be witness of his servitude. The day had 
 been when his jewelled sabre had shone in scenes 
 less tawdry, with a coat of arms upon it where there 
 Was nothing now but a scratched surface.
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS 93 
 
 A very handsome figure was the young general, 
 gorgeously uniformed and yet no mere carpet -soldier, 
 as the good folk of La Boca had cause to know. 
 But none of them knew the story of why he had sold 
 himself into bondage, or that, while he did his duty 
 so brilliantly, he hated and despised the country 
 of his adoption. The bright eyes on the balconies 
 there had no attraction for his. He was wondering 
 where he had seen Fifi before, hoping that neither 
 she nor the bewitchingly beautiful woman beside 
 Ybarra would notice him in his shame. 
 
 There were more carriages behind for such of the 
 officials as were privileged to attend the President. 
 O'Dare secured the first of these and into that, 
 despite the black looks of the others, he handed 
 Fifi. The entourage moved off, Von Rudolf riding 
 at Ybarra's side, his restless glance on Beatriz, and 
 drove towards the outskirts of the town, in which 
 was situated the private residence of its Governor, 
 with whom His Excellency was wont to reside during 
 his visits to La Boca. 
 
 Having traversed the main streets at a trot, amid 
 the cheering of the throng and showers of blossoms 
 from the crowded balconies, in response to which His 
 Excellency bowed most graciously while Beatriz 
 sat motionless beside him, they came to a more 
 sparsely populated outskirt, and, leaving that also 
 behind, reached a long low white edifice set well back 
 from the road behind trim lawns. Its pillared por- 
 tico, ablaze with lamps, was guarded by armed men.
 
 94 
 
 Ybarra helped his cousin to alight and led her 
 indoors without waiting -for his host, the Governor. 
 Her two retainers followed unhesitatingly. Hearing 
 their footsteps on the tessellated, floor Ybarra stopped 
 and turned towards them. 
 
 "Await me in the anteroom," he said peremptorily 
 to O'Dare. "And you," to Fifi, "may follow your 
 mistress." 
 
 " I am at Miss Ybarra's orders," O'Dare answered 
 carelessly. 
 
 His Excellency looked him up and down from 
 under narrowed eyelids, looked past him at the 
 sentries on the porch, and seemed to be considering 
 something. 
 
 " In this country ' ' he was beginning softly, 
 
 when the other interrupted him without regard for 
 etiquette. 
 
 " In this country or in any other," Dennis O'Dare 
 retorted truculently, "I'm an American citizen, 
 and don't you forget that, my friend. Keep your 
 orders for your own servants." 
 
 "Enough!" snapped Don Ygnacio furiously, and 
 went his way. 
 
 It led him to a locked door, which he opened with 
 a master-key attached to his watch-chain. He mo- 
 tioned to the others that they should pass through 
 and closed it carefully again, sat seats for the two 
 women and once more turned to the recalcitrant 
 Dennis. 
 
 " You know my name ? " he asked, and the sudden-
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS 95 
 
 ness of the question hissed between set teeth was 
 disconcerting. 
 
 "You're called Ygnacio Ybarra, I understand," 
 said O'Dare. 
 
 "I'm called the Tiger of San Benito," His Ex- 
 cellency answered in a grating voice. "You will 
 be wise, my friend, to keep clear of my claws." 
 
 "I'll clip 'em for you when the time comes," 
 O'Dare promised recklessly. 
 
 "So far I have been patient, for your cousin's 
 sake, but even now I have my scissors ready." 
 
 He shook his coat-sleeve, holding out his hand 
 so that only two should see within its palm the 
 blue muzzle of the weapon he was carrying so con- 
 veniently. 
 
 Ybarra did not blanch, but stood there motionless. 
 
 "You are a braver man than I had thought you, 
 sefior secretario," he remarked without a tremor. 
 "I wonder is this this gentleman to be trusted, 
 Beatriz ? " he asked of his cousin in a changed tone. 
 " Can you assure me that he has no connection with 
 the insurgent party?" 
 
 She looked across at Dennis with anxious eyes, and 
 he bowed in response. 
 
 "I'll give you my word for that," she answered 
 relievedly. 
 
 " Thank you," said Ybarra. " I think I can find 
 use for him. We'll keep him with us. I had 
 intended 
 
 "Excuse me for a few moments."
 
 96 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE . 
 
 He went over to the door, at which a low knock 
 had sounded, and admitted half a dozen men, all 
 in resplendent uniform save one. That one was 
 Gonzalez, and he seemed strangely perturbed. 
 
 He scowled when he saw O'Dare in the back- 
 ground, but took no other notice of him. The 
 others had their turn of audience and disappeared 
 before the President led his spy to one side and 
 entered into low-toned conversation with him. 
 
 "Excellency," the spy said, "there is bad news 
 to tell. Two men escaped from the Hilario, and 
 one was the cursed Americano, Corbyn. 
 
 " And worse," he went on hurriedly while his 
 employer glared at him in speechless anger. "A 
 number of men and horses have been landed behind 
 Punta Gorda since the troops there were withdrawn 
 to attend you here. And they are not natives of 
 San Benito." 
 
 Ybarra bit his lips till the blood came, but re- 
 strained all outward expression of anger in his 
 cousin's presence. It would not have been politic 
 to display his true temper just then. 
 
 "You told me you had sunk the boat we saw," 
 he said in a terrible whisper. 
 
 "Had they been in it they would not now be alive," 
 Gonzalez asserted recklessly. "We sank her far 
 out at sea. They got ashore by the inner bay. 
 They must have passed the Mariposa. The search- 
 light should have been used on all sides, not only 
 seawards."
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS 97 
 
 His clever argument impressed Ybarra. In any 
 case recrimination was now futile. 
 
 " You will lay hands on him instantly," the Presi- 
 dent commanded, "and you know what to do 
 with him." 
 
 Gonzalez grinned evilly. 
 
 "Or, stay! I may have use for him alive. I 
 might set a price on his safety." 
 
 He glanced toward Beatriz, and almost chuckled 
 to think how fortune was favouring him in spite 
 of himself. 
 
 "You lay hands on him," he repeated, "and 
 clap him in prison. Let him rough it with the 
 common herd, but I'll hold you answerable that 
 he's still alive when I send for him. The worse 
 he looks then the more sympathy he'll excite in 
 the proper quarter but see to it that he's still able 
 to speak for himself when the time comes. 
 
 "And as to those others How many made 
 
 landing ? " 
 
 "The peasant who brought word thinks there 
 must have been about a hundred." 
 
 Ybarra tugged at his black moustache. "Who 
 knows where they have come from ! " he soliloquised 
 fretfully. "In any case, I cannot afford to start 
 fighting on this side of the Pass till I'm forced to it. 
 I must go on to Alta Cruz. Yes, there's no help 
 for it. And they can't follow me there, whoever 
 they are. Send me word to the post at the 
 summit, Gonzalez. Now, go." 
 7
 
 98 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 He turned back towards the waiting trio. 
 
 "We leave at once," he said. "I had hoped to 
 rest here until to-morrow, but it seems that our 
 road is safer in the dark than during daylight. 
 Come, Beatriz." 
 
 They followed him obediently through a cur- 
 tained door-way in the rear, across a covered court 
 where there was a tinkling fountain among low 
 palm-trees, and out into the open air. 
 
 Armed men were waiting at the exit also, and, 
 beyond them, the two carriages they had come in 
 were dimly visible, drivers on seats, postilions in 
 saddle, grooms at the horses' heads. 
 
 Von Rudolf came forward, spurred and booted, 
 and the President held consultation with him for 
 an instant. 
 
 "Take the first carriage," O'Dare was told, and 
 he helped Fifi into it, while the young soldier drew 
 back but still followed her with puzzled eyes. 
 
 Ybarra and his cousin entered the other, Von 
 Rudolf mounted and rode off, to head the cortege, 
 which started almost silently. A galloping advance- 
 guard cleared the way for it and a troop of car- 
 bineers followed in rear. 
 
 Travelling at a swift pace, despite the bad repair 
 in which the narrow suburban roads seemed to be 
 kept, Fifi and Dennis O'Dare found it all they 
 could do to maintain their respective corners as 
 the cumbersome vehicle bumped and swung and 
 jolted to and fro upon its leathern slings. Yet
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS 99 
 
 they were not ill-content with their lot, if one might 
 judge from their cheerful acceptance of a by no 
 means over-cheerful situation. 
 
 A thunder-storm was brewing among the moun- 
 tains above them and pitch darkness covered the 
 landscape with a heavy pall. 
 
 "I wonder where we're bound for now," said 
 O'Dare jerkily. "We've left all the houses behind 
 and there isn't a light to be seen. I hope our cabby 
 knows the road." 
 
 "He's sure to," Fifi answered literally, "or the 
 President would not employ him. And I overheard 
 them speaking of Alta Cruz, wherever that is. It's 
 too late now to worry; we'll have to wait and see 
 what happens." 
 
 "I guess you're right," agreed Dennis admiringly. 
 " I was half afraid you would be worried by all this 
 bustle. It's been such a queer journey since the 
 start. We've scarcely had time to think." 
 
 "I'd have felt horribly frightened if you hadn't 
 been with us," she admitted naively; "but you're 
 so brave, Denny." 
 
 "Me!" he protested, smitten with astonishment. 
 "My heart's been in my boots most of the time." 
 
 "The ones you left up-stairs in Twenty-Third 
 Street?" she asked roguishly, for he had told her 
 the story of that ill-starred exploit. 
 
 "The ones at your feet now," he replied auda- 
 ciously and so fell silent. 
 
 For a long time there was naught to be heard but
 
 100 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 the dull rumble of their upward progress, the fall 
 of the whip-lash, the straining of the horses at the 
 traces. After a seemingly endless struggle they 
 reached the crest of the high hill they had been 
 climbing, and without a moment's pause plunged 
 downward on a slope so steep that their pace could 
 not but be dangerous. 
 
 "I haven't felt so intense since the last time I 
 was at Coney Island," O'Dare confided to his com- 
 panion, making light of the risk to soothe her 
 trembling. He had possessed himself of her hand. 
 "Shooting the chutes is child's play compared 
 wi^h sliding sideways down the Andes. Whew! 
 What was that?" 
 
 A spark had shot across the window. Another 
 followed it. Their speed was slackening. More 
 sparks and larger. Slower still. They stopped be- 
 fore a blazing camp-fire upon a plateau on the 
 mountainside. 
 
 Men flew to the horses' heads. There were 
 fresh ones waiting to take their places. 
 
 Other men came to the carriage door and stood 
 there expectantly. 
 
 O'Dare let down the window which he had closed 
 on account of the dust and looked out. They 
 bared their heads and bowed before him. 
 
 "If you think I'm his nibs, you must guess 
 again," he remarked in a conversational tone, "but 
 if any one of you can speak any known language, 
 I'd be glad of a few words with that one."
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS 101 
 
 "You're an American?" asked a voice from the 
 background. 
 
 " I have that honor," answered O'Dare. 
 
 "Where is His Excellency?" 
 
 "I can't say for sure, but I'm inclined to think 
 he'll run slap into us presently." 
 
 This information turned into Spanish by his 
 questioner set the others moving up the road, and left 
 the interpreter by himself at the door. 
 
 "Any news worth telling?" inquired that in- 
 dividual. 
 
 " WTiere are we ? " demanded Dennis. 
 
 "Half-way between La Boca and Alta Cruz. 
 Didn't you know?" 
 
 "I know next to nothing. Who are our friends 
 here?" 
 
 " Camp of the Tenth Infantry, guarding the Pass.' ' 
 
 "Against what?" 
 
 "Oh, the revolutionists. What's your line, any- 
 way ? You're one of the President's people, aren't 
 you?" 
 
 "Not by a long mile, my friend. Thanks for 
 the compliment, but I'm not that sort of wild beast. 
 Not by a long mile. I'm private secretary to 
 Miss Ybarra, and my name's O'Dare. What's 
 yours ? " 
 
 The invisible stranger came forward and leaned 
 over the window-sill, looking intently at Dennis by 
 the flickering firelight. 
 
 "I'm Challoner of the New York Wireless," he
 
 102 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 said in a low tone. "You don't happen to know a 
 man called Meggs, do you?" 
 
 " Never heard of the gentleman," answered O'Dare 
 very cheerfully. 
 
 "Sorry I spoke. Look out! Here's the other 
 carriage." 
 
 A grievous jerk and they were off again with four 
 fresh horses : but the stranger clung to the step for 
 a moment. 
 
 "Don't mention Meggs' name up above," he 
 begged earnestly ere he dropped off. 
 
 Dennis O'Dare snorted wrathfully. 
 
 "Why the deuce should I mention Meggs' name 
 up above!" he demanded. "I don't suppose the 
 grocer would give me a packet of breakfast food if 
 I did. I've more to do than run round South 
 America mentioning names!" 
 
 He turned to look out at the grey dawn creeping 
 down the steep mountainside, and straightway for- 
 got all else in sharing with Fifi the sight of its 
 gathering splendour. 
 
 Challoner had already run back to the second 
 conveyance, around which a ring of guards had 
 already been stationed and, after some argument, 
 was allowed to approach His Excellency. 
 
 " Who's that ? " Ybarra demanded suspiciously. 
 
 " You special correspondents are a perfect curse ! " 
 he cried after the other had explained. "There's 
 nothing I can tell you to-night," he added in a more 
 conciliatory tone. " You are aware, no doubt, that
 
 THE TIGER'S CLAWS 103 
 
 I was forced to sink the Hilario at her moorings in 
 La Boca. They were about to open fire upon me 
 from on board. The revolution is practically crushed 
 and I'm on my way back to the capital. That's 
 all there is to it. Tell your paper that I rule with 
 a firm hand." 
 
 He spoke in English, and his cousin, hearing that, 
 came forth. But he interposed in such wise that 
 Challoner had to give place without the opportunity 
 for more than a surreptitious glance at her. 
 
 "Why aren't those horses yoked in?" shouted 
 His Excellency stormily. "I'm waiting I, the 
 President of San Benito! 
 
 " Let me assist you to your seat, Beatriz. Your 
 pardon, but time presses. Daylight brings danger." 
 
 He shut the door, and spoke sharply to the officers 
 clustered about the open window. An orderly 
 brought him a bundle of telegrams from the field- 
 station where they had tapped the line between La 
 Boca and Alta Cruz. 
 
 He took them eagerly and, opening one after 
 another with great rapidity, read their contents by 
 the fire-light, tearing them into fragments as he 
 finished. The last proved singularly displeasing 
 to him, and he swore bitterly under his breath as he 
 read it through a second time, an attention he had 
 bestowed on none of the others. 
 
 "So soon!" he muttered, and seemed to be en- 
 grossed in cogitation until he called the telegraph 
 orderly over and gave him a low-voiced message.
 
 104 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " Make sure that he gets it if you have any re- 
 gard for yourself," he finished with threat in his 
 tone. 
 
 The man saluted cringingly and withdrew. His 
 Excellency gave the word, whips cracked, and he 
 was whirled away. 
 
 Challoner had already retired unobtrusively, and 
 before he had been missed was safely in the saddle, 
 breasting the upward road on his way back to La 
 Boca. 
 
 "I'll take no chances with that crowd," he said 
 to himself with a sagacious shake of the head. 
 "When Don Ygnacio shows disapproval his under- 
 lings are apt to do the same." 
 
 On the summit he dismounted and led his horse 
 off the road to a safe distance. It stood there panting, 
 while he unstrapped from the saddle a pair of sharp- 
 edged wire-cutters and a small canvas-covered case 
 containing a complete equipment for " tapping " the 
 telegraph wires. 
 
 With the aid of these he was presently able to 
 read off the President's message to Gonzalez. 
 
 " That's the worst possible news," he told himself 
 frowningly. 
 
 "Meggs must have landed, but what beats me 
 is how he could get into so much trouble in such a 
 short time. He's certainly broken- all records in 
 that respect. I rather fancy I'll find the Golden 
 Eagle in ruins when I get there."
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW. 
 
 "WHAT were you doing in San Benito before, 
 Corbyn?" Allardyce asked, as he and his friend 
 strode down-hill toward La Boca. 
 
 "Nothing in particular," the other answered. 
 " I took a West Indian trip one winter in my more 
 wealthy days, before Dad left me to my own devices 
 and stopped off here with some other fellows. I 
 wanted to see what the place was like. We went 
 up to Alta Cruz, in the mountains, and had a good 
 time generally." 
 
 " What sort of chap is the Tiger ? " 
 
 Corbyn's brow darkened. 
 
 "I've never met him," he said, "but I've heard 
 a good deal about him one way and the other, and 
 I'd help to hang him without any scruples of con- 
 science. He has none." 
 
 "Speak of the devil!" exclaimed Allardyce. 
 "Here he comes." 
 
 They sought in vain for an avenue of escape as the 
 
 advance-guard of the President's procession came 
 
 trotting round a corner, and at last crouched as close 
 
 as they dared to the tall cactus-plants which lined 
 
 105
 
 106 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 both sides of the roadway there. Corbyn caught 
 sight of a known face in the first carriage, and almost 
 cried out in the extremity of his amazement, while 
 Allardyce all but fell back among the cruel spikes 
 behind him as he saw Fifi Florian and O'Dare 
 driven swiftly past in the second. He had half 
 risen as if to follow them when Corbyn clutched at 
 his arm and dragged him down again, but too late. 
 Gonzalez was staring with intent malevolence in 
 their direction from the front seat of one of the 
 following vehicles. He spoke to a lean, dwarf-like, 
 dried-up individual seated beside him, who also 
 peered back at them but could see little through 
 the dust. More carriages and then the rear-guard 
 rattled past, leaving them coughing by the roadside, 
 with choked lungs. There was no time to be wasted. 
 
 " Get a move on," Corbyn commanded. " Gon- 
 zalez will send back immediately." 
 
 They took to their heels at their best speed, but 
 treading carefully that they might leave no avoid- 
 able trail, and left the highway at the first cross-road, 
 climbed a sod wall and threw themselves down in the 
 long lucerne it enclosed. They saw that their fears 
 had not been groundless, for almost immediately three 
 lancers and a non-commissioned officer went canter- 
 ing past their place of refuge towards the town, scan- 
 ning the shadows carefully. 
 
 Corbyn sat up as the jingle of their accoutrements 
 died away in the distance, and Allardyce laughed 
 cheerfully.
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW 107 
 
 "They're on a wild-goose chase," said he, "and 
 we're the wild geese. Gonzalez will be wilder when 
 they get back without us. What do you think of 
 Denny, Corbyn ? Isn't he one of the seven wonders ! 
 And Fifi, too ! Wliat are we going to do about it ? " 
 
 Corbyn made no reply, and he continued without 
 waiting any. 
 
 "How in thunder did he get here, eh? And 
 what is he doing with Fifi in that circus, anyway ? 
 What does it all mean, Corbyn? It's a Chinese 
 puzzle to me." 
 
 "Allardyce," his companion broke in, and the 
 Englishman looked at him in surprise, so tensely 
 strained was his tone, "did you notice the girl be- 
 side Ybarra in the first carriage ? " 
 
 " I got a glimpse and no more of a very beautiful 
 face." 
 
 "That was the face you saw on my easel one 
 day, and admired so much. I I sent it to the 
 Academy." 
 
 "The deuce it was!" Allardyce whistled softly. 
 He was much interested. Here promised ro- 
 mance. 
 
 "I've never told you before," Corbyn continued, 
 
 " because Oh, you understand. I'm too poor, 
 
 for one thing. And she's enormously wealthy. But 
 she had promised to wait for me, and I know now 
 that she won't break her word. She told me once 
 that she would never set foot in this country again 
 of her own free will."
 
 108 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " Who is she ? " asked Allardyce, still in the dark. 
 
 "Beatriz Ybarra. She's a half -cousin of that 
 of the President, and he's asked her more than once 
 to many him. He's desperately hard up, and she 
 she's afraid of him, Allardyce. Challoner must 
 have referred to her when he spoke of the troubles 
 here. I know she hasn't come to San Benito will- 
 ingly. And now I must find out, if I can, where that 
 scoundrel has taken her. If anything happens me 
 and I don't turn up again, you'll explain to Meggs." 
 
 He held out a hand that shook in spite of himself, 
 but the other ignored it. 
 
 "I'm going with you," said Allardyce gruffly. 
 
 They turned back to the highway, without more 
 words, and followed it cautiously but at a swift pace 
 in the direction from which they had come. 
 
 "There's been foul play," Corbyn muttered 
 miserably. "There may be more. I can see now 
 why Gonzalez was so anxious to get my studio, and 
 why I got no reply to my letters. 
 
 "She had been in Europe, Allardyce, since her 
 father died, and on the day she landed I was at 
 Florian's funeral. I wrote her, though, and wrote 
 again, without getting an answer. I wrote a third 
 time, and then I I supposed she had made up her 
 mind to drop me. My poverty was more than 
 sufficient excuse. I had called at her hotel, too. 
 They asked my name and then told me she was not 
 at home. That's why I joined Meggs." 
 
 Allardyce had listened intently.
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW 109 
 
 " There's some mystery about the whole business," 
 said he. "Denny's disappearance and turning 
 up here in her company. It seems to me that he 
 must have strayed out during the night and been 
 
 kidnapped by Gonzalez But that doesn't matter 
 
 at present. What There's the show starting off 
 
 again there among the trees." 
 
 They ran like men possessed, but the distance 
 was too great. Ere they could reach the turn of 
 the road the shadowy cavalcade Allardyce had ob- 
 served sweep past the end of the low white building 
 had gained the highway and disappeared at a canter. 
 A gaping countryman stood looking after the cloud 
 of dust it had left, and of him they sought information. 
 
 There were two carriages only, he told them. 
 The President and his party, another man and two 
 ladies, just four, all told. Off for Alta Cruz, 
 since the road led nowhere else. That might be 
 fifty miles, or maybe a hundred. He had never 
 been there, and could not say to within an odd 
 mile or so. But it was over the mountains, and a 
 long way. He took the coin that Corbyn offered, 
 and slouched away, dully indifferent. 
 
 " It's eighty miles by rail," Corbyn told Allardyce, 
 "and the road should be shorter." 
 
 He stood still, cogitating in great distress of mind, 
 and his friend put forward no suggestion. 
 
 " We had better get back to the Golden Eagle," 
 he said at length, and they once more retraced their 
 steps.
 
 110 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "That was why Gonzalez was so anxious to get 
 my studio," he reiterated by the way. "What a 
 blind fool I was to distrust her so easily ! The least 
 I might have done was to get her dismissal by word 
 of mouth. That's where my cursed pride has cost 
 me a fall. And now she's here, in the net. They've 
 trapped her at last and perhaps through me. 
 
 "Allardyce, I must cut loose from Meggs. I 
 must go to her. She's in the gravest danger. It 
 will be my fault if she comes to any harm here." 
 
 "We'll go together, old chap," said Allardyce 
 soothingly, for Corbyn was strangely excited. 
 " Meggs will let us go willingly. If there's no news 
 of him we'll leave word explaining. He'll under- 
 stand. We'll get a move on first thing to-morrow 
 and reach Alta Cruz almost as soon as she." 
 
 Corbyn nodded and no more was said in the 
 mean time. They took to a dark side-lane which 
 ran parallel with the main road, and presently 
 emerged within the busier centre of La Boca, a 
 network of narrow streets, some paved with wood, 
 others all but impassable by reason of the pristine 
 cobblestones. 
 
 Electric cars whizzed past on some of the streets, 
 and high-wheeled carts with strings of patient oxen 
 in their yokes crept along others. Some were well- 
 lighted, lined with stores which would have graced 
 an Old World city; others had only murky oil 
 lamps at great intervals, and still seemed to smell of 
 mediaeval Spain and mystery.
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW 111 
 
 Through these, however, the two wanderers took 
 their way, eschewing glare for gloom and courting 
 privacy rather than publicity. 
 
 "Our friend forgot to tell us where the Golden 
 Eagle has its eyrie," Corbyn observed more calmly, 
 as they debouched upon a shabby square surrounded 
 by squat buildings, and boasting four gaunt bushes 
 for sole ornament. "I don't remember it. We'll 
 have to ask our way before we go much farther." 
 
 "We'd better take a cab," said Allardyce. "It's 
 doubling the risk, and halving the difficulty. I 
 don't think we should face the electrics on 
 foot." 
 
 They stopped, and presently a ramshackle vic- 
 toria crawled past. 
 
 They hailed it and had jumped in before the 
 drowsy driver had finished his yawning fit. 
 
 " Al Aguila de Oro," ordered Allardyce in a hoarse 
 voice. 
 
 "Si, senor," the driver answered civilly. "En la 
 calle 18 de Junio." 
 
 He drove along the main street in the direction 
 from which they had come and they sat back with 
 folded arms, their soft hats drawn well down. Three 
 lancers and a non-commissioned officer came clatter- 
 ing past them, and they puffed very nervously at 
 their cigars, but in the end they reached the Golden 
 Eagle safely. 
 
 It was, according to the sign above the gateway, 
 an unassuming fonda y posada, a humble inn for
 
 112 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 the accommodation of the country-folk and the 
 great carts they came to town in. The courtyard 
 was crowded with the latter and the lowing of oxen 
 sounded from its adjacent outhouses. 
 
 The street on which it stood was an ill-lighted and 
 empty relic of a former age. It would not have been 
 easy to discover a spot more suited to their im- 
 mediate needs. 
 
 Allardyce paid and dismissed the cabman with an 
 assumption of indifference which he was far from 
 feeling. 
 
 . " I didn't dare to ask how much he wanted, but 
 I guess I hit the right figure, plus a fair tip, first 
 time," he told Corbyn complacently. "I'll bet he 
 thinks we know La Boca to its foundations. It 
 wouldn't have been wise to let him know we are 
 strangers." 
 
 They entered a long, narrow room which ap- 
 parently combined the attributes of cafe, bar, and 
 office. It was grudgingly lit and sparsely occupied 
 by groups of dust-grimed carreteros quenching the 
 thirst engendered by their day's journey. 
 
 These took no notice of the new arrivals, who 
 passed onward to the desk which overlooked a 
 pewter-covered counter, behind which a black- 
 gowned woman of ample proportions was counting 
 the contents of her till. 
 
 " Have you rooms for two ? " Allardyce asked 
 her after exchange of greetings. She looked up 
 without displaying any undue interest.
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW 113 
 
 "It depends on who the two are," she answered 
 slowly. "The senores have no baggage?" 
 
 "We had on the Hilario," he said in a low 
 tone and his eyes did not fall before her startled 
 glance. 
 
 "If you are for the Reds," she whispered, "I 
 cannot house you here." 
 
 "We are not for the Reds, but for the rose," he 
 ventured, pointing to the fresh flower which stood 
 in a vase at one corner of her desk. 
 
 "Chombo!" she cried aloud, and a mulatto ser- 
 vant came shuffling in. "Show the senores to the 
 rooms on the balcony," she whispered to him. 
 
 They followed the slipshod Chombo across an 
 inner court upon which opened many doorways, up 
 a steep wooden stair, and through a narrow passage 
 to an outer gallery overhanging what seemed to be 
 a back street. From the balcony they entered two 
 connecting bedrooms, shabby and sparsely furnished. 
 
 Their guide drew the curtains closely across the 
 doors and lit a couple of candles. 
 
 "Be very circumspect, caballeros," he said, and 
 slipped away without another word. 
 
 Corbyn followed him as far as the passage, but 
 paused there to examine a heavy iron grating hooked 
 back against the wall about half way through. It 
 worked on hinges; he pulled and it came smoothly 
 to; there were strong bolts on either side. 
 
 He shot those next him and went back well pleased. 
 
 "We're safe as a church," he told his friend. 
 8
 
 114 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " There's a portcullis at the entrance and I've closed 
 it." 
 
 "How high are we above the street?" asked 
 Allardyce, and, crossing to the outer rail, he dropped 
 a coin. It fell tinkling on the cobbles below. 
 
 "Too high for any one to climb without a good 
 long ladder," he concluded. " I don't think any one 
 will interfere with us to-night." 
 
 "Did you notice that blind beggar at the street- 
 corner as we drove up ? " asked Corbyn. 
 
 "I noticed nothing but those confounded 
 lancers." 
 
 "He was standing there as we came in," the other 
 continued, "feeling about him with a stick. I 
 seemed to recognise him somehow, although I can't 
 see how that could be possible. In any case, he 
 started when your face showed under the lamp at 
 the entrance. I don't like blind men who are able 
 to interest themselves in us to that extent." 
 
 The Englishman looked grave. 
 
 "You give me the creeps," he answered. "I 
 don't think I'll undress." 
 
 "Nor I," said Corbyn. 
 
 They blew the lights out and lay down fully 
 clothed. Allardyce fell asleep instantly, but Corbyn 
 tossed and turned for some time before he dropped 
 into a troubled doze. His wound was stiffening 
 and was more painful now, but it was his thoughts 
 that hurt most. He was thinking of a very beau- 
 tiful face, seen but for an instant through dust and
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW 115 
 
 darkness, and of the cruel, triumphant features 
 dimly outlined beside it. 
 
 It was late that night before La Boca settled 
 down after the day's events. The presence of the 
 President had, as usual, provided incident. The 
 citizens were well pleased with such an excuse for 
 lingering about the clubs and cafes. They knew 
 he was to spend the night at the Governor's villa. 
 There might be further entertainment for them 
 before morning. 
 
 Nor were they disappointed in their expectations, 
 for presently there came upon them out of the by- 
 streets a troop of horsemen, who abused them with 
 the flat of sword-blades to such purpose that, within 
 five minutes, the thoroughfares were empty, and 
 every idler was indoors, to stay. 
 
 There were no two ways about anything when 
 the Tiger of San Benito saw fit to shake his mailed 
 fist in the direction of the timid townfolk. 
 
 The swarthy troopers sneered to each other as the 
 populace melted into thin air before them, but made 
 no noise, since that had been forbidden. Even their 
 shaggy ponies scurried soundlessly from point to 
 point, for each had pads of felt made fast to the 
 calkins, in accordance with Von Rudolf's ideas of 
 strategy, as applied to night-work within the walls. 
 
 So sudden and unexpected had been their ap- 
 pearance that no news of their coming could spread, 
 and they were able to draw a close cordon round 
 the Golden Eagle without the inmates of that hos-
 
 116 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 telry being aware that it was the objective of the 
 expedition. 
 
 The blind beggar who was swearing at the 
 closed grating which blocked his way to the rear 
 balcony heard the muffled thud of horses' feet on the 
 uneven causeway, and, turning about with marvel- 
 lous celerity in spite of his affliction, was able to get 
 the great gates fast before the storming-party 
 reached them. 
 
 And even after the officer in charge had thundered 
 long and loudly on their oaken panels, it took time 
 to wake the Golden Eagle to a proper sense of that 
 which was required of it. 
 
 First came to the grated spy-hole at the outer gate 
 an old and deaf and decrepit woman, who could not 
 be brought to understand that she must open to 
 the law and that without delay. 
 
 "Thieves and assassins!" she screeched to the 
 raging leader. "Wait where you are till I call my 
 mistress. Robbers and murderers! Be patient, 
 but for a moment." 
 
 They heard her hobbling off still muttering male- 
 dictions on them. It took ten long minutes to bring 
 back the proprietress, who had many apologies to 
 make for the unfortunate delay and sent her on a 
 second errand for the keys. 
 
 These found, the soldiery rushed in, invaded 
 every corner, dragged all the other inmates from 
 their beds and stood them shivering in the courtyard. 
 
 Corbyn awoke to hear them hammering at the
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW 117 
 
 grating in the passage and Allardyce sprang up at 
 the same instant. They were ignorant of what 
 the noise presaged, but it was evident that there 
 was something wrong. 
 
 They ran out into the open, and stood listening 
 for a moment. 
 
 "We'd better bolt," suggested Corbyn. 
 
 It was no time to hesitate. They clambered over 
 the balcony rail, let go together, and dropped into 
 the darkness. 
 
 Swift shadows darted on them as they fell. They 
 fought and struggled vainly. The trap was too well 
 set, and they were prisoners. 
 
 A crash and a cloud of dust overhead proclaimed 
 that the grating had given way to violent methods. 
 Lights appeared on the balcony. They could hear 
 cries of rage and disappointment. 
 
 A lantern flashed on them from above. 
 
 " Have you got the blind beggar ? " asked a voice 
 very anxiously. "WTio are those two?" 
 
 "Two strangers. We caught them as they were 
 escaping. No one else has come this way." 
 
 " Two of you take them round to the front. The 
 rest stay here, and, if you see the blind man, shoot." 
 
 The two captives passively obeyed the order to 
 march. It would have been idle to resist, since 
 every street seemed to be occupied by the enemy. 
 They were thrust through to the inner court and there 
 entrusted to the guard set round their unfortunate 
 fellow-guests, most of whom were protesting volubly,
 
 118 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 although quite vainly, against the treatment be' 
 stowed on them. 
 
 A systematic search was being made throughout 
 the building. No single nook or cranny was left 
 unexplored. Even the well was plumbed to make 
 quite sure that no one might be lurking in it. The 
 portly proprietress wrung her hands as she heard 
 the crash of breaking glass, the splintering of wood- 
 work, and the crone who had first encountered the 
 intruders kept up a ceaseless comment on their 
 conduct and its consequences. 
 
 " The poor blind beggar will have a pretty bill to 
 pay," she cried in her cracked voice, "after these 
 sons of Satan have finished." 
 
 "Be silent, hag!" a soldier shouted, bringing the 
 barrel of his carbine across her shoulders. She 
 shrank back, and subsided into senile mutterings. 
 
 "Here's our good friend Gonzalez," Allardyce 
 observed in a low tone, as that worthy came into 
 the courtyard. 
 
 "He's slipped the net," said he sourly to an ap- 
 proaching officer, who nodded sulky confirmation. 
 
 "We'll close the inn and leave some men about. 
 If he comes back, they'll nab him. Meanwhile 
 we'll march these cattle to the carcel and keep them 
 there until we catch him." 
 
 He had raised his voice, so that all could hear his 
 last remark, and it was greeted with grievous out- 
 cry. He was deaf to all appeals for pity. The 
 half-clad inmates of the Golden Eagle were hustled
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW 119 
 
 out into the street. The soldiery was recalled from 
 its congenial task of mischievous destruction. Due 
 disposition was made for ambushing their quarry 
 in case he should return, and then the troop ambled 
 off with the innocent sufferers crowding along on 
 foot in its centre. 
 
 With them Gonzalez did not for the moment con- 
 cern himself further. There would be time enough 
 to have them establish their identity within the 
 prison walls. 
 
 He counted them in bulk and cursed the whining 
 crone for her slow progress as she hobbled past him. 
 
 " Step out, beldame ! " he ordered brutally. " Move 
 those old bones of thine, or I shall have a lance- 
 point prick thee forward." 
 
 "Pity! Have pity por el amor de dios!" she 
 groaned, but managed to mend her pace. 
 
 The prison of La Boca was located at the land- 
 ward end of the town and stood alone on a square 
 ill-kept ground which, during the day, served as 
 stance for the country-carts that brought garden- 
 stuff to the market. By night it was practically 
 deserted save for some such belated vehicle. 
 
 Escort and prisoners drew up before the frowning 
 gates. There was some delay while the officials 
 were being called from their beds, the guard within 
 being obviously suspicious of the presence of an 
 armed force there at such an hour. 
 
 The troopers had dismounted and were making 
 up for the enforced silence of the preceding hour,
 
 120 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 while Gonzalez and their officer parleyed from 
 horseback with those on the parapet above them. 
 
 The leading files had drawn to one side, leaving 
 free passage gateward for the prisoners. No one 
 interfered when the old kitchen-woman went limping 
 that way, for no one noticed her. 
 
 The two men sitting in their saddles, talking, 
 with uplifted chins, to the almost invisible occupants 
 of the loopholes overhead heard nothing but the 
 sound of their own voices. 
 
 The old dame stopped between the haunches of 
 their horses, drew a deep breath, and, springing 
 with an energy astonishing in one of her years, 
 grasped at their collars, pulled them to the earth, 
 half-choking them. Their heads met with a crash 
 which stunned them and they fell with one wild cry. 
 
 The frightened horses started apart, but the crone 
 held fast by the cantle of one saddle and Gonzalez 
 had not let go his reins. 
 
 She set foot on his chest and his fingers relaxed as 
 she leaped. The flutter of her skirts further alarmed 
 the animal she had bestrode. It bolted with the 
 bit between its teeth, cleaving an easy passage 
 through the encircling throng. 
 
 Upon the instant there was panedmonium. Gon- 
 zalez, who had risen to his feet, was screaming 
 orders and imprecations before his bewildered 
 retainers could understand what had happened. 
 Two or three men mounted and made off after the 
 fugitive. He flew at those who remained, striking
 
 WHAT THE BLIND BEGGAR SAW 121 
 
 at them with his bare hands, kicking and cursing 
 like one demented. 
 
 The women prisoners were making hysterical 
 outcry, savage men's voices shouted from every 
 quarter. In the midst of the uproar the prison- 
 governor appeared on a turret, while from another 
 suddenly shone a blazing cluster of lights. 
 
 Gonzalez turned on him with bitter words, and, 
 while they argued and recriminated, those below 
 were once more free to draw breath. 
 
 "It wouldn't have been wise to attempt escape," 
 Allardyce whispered to Corbyn. "We would have 
 been sure to get separated in the dark." 
 
 "The other fellow has gotten away all right," his 
 friend objected; "but, of course, he had his plans 
 laid. I wonder who he was ? " 
 
 "I tell you, senor Governor," Gonzalez cried, 
 "that this night's work will cost you dearly. His 
 Excellency will not be grateful to the man who 
 sleeps so soundly that our prisoners escape. 
 
 "And as to you, senor Teniente," he turned to 
 the astonished officer, who had at length recovered 
 his perpendicular and was shambling shamefacedly 
 toward him, "your swinish incapacity unfits you 
 for a uniform. Get to your post ! Don't stand there 
 staring! It is sufficient for one day that you have 
 let the blind man go again, that the leader of the 
 American filibuster is now at large in San Benito. 
 Yes, that was he. Don't stand there staring! but 
 march your remaining prisoners in."
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 CHALLONER'S CONSCIENCE. 
 
 IN the small hours of the morning Challoner, the 
 correspondent, sat down at his desk within the lonely 
 dwelling on the height beyond La Boca to concoct 
 his daily cable for the Wireless. He had trans- 
 mitted to New York before setting forth for the 
 summit of the Pass full details as to the tragedy of 
 the Hilario, and there was little of importance to 
 chronicle now. He leaned back in his chair, looking 
 reflectively at the ceiling, and his right hand fell 
 purposefully upon the butt of a revolver hidden 
 among a heap of papers where it would be most 
 convenient. 
 
 An aged woman stepped stealthily across the 
 porch outside and stood for a moment at the open 
 door, staring in upon him. Her skirts were stained 
 with travel, she was breathing heavily. In one 
 corner of her mouth was a cigarette. 
 
 "Don't move or you're a dead man," Challoner 
 said suddenly in Spanish: and his visitor stood 
 motionless in the compelling presence of the levelled 
 pistol. 
 
 "You're still a woman-hater, eh, Quiff?" she 
 122
 
 CHALLONER'S CONSCIENCE 123 
 
 asked with a coy simper, and the correspondent 
 shifted his glance from the small mirror on the 
 cornice opposite the doorway to her wrinkled face. 
 
 "My sainted aunt!" he cried, springing to his 
 feet. " You're a holy horror, Meggs ! You frightened 
 me, and that's a fact. Why didn't you speak, con- 
 found you! I might have shot you. 
 
 " Come in, and close the door. What the deuce 
 are you doing here in that rig-out ? Sit down and 
 tell me things. Will you have beer or whiskey?" 
 
 He shook hands very warmly with his venerable- 
 looking visitant, and drew a chair forward. 
 
 "You should have been an actor, Jerry. Your 
 make-up's a marvel. Seems to me, though, that 
 I've seen these togs of yours before." 
 
 Meggs laughed delightedly. 
 
 "I shouldn't wonder," said he, covering his 
 ankles with great modesty as he sat down. " They're 
 your own, Quiff. I stopped in here and made free 
 with your professional wardroV i on my way to town. 
 The panel was partly oper I left a note for you 
 with your man. Didn't you get it ? " 
 
 " I've just come in from the Pass," Challoner ex- 
 plained, "and didn't wake Miguel. Did he give 
 you my scrawl ? " 
 
 " Yes, and I made a bee-line for the Golden Eagle, 
 but they had no word there of my two friends. I've 
 had the time of my life to-night, Quiff. Some local 
 Sherlock Holmes has got wise in a hurry, and I've 
 been dodging the entire army of San Benito since
 
 124 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 then. I'm going to have a fat part in whatever 
 drama we're hired for, and " 
 
 "Hold hard, hold hard," ordered Challoner. 
 "Let's have the anecdote right end up. Begin at 
 the beginning. All I know up to now is what you 
 told me in your last letter that you were coming 
 down here with twenty other devils worse than 
 yourself to seek trouble in San Benito. What's the 
 idea of it all ? Remember, I haven't seen you since 
 we chewed biltong together with Brother Boer. 
 That's where you start your story. What have you 
 been up to since then?" 
 
 "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," 
 said Meggs concisely. "I've been about the world 
 as usual, Quiff, same as yourself except that no one 
 pays me for my correspondence." 
 
 He hesitated a little, and spoke more soberly. 
 
 "Six months ago I happened to be in London. 
 Went over to play polo again, and I met a girl 
 there." 
 
 He shot a surreptitious glance at his friend, but 
 Challoner was not smiling. There was that in 
 Meggs' voice now which it was not good to hear. 
 
 "She turned me down, and that left me in little 
 pieces. I fell hard, Quiff, and a long way. I 
 thought I had fallen straight through to hell till I 
 found that I had only gotten as far on the way there 
 as New Orleans. When I came to my senses I 
 found that I had acquired a friend, by the name of 
 Barr Barr of Mobile and that he had talked
 
 CHALLONER'S CONSCIENCE 125 
 
 me into taking command of an expedition he wanted 
 to send down here, a most mysterious picnic with 
 twenty men, under sealed orders not to be opened 
 until we should land. I had jumped at the chance 
 of getting killed off with decency and despatch, but 
 afterwards I grew somewhat shy of involving my 
 twenty comrades in any such enterprise. Corbyn 
 and AUardyce came on ahead to find out how the 
 land lies, but the rest of us got our marching orders 
 earlier than I expected and here we are at their 
 teels. We swam the horses ashore at the back of 
 Punta Gorda last evening, and landed twenty of the 
 trimmest fighting-men that ever pulled trigger to- 
 gether. It would do your heart good, Quiff, to see 
 'em shift to Boot and saddle. I only wish you " 
 
 "Let up, let up, now, Jerry," the correspondent 
 Interposed. "You know quite well that I'm here 
 for the Wireless, first and foremost and all the time. 
 Don't aggravate me with any of your sinful proposi- 
 tions. If I were free it would be a different matter. 
 But my hands are tied. I can do little more for 
 you than I have done. And that's nothing at all." 
 
 He spoke morosely, and Meggs understood the 
 temptation that comes now and then to the man of 
 action engaged in peaceful pursuits. 
 
 "Don't fret about it," said the latter more lightly. 
 " It's my conviction that Barr of Mobile has sold us 
 a full-sized pup. I don't think we'll spend any 
 cartridges in San Benito. It will be home, sweet 
 home for us just as soon as we've extracted our
 
 126 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 two friends from the local jail. Did I tell you that 
 Corbyn and Allardyce have been locked up already ** 
 
 Challoner held up a hand. 
 
 "We'll stick to the main line, meantime, Jerry* 
 How did the orders read when you opened them, 
 and where's your fighting force ? " 
 
 "The boys are holding the fort pending further 
 instructions from me, in the tall timber behind 
 the Point. My orders chiefly consist of a fat com- 
 mission appointing me colonel commanding the 
 body-guard of some sharp called Sariol, Presidents 
 de la Republica, and a broad hint that I'd better 
 make quick connection with that same gentleman 
 wherever he may be, in case some other patriot 
 tramples on me before I get there." 
 
 "If you could have told me that in time I might 
 have saved you a useless journey," said Challoner. 
 " Sariol is not yet President, nor do I think he ever 
 will be. Barr of Mobile may have meant well enough, 
 but he's backing the wrong horse. I'll tell you now 
 how things stand here to-day. 
 
 "Ybarra's President. There's a strong revolu- 
 tion on foot against him and at the back of it, but 
 safely hidden, stands Sariol. They planned a big 
 coup which was to have come off no later than yester- 
 day, and, had it been successful, your commission 
 would have been worth a little more than it is, 
 which also is nothing at all. 
 
 "The steamer on which Corbyn and Allardyce 
 came from New York brought the cream of these
 
 CHALLONER'S CONSCIENCE 127 
 
 conspirators, with arms and ammunition enough 
 to supply the whole sea-coast. And that was their 
 scheme. They intended to capture Ybarra here in 
 La Boca, proclaim your friend Sariol president, and 
 carry their operations on from this side of the moun- 
 tains. La Boca is the key to the country, and the 
 thing was well enough thought out, but the Tiger 
 was too astute to let them catch him napping. 
 He sank the steamer with all on board as soon as 
 she entered the harbour. Every one was below but 
 your two lieutenants, and they escaped by a very 
 thin hair's-breadth, I can assure you. 
 
 " Ybarra knows you are here, but not your purpose, 
 and Sariol will be the first to disclaim all knowledge 
 of you if you claim acquaintance with him. There 
 are spies everywhere, and the best thing you can do, 
 Jerry, is to quit. You hold a losing hand, and 
 you're up against a bad gang. I've seen them deal 
 with surrendered prisoners after a fight, and it 
 wasn't a square deal, Jerry. It made me sick to 
 look on." 
 
 He broke off abruptly, and Meggs nodded. 
 
 "They're the devil's children in that way," said 
 he, "and I'll keep my twenty out of their hands, 
 after I get back Corbyn and Allardyce." 
 
 "How have they managed to get themselves into 
 hot water already?" Challoner inquired gravely. 
 
 "I got them into it," Meggs explained. "It was 
 this way. When I got your tip that they were at 
 the Golden Eagle I was in a hurry to get in touch
 
 128 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 with them. I slipped into a suit of rags I found 
 here, stuck a fringe of beard on my chin, a white 
 wig on my head and tripped along into town as the 
 old blind beggar. But I drew blank in Eighteenth 
 of June Street." 
 
 "That's very queer," remarked Challoner, "but 
 perhaps they went on the buzz together instead of 
 going straight there. The town was up late last 
 night." 
 
 "Well, anyhow, I had a chat with the fat old 
 frau at the Golden Eagle, and won her heart by 
 leaving a wad of bills with her as a guarantee of 
 good faith. As things turned out, I'm glad that I 
 had that happy thought but wait a bit. From 
 there I went on a prowl around town, in hope of pick- 
 ing them up if they were still doing the sights, and 
 nearly got picked up myself by the police. I had 
 a deuce of a time dodging them, and I'm more than 
 half inclined to think that they knew more about me 
 even then than I gave them credit for. ' ' 
 
 "I tell you there are spies everywhere, " Challoner 
 repeated. "The fellow at the head of the Secret 
 Service is far too clever to let even a blind beggar 
 pass. If you ever run across him his name's 
 Gonzalez keep both eyes very wide open. But 
 go on." 
 
 "They chased me round till I got tired, and I 
 made a bold break for the Golden Eagle again, just 
 in time to see our two night-hawks get out of a cab 
 at the gate. And, as luck would have it, up bobbed
 
 a bold vigilante at the street corner as I was on the 
 point of following them. I set off down the street 
 rather than have him think that I had anything to 
 do with the Golden Eagle, he after me like a little 
 ferret with his small-sword and revolver all ready for 
 argument. It cost me a lot of time and trouble to 
 give him the slip, but I managed it in the end and 
 once more got back to the inn. 
 
 " The fat lady had put my friends in a safe place, 
 and they'd made it safer by shutting me out with an 
 iron grating. Every one was in bed by that time, and 
 I was fumbling away at the bolts by myself, when I 
 heard the cheering sound of horsemen in bulk ap- 
 proaching. I can tell you I reached the outer gate 
 on a record, got the bars up, and was back in the 
 kitchen before they began to knock. My whiskers 
 and wig went into the fire, I slipped this confounded 
 skirt on and a shawl over my head, caught the pa- 
 trona on her way to open the gate and did that for 
 her, my own way, ten minutes later. 
 
 "There was a whole troop of cavalry there, and 
 what they wanted was me. They got me, but they 
 didn't know that. They got every soul in the Golden 
 Eagle, including Corbyn and Allardyce, who had 
 made a bold bid to escape but were caught by the 
 cordon outside. And they marched us all off to 
 prison. I got away by the skin of my teeth at the 
 prison -gate, and I'm going back presently to exca- 
 vate the other two. I didn't dare to disclose my 
 identity to them lest I should spoil my own plan. 
 9
 
 130 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 And if we had all three been laid on the shelf it 
 would have been a black business for them and for 
 me and for the twenty men in the woods." 
 
 "You were wise," said Challoner briefly. "And 
 even now you've got a very hard row to hoe, Jerry. 
 
 I don't see how But, hold on. I may be able to 
 
 give you some sound advice, after all. I really 
 shouldn't be showing you these little tricks of the 
 trade, but I'll have to compound with my conscience 
 this time. Listen!" 
 
 A faint click-click came from the rug at his feet. 
 He stooped and lifted that. The dot and dash of a 
 field-telegraph receiver became more distinctly 
 audible. 
 
 It rattled off a message in the old Morse code, 
 which they both read mechanically and by ear. 
 Gonzalez was reporting to the President at Alta 
 Ciuz the capture and subsequent escape of the chief 
 of that band of filibusters which had lately landed 
 in San Benito, the lodgement in La Boca prison of 
 the American, Corbyn, and his confederate: with 
 comments and suggestions. He was of opinion 
 that the filibusters had some connection with Cor- 
 byn, and ventured to advise their extermination 
 forthwith. 
 
 "A clever devil that!" said Challoner as the in- 
 strument ceased to speak. "Ybarra would be ill 
 off without him." 
 
 "He'll be ill off, then, if I ever run across Gon- 
 zalez," Meggs answered angrily. "I'll wring his
 
 CHALLONER'S CONSCIENCE 131 
 
 neck for him, in return for his cleverness. I'd like 
 to hear what orders come back from Alta Cruz." 
 
 "There's nothing passes that we can't hear if 
 we want to," the correspondent assured him. " The 
 wire runs right overhead. That's one reason why 
 I took this shack. 
 
 "You'd better get into some other clothes now, 
 Jerry. You're very fetching in these togs, but " 
 
 Meggs got up, grinning. 
 
 "It's a good thing I'm old and ugly," he replied 
 darkly, "or I might not have found my disguise so 
 effective. But you needn't rub it in like that, Quiff. 
 If I had been an Adonis, like Corbyn or AUardyce, 
 I'd have been ' ' 
 
 " You'll look a good deal handsomer after you've 
 washed your face," Challoner interrupted. "Off 
 you go. I've got to telephone the cable office in 
 La Boca with my bulletin. Then we'll take turn 
 about sitting over the instrument here and sleeping. 
 I haven't been to bed for two days, and there's 
 daylight already." 
 
 "I'll stay with you till it's dark again before I 
 move on," said Meggs. "You needn't be afraid to 
 keep me. The uniform I left here will serve to stave 
 off any troublesome inquirers." 
 
 " Will your men wait quietly ? " asked Challoner. 
 
 "Nothing short of a ton of dynamite will move 
 them before I get back to camp. They're the 
 straight brand, Quiff. I'd trust 'em from here to 
 Hades."
 
 132 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 The storm which had been brewing all night broke 
 at noon, and saved the little dwelling on the cliff - 
 face not a few inconvenient visitors. Dusk had al- 
 ready fallen ere a police patrol came clambering up 
 the path, which was like a water-fall, and found the 
 correspondent in a suit of pink pajamas, amicably 
 chewing coca-leaves in company with a mud-be- 
 splaltered captain of cavalry. The policemen did 
 not deem it prudent to intrude on that dignitary, and 
 went off gratefully after partaking of rum supplied 
 them, at his master's order, by Miguel: who was 
 both willing and able to assure them positively that 
 he had seen no lurking fugitive in the vicinity that 
 day, the day before, or any other day. And, an 
 hour later, Meggs left on horseback, unseen. 
 
 He took to the shore, cantering over wet sand 
 below high-water mark till he reached Punta Gorda, 
 where he turned inland to where his sodden camp 
 lay on the summit of a low rise in the forest 
 there. 
 
 "Get saddled up, men," he said quietly, and sat 
 in his saddle waiting while the drenched troopers 
 gladly obeyed. 
 
 The rain had ceased, the sky was clear again, and 
 all the stars were shining as they rode forth after 
 him, but underfoot a long canal of liquid mud had 
 taken the place of the dusty highroad to La Boca, 
 it made soft going for the horses. They travelled 
 <easily and drew up at the prison-gate early in the 
 evening. Their leader answered the sentries' chal-
 
 CHALLONER'S CONSCIENCE 133 
 
 lenge, and in due course the governor appeared on 
 the parapet. 
 
 "You're before your time, senor capitan" he 
 grumbled sourly. "The telegram said ten 
 o'clock.'* 
 
 " It will be well to start before," the officer replied 
 in a gruff growl, " if we are to reach Alta Cruz before 
 dawn. The roads are barely passable after the 
 rain." 
 
 "I'll bring the prisoners out, then," the guardian 
 of the gaol announced. "Have your men ready; 
 those gringos seem to be more slippery than eels!" 
 
 A wicket in the outer gate swung back and four 
 armed men brought forth two others unarmed, who 
 looked about them hopelessly. 
 
 The cloaked troopers of the escort had their 
 carbines drawn, there were two horses standing 
 with empty saddles in the forefront. 
 
 Corbyn was lifted into one before he could pro- 
 test, and Allardyce, accepting the situation philo- 
 sophically, swung himself into the other. The 
 escort closed up round them, without a word. 
 
 "Sign this receipt, please," said the governor in 
 the gateway. "Don't be in such a hurry, senor 
 capitan. I have the rules and regulations to com- 
 ply Hey ! Halt. Come back. Por dios, hombre, 
 
 wait a " 
 
 His voice rose to a shriek, although he might have 
 saved his breath for all the attention that was paid 
 him by the rapidly vanishing body of horsemen.
 
 134 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 He was afraid to fire on a uniformed force. There 
 seemed to be nothing practical that he could do. 
 
 He flew into an apoplectic passion, and, lacking 
 other object, vented it on his astonished subordinates, 
 accusing them of connivance in an infernal plot to 
 work his ruin. And when, at ten o'clock, a second 
 party appeared to demand the custody of the same 
 prisoners, he sent his deputy out to display a duly 
 forged receipt for them, refusing stubbornly to rise 
 from his sudden sick-bed or to see any one whom- 
 soever. 
 
 The pace at which the troop was travelling, the 
 showers of mud the horses threw up prevented any 
 conversation between the prisoners. Meggs, at its 
 head, kept onward at a canter, and did not deem it 
 wise to hold speech with his friends until they should 
 be free from fear of observation by those spies 
 of whom Challoner had warned him. He held a 
 straight course for his camping-ground, and, not 
 till they had reached that and heard his voice raised 
 in crisp command, did Allardyce and Corbyn realise 
 what had befallen them. 
 
 It was a joyful trio that sat down, ten minutes 
 later, beside a blazing fire in a safe cranny of the 
 rocks to dry their mud-soaked clothing and exchange 
 histories. The camp cook soon had hot food ready 
 for them and the others. The horses were munching 
 their oats contentedly. Pickets had been posted 
 on arrival. Warmth and security were doubly 
 grateful there in the damp and darkness, after the
 
 CHALLONER'S CONSCIENCE 135 
 
 hardships they had undergone. And, after their 
 separate adventures had all been recounted, the 
 failure of Barr's bold project and their consequent 
 plight fully explained and discussed, they fell silent 
 for a brief space, smoking contentedly, listening to 
 the men's low laughter, the sough of the wind through 
 the trees, looking up at the twinkling stars. 
 
 Then Corbyn laid his pipe aside, and told Meggs 
 of Beatriz Ybarra : in very few words, but none the 
 less fully. He spoke between set teeth of the fault 
 which he felt to be his, and because of which she 
 was now at the mercy of one who knew none. Meggs 
 sat listening attentively, his face inscrutable. 
 
 " And so, you see, I can't go back home with you, 
 Jerry," Corbyn concluded. " My place is here. I 
 may be too late, but, if I am, I'll find some means 
 to settle scores with that with Ybarra. I must 
 make for Alta Cruz in the morning." 
 
 Neither of the others had any comment to make. 
 Allardyce had already declared to Corbyn his defi- 
 nite and irrevocable intention of sharing with him 
 whatever further trouble might be forthcoming, and 
 was not addicted to empty reiteration. He went on 
 smoking, a faint frown showing upon his forehead 
 in the red firelight. Meggs seemed to have no 
 remark to make. He got up presently, knocked 
 his pipe out on his boot-heel, and sauntered off 
 into the surrounding darkness.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 ALLARDYCE ACTS VERY CLUMSILY 
 
 GERALD MEGGS stood alone in the darkness 
 under the roof-like branches of the thick forest. 
 His ears were deaf to its night noises and he could 
 see nothing. His back was towards the bivouac he 
 had come from. 
 
 His hands were clenched, his head bent, his fea- 
 tures working, Leaning against an invisible tree- 
 trunk he let his forehead fall in the crook of his 
 elbow and gave vent to a stifled groan. And thus he 
 stayed for a time, motionless, making no further 
 sound, though his brow was wet with the stress he 
 was suffering, fighting the fiercest temptation he 
 would ever face. The devil behind his shoulder 
 was dinning into his ears the devilish axiom that 
 "All's fair in love and war," and better men than 
 Gerald Meggs have succumbed to such teaching. 
 
 When he returned to the camp-fire the other two 
 were still stitting there, silent, staring into the embers. 
 Allardyce looked up at him, but dropped his eyes 
 instantly. Meggs sat down in the shadow, and 
 spoke as steadily as he could. 
 
 " Phil," he said, " I didn't know that you had any 
 136
 
 ALLARDYCE ACTS VERY CLUMSILY 137 
 
 understanding with Beatriz Ybarra. I didn't know 
 she belonged to this part of the world. I thought 
 she was an American. She told me her home was 
 in Washington." 
 
 Corbyn turned towards him in quick surprise, and 
 their glances crossed for a moment, but Meggs went 
 on before the other could utter a word. 
 
 "It was she whom I asked to marry me, Phil. 
 I I didn't know, you see, and it cut deep at first 
 to find out that you're the other man. But I want 
 to shake hands with you now, and and wish you 
 luck. I I want to stand in with you, if you'll let 
 me." 
 
 His voice shook ever so slightly as he made renun- 
 ciation for his friend's sake of his dearest dream, of 
 the fighting chance there was left to win even at 
 the eleventh hour the woman who was all the world 
 held for him. He had the men and the money to 
 succour her and so forward his suit at a moment 
 when it could not but be heard with much in his 
 favour, a moment when his rival was almost out of 
 the running. In his simple code of honour he 
 had found no room for the theory that all's fair in 
 either love or war. Gerald Meggs was a modern 
 young man and no great philosopher, but what he 
 did he would do with clean hands, whether in war 
 or love. 
 
 Corbyn had risen in his astonishment. He could 
 surmise how much it must have cost Meggs to come 
 to such a conclusion, and was at first bewildered by
 
 138 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 his magnanimity. All he could ask for himself was 
 just that same fighting chance his friend was willing 
 to sacrifice. He did not know that, had he been in 
 Meggs' place, he could have brought himself to 
 give it up, and, when he realised the extent of the 
 other's generosity, he could scarce find words with 
 which to express his feelings. 
 
 "Jerry," he said, wringing the hand held out to 
 him, "you're a better man than I am, but you 
 understand. It's for her sake that I must do the 
 best I can, and I know you'll bear me no grudge." 
 
 They separated, somewhat shamefacedly after 
 the Anglo-Saxon manner when any emotion shows 
 on the surface, and Allardyce also rose. He clapped 
 Meggs over the shoulder. 
 
 "You're a good little chap, Jerry," he remarked. 
 "You and I will have just as much fun and fewer 
 responsibilities the way you've fixed it." 
 
 "You've never seen her, Allardyce," poor Meggs 
 returned impulsively, and kicked a flaming log aside 
 so that the fire died down. Then he heaved a deep 
 sigh, unashamed, filled his pipe, and sat down again. 
 
 "Corbyn," he said more calmly, "I'm at your 
 orders. All I ask is that you'll take over command 
 of the men. You know the country, and I'll ex- 
 plain to them." 
 
 Corbyn sighed, too. 
 
 " I can't afford to employ men, Jerry," he answered 
 vexedly. "I wish I could, but if wishes were 
 horses beggars would ride."
 
 ALLARDYCE ACTS VERY CLUMSILY 139 
 
 " I didn't think you would have said that to me," 
 said Meggs in a hurt tone. " Am I not to be allowed 
 to help, not only you, but her ? Surely you're not 
 going to let any silly scruples of that sort stand be- 
 tween her and safety. If you are, I tell you flatly 
 that I'll go on myself till I see her out of this cursed 
 country. I've far more money than I know what to 
 do with, and that's what's the matter with me. 
 Make up your mind in a hurry. We've got to march 
 in ten minutes if we want to cross the Pass to- 
 night." 
 
 "You must let Jerry chip in, old chap," Allardyce 
 agreed, and Meggs nodded gratefully to him. 
 " What we want is to get Miss Ybarra clear of that 
 savage's clutch. You can't afford any personal 
 scruples at present. Call up the men, Jerry, and 
 let's find out how many we can count on." 
 
 Corbyn was still further overwhelmed by this 
 proof of Meggs' single-heartedness, but could not 
 gainsay the common sense of Allardyce's contention. 
 With two such friends at his back and a fighting 
 force behind them much might be done that would 
 be, humanly speaking, impossible otherwise. He 
 had no option but to accept all they offered, in the 
 hope that he might one day be able to pay them in 
 part the debt he must thus incur for the sake of 
 Beatriz. 
 
 "You two must get into fancy-dress first," said 
 Meggs, and from some crevice produced a parcel 
 containing two uniforms.
 
 140 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " Hope they'll fit. I had them made in Broadway 
 along with the others. They're the correct thing. 
 Barr gave me full directions, so that we might cut 
 a dash here without delay, and now they'll help us 
 along famously." His spirits were rising at the 
 prospect of action. He helped them deftly with 
 belt and buckle, till both stood fully dressed as 
 officers of San Benitan cavalry, straight and smart in 
 as yet unstained blue and gold. Two of the four 
 stars On his own shoulder-straps he transferred to 
 Corbyn's. 
 
 " Allardyce and I take lieutenant's rank," said he, 
 "and you're in command now, Phil. I'll serve you 
 faithfully." 
 
 Corbyn could only wring his hand again. His 
 own heart was too full of gratitude to let him speak 
 unmoved. And then Meggs called the men together. 
 
 He told them briefly how and why the expedition 
 for which they had enlisted had turned out a fiasco, 
 and that they were therefore free to lay down their 
 arms and leave the country with a month's pay and 
 the price of the homeward passage. Then he out- 
 lined the undertaking before Corbyn, explaining 
 its risks clearly, warning them as to the consequences 
 failure would most assuredly entail on the survirors. 
 They listened gravely. 
 
 He stepped back beside Allardyce, a pace to rear 
 of Corbyn. 
 
 "That's all I have to say, boys," he concluded, 
 "and this is my captain. I'm going with him."
 
 Corbyn returned their glances steadily. It was- 
 not the first time that he had called for volunteers to 
 share a desperate risk. 
 
 "I'm Philip Corbyn," he said shortly. "You've 
 heard what sort of work I have ahead of me. If 
 any of you care to join me, talk the thing over for 
 five minutes and then let me know." 
 
 He was about to turn back to the fire that they 
 might have full liberty of speech between themselves, 
 when a voice cried from among them, "Put Mike 
 McGuire's name down, Captain Corbyn, sor." 
 
 He halted, and went forward holding out his 
 hand. 
 
 "Mike," he said, "I'm more than glad to meet 
 you here. But this may turn out a harder pull than 
 San Juan Ridge, and it was none so easy. You 
 know how pleased I'll be to have you with me, 
 but " 
 
 "I'm goin', sor," said Mike stubbornly. "I 
 didn't come down here for my health, nor none of 
 the others didn't, neither. It's no use, Captain 
 Corbyn, sor. You can't frighten us off our fun. 
 We're all goin', each mother's son of us, and where 
 you lead we'll follow. Isn't that right, boys ? " 
 
 "That's right, Mike," chorused a dozen voices, 
 and Allardyce smiled contentedly. He had been half 
 afraid that Meggs and Corbyn were laying too much 
 stress on the weak points of their project. 
 
 "Every man has full liberty to act as he thinks 
 best," Corbyn finished. "There's a New York
 
 142 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 steamer sails from La Boca to-morrow. I start 
 across the mountains in ten minutes from now, and 
 there will be no turning back from beyond the Pass. 
 Those who mean to go with me will saddle up in a 
 hurry. Three men must take word out to the pickets 
 and give them the same chance." 
 
 The gathering broke up speedily and he turned 
 to his friends with a glad face. 
 
 "That's a good crowd you've recruited, Jerry," 
 he said , and Meggs nodded cordial assent. " Mike 
 McGuire's a host in himself. He was with me in 
 Cuba." 
 
 Meggs nodded again. "I remember him," he 
 responded. "He speaks some Spanish, too. It 
 wouldn't be bad to make him troop sergeant." 
 
 " We will," agreed Corbyn, who had the same idea 
 in his mind. " And now about our plan of campaign. 
 It's understood that our sole object is to get Miss 
 Ybarra safely beyond San Benito. Don't forget 
 that her life isn't safe while she is within her cousin's 
 reach. He's desperately hard up, and she's very 
 wealthy. That's wherein the chief risk to her lies. 
 
 "If any of us fall out the others must go on. 
 One of the three should surely get through, and 
 in that respect we must trust to Providence. If 
 you two will pose as prisoners till we're well over 
 the mountains, I think we can manage to pass the 
 garrison at the summit, and then we'll be fairly 
 started. Have you any wire-cutters in your equip- 
 ment, Jerry?"
 
 ALLARDYCE ACTS VERY CLUMSILY 143 
 
 "Every man has a pair on his saddle." 
 
 "Good. Let's get mounted." 
 
 Corbyn's voice had a very different ring in it now. 
 He was once more a soldier holding responsible 
 rank, cool, alert, and ready. 
 
 They found their horses awaiting them, and the 
 men drawn up in line. Corbyn counted off seventeen 
 and there were three on picket. Not one of them 
 would avail himself of the New York steamer. He 
 called McGuire out and told him of his promotion, 
 which seemed to meet with his comrades' entire 
 approval, and, in a few seconds more, the force 
 moved off complete. 
 
 A canter took them to the mountain-road, where 
 they turned upwards at a walk, Corbyn leading the 
 way, Meggs and Allardyce in the midst of the men* 
 hatless, in muddy cloaks. It was a long climb to 
 the summit, but the horses were fresh and had a 
 breathing-spell each time they stopped to cut the 
 telegraph wire, which was done in several places. 
 In time they reached the first of the enemy's out- 
 posts, on the seaward side of the Pass. A harsh 
 cry rang out from the rocks above, and Corbyn 
 halted his force for an anxious moment. 
 
 "Friends," he cried back, and the countersign 
 was demanded. Meggs had obtained that from 
 Challoner, and had already made use of it in ap- 
 proaching the prison. Corbyn gave it without 
 hesitation, and, "Pass, friends," said the sentry, 
 his duty done.
 
 144 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Word of their coming had reached the camp ere 
 they did, and they were halted at the main-guard 
 by the subaltern in charge, a sulky boy who had 
 but lately realised that it takes more than brass 
 buttons to make a soldier. 
 
 "Escort with prisoners for Alta Cruz; also des- 
 patches for His Excellency," Corbyn told him in 
 lisping Spanish. 
 
 "You're one of Von Rudolf's imported swash- 
 bucklers, I suppose," said the youth with quite 
 unconscious insolence and scanning closely the 
 cloaked figure looking down upon him. 
 
 "Clear the road and let me pass," the man on 
 horseback answered briefly. "On my way back 
 I'll perhaps find time to teach you how to address 
 your superiors. 
 
 "Stand to one side there, men; and you, sir," 
 turning again to the bewildered scion of San Benito 
 " see that you keep a sharp lookout towards the 
 town. If any troop of horse attempts to reach 
 you from that side you will do well to hold them. 
 Be much more courteous when I come again. 
 
 " I give you the good-night. Detachment ! Walk 
 march. Trot." 
 
 He rode on, smiling grimly to himself, and the 
 dark chain of riflemen gave way before him, while 
 their responsible superior stood gaping after the 
 departing company in a most grievous state of in- 
 decision. It was too late, however, to interfere. 
 He cursed his own subordinates with great fervour
 
 ALLARDYCE ACTS VERY CLUMSILY 145 
 
 and fluency for the especial reason that they had not 
 stood still to be ridden over, and tjien retired to his 
 tent, muttering. 
 
 Half way down hill Corbyn stopped again and 
 two of his men swarmed nimbly up the tall poles 
 planted along their route. A shrill, metallic ping-g-g 
 and a great length of wire went whistling into space. 
 Again, at the foot, he left a gap in the communication 
 between La Boca and the capital, and then they 
 set out across the plain beyond which lay Alta Cruz. 
 
 "That isolates the Summit completely," he told 
 Meggs, who was once more riding at his right hand. 
 "They aren't likely to have a heliograph handy, 
 and it's a long ride either way." 
 
 Each time they stopped he found work for the 
 wire-cutters, and, when day broke, they all drew off 
 the road to rest and feed the horses within a clump 
 of trees upon a knoll commanding all approaches. 
 
 Corbyn and Allardyce dismounted stiffly, but,, 
 although the former was still enduring pain and 
 inconvenience from his two days' old wound, neither 
 would sleep, as Meggs suggested after they had 
 breakfasted on cold meat and biscuits, washed down 
 with a somewhat scanty supply of brackish water. 
 They were too busy taking stock of their troopers, 
 and found all twenty thoroughly to their liking. 
 Minus their military cloaks, in the smart uniform 
 Von Rudolf had designed for his crack cavalry, they 
 were as dashing in action and appearance as any 
 connoisseur could wish. Corbyn had found a college; 
 10
 
 146 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 friend in one, and while he laughed and chatted with 
 him Allardyce and Meggs got out their maps to 
 study the lie of the country. 
 
 "Well, what's the programme now?" demanded 
 Meggs as he came back to where they lay stretched 
 on the grass with the sheets spread before them. 
 "We're close to Alta Cruz, now." 
 
 " Alta Cruz is only a league ahead," Corbyn an- 
 swered. " We'll lie here until noon the city's sound 
 asleep then and trust to luck to find out whether 
 Ybarra's at the palace. If he's gone on to the Golden 
 Horseshoe, as I half fear he may, we follow. We 
 must strike quickly." 
 
 "How would it do if I rode in alone and found 
 out what's doing?" asked Allardyce eagerly, and 
 his commander cogitated. 
 
 "It would do well enough if you got back," 
 replied that strategist, " but I'm afraid the risk is 
 too great. None of the others know colloquial 
 Spanish, although several can speak it well enough 
 to get about, and I can't spare you. We may 
 surmise that Ybarra has taken all precautions against 
 solitary strangers: he's heard already that I'm on 
 his track, but I don't think he knows I've got an 
 army with me." He smiled with kindly eyes on 
 the handful of adventurers about him. "No, on 
 the whole," he said, " I think you'd better not." 
 
 Once again before mid-day the horses were 
 watered and fed and rubbed down, and the men had 
 a leisurely lunch. Thereafter they went on gladly,
 
 ALLARDYCE ACTS VERY CLUMSILY 147 
 
 for they anticipated trouble. Corbyn had told 
 them lhat, if President Ybarra were in Alta Cruz, 
 there might presently be excitement to burn. 
 
 Allardyce, feeling more like himself in his new 
 uniform, which, greatly to his satisfaction, fitted him 
 almost without a crease, was sent on as advance-guard 
 with two men to add dignity to his position. His duty 
 was to pave the way, give warning of any obstacle 
 which might prove in surmountable, and actas the eyes 
 of the main body, which followed at short interval. 
 
 Years had passed by since he had ridden on such 
 an errand, but his blood warmed; the old familiar 
 zest that rises only where life faces death by choice 
 and not by chance set his veins tingling, and tickled 
 his interest in existence. 
 
 "I wouldn't have missed this little jaunt for a 
 million," he said softly, to himself, and laughed 
 aloud even as he reined back before a levelled rifle. 
 A Cossack post concealed in a dry ditch at a safe 
 distance from the city had halted him, and there 
 was little time to parley. 
 
 "Urgent despatches for His Excellency. The 
 countersign 'St. James of the Sierra.' Stand back 
 and don't delay us," he cried authoritatively, and, 
 shaking his horse into a hand-gallop again, went on 
 his way, but laughing no longer. As he topped 
 the wide depression in which the ditch ran, he could 
 see ahead of him the city gate of Alta Cruz, and 
 squarely in its centre, looming large against the 
 light beyond, a heavy siege-gun stood, its evil eye
 
 148 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 looking directly down the road that he must travel. 
 The gun-crew was at quarters, with the lanyard 
 stretched. It seemed that they had seer the ad- 
 vancing force and meant to take no chances with it. 
 
 He could not hesitate, and kept the pace up till 
 he reached the outer picket, strung across his path. 
 A pompous officer of infantry behind the firing-line 
 bade him explain his reckless haste, and he told the 
 same story which had passed the post beyond. 
 
 Corbyn held his hand and came up slowly, halting 
 his men in two long ranks with the width of the road 
 between, to find his subaltern engaged in argument. 
 
 " It is His Excellency's order," snapped the fat foot- 
 soldier, " and Yes, he went on to the Golden 
 
 Horseshoe this forenoon. Haste or no haste, I must 
 have all your names and personal descriptions before 
 you pass. It is His Excellency's order." 
 
 "I have the troop-roll," said Corbyn patiently. 
 " If you have paper handy it will save time to cop^ 
 it entire." 
 
 The fussy guardian of the gates waddled away 
 to fetch that, and Allardyce, dismounting, passed 
 through the screen of riflemen behind him. They 
 did not dare to stop an officer, and their superior 
 had given no order either way. That busy bee 
 came bustling back, carrying sheets of foolscap and 
 a fountain-pen, but by that time the Englishman, 
 bridle in hand, had sauntered, staring, as far as 
 the group behind the gun. These had relaxed a 
 little their attentive attitude. The non-commissioned
 
 ALLARDYCE ACTS VERY CLUMSILY 149 
 
 officer in charge saluted him respectfully. The men 
 drew back a little as he strolled about their piece, 
 and, when he took a squinting peep along the sights, 
 grinned furtively as gunners will when an amateur 
 plays the professional. 
 
 It was no more than a mere slip which caused the 
 accident. His spur caught and he stumbled, catch- 
 ing at him who held the lanyard as he fell. 
 
 A terrible explosion shook the gate-house to its 
 brick and plaster parapet. A charge of canister 
 went screaming down the road between two ranks 
 of plunging horses and demented men. 
 
 For thirty seconds there was pandemonium, in- 
 side and out. 
 
 Corbyn and his command had half divined the 
 purpose which had taken Allardyce among the 
 enemy. They watched with bated breaths while 
 he made sure that it was safe to fire between their 
 ranks, and no man lost his seat when the crash came. 
 
 They drove their frantic horses through the smoke 
 before the terror-stricken linesmen had recovered 
 sight and hearing. Allardyce had clung to his 
 bridle and been dragged clear. He got the reins 
 right and was already in his saddle when Corbyn 
 reached his side. 
 
 Meggs came next and then their troopers streamed in. 
 And while the steeples of the city rocked and rang 
 to the wild tocsin of alarm the twenty-three rode 
 hell for leather into the heart of the hornets' nest 
 they had stirred up so efficaciously.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 THE city of the golden spires, as Alta Cruz is 
 fondly called by its inhabitants, was sparkling in 
 the morning sunshine when two dusty travelling- 
 carriages drew up before the great pink marble 
 palace which looks loftily across the Plaza Principal. 
 
 Dennis O'Dare helped Fifi from the first of these, 
 and the assiduous Von Rudolf stood beside the other 
 while the President alighted. Then Beatriz came 
 forth, without availing herself of the hand extended 
 by her relative. 
 
 They all went up the steps together, the guard 
 presenting arms, while such of the populace as were 
 already astir and had happened to be passing through 
 the square peered in upon them from behind the 
 gilded railings, gaping at the spectacle but without 
 outward sign of approval; for the Tiger's yoke 
 pressed full heavily on the common people. But, 
 as they reached the pillared portico and there came 
 running forth to greet them one who had been 
 watching from within, a cry of " Viva Sariol!" re- 
 sounded from the background, and President Ybarra 
 bit his lip till the blood came. 
 150
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 151 
 
 The black frown faded from his face, however, as 
 he shook hands with the effusive newcomer, and, 
 turning to his cousin, he said ceremoniously: "I 
 have the honour to present to you don Quentin 
 Sariol, Vice-President of San Benito and my most 
 valued friend." 
 
 " I kiss your hands ; I am your humble servant," 
 declared don Quentin with breathless volubility. 
 "What news do you bring, Ybarra? There are 
 strange rumours in the air. Pray, pardon my 
 abruptness, senorita. We live in stirring times; 
 and it is for His Excellency's welfare that I " 
 
 "What is the latest from La Boca?" asked the 
 President, cutting his explanation short. "Has 
 any message reached you from the Pass ? " 
 
 "The wires are down," said Sariol, without 
 attempting to suppress the malice in his voice. 
 "There will be no more word from La Boca in the 
 mean time, I'm afraid." 
 
 Ygnacio Ybarra glared at him, but made no other 
 comment on the unwelcome information. 
 
 "Order fresh horses, Von Rudolf," he snapped 
 over his shoulder, and the General transmitted the 
 command to an adjacent orderly in a tone of in- 
 different contempt. He was no lackey, and, al- 
 though it pleased him for the present to ride at the 
 head of the presidential lifeguards, he was ready 
 and willing to show this South American savage that 
 it was not a menial who wore his livery. 
 
 Nor was His Excellency slow to realise that he
 
 152 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 had made a false step. "I wish you'd take my 
 cousin into breakfast, Karl," he said in a conciliatory 
 tone. " I've business to discuss with Quentin here, 
 
 and off you go. Show these two also where 
 
 to find food, if you will." 
 
 Fifi and O'Dare followed without a word as 
 Beatriz moved forward on Von Rudolf's arm, and, 
 after she had been bestowed within the President's 
 private apartment, he showed them into an adjoining 
 room, wherein was spread a repast the sight of 
 which gladdened Dennis's heart for the sake of his 
 travelling companion. 
 
 Von Rudolf shot a swift, questioning glance at 
 Fifi, and withdrew, while O'Dare, who did not 
 approve of his evident interest in her, ministered to 
 all her need solicitously. An onlooker might have 
 inferred that he himself had some especial interest 
 in the sweet-faced girl who accepted his attentions 
 so gratefully. 
 
 Ybarra did not waste much time over affairs of 
 state with the Vice-President. He rejoined his 
 cousin within ten minutes, and, having seen that 
 her wants were supplied, dismissed the servants, 
 helping himself from the buffet before he sat down 
 beside her. 
 
 " Listen, Beatriz," he said sharply, and she looked 
 up at him in displeased surprise. "There is no 
 time for further trifling, and we must understand 
 each other clearly. Crisis approaches fast I have 
 not weeks to woo you in I have no option but to
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 153 
 
 act. You know that I intend to marry you and 
 that our union will save San Benito from " 
 
 She interrupted him with flashing eyes. " Peace, 
 man!" she cried. "Do not perjure your unfortunate 
 country. 
 
 " You know that I will never marry you not even 
 in order to fill your empty purse. You know that 
 if you are forced from your dictatorship to-morrow 
 San Benito will be better off than it is to-day. 
 
 "I have told you that my troth is pledged else- 
 where, and, let me tell you, since there is no time for 
 further trifling, that I hold my least pledge sacred. 
 Would you could say as much!" 
 
 His face grew livid as she thus defied him, for 
 heretofore their intercourse had been more guarded, 
 and he had never doubted that, sooner or later, he 
 would be able to achieve his object: and her al- 
 legiance to his rival, thus set forth in words for the 
 first time, was in itself sufficient to provoke him to 
 the point of frenzy. Who was the American dog 
 that would dare to beard the Tiger of San Benito 
 in his own den! 
 
 " Cuerpo de dios!" swore the President. "I'll 
 free you from your troth, fair cousin and no least 
 pledge will bind you after I have finished." He 
 rushed to the door. "Chamberlain! Find Father 
 Agustln and tell him that he is to travel with us. 
 We leave within five minutes. And let the people 
 know that I shall bring a bride back with me from 
 the Golden Horseshoe the dona Beatriz Ybarra."
 
 154 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 The official who had come at his call went away 
 hastily to carry out his orders : and when the Presi- 
 dent set forth again with his party there was a priest 
 in their company, much to the dissatisfaction of 
 Dennis O'Dare, who thought that three in a travel- 
 ling carriage was the worst of company. 
 
 All the church-bells were ringing wildly. At 
 the street-corners there were cheering crowds. His 
 Excellency's waning popularity had apparently 
 received a much needed fillip, and that in the nick 
 of time. Could he but succeed in replenishing his 
 empty treasury he might count on their close al- 
 legiance. 
 
 Quentin Sariol, standing on the palace steps, 
 whence he had sped the couple whose announced 
 engagement had so pleased the fickle populace, 
 laughed with low glee. 
 
 " The fool ! " he said, speaking thus disrespectfully 
 of his superior. " The stupid fool to think that such 
 a woman would defy him with mere words!" 
 
 A long day's journey took the tired travellers into 
 the far recesses of that great sierra whose volcanic 
 peaks look down on five republics. Von Rudolf, 
 faithful to his task, went with them all the way, and 
 it was well he did so, for in a wild ravine they 
 were beset by a strong body of insurgent infantry, 
 wild mountaineers and no mean marksmen, who, 
 under more efficient leadership, might have put 
 period to this history there and then. After a 
 fierce contest they were driven from their coigns of
 
 155 
 
 vantage with only the death of a dozen government 
 troopers to their credit. The defile was picketed, 
 fresh horses harnessed in the place of those which 
 had fallen under fire, the two women came forth 
 from among the boulders behind which they had 
 found shelter, and the cortege reached its destination 
 without further incident. 
 
 The Golden Horseshoe was a vast recess, scooped 
 by some primeval power out of the perpendicular 
 cliff-face which spread for leagues on either side of 
 it, towering farther than the eye could reach. 
 Its only opening looked back towards Alta Cruz, 
 across the intervening hill-tops, and was guarded by a 
 natural rampart-like ridge through which a narrow 
 entrance had been blasted by the hand of man. 
 Above it was the sky, moulded to horseshoe shape 
 by the encircling walls of rocks, all golden-yellow 
 in the evening sunshine. 
 
 Within lay a great circular expanse of level 
 pasture, well watered by the mountain stream which 
 showed like a white thread against the precipice 
 five hundred feet above. Sheerly in its centre, 
 rising from the still sea of verdure round it 
 like an island, stood a high, steep, unclimbable 
 plateau, an altar of the gods pushed up entire 
 out of the solid earth, whereon were visible 
 a clump of trees and a cluster of low white 
 buildings. 
 
 With a sufficient garrison at the horseshoe heel, 
 where the only possible entrance was, the place must
 
 156 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 be quite impregnable. And the garrison, no less 
 than two regiments, was there. 
 
 The Golden Horseshoe the Herradura de Oro, 
 as the natives knew it was Ybarra's property. He 
 had been born there, and meant to die there, when 
 his time should come, fighting to a finish, with the 
 mountains at his back. It was his last resort, the 
 Tiger's lair, a place of terror to the simple country- 
 folk. Strange legends clung to it, and he made 
 the most of them for his own purposes. His flocks 
 and herds all carried the horseshoe brand. He 
 had made a golden horseshoe the sign and seal of 
 his evil career. It was said that the great black 
 stallion he always rode was shod with the precious 
 metal. 
 
 O'Dare stared about him uneasily as the great 
 walls seemed slowly to encompass him. "It won't 
 be easy to break out of here," he muttered. " Did 
 you ever see such a place, Fifi ? " 
 
 "It's very lovely," the girl answered gently, her 
 eyes on the afterglow stealing round the stupendous 
 circle of stone. 
 
 " That's true enough," he admitted grudgingly, 
 
 " but " They drew up under the fortress-like 
 
 shadow of the central height, and there alighted. 
 Ybarra and his cousin followed, and, taking the lead 
 again, slowly ascended a steep winding staircase, 
 cut in the solid rock. 
 
 It was a long climb to the top, but once there 
 they could scarcely restrain the exclamations of
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 157 
 
 amazement which rose unbidden to their lips as the 
 full beauty of the scene displayed itself. 
 
 Even Ybarra was touched for an instant as he 
 looked back towards the city of the golden spires, 
 all glittering in the tender sunset beyond the blue 
 hills in between. 
 
 " You will be happy here, my Beatriz ? " he whis- 
 pered, but she turned from him with a cold gesture 
 of contempt. 
 
 "Never, with you," she answered steadily. 
 
 O'Dare had not failed to notice that the stair up 
 which he had just panted was guarded both below 
 and above. He saw the twinkling camp-fires of the 
 garrison on the inner glacis of the ridge that shut the 
 Golden Horseshoe in. But, beyond the single 
 sentry at the top of the steps there seemed to be no 
 armed force on the plateau itself. 
 
 "It's safe enough without them," he grumbled 
 disconsolately under his breath. " No visitors with- 
 out wings will trouble us here. I'd hate to go too 
 near the edge on a dark night." 
 
 There were wide unkempt gardens about the 
 white buildings which formed Ybarra's aerial 
 residence, and beyond these a thicket of low trees 
 which sheltered them from any sudden blast. 
 
 Once within the walls, however, they soon forgot 
 the strangeness of their situation. Hl-kept as the 
 surroundings were, no detail of comfort was lacking 
 in the interior of the rambling dwelling. Serv- 
 ants were waiting to receive them. All were treated
 
 158 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 with consideration. The women were taken charge 
 of by two maids, the President had two men to 
 attend him, and to O'Dare was assigned a single 
 servant. The priest seemed to have betaken him- 
 self elsewhere for the time being. 
 
 He appeared again at dinner-time, however, and 
 ate with the two others, while Beatriz sat with 
 her cousin at a separate table. 
 
 It was a silent meal, and every one was glad when 
 it was over. But, ere they separated for the night, 
 Ybarra took the opportunity to explain his plans and 
 dispositions. 
 
 "You know the rules, dom Agustin," he said, 
 turning his chair to face the other table, speaking 
 abruptly, and with finality. "You, senor O'Dare, 
 may learn them from the holy father. My poor 
 house here with all that it contains is at your dis- 
 posal, so long as you do not transgress them. 
 
 " I have come hither to celebrate a wedding my 
 own, with the dona Beatriz Ybarra. It will take 
 place within my private chapel to-morrow night at 
 this hour. Dom Agustin will wed us, and you 
 two will attend as witnesses. 
 
 "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the good- 
 night." 
 
 He rose and, bowing, left them dumbly conscious 
 of their helplessness in his hand. Presently the 
 women went off for the night, weary enough to 
 forget their troubles in sleep. 
 
 O'Dare also was fatigued almost beyond en-
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 159 
 
 durance, but he sat on and smoked a very sound 
 cigar the priest produced, in the hope of extracting 
 some temporal comfort from that source. 
 
 Ybarra seemed to have forgotten that neither could 
 understand the other, and the rules of which he 
 had spoken could not therefore be imparted to the 
 stranger within his gates. Dom Agustin knew 
 little English, and O'Dare no Spanish worth speak- 
 ing. They compounded on such few words of 
 Latin as the actor still carried in his memory, and, 
 having exhausted these, parted with mutual com- 
 passion, little the wiser of their intercourse. 
 
 Beatriz had shown her cousin, the President, a 
 bold enough front, but she was none the less dis- 
 mayed by his relentless purpose, and, in her 
 dread that he might carry out the threat he had 
 made so seriously, she had confided to Fifi the 
 secret she had kept locked up in her own heart for 
 so long. She loved Philip Corbyn. She had always 
 loved him ; how well and truly she had not realised 
 till too late. And she knew, too, now that he had not 
 slighted her as she had thought, that she had mis- 
 judged without trial the man she loved. It hurt her 
 sorely to recall the past. 
 
 " I thought he might have called or written when 
 I arrived in New York from Europe," she told her 
 friend, as they paced the weed-grown garden together 
 at an early hour the next morning. "But I feel 
 sure now that he must have done both without my 
 knowing, and my blind pride kept me from seeking
 
 160 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 him out till it was too late. Dear, profit by my 
 experience. Be less ungenerous than I have shown 
 myself. Pity me, too, for the heavy penalty of my 
 unfaith." 
 
 Fifi's eyes filled with tears, even as she blushed 
 rosily at thought of the tale Dennis O'Dare would 
 assuredly tell her some day; and that at no distant 
 date, her heart whispered. 
 
 "You must not blame yourself," she said gently. 
 "You were betrayed, and the plot was a cunning 
 one. It is so difficult to find one's way in the dark." 
 
 "I was blind even in broad daylight," Beatriz 
 answered. " I knew that I could trust Phil entirely, 
 and yet I let a petty pique come between us. It's 
 all been my fault, Fifi, and I don't know what to 
 do now." 
 
 She knew what she meant to do if her cousin 
 should carry out his most monstrous threat, but 
 that would not bear speaking about. When the 
 time came she would act, but until then she must 
 seek some escape from the net which was closing 
 about her with every hour the watch at her wrist 
 ticked away. 
 
 "Here's Denny," Fifi cried, very much relieved. 
 She had apparently great faith in the resourceful 
 O'Dare. "He'll perhaps have some plan." 
 
 But Beatriz did not wait to ask what she felt must 
 be a futile question, and the words with which she 
 greeted him showed the dark trend of her thoughts. 
 
 " You've a revolver, haven't you, Mr. O'Dare ? "
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 161 
 
 "I have that," he answered with an assumption 
 of cheerfulness for which he could find but scanty 
 basis inwardly. He had spent a restless night 
 seeking some scheme to help her, and that on which 
 he had at last and reluctantly settled was the outcome 
 of sheerest desperation. 
 
 " I have that, Miss Ybarra. But why ? " 
 
 "Would you will you let me have it this even- 
 ing ? " she begged impulsively. 
 
 He shook his head. 
 
 "You must excuse me, but I may have use for 
 it. If there's any shooting to be done, I'll do it. Let 
 me speak plainly. I'm going to be best man at 
 the ceremony which is to take place to-night, and 
 it will be my painful duty to show cause why the 
 said ceremony should be stopped. 
 
 " If you see me stoop to tie my shoe-lace, stand 
 fast and don't scream." 
 
 She shuddered in the sunshine. 
 
 "There you are, you see," he added. "You'd 
 be far too nervous " 
 
 " I meant it for myself not him," she whispered. 
 " That would be the easier way." 
 
 He shook his head decidedly. "I'm going to be 
 best man," he repeated. " Leave all the details to 
 me." 
 
 A flash as of distant lightning flared up from 
 above Alta Cruz and was followed by others in swift 
 succession. 
 
 " What's that ? " Fifi asked, anxious to change the 
 11
 
 162 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 conversation. She would be brave enough later 
 on, if need be; but it was dreadful to anticipate 
 the near future. " It's been going on all morning." 
 
 "Somebody jiggling a shaving-glass in the sun," 
 Dennis answered from the depths of his superior 
 knowledge, and grateful to her for the interruption. 
 
 " Perhaps they're trying to signal That's it, to 
 
 be sure. A heliograph, of course. They're talking 
 to us here and I only wish I could read it." 
 
 "Beatriz!" cried a voice from the verandah be- 
 hind, and, turning hastily, they saw the President. 
 "Our good friend Quentin Sariol sends word to 
 say that he would willingly attend our wedding, and 
 asks me whether he may come. Shall I say yes ? " 
 
 " Say yes," O'Dare whispered to her from behind 
 and on the impulse of the moment. He felt that 
 the company of any one from the outside world 
 was to be desired. She nodded, and His Excellency 
 looked well pleased. 
 
 "I'm glad you're agreeable," he remarked mock- 
 ingly, and turned again to where, at one side of the 
 house, a field-telegraphist was receiving and answer- 
 ing the distant signals. 
 
 The day passed most drearily, despite strong 
 efforts on every one's part to show at least an out- 
 ward unconcern. The two girls were haunted by 
 presentiment of the apparently inevitable tragedy 
 that every ruthless hour was bringing nearer. 
 O'Dare was cudgelling his brains for some more 
 certain means to prevent the atrocious wrong Ybarra
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 163 
 
 was prepared to perpetrate. He knew too well that 
 it would be but by a miracle that he could hope to 
 carry out his wild idea of shooting the wrong-doer 
 down on the steps of the altar. His Excellency was 
 far too clever, too well-accustomed to such methods, 
 to afford him any opportunity of using the ineffectual 
 weapon he had strapped to his ankle lest he should 
 be searched, and, come what might, he could not 
 let the victim of the wrong take her own life. 
 
 " I'd throw myself right off this cliff, if it would 
 help her," he reflected wretchedly, "but, as things 
 are, that would be worse than a useless sacrifice. 
 "We'll have to wait and see what happens." 
 
 The dinner-hour came round in due course, and 
 with it Father Agustin appeared again. The five 
 of them sat down mutely together, and, after coffee 
 had been served, Ybarra rose. 
 
 "Come, cousin," he said imperiously, and she 
 followed him without a word, her fair face cold and 
 white as the driven snow. 
 
 The priest went next, and after him walked 
 O'Dare, with Fifi leaning heavily on his arm. 
 
 "You mustn't faint," he said to her in a sharp 
 whisper as they passed into a long vaulted passage 
 which apparently led underground. "Be brave 
 for just a little longer." 
 
 She shook convulsively, but soon her steps grew 
 steadier and he was able to spare a morsel of mental 
 advice to his own raw nerves. 
 
 " Keep cool, you shivering snipe ! " he said savagely
 
 164 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 to himself, "and, when the time comes, act like 
 a man." 
 
 Soft music sounded from below, and they went 
 downwards into the earth. The steps they trod 
 were damp and mildewed. 
 
 "A merry sort of marriage in a catacomb!" 
 O'Dare commented inwardly; "but all the more 
 convenient for a funeral." 
 
 A double door in front moved noiselessly on its 
 hinges. A blaze of light burst through. He passed 
 across the threshold of a crowded church and stared 
 about him in blind amazement. 
 
 What he saw was warrant for his surprise. 
 
 The heart of the height on which stood the hacienda 
 was hollow. A spacious cavern had been con- 
 verted, in the course of many lifetimes , into a small 
 cathedral, perfect in every detail, from the most 
 intricate carving of its massive onyx pillars to the 
 groined arches of its lofty roof. The loving labor 
 of spent centuries had gone to make the cave a 
 casket worthy of its pious purpose. Its architects 
 had stinted nothing. Bodies and brains they had 
 expended of their best and lavishly. It was a 
 masterpiece, a finished monument to, the dead men 
 its makers. 
 
 Clusters of candles overhead lit up a sea of faces 
 whose eyes, focussed on the aisle, bespoke a fearful 
 curiosity: dark faces these, half -Indian, half -Spanish, 
 but wholly unintelligent. The men and women serfs 
 who served the head of a half-civilized republic,
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 165 
 
 herders, tillers of the soil, and household servants, 
 all had been gathered there to see the celebration 
 of a ceremony which might well bring down on the 
 sacred edifice a bolt from heaven. 
 
 Lining the aisle up which the wedding-party 
 passed, and in two ranks across the transept, was 
 a half -company of infantry led by a boy-lieutenant 
 whose tight lips bespoke his sense of the responsi- 
 bility resting upon him. The rank and file looked 
 on with rolling eyeballs, bewildered by the novelty 
 of their surroundings and the role assigned to them 
 without rehearsal. Stupid enough at best, their 
 wits were paralysed for the present. 
 
 The solemn notes of a great organ echoed in the 
 vault above. A thin, metallic chant rose from the 
 congregation. The music swelled and crashed in 
 deafening cadence as Ybarra stopped before the 
 altar with his cousin facing him. 
 
 The priest passed up the steps. Fifi would have 
 gone forward, but the President held up a hand, and 
 from among the men in uniform on either side six 
 files stepped forward. Four laid hands on O'Dare, 
 about to stoop, so suddenly and in such wise that he 
 could not even struggle. The other two stood close 
 to Fifi, holding her gently where she was. 
 
 The whole affair had been stage-managed to a 
 nicety, and Beatriz Ybarra, looking about her in 
 despair, saw all chance of reprieve or succour lost. 
 
 The singing ceased, and at that instant there came 
 thrusting up the aisle don Quentin Sariol, heavily
 
 cloaked, in boots and spurs, and breathless from 
 his journey. 
 
 In his great haste he had not even doffed his hat, 
 and, when he did so, it was too late to stay him in 
 his purpose. 
 
 " Let no man move a finger or I fire ! '' he cried 
 and no man did move: for he had the prospective 
 bridegroom by the throat, at arm's length from him- 
 self, with head bent back upon the altar. In his 
 right hand he held a cocked revolver, its muzzle 
 making a white mark on the prospective bride- 
 groom's forehead. 
 
 For a tense moment this endured; andthenYbarra 
 spoke. 
 
 "You're earlier than I expected, senor Corbyn," 
 he said quietly. "I wish you wouldn't press so 
 hard upon your pistol."
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 DON QUENTIN SARIOL 
 
 IT had struck Quentin Sariol as highly humorous 
 that his superior in the executive of San Benito 
 should have assumed the task of bending Beatriz 
 Ybarra's will to his. 
 
 "The wedding ceremony will be entertaining 
 to the spectators," the Vice-President told himself, 
 and grinned across the table at his private secretary. 
 
 "Make me a cipher message to His Excellency," 
 he commanded. " Say that affairs of state will take 
 me to the Golden Horseshoe on the instant, and that 
 I hope to arrive in time to attend his nuptials. 
 
 "Afterwards order horses, three relays." 
 
 " And any escort ? " asked the man of letters. 
 
 "I'll take two orderlies. Von Rudolf and his 
 men have doubtless left the road safe, and I'm not 
 afraid." 
 
 He left the room to change his clothes for the 
 prospective journey, and his underling glanced after 
 him through gold-rimmed glasses. 
 
 "You're a deep well, don Quentin," said that 
 worthy to himself, " and if you meet a few Reds by 
 the way it will not inconvenience you. 
 167
 
 168 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "I only wish I knew whether you or the Tiger 
 will come out on top." 
 
 There was an answer to the message waiting when 
 Sariol came in again. " At half past nine to-night," 
 it said; and that was all. 
 
 "I'll start at once, and dine with them at eight. 
 I'm curious as to the outcome of the evening. It 
 will also be amusing to watch them together," he 
 reflected mischievously, and so set forth. 
 
 He made good speed upon the journey, finding 
 fresh horses ready for him at each stage, and early 
 sunset saw him at the entrance of the gorge wherein 
 the President had been attacked the day before. 
 
 " We'll wait on this side until dark comes down," 
 he told his two protectors, and dismounted. "It 
 will be safer then than in the half-light." 
 
 He threw his reins to one of them and sauntered 
 onward, sucking at his cigar, to a low ridge between 
 two clefts in the cliff-side guarded by battlements of 
 boulders, at the back of which the highway dipped 
 again into the heart of the ravine, where it became 
 a narrow wheel-track cut in the concave cliffs. 
 The troopers had ensconced themselves among the 
 rocks below to escape unfriendly observation. 
 
 " A sweet spot for an ambush ! " said don Quentin 
 inwardly, and sat down on the summit to make men- 
 tal notes for future reference. Then his attention 
 became concentrated on a split tree-trunk facing 
 him in front, not a stone's-throw from where he was 
 sitting, and he saw clearly a brown rifle-barrel rest-
 
 DON QUENTIN SARIOL 169 
 
 ing upon the fork, behind which two white eyeballs 
 were fixed steadily on the top left-hand pocket of 
 his waistcoat. 
 
 He did not stir, nor yet cry out. He had recalled 
 to mind the fact that a warm wind was blowing from 
 behind him; and that, therefore, his voice might not 
 carry far in that direction. And, even as his secre- 
 tary had supposed, he had small cause to fear the 
 revolutionists. 
 
 He did not move when he heard stealthy footsteps 
 on the splintered shale among the undergrowth 
 above him, but when a sharp voice said "Hands 
 up!" he held his hands up promptly. 
 
 Some one behind withdrew the pistol from its 
 holster in his belt, and, having made sure he had 
 no other arms concealed about him, said suavely, 
 "Thank you. I think you may drop your hands 
 now, if you wish. But don't make any noise, or 
 I 
 
 The speaker stepped in front of him, a slim youth 
 in the uniform of San Benito, and Sariol looked 
 nonplussed for the first time. 
 
 "What means this outrage, seftor teniente?" he 
 asked stiffly. " Is the Vice-President of San Benito 
 to be treated thus by a commissioned officer of the 
 Republic?" 
 
 " Call up your men, and order them to lay their 
 arms down," ordered his captor, as if he had not 
 heard, and Sariol, bewildered but obedient, did so. 
 
 The troopers tramped along on foot, leading the
 
 170 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 horses, to where he sat. They handed their weapons 
 over without protest at a word from him, and, 
 having explained the purpose of their presence in 
 his company, were bidden to get back to Alta Cruz 
 at top speed and on foot. They did so without 
 delay, asking no questions, evincing no undue 
 surprise, only too thankful that their throats had 
 not been cut. 
 
 Sariol, still smoking philosophically, was led 
 uphill, through a steep crevice, into the presence of 
 another stranger, who seemed pleased to see him. 
 
 "We met in Alta Cruz three years ago, don 
 Quentin," said that individual in answer to his 
 prisoner's puzzled inquiry, and the Vice-President 
 looked very much relieved. He had begun to doubt 
 that he had sprung a trap of the Tiger's setting, and 
 that the Vice-Presidential seat would soon be vacant. 
 
 "My old friend don Felipe Corbyn!" he cried, 
 cordially. "I am delighted! But how came you 
 here? 
 
 " Santissima Maria ! It was you then who rode 
 through the capital with twenty devils like yourself ! 
 We thought the Reds were at our throats until the 
 north gate told us that a troop of Karl von Rudolf's 
 fire-eaters had broken in there. And then the 
 southern sallyport sent word up that a cavalry patrol 
 had passed out hotfoot for the Golden Horseshoe. 
 
 " So you have all your men in our new uniform ! 
 You're brave, my old friend, and, as they say, none 
 but the brave deserve success."
 
 DON QUENTIN SARIOL 171 
 
 " Ybarra's at the Golden Horseshoe ? " Corbyn 
 asked as they sat down together by a deadwood 
 fire concealed within a hollow on the hill-side. 
 
 " He is. And it may interest you to know that he 
 intends to wed the dona Beatriz to-night. The 
 hour is set for half past nine, and I was on my way 
 to " 
 
 He turned his head, to hide the malicious grin 
 called forth by his listener's startled malediction. 
 
 " It's only half past seven now," he said tentatively 
 and looking at his watch. "There is still time to 
 reach the hacienda ere the ceremony starts, if you 
 would care to witness it with me. Ybarra would 
 be pleased, I'm sure, to see you at his wedding." 
 
 "Excuse me for five minutes," his host inter- 
 rupted, and, calling Meggs across from an adjacent 
 fire, held whispered conversation with him. 
 
 Don Quentin Sariol made no demur when he 
 was presently required to exchange his clothes for 
 a spare uniform. He yielded up his papers without 
 protest, and supplied the countersign correctly as 
 if he had been performing an agreeable duty. 
 In part he was, since any misfortune which 
 might overtake Ybarra would help his own suc- 
 cession, while, once the President had the mastery 
 of his cousin's millions, he himself might look for 
 a short shrift. 
 
 It therefore suited his own hand to help the Ameri- 
 can in the mean time, and, when that rash spirit 
 rode forth on his risky errand, with but two men
 
 172 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 for following, he knew all Quentin Sariol could tell 
 him concerning current dispositions at the Golden 
 Horseshoe. That did not amount to a great deal, 
 since His Excellency had always been astute enough 
 to guard the secrets of his final refuge very jealously, 
 but Corbyu was thankful for every detail thus avail- 
 able. 
 
 The night passed quietly after he had gone, and 
 don Quentin made himself quite at home with his 
 remaining hosts. He was, at worst, a cheerful 
 scoundrel, with few illusions as to honesty in walk 
 or conduct. 
 
 He laughed amusedly when Meggs showed him his 
 own signature on the commission he had received 
 from Barr of Mobile. 
 
 "A forgery, without doubt," he remarked, lying 
 needlessly, as a matter of habit. " But all the same, 
 senor, it would oblige me if you would put that 
 document in the fire." 
 
 Meggs did so, having no further use for it, and 
 Sariol thanked him effusively. "And we need bear 
 the good Barr no great grudge," he remarked con- 
 templatively, watching it burn. "I should have 
 been glad, of course, if I could have availed myself 
 of your services, but, as things are, you have found 
 the uniforms very useful. I shall be infinitely in- 
 debted to you if you will forget that the name he 
 forged was mine. 
 
 '* In San Benito we are not yet civilised," he said to 
 AUardyce as they sat smoking side by side, "and
 
 DON QUENTIN SARIOL 173 
 
 might is right. My friend Ybarra rules with a high 
 hand, and he has Von Rudolf to help him, but 
 now that there is a woman in the case we may see 
 Changes. Lopez of Paraguay was still alive when 
 [ was born, and he had cause to curse the petticoats 
 before he died. Ybarra also calls himself 'the 
 Tiger/ but as for me I need no alias. When the 
 time comes I shall be merely Sariol, the President, 
 and at your service always." 
 
 The bait was clumsy. Allardyce ignored it, and 
 the other said no more on that subject. 
 
 Next day hung very heavily on the hands of those 
 who were waiting there the news which did not 
 come. 
 
 The orders left by Corbyn were that they should 
 stand fast for twenty-four hours, after which, 
 failing word from him, they were to act as should 
 seem to themselves most fitting. 
 
 "When dusk came down again, Meggs and Allar- 
 dyce consulted long and anxiously. With them 
 now lay responsibility for the next step, and twenty 
 lives beside their own depended on their decision, 
 wise or unwise. 
 
 " Let's put it to the others first," suggested Meggs 
 after they had formed a plan, whose sheer foolhardi- 
 ness had for its sole excuse the lack of anything more 
 feasible, and his friend readily approved the propo- 
 sition. 
 
 "You talk to 'em, old chap," said Allardyce, 
 "and I'll look after the Vice-President."
 
 174 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Meggs gave the call which served for " assembly " 
 and, to the group which gathered round him while 
 Allardyce relieved the guard, explained the matter 
 thus : 
 
 "The game's against us, boys, at this stage, and 
 we're going to chance a bluff. You know how weak 
 our hand is, and I'll tell you honestly that it may cost 
 us all our chips. If any of you feel like coming in, 
 it's boot and saddle right away, but we'll think none 
 worse of those that stand out." 
 
 He stooped and loosened his own horse's halter 
 from the picket-line, led Allardyce's also to the spot 
 where their accoutrements were stacked, and got 
 both ready for the road. Some one had saddled 
 Sariol's before he went back for it ; there was much 
 noiseless bustle in the neighbourhood. When he 
 numbered off the ready rank in front of him, there 
 were just twenty men who had made up their minds 
 to go the limit. 
 
 "There's no four-flushers in this bunch," said a 
 gruff voice reprovingly ; and he laughed softly as he 
 answered, "That's a sure thing, McGuire." 
 
 They led their mounts, all fresh and willing after 
 the long rest, down to the roadside, where they 
 were on the point of starting southwards, when 
 from the direction of Alta Cruz there was audible 
 the thud of many hoofs, the clank of metal, and the 
 echo of an angry order. 
 
 Out of the shadows which lay thick in the ravine 
 appeared two shaggy heads, garnished with wicked-
 
 DON QUENTIN SARIOL 175 
 
 looking horns, and swaying to and fro on heaving 
 shoulders. Their slavering lips blew steamy breath 
 almost in Meggs' face before he realised that they 
 were nothing more nightmarish than a yoke of moun- 
 tain-oxen. The span of twenty shuffled past, the 
 rearmost yoke bent almost to the earth beneath the 
 weight of a high two-wheeled cart. 
 
 The driver was on foot, wielding both whip and 
 goad. Perched up above him on the vehicle there 
 was a woman, quarrelsomely inclined, to judge by 
 the way in which she presently began to rate him for 
 their slow progress. Her harsh, complaining voice 
 disturbed the echoes overhead. The man made no 
 reply beyond redoubling his efforts to hasten the 
 pace of his leisurely charges. 
 
 "Halt, there!" cried Meggs, and at the words 
 dark figures darted out upon the driver, who obeyed 
 with business-like celerity. The woman sat quite 
 still, and did not even scream. 
 
 Allardyce ran up, and "Drop that gun!" he said 
 to her in English; "I've got you covered. Climb 
 down, quick!" 
 
 His tone was ominous, and she did as he ordered, 
 descending from her perch with the agility of a young 
 girl. 
 
 "Who who are you?" she asked, her accents 
 thin and shaky, peering intently at the uniforms about 
 her. "Shut up, Gonzalez," snapped Allardyce, 
 " and don't ask silly questions'." 
 
 A hurried consultation resulted in the release of
 
 176 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 the waggoner, who proved to be a stupid peasant, 
 pressed into the present enterprise at pistol-point. 
 He made off, rejoicing, after he had handed over 
 all his passenger's property, consisting of a Mauser 
 rifle, a rusty Colt, and a full suit of man's apparel. 
 
 As to Gonzalez they were in two minds till Sariol 
 begged speech of Allardyce and thereby helped them 
 to a prompt decision. 
 
 " Where are you taking me ? " the spy asked fear- 
 fully of the two troopers who had bound his hands 
 and were now thrusting him toward a point where the 
 highway hung starkly over a deep cleft within whose 
 unseen depths a mountain stream made mournful 
 music. He tottered as he walked, his teeth were 
 chattering, and great beads of perspiration bedewed 
 his pallid face. In his ridiculous disguise he made a 
 singularly unattractive picture, and they who had 
 heard of the Hilario answered sternly, "To a safe 
 place." 
 
 He gave vent to a very hollow groan, and would 
 have fallen but for their support. 
 
 At the edge of the precipice they dropped him, a 
 huddled heap, and drew back while a half circle 
 of their fellows hemmed him in with rifles ready. 
 
 Allardyce had charge of the firing-party. "Get 
 up, Gonzalez," he adjured the guilty wretch who 
 was grovelling at their feet. 
 
 "Don't shoot! Don't shoot, senor!" that con- 
 demned coward screamed. "Show mercy for a 
 moment. It's worth your while, I swear. Don't
 
 DON QUENTIN SARIOL 177 
 
 shoot! I'll buy my life from you. I'll tell you every- 
 thing. Don't shoot!" 
 
 " There's nothing you can tell us we don't know," 
 said Allardyce. " For the last time stand up, or " 
 
 "My God! but wait," implored the doomed man. 
 "I'll tell you how to reach the senorita. I'll take 
 you through into the Golden Horseshoe. I'll " 
 
 "If you could take us safely into the Golden 
 Horseshoe we might spare you for the present," 
 Allardyce answered in a most disbelieving tone. 
 "But since you can't " 
 
 "I can; I can," Gonzalez urged. "There is a 
 way * " 
 
 "Take him along with you," said the Englishman 
 contemptuously, and at the words the whimpering 
 poltroon was picked up and led away. 
 . To the Vice-President, whom they had decided to 
 liberate, they bade a brief farewell, and he expressed 
 great pain at parting. 
 
 "Yes; I'll go straight back to Alta Cruz," he 
 assured them. "I do not pine to interfere between 
 you and the Tiger, although I should have liked 
 to look on from a safe distance at your meeting. 
 
 " Some day I may be able to serve you, cabatteros; 
 and, until then, discretion, eh ? That which has passed 
 is safe between the three of us ? Commend me to 
 His Excellency for my closeness, and good-bye." 
 
 He went his own way, chuckling contentedly, and 
 they rode forward into the mountains, Gonzalez on 
 a led horse safely guarded. 
 13
 
 178 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 He soon proved himself useful, for, at two points fur- 
 ther on, the road was picketed. He gave them timely 
 warning of that fact and they were able to pass unmo- 
 lested at the cost of a short detour to avoid each in turn. 
 
 "I don't think much of their ideas of strategy," 
 Meggs told Allardyce contemptuously, as they re- 
 gained the road after the last of these. " If they had 
 picketed the gorge " 
 
 "They might have been trapped in it," that 
 older soldier answered, "and they value their own 
 lives too highly to take any such risk. We must be 
 cautious also: so much depends upon our getting 
 in with all our men." 
 
 Travelling thus, it was after midnight before 
 Gonzalez advised them that they were within long 
 range of the ridge enclosing the hacienda. 
 
 "There are two regiments encamped behind it,"- 
 he told them in a terror-stricken whisper. "That 
 foreign mercenary, young Von Rudolf is in command. 
 We must bear west to where the stream comes forth, 
 and then " 
 
 He hesitated. " What then ? " demanded Meggs 
 suspiciously. 
 
 "There is the tunnel it flows through." 
 
 "Which wiU be guarded!" 
 
 The traitor cogitated deeply ere he spoke again. 
 
 "There is no guard, senor. That is the secret 
 with which I have bought my life from you. I trust 
 it to your honour you are both gentlemen, and 
 that was the bargain."
 
 DON QUENTIN SARIOL 179 
 
 He looked up furtively, licking dry lips, well know- 
 ing that the secret might be worthless. 
 
 " Your life will be a short one unless we get safely 
 through," Meggs answered grimly. "Lead the 
 way to the tunnel-mouth." 
 
 Leaving the road, their route lay through the 
 broken country at the base of that gigantic peak out 
 of whose skirts the Golden Horseshoe had been 
 scooped. Ere long they were forced to dismount 
 and lead their horses, but in due course they reached 
 the wooded valley through which had exit the brawl- 
 ing stream whose source was in the mountain-face 
 beyond the ridge. 
 
 There was no great head of water running, and 
 Gonzalez gasped relief. Had the great sluice at one 
 end of the reservoir within the wall of rock above 
 been wide, the tunnel would have been impassable, 
 and there would have been scant hope for him. 
 
 "You'll have to leave your horses," he explained. 
 
 "Where?" asked AUardyce. 
 
 "There is an opening in the bank see, there 
 with grass and water in abundance." 
 
 It was too late to balk fit details. They had no 
 option but to do as he directed. 
 
 A breathless scramble up the waterside took them 
 to a low opening at the base of the ridge, which 
 they entered blindly. 
 
 Gonzalez led the way, a stirrup-leather fast about 
 his waist, and Allardyce had one hand clenched in 
 that while in tke other was a cocked revolver.
 
 180 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "Make no false steps," observed that anxious 
 follower, "lest I should blow your brains out by 
 mistake." 
 
 "Be very careful, senor," begged his guide un- 
 easily. "I'll take you safely through, upon my 
 honour. A short half-hour will see us on the other 
 side." 
 
 Nor did he speak beside the mark, for, five and 
 twenty minutes later five and twenty years they 
 seemed to the torn and bedraggled climbers the 
 solid gloom gave way to dim star-light and they 
 emerged within a well-like opening over which 
 waved tall ghost-like grass and rustling leaves. 
 
 Allardyce drew Gonzalez back. 
 
 " Why is this entrance left unguarded ? " he in- 
 quired menacingly. 
 
 " It is His Excellency's private exit, known only to 
 himself and me," the spy replied. " By opening 
 the water-gate above, it can be blocked." 
 
 " Why is the gate closed ? " 
 
 " To fill the reservoir up for the garrison." 
 
 They waited there till word came up the line that 
 the last man was within touch, and Meggs crept 
 ahead to see whether their course was clear. 
 
 "There's no one within sight or hearing," said 
 Gonzalez. "We're well within the ridge, and all 
 the troops are kept close in quarters there lest they 
 should spoil His Excellency's crops. There's senor 
 Meggs signalling." 
 
 Up above, in the open air, no time was wasted.
 
 DON QUENTIN SARIOL 181 
 
 Gonzalez pointed out the black bulk of the strange 
 table-land on which Ybarra's refuge stood, and they 
 held straight for it in single file behind him, their 
 backs towards the twinkling points of fire which 
 showed the strength of the two regiments set there to 
 keep intruders out. 
 
 He did not lead them to the stair-foot, where there 
 was also a fire burning and a sleepy sentry to dis- 
 courage visitors, but, skirting the other side of the 
 plateau, reached a long range of cattle-sheds and 
 huts. 
 
 "Be very cautious," he requested breathlessly. 
 "The peons' quarters lie about these buildings and 
 there are many dogs." 
 
 Even as he spoke one growled suspiciously, a 
 dozen others answered it. 
 
 "Run!" said Gonzalez, and they ran, in time and 
 no more to escape the pack which came hotfoot 
 upon their trail as they shut the door of the long 
 stable they had entered. 
 
 They clambered to the loft above, and, through an 
 ivy-covered trap-door there, into a crevice of the 
 overhanging cliff. 
 
 At the far end there was a second scuttle of solid 
 steel, for which Gonzalez had a key, and, once 
 within it, he assured them that there would be no 
 pursuit. 
 
 " Only His Excellency comes and goes by this and 
 the water-gate," he said. "The stair on which we 
 stand leads to his private chapel."
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 DOM AGUST/N'S IDEA 
 
 " I WISH you wouldn't press so hard upon your 
 pistol," said Ygnacio Ybarra. " It hurts my head." 
 
 "You'll have no head immediately," Corbyn re- 
 torted sternly, his trigger-finger trembling as he heard 
 a rustle at his back. 
 
 "Unless," he added doubtfully, "you are prepared 
 to carry out the orders I shall give you." 
 
 "Spare him for my sake, Phil," a woman's 
 voice cried, and Beatriz would have laid a hand on 
 his arm but that he ordered her away. His chance 
 of success hung on a thread too slender to take any 
 further risk. 
 
 "Stand still!" he ordered, in Spanish, "or I fire." 
 
 " Let no one move," Ybarra echoed, " till I give the 
 word." 
 
 Then their eyes met again, and he continued: 
 " Tell me what you would have me do, and I I'll 
 do it." 
 
 Corbyn tried hard not to show his relief. He had 
 
 not dared to hope that he could thus coerce his rival, 
 
 who, among many evil qualities, had never been 
 
 accounted a coward. Ybarra's reckless disregard of 
 
 182
 
 DOM AGUSTfN'S IDEA 183 
 
 death and his stubborn courage had helped him to 
 the place he held and enabled him to sit secure where 
 a more cautious man would most assuredly have 
 come to grief. 
 
 His smooth assent to that which was required of 
 him, without demur or counter-stipulation, made 
 things much easier for the American. 
 
 "Order your men to ground their arms," that 
 strategist requested, and the President complied. 
 His words were audible throughout the edifice. The 
 rank and file laid down their rifles, the staring sub- 
 altern in charge cast sword and pistol clattering on 
 the tessellated pavement: he felt the degradation 
 of this strange surrender keenly, but, for Ybarra's 
 sake, he yielded. It would have done no good to 
 shoot down the intruder and so cost the trapped 
 President his life. 
 
 "I'll take a gun now, Corbyn," said O'Dare, 
 released from durance, and joyfully assured that, 
 however it might have happened, it was Philip Cor- 
 byn himself who stood there, master of the situation. 
 
 "Do, Denny," his friend answered. "Come up 
 beside me." 
 
 "And I, Phil?" Beatriz asked humbly. 
 
 "Yes, both of you," he said, and they came for- 
 ward, armed. Their reinforcement carried matters 
 more swiftly forward, and, when Fifi also volun- 
 teered, the congregation was completely cowed 
 by the three weapons levelled at them, while in 
 the background lay His Excellency, helpless in
 
 184 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 the hands of a mysterious stranger, his very life 
 dependent on their prompt obedience. 
 
 " Have the church cleared," commanded Corbyn. 
 " The women first and then the workmen ; the troops 
 will follow, with the lieutenant last. They are to 
 leave the hacienda by the stairway. I have men 
 posted there and any one who speaks ere he or she 
 sets foot upon the road below will be blown into 
 space without a moment's mercy." 
 
 An angry light shone in Ybarra's eyes as he 
 confirmed this disposition. He could not possibly 
 conceive by what means Corbyn had succeeded in 
 obtaining entrance for the " men " of whom that 
 anxious diplomat had spoken so assuredly. He 
 did not know that there were only two, and in the 
 uniform of his own army, who had replaced the 
 topmost sentries by the expedient of a flask of potent 
 spirit duly drugged. For the first time he began to 
 doubt the durability of his luck. If his opponent held 
 the stairway his own position would be doubly 
 diflBcult. 
 
 There was no present help for it, however, and he 
 heard his awestricken dependents shuffle away in 
 silence, followed by the surrendered soldiery. They 
 streamed up the long passage to its exit without a 
 whisper, out into the darkness, and down the stair 
 past the two troopers stationed at the top. 
 
 And when the keepers of the stair-foot would have 
 questioned them the women broke and ran, with 
 white lips, for the safe shelter of the huts behind
 
 'DOM AGUSTfN'S IDEA 185 
 
 the stables. Their menfolk followed sheepishly, 
 and, after them, the guard of honour came forth, 
 unarmed, impotent. The last to reach ground- level 
 was the boy-officer who had been chosen to com- 
 mand it. His black eyes were suffused with tears 
 of shame, his empty fingers twitched convulsively, 
 and his cheeks were chalk-like in their pallor. 
 
 He formed his men up, and marched off to camp, 
 there to inform Von Rudolf of what had happened. 
 
 Ybarra was by this time bitterly repentant that 
 he had not bidden the General himself attend 
 the ceremony. He had been so secure in the in- 
 accessibility of his natural stronghold that he had 
 thought it more prudent to insure the safeguarding 
 of the outer gate, and, furthermore, the said Von 
 Rudolf had to perfection that most debonair and 
 winning way with women which don Ygnacio was 
 ever striving to attain but with equivocal success. 
 It had not seemed advisable to His Excellency to 
 challenge comparison with the young soldier in all 
 the glory of full regimentals, and still less so to ex- 
 pose that young gallant to further contact with the 
 dona Beatrix. 
 
 He was still cursing his precautions for the general 
 good when Corbyn stepped back and bade him 
 stand upright. 
 
 He did so, gladly, and the two rivals faced each 
 other for the first time since they had dropped their 
 masks. At one side stood the girl for whom they 
 were staking everything. Fifi and O'Dare looked
 
 186 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 on, the latter with his rifle ready for any eventu- 
 ality. 
 
 "Denny," said Corbyn, "you know this place 
 better than I. Will you find out if all's well above ? 
 The stair-head must be held at any cost, and, if 
 there's any other entrance to the hacienda, it will 
 be well to guard that also. It won't be long before 
 we have Von Rudolf to reckon with. I'll send you 
 word if you're needed here again." O'Dare went 
 off to carry out the duty imposed on him, and, when 
 he found that all the company he could count upon 
 for the defense consisted of two devil-may-care cav- 
 alry troopers with a West Point vocabulary, barely 
 escaped brain-fever. But he soon assimilated some 
 of their ideas as to the wisdom of evading worry 
 until that spectre should assume a tangible and 
 concrete shape, and so sat down to help them hold 
 the fort at the stair-head, since he knew of no other 
 vulnerable point, while underneath them the dum- 
 founded guardians of the stair-foot squatted over 
 their fire and spoke in whispers of the inexplicable 
 movements they had witnessed. 
 
 "You're foolish, senor Corbyn," said Ybarra, 
 "to come here thus. You have me at a disadvan- 
 tage for the moment, but you scarcely hope to 
 escape with your prize, I presume ? 
 
 " Can we not settle matters amicably ? I I am 
 willing to make terms." 
 
 Beatriz was about to speak, but checked the im- 
 pulse. Corbyn was looking fixedly at her half-cousin,
 
 DOM AGUSTfN'S IDEA 187 
 
 whose eyes fell before the American's straightfor- 
 ward glance. 
 
 "You take me for a fool, Ybarra," he answered 
 presently, "and perhaps you're right. I'd rather be 
 an honest fool than a clever rogue. But if you 
 think I'm fool enough to take your word for anything 
 you've overshot the mark. Pardon my speaking 
 plainly, but it will be best to understand each 
 other. 
 
 "No terms that you could offer would tempt me 
 to trust you. Your reputation is not that of a fool; 
 and still less that of an honest man." 
 
 The President's pale face grew paler and his 
 teeth clenched under the unvarnished rejection of 
 his right to treat in honour with an enemy. 
 
 It was so long since any one had dared to twit him 
 with his weakness that he had grown to think him- 
 self no worse in that respect than any of his neigh- 
 bours. Upon his pedestal of autocracy he had been 
 immune from criticism; its personal application 
 stung him to the verge of violent outbreak. 
 
 But with an effort he controlled his feelings. 
 
 "You have me at a disadvantage," he repeated, 
 " for the moment. What do you mean to do ? " 
 
 "I have accomplished my immediate object," 
 Corbyn responded, "which was to prevent your 
 molesting the lady who will shortly be my wife. I 
 don't know that I need discuss with you my further 
 plans." 
 
 "It would perhaps be waste of time if they have
 
 188 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 any reference to the dona Beatriz," Ybarra countered, 
 and his cousin at length broke silence. 
 
 " Phil," she said in a tense whisper, and her lover 
 held out his right hand to her. She moved towards 
 him and he caught her in a close embrace which 
 healed all the hurts between them. But all the time 
 he kept his left arm free and both eyes fixed on His 
 Excellency who was inwardly cursing his astuteness. 
 
 "Phil," she said again, shyly, nestling against 
 his shoulder, "there is a priest here. Why should 
 not we " 
 
 " We will, sweetheart," he answered rapturously, 
 " and right away. It was to that end that I ventured 
 to detain his reverence. 
 
 "Come forward, holy father. There will be a 
 wedding, after all." 
 
 Dom Agustin obeyed with terror-stricken readi- 
 ness. Penned in beyond the altar, he had been 
 prevented from escaping with his parishioners, and 
 had waited dumbly while the two men talked. 
 
 "We'll need another witness," Corbyn observed 
 to the now blushing Beatriz. "Fifi, could you find 
 Denny for us? 
 
 "I'd go myself, but it would not be wise to 
 leave " 
 
 "I'll go," said Fifi bravely, and, passing with 
 swift footsteps, she disappeared in the dark passage 
 leading to the upper air. The echo of her footsteps 
 became fainter and then ceased. 
 
 Ybarra moved an inch or two to one side.
 
 DOM AGUSTIN'S IDEA 189 
 
 "Stand still," his adversary ordered, and the 
 words clicked like the snapping of a steel trap. 
 He stood still, since he could see the blue -nosed 
 bullets in the revolver-barrel. His teeth showed 
 bare behind the black moustache and his whole 
 attitude was that of a beast about to spring. Cor- 
 byn held him at bay with unwinking watchfulness. 
 
 There was a sudden flash, and Beatriz uttered a 
 single strangled cry as she saw her lover sink to the 
 floor without a sound. So instantaneous had been 
 the impact of the great golden candlestick the priest 
 had used as missile that no shot was fired. The 
 stricken man relaxed his trigger finger with the 
 others and lay starkly still. 
 
 Ybarra sprang at her and held her lips, his chap- 
 lain helping him to silence her despite a desperate 
 resistance. Voices resounded from the stairway. 
 Fifi and O'Dare were coming down together. The 
 two men lifted her into a yawning tomb behind 
 the altar. The great stone slab which had moved 
 at a touch to give them entrance swung into place 
 again without a sound. 
 
 She was aware of an unpleasant, earthy odour and 
 that they were descending. Almost immediately 
 they stopped and set her on her feet. And one said, 
 sneeringly, " Your pardon, cousin, if we have seemed 
 rough or hasty. We had scarce time to stand on 
 ceremony with you." 
 
 She did not answer, knowing that nothing she 
 could say would help her plight.
 
 190 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 The place in which they were standing was pitch 
 dark, and she assumed that it must be a crypt coi- 
 nected with the chapel. 
 
 Ybarra spoke again, quite confidently, confirming 
 her impression that it would serve no purpose to cry 
 out for help. 
 
 "Dom Agustin will lead the way," he ordered. 
 "Come, Beatriz. Tread carefully; the steps are 
 slippery in places." 
 
 He led her forward and she followed, dumbly 
 helpless in his hands, down an interminable flight of 
 steps in a Cimmerian darkness beyond w r ords op- 
 pressive, the only sounds their dragging footsteps 
 and Dom Agustin's laboured breathing. That good 
 man seemed to be suffering grievous distress, both 
 body and mind. 
 
 Their progress was slow, and twice Ybarra 
 urged the priest ahead to greater speed. But 
 as he was about to speak complainingly a third time 
 there rose from underfoot in front a bitter and 
 blood-curdling cry; a long-drawn wail that rose 
 full- voiced without a moment's warning and thinned 
 away and died out in illimitable distance like the 
 last echo of a lost soul's farewell. Even Ybarra 
 shivered. 
 
 The girl beside him stopped and thrust her fingers 
 into her ears. Her knees were trembling under 
 her. She would have fallen but that he upheld her 
 and spoke soothingly. 
 
 " Be brave," he said. " We are quite safe."
 
 DOM AGUSTfN'S IDEA 191 
 
 " What what was that ? " she asked, a shrinking 
 horror of him in her tone. 
 
 " It must have been It was- But never 
 
 mind," he answered reassuringly. "We are quite 
 safe." 
 
 " It was the priest," she whispered brokenly; "and 
 and you knew that he was going to his death, 
 Ygnacio!" 
 
 "I thought he had the secret," said Ybarra 
 sullenly. "There is some traitor in my household. 
 I thought it must be he. 
 
 "I would have warned him, but it was an over- 
 sight an accident I was not thinking. I am 
 not to blame. 
 
 "We must we must get on away from here. 
 Come. Close your eyes if you feel giddy. You 
 need not fear while I am with you." 
 
 He struck a light and looked about him. His 
 face was wet and ghastly. 
 
 A few steps further down there was a cresset in 
 the tunnel wall and in a niche underneath a plentiful 
 supply of pine-knots. He paused to kindle a hand- 
 ful of these in the iron basket, and the illumination 
 they supplied lasted until he had led his unresist- 1 
 ing companion across the chasm into which their ill- 
 fated forerunner had fallen headlong. 
 
 It was a gaping fissure in the heart of the Titanic 
 altar upon which the hacienda stood, a cleft which 
 came together overhead and in an alcove on either 
 side of the tunnel. Below it seemed to open out in
 
 192 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 bottle-shape, and Beatriz, looking unblinkingly into 
 its black, abysmal depths as don Ygnacio guided her 
 to safety on the other side, saw for herself the secret 
 he had spoken of. 
 
 The stairway led directly to its lips and an infer- 
 nal ingenuity had fashioned the steps on either side 
 in such wise that a stranger must most surely slip 
 and so slide smoothly to a most dreadful death. 
 For those who knew, there was a narrow gallery, 
 a two-foot ledge cut for a man's height in the rock 
 around the lip skirting one corner of the open mouth. 
 No one who did not know the turning could escape. 
 
 Ybarra breathed more freely after they had set 
 another hundred steps between them and the 
 greedy oubliette. 
 
 "I hate this passage!" he said savagely. "I've 
 always hated it. Thank God we're nearly through." 
 
 His spirits rose again, however, as soon as they 
 had gotten through the egress in the ivy-covered 
 cliff -face behind the stables at its foot. 
 
 Thence they emerged unseen, unheard, and, since 
 His Excellency could not seek conveyance save at 
 the risk of rousing inconvenient curiosity, they were 
 compelled to make their way on foot towards Von 
 Rudolf's camp. 
 
 Beatriz went with him, unresisting, since to resist 
 would have been futile, but she refused his proffered 
 arm and walked apart while he chatted volubly in 
 the reaction which followed the strain he had en- 
 dured.
 
 DOM AGUSTIN'S IDEA 193 
 
 "Dona Agustin is dead and buried," he said, 
 "more's the pity. But the old monks who made 
 my private passage the Golden Horseshoe was once 
 a mission, Beatriz, but long ago when the Spaniards 
 ruled here must shoulder the responsibility. 
 
 "There is no other priest at hand and I must 
 wait a day or two, for appearance' sake, before I 
 nominate a new chaplain. I can't conveniently 
 account for his disappearance till then. 
 
 "He was a faithful fellow, Beatriz; and always 
 wide awake. He caught my idea about the candle- 
 stick at once a telepathic sympathy, no doubt. 
 It will be difficult to find his equal. I'll soon find 
 some one else to marry us, though." 
 
 She bore with him because she must, but speech- 
 lessly, and was unspeakably relieved when the sharp 
 challenge of a sentry interrupted his reminiscences: 
 for then he took upon himself again the dignity of 
 his high office and his habitual reserve. 
 
 Von Rudolf galloped out to greet them when he 
 heard of their miraculous appearance at the picket, 
 and, having satisfied himself that it was really they, 
 made hasty disposition for their housing in the camp, 
 sending a man in on his own horse with all the orders 
 necessary. He walked back at His Excellency's 
 side, discussing Corbyn's most audacious move and 
 planning prompt reprisals, but asked no needless 
 questions. 
 
 They sauntered slowly through the lines that their 
 men might reassure themselves as to the President's 
 13
 
 194 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 capacity for further mischief the story that the 
 guard of honour had brought back had not im- 
 proved his prestige and see beside him dona 
 Beatriz, the beautiful and wealthy; upon whose 
 whim, it had been rumoured, depended all the back 
 pay due them. And, by the time they reached the 
 tents which had already been prepared for their re- 
 ception, everything there was as comfortable as it 
 could be made at such short notice. 
 
 Von Rudolf's field-pavilion had been swept and 
 garnished for His Excellency's cousin. After Ybarra 
 had inspected it she plead fatigue and passed within, 
 leaving the others to their own devices. Once 
 inside, secure from observation and intrusion, she 
 threw herself despairingly on the thick rugs with 
 which the floor was covered. Her head fell forward 
 on her forearm; two tears of misery ran down her 
 wrists; and then she slept, the deep and dreamless 
 slumber of exhaustion, mental and physical. 
 
 When she awoke, refreshed and strengthened, it 
 seemed strange to her that day had not yet broken. 
 The inner chamber where she lay was dark, but in 
 the anteroom beyond a shaded lamp was burning. 
 And, seated in a rocking-chair, was Fifi Florian 
 sewing busily. 
 
 She lay still for a moment, struggling to recollect, 
 somewhat bewildered, and, between the curtains, 
 saw Fifi rise as a step came softly towards the canvas 
 porchway, also discreetly draped. 
 
 Some one tapped gently and a hand which held
 
 DOM AGUSTIN'S IDEA 195 
 
 a scrap of paper was thrust through. Fifi took that 
 with downcast eyes, and, turning her back to the 
 intruder, read the note, scribbled a hasty answer on 
 the reverse side, and entrusted it to the five fingers 
 visible behind the screen. 
 
 The hand was withdrawn, the sound of receding 
 footsteps died away, and the occupant of the rocking- 
 chair faced about with guilty haste, laying finger 
 on lips imploringly, as Beatriz came through to 
 confront the traitress who was on terms so confi- 
 dential with her worst enemies. 
 
 "Fifi!" she said in a heart-broken whisper, her 
 whole soul in revolt against the thought that her 
 only woman friend could display such calculating 
 treachery. 
 
 Fifi held up a hand in protest, and answered 
 swiftly: " Be very cautious in case we're overheard. 
 
 "I'm Jerry Meggs."
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 
 
 BEATRIZ drew back, regarding him with a blind 
 bewilderment. He would have paid in his heart's 
 blood for the right to take her into his own arms, 
 and hold her safe there from her enemies and his. 
 But that might not be. 
 
 "I don't I can't wJw are you?" she asked 
 dully. "Where have you come from? How long 
 have I been here ? " 
 
 He had seen that in her heavy eyes which helped 
 him to understand. 
 
 "I'm Jerry Meggs," he repeated distinctly, set- 
 ting all his dead dreams behind him for her sake. 
 "I've come from Phil Corbyn, to take you back to 
 him. He's at the hacienda, and none the worse of 
 the blow the priest dealt him. You've been here 
 for close on twenty-four hours, and much has hap- 
 pened in that time. I think you must have had 
 some opiate to make you sleep so long." 
 
 The cloud lifted from her mind while he spoke. 
 She had swiftly recalled the past, recollected how 
 little cause he had to run any such deadly risk for 
 her sake. She could see from his face that his 
 
 190
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 197 
 
 feelings towards her had undergone no change since 
 that day on which he had told her in London that 
 he was hers to dispose of, body and soul. The 
 simplicity of his self-sacrifice touched a responsive 
 chord in her heart. His life was hers, without need 
 of words, though she had naught to give in exchange. 
 She held out both her hands to him with an impul- 
 sive gesture of gratitude. 
 
 "Jerry," she said, very softly, "you're more 
 than generous." 
 
 She could make him no better return, and even 
 that he would have disclaimed. 
 
 "Hush, hush," he answered. "I only seek to 
 .see you happy. There's nothing out of the way in 
 that. Say no more now. We're not alone." 
 
 She glanced about her, but there was no one else 
 visible within the canvas walls. 
 
 " Tell me," she begged in a low voice, " how you 
 come to be with Phil. What has happened ? " 
 
 "I must be very brief," he responded. "I 
 reached his side a couple of hours ago with the rest 
 of the force he has got together to rescue you. 
 Dennis O'Dare fixed me up to play Fifi, and I came 
 tripping across with a line from Corbyn to say that 
 you would be sure to require your maid. The 
 pickets passed me quite readily, and Von Rudolf 
 sent me in here at once. He's just been at the door 
 begging a few words with me. I answered that I 
 would see him in twenty minutes or so, and that he 
 must be careful not to disturb you. Something is
 
 198 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 going to happen then, and I'll trust you not to make 
 a single sound, whatever you see or hear. 
 
 " Ybarra's on his way back here from Alta Cruz, 
 where he went yesterday to talk to Quentin Sariol, 
 who has been plotting against him. He's bringing 
 a priest with him, too. The one who came with 
 you has disappeared. 
 
 " Now's our time, therefore. The coast is as clear 
 as it ever will be, and, if you feel all right again, we'd 
 better " 
 
 "Yes, I'm quite wide awake now," she assured 
 him. "They must have drugged my drinking- 
 water, I think. I drank some just before daylight. 
 It seems so short a time since I saw dawn across 
 the threshold. But how what chance is there of 
 our escaping ? " 
 
 "Where's the glass you drank from?" he asked 
 eagerly in reply. She brought out from the inner 
 room a cut glass caraffe still half full, and an empty 
 tumbler. 
 
 Meggs held the former up to the light, and then 
 shook it. Its contents clouded over. 
 
 "They're third-class criminals, and clumsy ones 
 at that," he commented more cheerfully than he 
 had heretofore spoken. "Do you know Mr. Chal- 
 loner?" 
 
 She shook her head, in surprise. 
 
 "You will some day," said he. "He's a good 
 friend of ours. He and I have fixed up a plan to 
 get you away. And now, if you will if you will
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 199 
 
 change your costume for that which I have brought 
 you in this suit-case, I'll have you safely back at the 
 hacienda with the real Fifi for company by the time 
 His Excellency comes to pay his morning call here. 
 But you must not put off a moment in the process, 
 please. If he should catch us by the way it would 
 be worse than ever for us all. And don't take any 
 notice of what happens here." 
 
 She caught the case up and disappeared with a 
 nod of assurance ere he could finish. 
 
 He turned aside and lifted a corner of the great 
 tiger-skin which covered a dim corner of the ante- 
 room, behind the chair in which he had been sitting. 
 
 "The game's afoot, old chap," he whispered 
 hurriedly. "If any trouble comes to you through 
 your connection with it, send up the signal and I'll 
 do my best to bring you assistance. We owe you 
 more than we can pay already, and " 
 
 Challoner scowled denial. "Oh, fiddlesticks!" 
 said he. "I'm only amusing myself in my spare 
 moments. I've nothing else to do till the Tiger 
 returns." 
 
 Meggs dropped the rug over him, again, turned 
 the lamp lower, and crossed swiftly to the porch. 
 Some one without was coming quietly towards the 
 pavilion. He thrust a hand out through the cur- 
 tains, and waved it in a manner which he hoped 
 might be set down as ladylike. Soft footsteps once 
 more sounded on the sun-baked soil, and some one, 
 stooping, kissed his fingers.
 
 200 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 He grinned in a most unladylike manner, but 
 composed his features ere he pulled the screen 
 slightly apart and Karl Von Rudolf entered with a 
 low reverence. 
 
 The latter was in undress uniform, a straight and 
 slender figure with a boy's face, but sadly lined and 
 seamed by the experiences which had made a man 
 of him before his time, and wistful blue-grey eyes 
 which betrayed disappointment as he peered in the 
 semi-darkness at the shy girl before him. 
 
 "Your pardon for disturbing you, ma'm'selle," 
 he said in French, " but you resemble so very closely 
 a lady " 
 
 Meggs simulated an eager interest, and nodded. 
 He signed to the soldier that he should seat him- 
 self, and made pretense of listening intently for any 
 sound from the inner apartment. He was really 
 stifling his scruples concerning the part he must play. 
 
 Von Rudolf, somewhat mystified, obeyed him, 
 and lay wearily back in the rocking-chair. His 
 legs shot out in front of him, the chair tipped up- 
 wards, and a cord across his throat cut short the 
 cry of anger and astonishment to which he would 
 have given utterance. 
 
 Meggs passed hastily behind him, and, with a 
 scarf, blinded him most effectually; secured his 
 wrists and ankles to the arms and legs of the chair, 
 and poured the contents of the caraffe into his open 
 mouth. To gag* him efficaciously was easy, and 
 after that he was quite powerless. Sight, speech^
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 201 
 
 and hearing were shut off. The languor of drugged 
 impotence was already loosening his straining 
 limbs. 
 
 Meggs had executed these manoeuvres at top 
 speed, and he next turned his attention to providing 
 the invaluable Challoner with an alibi which should 
 be unimpeachable when he should be discovered 
 there, as must inevitably happen, since his profes- 
 sional duties forbade his joining the rescue-party. 
 That gentleman was still on his knees behind the 
 rocking-chair, shaking with soundless laughter. 
 
 "By the holy poker!" said he, "but that was a 
 tricky turn, Jerry. It almost made me explode to 
 see you mincing about like a hen on hot bricks, 
 with a love-lock over one eye. 
 
 "I'm only sorry," he went on more gravely, 
 "that it's Von Rudolf and not Ybarra we've had 
 to put out of action. But needs must when the 
 devil drives, and it was the only way. 
 
 "Now get busy, and don't forget to handle me 
 this side up with care." 
 
 Meggs tied him also hand and foot, tucked him 
 tenderly under the rug again, patted his curly head 
 approvingly and held up a handkerchief. 
 
 " Ready ? " he asked. 
 
 The correspondent nodded. "That was a tricky 
 turn!" he repeated. "I'm a gold medallist gar- 
 roter. Give Corbyn and Allardyce my love, and 
 don't forget to tell them both that I'm still on the 
 staff of the Wireless. I don't mind lending a help-
 
 202 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 ing hand at an odd moment now and then, but it's 
 only by way of relaxation." 
 
 "I'll tell him you're the ace of trumps," Meggs 
 responded in a gruff voice. "What hope would I 
 have had of doing any good here if you hadn't " 
 
 " 'Nuff said," snapped Challoner. " Get busy, 
 or I'll bite you." 
 
 He signified, as soon as he in turn was gagged and 
 blinded, that he could live quite comfortably till 
 relief came. Meggs gave him a very gentle farewell 
 pat, and pulled the rug up carefully. 
 
 There was another young man waiting when he 
 had finished all his preparations for flight ; a shapely 
 youth in motor garb and goggles, short coat and 
 cap and puttees all complete; who was blushing 
 vividly. 
 
 She had started at sight of Von Rudolf's figure 
 covered with a tablecloth, and stood aghast when 
 Meggs faced her in the General's field uniform. 
 
 "It's I all right," he said to reassure her. "Do 
 I look like him?" 
 
 " I thought it was he and that you," she answered, 
 staring at the outline in the chair. 
 
 "You're Challoner, a correspondent of the Wire- 
 less, come through Alta Cruz from the coast in 
 search of news," Meggs explained rapidly. "Your 
 motor bicycle is behind Von Rudolf's tent. 
 
 "Von Rudolf's going round the pickets now, and 
 you'll go with him. When we get to the outermost 
 we may have to make a break for the stairfoot which
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 203 
 
 is held by Corbyn's men. If anything goes wrong 
 you must run for it, while I keep any friends that 
 follow in check. Whatever happens you must 
 make for the hacienda. Ready ? " 
 
 " Quite ready." 
 
 " Off we go then, and good luck to us." 
 
 He turned the lamp out, and they started on their 
 perilous enterprise. Their way led through the 
 officers' lines, and from the bell-tents there the 
 sound of snoring smote upon the small hours. Be- 
 yond were the servants' bivouacks, rude shelters, 
 screens of plaited grass. And then the kitchens, 
 where a night cook, brewing coffee for the duty-de- 
 tail, sprang to attention as they passed and startled 
 Beatriz so that she all but screamed. Von Rudolf 
 had apparently succeeded in imbuing his subordi- 
 nates with a profound respect for military etiquette. 
 
 Meggs lifted a forefinger in perfunctory response, 
 and, looking back from a safe distance, saw that the 
 man had squatted down beside his fire again. 
 
 " I think that we'll pass current," he encouraged 
 her. 
 
 They followed the made road which ran straight 
 from the ridge to the stairfoot, and twice met order- 
 lies bringing reports in from the pickets. Meggs 
 opened these and read them nonchalantly, striking 
 matches for light to do so in the shadow of his 
 great coat, keeping his chin well down within the 
 collar. 
 
 The first of them he sent on into camp, the sec-
 
 204 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 ond was instructed to return whence he had come 
 and bid the non-commissioned officer in charge 
 await the General's arrival. 
 
 He lit a cigarette, and, taking his companion by 
 the arm to steady her, strode forward, cliatting 
 cheerfully in French of the most nondescript. As 
 they approached the outpost set halfway between 
 the hacienda and the ridge, he stopped as if to illus- 
 trate a point, puffing smoke the while. They 
 turned the guard out in his honour and despite his 
 indifferent protest; he looked it over quickly, and 
 passed on. Only a last outlying picket lay between 
 safety and disaster. He had played his part ad- 
 mirably. 
 
 They had all but won through when from the 
 camp resounded the call to arms. A single rocket 
 soared up and dropped two blue stars. They heard 
 the sound of hurrying feet behind, and in front had 
 to face seven rifles waiting the word to fire. 
 
 Meggs swore vociferously at the picket's corporal 
 who presently came forward and was most apolo- 
 getic when he saw the General; but would by no 
 means part with him. 
 
 "It is by your own order, General," he said ap- 
 pealingly, "and you will doubtless have me shot, 
 like* those poor fellows who let senor Sariol pass 
 through, if I do not obey the very letter of it. There 
 were two stars and that means 'hold all comers 
 whatsoever.' It is by your own order, General. 
 For God's sake don't push past me, or I'll fire ! "
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 205 
 
 " Now run," cried Meggs in such a tone that his 
 companion did not dare to disobey. And at that 
 instant his left hand shot forth, the corporal fell 
 over backward with a choked grunt, while the mere 
 rank and file, too much astonished by such a strange 
 display on the part of their redoubtable chief to 
 offer further resistance, were glad to see him disap- 
 pear into the darkness ahead. As soon as he was 
 out of sight they judged it well to open an aimless 
 fire upon the surrounding scenery. 
 
 Two or three bullets whistled past the fugitives, 
 but they paid no attention to any such trifles. What 
 frightened Meggs far more was the faint thud of 
 hoofs behind his back, that did not die down 
 but gained in volume until he knew that the pur- 
 suers must be dangerously near. 
 
 " Keep straight on," he told Beatriz abruptly, and 
 stopped short himself. 
 
 She knew that it would only hamper him if she 
 should lag, and went on most unwillingly, but with 
 fresh energy, for, if she were out of the way, there 
 would be hope for him. She heard the crack of 
 his revolver and loud cries. 
 
 A moment later she fell headlong into the arms 
 of a grey shadow travelling outward at a great pace 
 and with others following behind. 
 
 " Who's this ? " it asked most anxiously, and she 
 replied, "Phil! He's back there. Oh! quick or 
 you will be too late." 
 
 Neither had any thought of self while the man to
 
 206 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 whom both owed so much was still in danger. But 
 Corbyn was too late, and that although he lost no 
 single instant. And there was a fierce skirmish in 
 the dark between his handful and the hurried re- 
 inforcements which had made the pickets' post 
 impregnable against him. But for the darkness he 
 had even been cut off from his own base, and, as it 
 was, he had to fight hard to regain the stairfoot. 
 There he found safety in the end, but, as he carried 
 up the steep stone steps the slim boy whose recov- 
 ery had cost them such a comrade, his grey eyes 
 were bedimmed; and he held Beatriz very closely 
 to him, for she was doubly dear now. 
 
 Fifi was waiting at the top. She took the inani- 
 mate figure from his arms and carried it away. 
 Allardyce and O'Dare spent the remainder of 
 the night in proving to each other and to Corbyn 
 that when fate steps in human effort is of no avail. 
 
 "It's just the narrowness that pinches," Corbyn 
 concluded sorrowfully, as day broke. "Less than 
 a hundred yards we lost him by, I reckon. I wish 
 that he had let me go instead of him." 
 
 A clear, cold dawn showed that the plain be- 
 neath was empty save for the customary outposts. 
 The scant light strengthened, and the sun changed 
 their grey prison walls to gold. Spirals of smoke 
 rose slowly from the ridge, and the world woke 
 about them without discord. 
 
 It seemed that they were not to be molested yet 
 a while, and, since the hour for a daylight attack
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 207 
 
 was safely past, they tried to snatch some sleep. 
 But none came to their aching eyes. 
 
 When Beatriz came forth, in her own guise again, 
 she found the three seated together in the garden, 
 staring across at the far camp. They rose at the 
 sound of her approaching footsteps, and a faint flush 
 suffused her sweet face; she nestled close to Corbyn, 
 as he came forward, took her hand, and put an arm 
 protectingly about her. 
 
 It was no time for tender speeches, but he said 
 " Sweetheart," very softly "sweetheart, forgive 
 me." 
 
 "It has all been my fault, Phil," she answered, 
 her tone tremulous as she looked up into his bronzed, 
 haggard face. He stood there for a moment, gaz- 
 ing into her true eyes, the recollection of his old 
 doubt and distrust a shame within him. And 
 Allardyce, he who had been disposed to pity Meggs 
 for his infatuation, fell a slave at that instant to the 
 spell of her compelling loveliness, as had O'Dare 
 in the beginning. 
 
 Corbyn beckoned him forwards and held out her 
 right hand to him. Allardyce took it reverently, 
 and, stooping, raised it to his lips. No words 
 could have expressed more fully his pledge of faith- 
 ful service. Beatriz blushed again, and Corbyn 
 smiled at the impassive Englishman's courtly be- 
 haviour. 
 
 Then O'Dare stepped up and shook hands with 
 her.
 
 208 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "You're safe at last," said he, his voice full of 
 grave pleasure. " Fifi and I have been heart-broken 
 for you." 
 
 Corbyn took her across to the stairhead, where 
 the men had their quarters, and at sight of her they 
 raised a cheer which rang back from the distant 
 rock -face. Her beauty was a revelation to them, 
 and they found it cause far more than sufficient for 
 Corbyn's expedition. None among them but felt 
 thankful then that they had followed him so far, 
 no man but was confirmed in his purpose by the 
 thought of her helplessness. 
 
 And the thought of all that they had already 
 braved to help her, of their uncomplaining devotion 
 to their brave leader, her gallant lover, thrilled her 
 unspeakably. She thanked them for their warm 
 welcome in broken words, and then Corbyn led her 
 back to the garden-paths, to straighten out the tan- 
 gle which had brought her and himself to such 
 strange pass. 
 
 "I thought you had forgotten me when no word 
 came from you after I landed in New York, Phil," 
 she said, glancing up with eyes that told their own 
 tale. 
 
 "I was at Stephan Florian's funeral that day," 
 he answered gravely. "I wrote and called re- 
 peatedly thereafter." 
 
 " Poor Fifi ! " Beatriz whispered wistfully. " What 
 a sad life hers has been since that dreadful duel!" 
 
 "I was to blame, of course," Corbyn continued
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 209 
 
 presently, "for believing that you thought my pov- 
 erty a sufficient reason for closing the door against 
 me." 
 
 "Phil!" she cried in a grieved voice. "You 
 thought that of me ! Oh ! how could you ? " 
 
 He pressed the hand he was holding, tenderly, 
 and had no excuse to make for himself. But she 
 returned the pressure. 
 
 "It has all been my fault," she asserted again. 
 "I should have known that you would not slight 
 me as as I supposed you were doing. It was my 
 own pride that kept me from sending for you till 1 
 it was too late till I got the note Joaquin Gon- 
 zalez had fabricated to say that you were lying dan- 
 gerously hurt in that place where he made me 
 prisoner. I have been sorely punished for that, 
 Phil. I thought I had lost you altogether until you 
 came thrusting into the chapel here." 
 
 "I, too, have suffered much because of my un- 
 worthy suspicions, and I was to blame, Beatriz, 
 not you. Had I been less ungenerous, Gonzalez- 
 would not have found it so easy as he did to cany 
 out his infernal plot. How he must have congrat- 
 ulated himself on my simplicity! All he had to do 
 was to get your woman to intercept my letters, and 
 tell the hotel people that I was to be turned away 
 if I called. And I believed blindly that it was all 
 due to my poverty!" 
 
 She said no more for a moment. It hurt her to 
 hear his honest confession, till in her own generous 
 14
 
 210 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 heart she found cure for that hurt. He had done 
 what he could, while she had done nothing -until 
 too late. 
 
 "Why did you quarrel with your father, Phil?" 
 she asked presently. "I didn't even know that 
 you were on such terms with him, till Pifi told 
 me." 
 
 " He quarrelled with me, not I with him," replied 
 Corbyn very regretfully. "He he had chosen a 
 wife for me, sweetheart, and wanted me to join him 
 in his business. I couldn't see things his way in 
 either direction, and and he lost his tempe?." 
 
 "That's my fault, too, then," said Beatriz, her 
 eyes suffused. She had brought this bold lover of 
 hers naught but trouble. 
 
 He stopped in the shadow of the waterless foun- 
 tain which had once formed the green heart of the 
 gardens, and with the hand he had slipped round 
 her shoulders lifted her chin so that he could look 
 squarely down into the troubled depths under her 
 long lashes. 
 
 "Say that again," he dared her, "and see what 
 will happen to you." 
 
 She smiled mistily up at him and opened her lips 
 in defiance, but ere she could repeat her self-con- 
 demnation he had found means to close them most 
 effectually. And in that brief, blissful moment 
 they buried all that was past. She flushed rose- 
 red, and her eyes were as twin stars then. She 
 lifted two white hands to his broad shoulders, and
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 211 
 
 there was no more debt between them when Fifi 
 came to call them in to breakfast. 
 
 The men-folk fumed and fretted all forenoon in 
 forced inaction. It would have been sheer mad- 
 ness to attempt a sortie, and yet each man among 
 them itched to propose that, to take part therein. 
 But common sense prevailed, and no one annoyed 
 his neighbour by suggesting an impossibility. 
 
 Their business was to get the women safely 
 to the coast, and at all costs they must attend 
 to that. 
 
 A sudden idea struck O'Dare and he communi- 
 cated it to Corbyn, who jumped at it with concen- 
 trated eagerness. 
 
 " Where did you say they signalled from ? " the 
 latter asked. " The south side ? Come along. 
 We'll find the tackle if it's anywhere about the 
 hacienda." 
 
 They had not far to look, for under a loose plank 
 in the piazza there, they discovered all the helio- 
 graph equipment used for communicating with 
 Alta Cruz when His Excellency happened to be at 
 the hacienda. 
 
 Corbyn carried the tripod out and O'Dare the 
 feather case containing the two mirrors. They set 
 the apparatus up, sighted it on the main-guard at 
 the ridge, and Corbyn, to whom such matters were 
 as an open book since he had qualified in army signal- 
 ling, sent an insistent call across to the enemy. 
 Within ten minutes there came back an answering
 
 flash, and he was soon holding conversation with 
 Don Ygnacio. 
 
 His first inquiry was as to Meggs. Meggs was 
 still alive. He asked if don Ygnacio would ex- 
 change him honourably for Gonzalez, but was in- 
 formed that he might hang the latter out of hand 
 himself, and so save don Ygnacio the trouble. It 
 seemed that don Ygnacio was not pleased with 
 his ex-spy. "'And as to the senor Meggs,'" 
 Corbyn read off mechanically, turning the text of 
 the flickering message into English for the benefit 
 of his listening men, " ' he will be shot at dawn 
 to-morrow. The rest of you will be treated 
 likewise when the time comes ! ' " 
 
 "We need waste no more words on him," said 
 Corbyn curtly. "I'll see whether I can't call up 
 Alta Cruz. Sariol might do something for us." 
 
 Before he could achieve his purpose it had been 
 forestalled, a message from the ridge forbidding the 
 city to answer any signals but those preceded by 
 the president's cipher; all he could do was to read 
 off the news that came thence to the camp, and, since 
 the bulk of that was also coded, he learned little. 
 
 Allardyce and O'Dare in turn took their com- 
 mander to one side in order to propound to him a 
 private plan whereby each might take Meggs' place, 
 or, failing that, lead a forlorn hope to his rescue. 
 It was, of course, impossible for Corbyn to coun- 
 tenance such a suggestion, or he would have gone 
 forth himself.
 
 A LOSING HAZARD 213 
 
 Fortune had called a forfeit, fixing on Gerald 
 Meggs to pay it. That he would do so with a good 
 grace no one doubted, and the irrevocable could not 
 be gainsaid, no matter what it might cost them to 
 look on inactively. 
 
 Notwithstanding all the platitudes with which 
 he met their plans, he himself went out again that 
 night with a handful of volunteers, and fought for 
 a full hour the force which had been set about his 
 stronghold after dusk for the precise purpose of 
 preventing such an outbreak. 
 
 When a new morning approached, there 
 were three wounded men for the besieged to tend 
 and that was all the reward they had won. These 
 were bestowed in a hastily improvised hospital un- 
 derground, and then their comrades gathered at 
 the cliff -edge, waiting there helpless while the few 
 minutes that held back dawn ticked swiftly away. 
 
 The circle on the plain below was drawing out 
 of range, and from the ridge there came a regiment 
 to reinforce it. 
 
 The doomed man's friends saw clearly through 
 their glasses all that passed. There was a band, 
 which played a dismal parody of the Dead March, 
 and, close behind it, a rough coffin on a cart. After 
 the cart there walked a woman, closely guarded. 
 
 Corbyn groaned aloud. " Poor chap, poor chap ! " 
 he said. "They might have given him a suit of 
 clothes. What an inhuman brute Ybarra is ! " 
 
 The sad procession halted midway between the
 
 214 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 opposing camps, and waited there until the troops 
 visible had massed upon it. They formed a hollow 
 square, and at its open side a dozen sappers had 
 soon dug a shallow grave. The woman stepped 
 toward it without hesitation, and stood facing the 
 firing party in the half-light, while an officer acting 
 as provost-marshal declaimed in a loud voice her 
 crime and its sentence. Faint echoes of his speech 
 reached on the rare atmosphere to the hacienda. 
 And while the men there were straining their ears 
 in the effort to catch a chance word, they heard a 
 cheery voice behind them, " Gad ! but I'm glad to 
 see you all again!" 
 
 It was Meggs himself who shook their hands 
 after they had got over their first fright. 
 
 " What's doing down there ? " he asked wonder- 
 ingly, and, even as he spoke, a thin, white, strag- 
 gling vapour wreathed the rifles of the firing party. 
 The woman in front of them fell forward on her 
 face and lay there, very still. A sudden, discordant 
 crackle sounded jarringly on the silence. And at 
 that moment Beatriz stepped out upon the piazza 
 beyond the untidy flower beds, ignorant of the 
 tragedy which had been played out below. 
 
 " Have you seen Fifi ? " she called in her sweet, 
 clear voice. "I can't find her anywhere." 
 
 But no one answered. All the others were eyeing 
 Meggs, who was looking blankly down at where a 
 dozen sappers were shovelling industriously.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 VON RUDOLF'S PROMISE 
 
 THE Tiger of San Benito was at his wits' end. 
 He did not know where to turn. 
 
 Only an hour ago he had escaped by the skin of 
 his teeth from his own impregnable stronghold, 
 which was now held against him, and with a suf- 
 ficient garrison, by the man he hated worst in all 
 the world. He knew that it would be impossible 
 to regain possession of the great natural fortress 
 by force of arms. While as for strategy Corbyn 
 had outshone him at all points save one. He rubbed 
 his hands, gloating over that, as he looked across 
 the camp-fire at the white pavilion wherein Beatriz 
 lay weeping. There was the prize for which the 
 American and he were striving. His one point was 
 worth more than all the others put together if he 
 could carry it through. But there was the trouble. 
 
 The death of dom Agustin had deprived him of 
 an ally indispensable. Until he could replace the 
 priest no binding ceremony could be celebrated, 
 and he knew better than to leave his cousin any 
 loophole of escape. Where there was property 
 concerned, and that in the United States, one could 
 215
 
 216 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 not be too careful that the due legal forms were all 
 complied with. 
 
 He planned and plotted, gnawing at his finger- 
 nails, with ever and anon a calculating glance at 
 his companion. He was lying in his chair, feet 
 stretched towards the fire, for all the world as if he 
 had been President of San Benito, Ygnacio Ybarra, 
 the impecunious cavalier of fortune. 
 
 Since Von Rudolf was his right-hand man in 
 matters military, he must still overlook the Aus- 
 trian's insouciance. For matters military were in 
 bad shape at that moment. The treasury was 
 empty, the troops dissatisfied. He must have 
 money, and that without a moment's loss of time. 
 He had pledged his word to the people that he 
 would bring a wealthy bride back from the Golden 
 Horseshoe. The marriage must take place with- 
 out delay. 
 
 He rose, his mind made up. 
 
 " I wish you'd find me a reliable escort, Karl," he 
 said. "I'm going to ride in to Alta Cruz and see 
 what Sancl's about. He's such an untrustworthy 
 scoundrel between ourselves. I'll bring a priest 
 back with me, and I must leave my cousin in 
 your care. It would be too unsafe to take her with 
 me to the capital." 
 
 Whereat the soldier scowled. He did not care 
 to stay in camp while there was any chance of active 
 movement. He cared still less to act as gaoler to a 
 pretty girl, and said so to Ybarra bluntly.
 
 VON RUDOLF'S PROMISE 217 
 
 "She will not worry you in any way," His Excel- 
 lency promised. "I shall be back before she 
 speaks to any one. I I have taken precautions 
 to keep her quiet." 
 
 Von Rudolf's scowl became a sneer, but he went 
 out without more words to pick men for the Presi- 
 dent's safe-guarding; and, later, watched the life- 
 guards ride away, without him for the first time 
 since he had enlisted them. 
 
 All next day he went to and fro in evil temper, 
 finding fault with everything. When night fell 
 again, he sat down alone to smoke until "Lights 
 out" should sound 
 
 Challoner, hot and dusty, came in from La Boca 
 on his motor bicycle before them. He knew Von 
 Rudolf, as he knew most of the men worth knowing 
 in those parts, and they sat down together to dis- 
 cuss events. Had the correspondent known that 
 the chief executive was in Alta Cruz he would not 
 have come so far in search of him. As it was, he 
 learned what he could from his companion, and 
 much of that surprised him. 
 
 The two of them were chatting amicably when 
 an escort brought in a woman, come from the /wz- 
 cienda to their outpost and asking for His Excel- 
 lency. In her Von Rudolf recognised Beatriz 
 Ybarra's bashful companion, while Challoner, his 
 face expressionless, but inwardly perturbed, arrived 
 at an altogether different conclusion as to her 
 identity.
 
 218 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 She seemed to be too shy to speak, and stood be- 
 fore them with downcast eyes, her face close hooded, 
 contenting herself with the delivery of an unsealed 
 note from Corbyn to the effect that dona Beatrix 
 would be the better of her companion's company. 
 
 Von Rudolf read it, and directed her to the pa- 
 vilion. He was well pleased to be relieved of a re- 
 sponsibility, for Beatriz had been invisible all day 
 and no one had intruded on her privacy. His 
 eyes followed the cloaked figure as it disappeared 
 within the porch. 
 
 "D'you know Vienna?" he asked Challoner in- 
 consequently, and the correspondent nodded. 
 
 "I used to know a girl like that there," said the 
 General, and sighed. It was so bitter to recall the 
 past, which could not be undone. 
 
 They separated shortly afterwards, and Challoner, 
 undressing in the tent assigned him, whistled shrilly 
 what he fondly thought was "The Last Rose of 
 Summer," till an adjacent sentry threatened to 
 shoot him if he didn't stop. 
 
 He stopped, and from the white pavilion came a 
 faint echo of the tune, which the sentry did not over- 
 hear. 
 
 The correspondent chuckled gleefully. "Right 
 again," he said to himself. "I thought I couldn't 
 have been mistaken. But he's a bold young scoun- 
 drel to thrust himself into the Tiger's claws like 
 this. I'll have to see whether I can't lend him a 
 hand before he finds himself ripped into shreds, as
 
 VON RUDOLF'S PROMISE 219 
 
 he will be whenever Ybarra appears. I wonder 
 whether he twigged me while he was standing there 
 looking down his nose like a school-girl; but he 
 acted his part pretty well, all the same. If I hadn't 
 caught sight of his feet I'd have had no suspicions." 
 
 He blew out the light, having made such dispo- 
 sitions as he considered necessary, and, after peer- 
 ing out, crept forth from under the skirt of the tent 
 at the back. The sentry was walking his beat, 
 well removed from all chance of eavesdropping on 
 the occupants of the pavilion. Challoner waited 
 till his back was turned and then crawled serpent- 
 like across the intervening space, bringing up in the 
 lee of the larger shelter. Under its soft white wall 
 he thrust a hand whose fingers held a calling card. 
 That was snatched from between them, and, pull- 
 ing a loose peg or two out of the ground, he slipped 
 through under the canvas, coming up on his knees 
 inside to discover Meggs, in his disguise, regarding 
 him with a genial grin. 
 
 They exchanged a hearty hand-clasp before Chal- 
 loner let loose on that reckless youth the vials of his 
 righteous wrath, which did not, however, seem to 
 disconcert his friend. 
 
 "Somebody had to do something, you see," said 
 Meggs blandly in self-defence, " and this seemed the 
 easiest way to get here." 
 
 "But how about getting back?" objected the 
 other. 
 
 "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,"
 
 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Meggs replied. " What's the news outside ? How 
 do things stand now ? " 
 
 Challoner told him all that he knew, and they 
 had their plan half formed before Von Rudolf's 
 coming forced him to take cover under the tiger-skin 
 rug on the floor at the back of the rocking-chair, 
 and made that plan so much more simple. 
 
 The General had grown restless, his brain was 
 busy with a train of thoughts which hurt, and he 
 had at last resolved to seek speech with the girl who 
 was so like one he had used to know in Vienna. 
 He could not believe that it was she, and yet the 
 resemblance had struck him repeatedly since he 
 had seen Fifi first at La Boca. He would ask her 
 outright, and so salve his unrest. 
 
 He was told to return, and did so, only to fall 
 unsuspectingly into the trap the two men had laid 
 for him in the interval. And all would have gone 
 well with their scheme but for Ybarra's over-early 
 arrival from Alta Cruz. 
 
 His Excellency had enjoyed a very stormy inter- 
 view with the Vice-President, and was all eagerness 
 to share the city news with the young soldier. And 
 he had brought a priest with him, what he had 
 heard having proven the urgent need of haste in 
 matters both matrimonial and financial. 
 
 Terrible, therefore, was his wrath when he dis- 
 covered that which had befallen. He raved and 
 raged, gnashing his teeth with that insane abandon 
 which had won for him the soubriquet he was so
 
 VON RUDOLF'S PROMISE 221 
 
 proud of. If there had been the slightest chance of 
 finding an efficient substitute for Karl Von Rudolf, 
 he would have had that innocent wrong-doer shot 
 instanter. And as for Challoner, very wide awake 
 behind his heavy eyelids and with a story of vio- 
 lent outrage on his liberty to tell, there were no 
 threats severe enough. Him they unbound and 
 banished back to Alta Cruz on his bicycle, without 
 a moment's grace. Then Meggs was brought in 
 captive, and placed in close confinement until the 
 Austrian should have recovered from the influence 
 of the opiate. 
 
 When Karl Von Rudolf came to himself, he dared 
 who would to twit him with the mischance he had 
 suffered. That he was bitterly ashamed of it went 
 without saying, but even Ybarra thought it better 
 to postpone the reprimand he merited until he 
 should have achieved a more meek and chastened 
 mood. Meantime a hasty field -court was convened 
 and a mock trial took place. Von Rudolf bore no 
 personal ill-will towards the prisoner for the auda- 
 cious part he had played, but confirmed with a feel- 
 ing of relief the finding which sentenced him to be 
 shot next morning. It would be just as convenient 
 to have him out of the way for the future. Dead 
 men tell no ridiculous tales. 
 
 His Excellency countersigned the death-warrant 
 without a word, and then turned his back on the 
 General. They two were on the worst of terms for 
 the time being. And while Ybarra was holding
 
 222 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 communication with Corbyn by heliograph, Von 
 Rudolf sought his tent, and stayed there waiting 
 for the wind to change. 
 
 The day passed drearily enough for him, and he 
 was not in any pleasant temper when, soon after 
 nightfall, he saw a guard once more bringing to- 
 wards his tent the cause of all his tribulation. 
 
 He sprang to his feet in anger and flushed up 
 furiously, believing it to be some ingenious device 
 of Ybarra's to put him to further shame. 
 
 But as the prisoner came to a halt before him, 
 and stood there trembling, unable to articulate, a 
 sudden flash of recollection flitted across his mind, 
 stemming the outflow of the hot rage in his heart. 
 For this was still more like the girl he had known. 
 It was the girl herself. 
 
 He set a seat for her. She took it thankfully, and, 
 after he had dismissed her escort with orders that 
 they and their comrades on outpost should keep 
 the strictest silence as to her entry, stepped aside 
 so that the light from the fire without should fall on 
 her face. 
 
 Then he shut his eyes to hide the hurt they 
 showed at sight of her. Long years had passed 
 since he had looked his last on the Hofburg, and 
 she had changed, as a maid will, since they had 
 paced its corridors together, but he knew now. 
 And she had known since the day on which he had 
 ushered her through the palace at Alta Cruz. 
 
 He set his heels together with a click of spurs and
 
 VON RUDOLF'S PROMISE 223 
 
 squared his shoulders: as he had been wont to do- 
 in that past which was weighing so heavily on them 
 both. A very handsome fellow he was as he stood 
 there in uniform, the firelight flickering on steel and 
 gold. 
 
 " In what can a Von Rudolf serve mademoiselle ?"" 
 he asked with careful courtesy, in formal French. 
 
 "I I had hoped to find a friend here, Karl," 
 she said, her tone so wistful that he winced; and 
 all his stiffness vanished. 
 
 "Fifi," he whispered pleadingly, on an over- 
 whelming impulse, " will you believe me if I tell you 
 that the fight was fair? God knows I did not 
 
 mean to kill Gustav What hope would there 
 
 have been of winning you across your brother's 
 grave ? but he pressed hard upon my point and his 
 foot slipped so that it pierced him to the heart. 
 
 "I would it had been I who " 
 
 She held a hand up and so silenced him. " Gus- 
 tav will share the blame when he and you cast count 
 together, Karl," she promised for the dead man. 
 "I know the fight was fair since it fell between 
 you and him. But oh! the pity of it." A sudden 
 sobbing shook her, and he turned away his head, 
 not knowing how he, her brother's murderer, might 
 comfort her. Life had gone very hard with both 
 of them since that dark day when Gustav Florian 
 had died at his hands beside the Danube. 
 
 "Is Stephan with you?" he asked, as she dried 
 her eyes, and fresh tears gathered while she an-
 
 224 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 swered, " Stephan died in New York not many days 
 ago. My poor Stephan! We suffered much to- 
 gether, he and I. He broke his heart in exile, and 
 and now I am the only Florian left. 
 
 " What of yourself, Karl ? " 
 
 He shook his head, and sighed. " I'm finished," 
 he said simply, "and with me the Von Rudolf line. 
 It is best so. 
 
 "Forget me, Fifi, and forgive me, if you can. 
 My life is one long punishment. 
 
 "Now you must go. I'll see you through the 
 lines somehow, and don't come back. Even with 
 me you are in gravest danger. I can't imagine how 
 you got here safely or why you came." 
 
 "I had no difficulty," she said simply. "The 
 American sentries at the stair had no authority to 
 stop me, and I came by the roadway to where your 
 men were stationed. I know no Spanish, but when 
 I spoke your name they seemed to understand. 
 They were most courteous. You have much power 
 among these people, Karl." 
 
 "I am commander-in-chief of the forces of San 
 Benito," he answered gravely. 
 
 " I came to ask a favour of you," she continued, 
 and for a moment he looked happier. Then his 
 brows bent again, as he remembered that a man 
 must die at dawn, and for the cause which claimed 
 her also. 
 
 " Fate has bereft me of all save my honour," he 
 said slowly. "Must I sell that as well to pay in
 
 VON RUDOLF'S PROMISE 225 
 
 part the debt I owe you ? Is there no other 
 way?" 
 
 She saw that he was not addressing her and re- 
 mained silent until his frown passed. But her heart 
 sank, for how could she ask him now to set the 
 prisoner free. 
 
 "If I could see the President," she urged, "per- 
 haps " 
 
 " It would not be for good," he assured her ear- 
 nestly. " His Excellency is inflamed against your 
 friends, and I am his servant." 
 
 He communed with himself again, and suddenly 
 his eyes lit up, his face cleared. He had seen sud- 
 denly how he might earn acquittance for the deed 
 which had sundered them two for all time. 
 
 "In spite of that," he said in a glad voice, "I 
 think yes, I can promise you the service you 
 require of me." 
 
 " That Mr. Meggs will not be not be shot ? " 
 
 "No, he will not be shot. I promise that. Now 
 come with me." 
 
 That night there was much traffic to and fro be- 
 tween the pickets, and the cordon about the besieged 
 was drawn closer each time that Von Rudolf went 
 the round, as he did at frequent intervals. A sortie 
 from the stairfoot was repulsed after hard fighting, 
 and then the garrison seemed satisfied that it was 
 hemmed in too effectually to have any hope of 
 breaking through. 
 
 His Excellency had decreed that Meggs should 
 15
 
 226 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 suffer the last penalty in the disguise with which he 
 had tricked the guileless General, and just before 
 daybreak Von Rudolf strode back from the stable 
 buildings beneath the hacienda to the camp on the 
 ridge to see that all was ready and atording to the 
 instructions promulgated. His orderly was with 
 him. 
 
 He passed into the guard-tent, sent the two ward- 
 ers there on watch away, and sat down beside Meggs. 
 
 Those outside could hear him conversing quietly 
 with their prisoner for a few minutes, ere Le called 
 the guard in again, and once more went afield 
 through the night, in the direction of the hacienda. 
 But with themselves the condemned would exchange 
 no word. 
 
 Ybarra was astir betimes and one of Von Rudolfs 
 underlings had charge of the parade which formed 
 up in the dark and started for the scene of execu- 
 tion in good time to reach it with the dawn. The 
 President intended to impress the foreigners on 
 watch above with the exactitude of justice as ad- 
 ministered by himself: and to express his displeas- 
 ure with Von Rudolf by the appointment of a sub- 
 ordinate to the stage-management of the display. 
 
 The man in woman's clothes and a long cloak 
 who walked, in the dim light, beside the cart which 
 held the coffin needed no help on that last stage of 
 his earthly journey. The black and yellow men of 
 the battalions rolled their eyes and nudged each 
 other as they watched him. They were no cowards
 
 VON RUDOLF'S PROMISE 227 
 
 in so far as fearing death went, and could appreci- 
 ate cool courage. 
 
 The square was formed and one side opened out 
 to let the bullets through. The sappers did their 
 hasty work with pick and shovel, the firing-party 
 took position as their target of his own accord passed 
 to the place appointed for him. 
 
 The priest performed his part, they theirs, and 
 then the body was consigned to an unconsecrated 
 grave. 
 
 And, from the cliff above, a bugler sounded the 
 Last Post, to mark a comrade's passing.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE BOTTOMLESS PIT 
 
 "WHERE'S Fifi," Meggs repeated stupidly. 
 " She's in the chapel. Von Rudolf had her hidden 
 in the stables she had been to his camp to plead 
 for me he helped me to escape in his own uniform 
 I brought her through the tunnel with me, and 
 his orderly an Austrian came with us. 
 
 "But they've shot some one in my place. Who 
 was it ? " 
 
 Fifi came forth from where she had been praying, 
 and with her was Von Rudolf's servant. 
 
 He looked up at the sun, showing above the 
 Horseshoe rim, and down to where the sappers were 
 still shovelling. 
 
 "My master, Count Von Rudolf, sent me here," 
 he said, with military brevity, and most respect- 
 fully, "to say that he has kept his promise to the 
 Fraulein Florian, and will have no more need of 
 me. I am to hold myself at her disposal." 
 
 Meggs turned with twitching lips and laid a hand 
 on Corbyn's arm. 
 
 "Von Rudolf took my place, then," he said 
 
 brokenly. "If I had God! If I had only 
 
 known in time!" 
 
 228
 
 THE BOTTOMLESS PIT 229 
 
 Fifi had heard the message, seen the messenger's 
 mute gesture, and she also understood. A hope- 
 less horror of the web of fate struck at her heart. 
 Hot tears rose to her eyes. And Beatriz Ybarra 
 also fell a-weeping as she heard how a gallant gen- 
 tleman had paid the price of honour, settling the 
 debit of an accidental death with his own life. 
 
 They went away together to the altar. And Von 
 Rudolf's restless soul was surely none the worse of 
 their pure prayers. 
 
 The next news from the ridge came in the shape 
 of a plugged shell which whistled past the watchers 
 on the cliff and struck the main tower of the 
 hacienda. 
 
 Corbyn looked round at the cloud of falling plas- 
 ter, and caught Allardyce's eye. 
 
 "That was a good shot," he said coolly, glad to 
 be thus recalled from his mournful self -communing. 
 "His Excellency's gunners have improved since I 
 last saw their practice." 
 
 "I know who fired it," O'Dare broke in. "He 
 has a German snake called Schweitzer in his em- 
 ployment, who was on board the Mariposa with us; 
 a perfect marvel with explosives of all sorts. Yes, 
 it was he who sank the Hilario ; it took a second 
 shot, because I spoiled his first for him." 
 
 "They can't do us much harm," said Corbyn, 
 "and if they blow the buildings about too much 
 we've bomb-proof shelter for an army underground." 
 
 "But we don't want to stay here all our lives,"
 
 230 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 objected Allardyce, "and I can see no way out 
 while they want to keep us in. 
 
 "It's like Gibraltar in a great cock -pit; safe 
 enough, but sure to become monotonous." 
 
 A second shell with the plug drawn bit viciously 
 at the bare rock beneath them. The air was filled 
 with fragments of flying metal, splinters of stone. 
 But these fell back into space. 
 
 "Six feet too low," Corbyn remarked critically, 
 "and just as well for us that it was. We'll dig a 
 shelter-trench for the lookout to-night; and mean- 
 time we'll take cover. They've spotted us, and, if 
 friend Schweitzer drops a calling-card in our midst, 
 there will be trouble." 
 
 They scattered and crept by circuitous routes into 
 the chapel stairway, which w r as roofed in by solid 
 rock, where they swore in their new recruit, Von 
 Rudolf's man, and, having assigned him to safe 
 duty, held anxious consultation as to their next move. 
 
 " We have a fighting force of twenty-two all told," 
 said Corbyn, "including him; three wounded men; 
 two women. Our food supply is very scanty, and 
 there seems small hope of increasing it. Water is 
 plentiful, but we can't live long on that alone. 
 
 "We can't afford to make a dash for liberty lest 
 we should lose all we have gained so far, and, fur- 
 thermore, we have no means of transportation. 
 
 "In short we can't stay here, and neither can 
 we get away. 
 
 " Who can suggest a remedy ? "
 
 THE BOTTOMLESS PIT 231 
 
 For some time no one spoke; then Allardyce had 
 an inspiration and expressed it eagerly. 
 
 "There's not much chance for us outside/' he 
 agreed. " Why not try inside ! 
 
 "The tunnel to the stable's very simple now we 
 know it, and there may be other " 
 
 " You're thinking of that horrible hole we skirted 
 on our way up," Meggs interrupted, and the other 
 nodded. 
 
 "And of the water-gate through the ridge," he 
 continued. "The country around here's all vol- 
 canic; a crack or crevice may lead anywhere or 
 nowhere. 
 
 " It's worth while rooting about below." 
 
 "Let's have Gonzalez in," suggested Meggs, 
 "and put him through the third degree about the 
 Golden Horseshoe. I'll bet he knows all the back- 
 doors there are. 
 
 "But let me tell you one thing: the water-gate's 
 well guarded now. They must have found your 
 horses, too. While I was in their hands I saw them 
 working at a fresh entrenchment on the ridge above 
 the reservoir, just where the stream runs through." 
 
 A muffled crash told them that the bombardment 
 was still going forward, but they were not con- 
 cerned as to the damage being done Ybarra's prop- 
 erty, and all their men were safely bestowed. Cor- 
 byn and Allardyce crossed to the stairway, where 
 their main-guard had its quarters and brought 
 Gonzalez back with them.
 
 232 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 The spy was very servile now and could not do 
 enough for them. The fear that they would turn 
 him over to the Tiger was ever before his eyes, and 
 he was voluble in his assurances that he would tell 
 them every secret of the underground. 
 
 But all that he could tell them proved of little 
 practical assistance. The tunnel was the only 
 secret exit from the hacienda, and he had never heard 
 of any attempt to plumb the abyss therein. 
 
 " We'll let you down in a rope if you'd like to try 
 it," Allardyce said laughingly, but to the traitor 
 there was no jest in the idea, and his knees knocked 
 under him while he was begging that they would 
 not thus torture him. 
 
 "It is the open door of hell," he whispered with 
 pale lips. "Many have passed within, but none 
 come out again. And sometimes there is heat, and 
 smoke, and voices crying even His Excellency was 
 afraid " 
 
 Corbyn smiled at the ingenuous implication, and 
 they got rid of Gonzalez. 
 
 " How are we off for rope ? " he asked, and O'Dare, 
 upon whom had devolved a quartermaster's duties, 
 answered, " Hundreds of yards. One of the barns 
 behind is stocked like a sailmaker's shop. 
 
 " Let's have a shot at the bottle, Corbyn. What 
 do you say ? I claim first shy." 
 
 "Some of us must stay here, and I don't know. 
 Well, there's no harm in trying; but be very cau- 
 tious.
 
 233 
 
 " Take men enough to pull you up again. Meggs 
 may go with you to take charge of them. You'd 
 better stay with me, Allardyce, and there's another 
 shell. We must be watchful lest they should attack 
 us unawares." 
 
 Allardyce was disappointed, in that the idea had 
 occurred to him and he had intended to volunteer 
 for the trial trip. But he kept silence and the other 
 two went off with all celerity to carry out their 
 purpose. 
 
 They levied on the barn of which O'Dare had 
 spoken for sufficient rope to reach below ground 
 level from the height of the hacienda, enlisted from 
 among the men a sufficient number of sympathizers, 
 took with them lamps and candles, and passed 
 down the tunnel to the bottle-mouth. 
 
 "We'll cross and work it from the other side," 
 said Meggs, looking distastefully into the ominous 
 opening. 
 
 " We'll have more purchase for a long pull on the 
 down-grade. But first I'll send a scout down ahead 
 of you to find out if there's any foul air below." 
 
 He lowered a lighted candle set in a triangle of 
 wire at the end of a thin cord and paid out all there 
 was in the hank he held, while O'Dare, peering after 
 it from the edge of the gallery, reported its progress. 
 
 "Yes, it's still burning," he remarked, when 
 Meggs had reached the end of his long line and 
 drawn the light up again. "The atmosphere's all 
 right, but it must be a devil of a depth."
 
 234 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "I'll let the whole thing drop," responded the 
 other. "The sound should be audible, I think." 
 
 He let the line go, and O'Dare listened most in- 
 tently, but no echo whatsoever came up to him. 
 
 He screwed up his nose and clapped his hands 
 together. 
 
 "It's eerie, isn't it!" he said. "Come on across 
 and help me tie myself in a safe knot." 
 
 Meggs would fain have urged him not to go 
 further in the matter, but knew better than to con- 
 firm him in his resolution by doing so. However, 
 he reserved in his own mind the right to pull him 
 up when he thought proper. 
 
 And presently O'Dare slipped gently over the 
 lower lip in a reclining posture, securely fastened 
 to the rope that Meggs and his assistants were 
 slowly paying out. With him he had a lamp and 
 in his pockets plentiful candles. A signal line was 
 made fast to the rope at a point well within his 
 reach. 
 
 "Yes, I'm safely over," he called back to them. 
 "The edge is smooth as ice there's no fear of the 
 rope fraying. Lower away now till I signal Stop, 
 and, Jerry! Don't pull me up before I'm ready." 
 
 They paid out foot by foot the long coil they had 
 laid out on the steps behind them, and with each 
 went an equal length of signal line. Meggs kept 
 his hand on that, and when, after what seemed an 
 endless interval, no sign came from below, he made 
 his crew hold fast.
 
 THE BOTTOMLESS PIT 235 
 
 They did so; three strong tugs brought the com- 
 mand "Lower away." Unwillingly did Meggs 
 comply, and, when they had to stop to splice a fresh 
 length to the depleted coil, the three tugs thrice re- 
 peated showed how impatient to proceed was the 
 explorer. 
 
 "Confound him!" Meggs snapped, his mind 
 divided between annoyance and anxiety. "If he's 
 not satisfied with fifty or a hundred feet more we'll 
 yank him up out of that." 
 
 But, notwithstanding, he had allowed the limit to 
 pass before from out of the depths a single pull said 
 "Stop." 
 
 Corbyn and Allardyce had not been idle while 
 the other two were busy. They timed the shells 
 and found that they were arriving at fairly regular 
 intervals of five minutes. Waiting till one had 
 fallen and exploded they reached the open air, and 
 set out on a tour of inspection. 
 
 At the stairway all was well. The men within 
 the solid walls at top were sitting under shelter, 
 passing the time at cards with cartridges for cur- 
 rency. There was no superfluity of ammunition 
 among them now. An extra round might well 
 mean life itself ere they were through. Which added 
 zest to the uncertainty of euchre. 
 
 At the loopholes on ground-level the lookouts 
 were alert, but there was nothing to be seen on the 
 wide expanse before them, and on either hand the 
 plain lay empty till the sheer, shoe-shaped rock, face
 
 236 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 shut it in. Round the circular curve of their great 
 natural fortress they could not of course see, but 
 even although the huts and barns and houses there 
 had been alive with men it would not have dis- 
 turbed their equanimity. 
 
 They clambered up the winding stair again, and, 
 always watchful for the shrieking missiles which 
 came hurtling out of space with such monotonous 
 attachment to a set time, passed through the wrecked 
 rooms underneath the brick and plaster tower, 
 reaching the outhouses behind without mischance. 
 
 There they found much to interest them among 
 the medley of pseudo-scientific playthings with 
 which, it appeared, Ybarra had been wont to amuse 
 himself during his frequent sojourns at the hacienda. 
 There was a great profusion of ill-kept chemical 
 apparatus, broken machinery, drawings, models, of 
 every modern ambition from air-ships to armoured 
 motor-cars and quick-firing cannon. 
 
 AUardyce poked and pried among them, noting 
 everything that might serve any practical purpose, 
 and one of his finds called forth an exclamation of 
 satisfaction so fervent that Corbyn, who had been 
 frowning perplexedly over the scantlings of a minia- 
 ture flying -machine, jumped round to see what had 
 happened. The Englishman was stooping over a 
 stack of strangely shaped cylinders which occupied 
 one corner of the adjoining chamber. He rose as 
 his friend came forward, and "Corbyn, old chap," 
 said he, "this looks like the left bower to me.
 
 THE BOTTOMLESS PIT 237 
 
 Ybarra's kept two or three good cards up his 
 sleeve." 
 
 Corbyn looked carefully, first at the cylinders, 
 then at the corner opposite, and jotted some figures 
 down in his note-book as Allardyce had already done. 
 
 " It would be a deadly risk," he muttered reflect- 
 ively, "but we'll see, Allardyce. I wish we had 
 a flying-machine like that model in there." 
 
 " If we had the Tiger would have good cause to 
 grit his teeth," answered the Englishman. 
 
 They resumed their perquisition, ransacking 
 every nook before they were satisfied. And after 
 that they made a tour of inspection round the rim 
 of their plateau, peering down from convenient 
 points on the buildings underneath the overhanging 
 ledge at the back, talking over their find. They 
 finished at the garden-front, where they found their 
 troop-sergeant stretched at his ease in the long 
 grass, audibly cursing the contrariety of the dice 
 with which he had been diverting himself since he 
 had lost interest in Schweitzer's gun-play. 
 
 Allardyce sat down beside him, and Corbyn went 
 back to headquarters on the chapel-stairs, there to 
 make endless calculations on the basis of the ciphers 
 in his note-book. He finished, and, as he leaned 
 back, tapping his teeth with his pencil in cogitation, 
 his forehead wrinkled, he heard the two girls come 
 down the aisle within from the altar. A sudden 
 inspiration came to him, and, as he pulled the door 
 open for them, his face was radiant.
 
 38 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " Can you sew, Beatriz ? " he asked. " Fifi, are 
 you any sort of needlewoman ? " 
 
 They smiled, somewhat surprisedly, and an- 
 swered that they would most willingly display such 
 skill in that capacity as they possessed. 
 
 " I'll make a contract with you, then," he sug- 
 gested jocularly, "at a fair price per foot. Time 
 is our money, and I'll shorten your imprisonment 
 here by half an hour for each inch you turn out. 
 
 * Wait till the next shell strikes and I'll show you 
 what's to do." 
 
 Allardyce focussed his field-glasses on the ridge, 
 and, for a time, sat silent, watching the group about 
 the gun, which he was able to locate the first time 
 that the flash of smokeless powder announced the 
 despatch of another shell. He saw the gun-squad 
 sponging out, and, after they had reloaded, they 
 crossed to another piece, which presently belched 
 flame. Four more were fired, and then the first 
 again. 
 
 " They've a complete field-battery trained on us," 
 he remarked to McGuire, "and they've got the 
 range to a nicety. When the time comes they'll let 
 us have it hot and strong." 
 
 "Faith, thin, I've always liked it best that way!" 
 replied the* Irishman, a twinkle in his eyes, "whether 
 'twas soup or shindy or potheen. It's thirsty work 
 this waiting, Misther Allardyce." 
 
 "I don't think we'll have long to wait now,' r 
 Allardyce returned. "They're forming their men
 
 THE BOTTOMLESS PIT 
 
 up a full parade, both horse and foot. Yes, we'll 
 see something doing shortly." 
 
 He kept his eyes glued to the glasses, and McGuire 
 gave up his game of matching right hand against 
 left to stare through the hot sunshine at the ridge. 
 
 "I wish you'd see if you can find the Captain," 
 Allardyce said at length. "Tell him the other 
 camp is all astir, and that I think they mean to 
 march this way. I'll wait here till you get back." 
 
 McGuire saluted with precision and went on his 
 errand in great glee. He signalled to the stairhead 
 as he passed that they might presently find more 
 exciting occupation than the dealing of cold decks, 
 while Allardyce, on watch, observed the start of 
 the advance he had anticipated, and all the time 
 Schweitzer's slow minute-guns maintained their 
 service. 
 
 A company marched out of camp and halted on 
 the plain. Another followed it, and drew up at 
 some distance to the rear. 
 
 The Englishman gave vent to a disgusted grunt 
 as he saw what came next a battery of guns, but 
 horsed and manned; which showed that there were 
 two of them at least at the besiegers' disposal. 
 With them there were two troops of cavalry, and 
 close behind another company of foot. 
 
 That column started on the war-path and a fresh 
 one formed on its ground. 
 
 "Three complete batteries!'* commented Allar- 
 dyce. "A thousand men to wipe out twenty-one?
 
 240 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 My sainted aunt! but they're a bold lot in San 
 Benito. Where's Corbyn ? I wish McGuire would 
 get a move on." 
 
 The supporting column followed the advance, 
 and, in its place, appeared a third and last, which, 
 at due intervals, came on in rear. 
 
 "They think they're going to scare us stiff," the 
 watcher whispered to himself, "with fifteen hun- 
 dred men. I don't think any one could ask a pret- 
 tier proposition. Things will be far from peaceful 
 presently. 
 
 " What's that, McGuire ? " 
 
 "There's something wrong in the tunnel, sor," 
 that breathless messenger repeated, "and Captain 
 Corbyn has gone down to see about it. 
 
 " He'll be with you immejitly." 
 
 Allardyce rose and ran, under an urgent impulse 
 to discover for himself whether or no O'Dare was 
 safe, but duty still more urgent plucked at his 
 shoulder, turning his face toward the main-guard, 
 where the brunt of any onfall must be borne. 
 
 The men there had their rifles ready and looked 
 up with eager eyes as he appeared. 
 
 " Yes, they'll be at us soon," he said in answer to 
 their inquiries. "Whenever you see Captain Cor- 
 byn tell him I'm with the quarter-guard below." 
 
 He hurried through them, down the interminable 
 steps, to where the four men at the stairfoot were 
 peering out at the approaching army. Its leading 
 column came on stolidly to well within short rifle-
 
 THE BOTTOMLESS PIT 241 
 
 range, and then he sent a single warning shot towards 
 them. 
 
 They halted, and took open order, but with in- 
 different slowness. Their battery unlimbered and 
 the guns were laid. One shell, placed properly, 
 must have made the stairfoot a shambles. 
 
 But the time was not yet. 
 
 The second and third columns had disappeared 
 behind the hacienda ere a bugle sounded from in 
 front of Allardyce's post, and there rode forward 
 one who carried a long lance with a white flag atop. 
 Another cantered at his heels, without arms. 
 
 They came on fearlessly and Allardyce went out 
 to meet them, saluting courteously as Ygnacio 
 Ybarra drew rein. 
 
 "I wish to speak with Corbyn, the American,'* 
 the President began abruptly. "Send word to him 
 that " 
 
 "I represent him here, senor," answered the 
 younger man. 
 
 Ybarra looked down at him from under lowering 
 brows. "You will have learned to obey me with- 
 out question before long," he said, and his tone 
 was very menacing. But the implied threat did 
 not seem to disconcert its object, and evoked no 
 reply. 
 
 "Tell him," continued His Excellency, "that I 
 came here from motives of clemency, that he might 
 have a last chance to surrender and so escape in 
 
 part the punishment he merits. That " 
 
 16
 
 242 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "I think that you had better get back to your 
 lines, in that case," said a suave voice, and Corbyn 
 stepped out at Allardyce's side. "Mere words, 
 from you, have little meaning, and we're ready." 
 
 The President of San Benito glared most mur- 
 derously at his arch-enemy, muttered some blas- 
 phemy beneath his beard, and, wheeling his horse 
 with one cruel wrench of the wrist, galloped back to 
 the guns. 
 
 "Make fire!" he screamed, and at the order all 
 six fuses snapped simultaneously. A single ex- 
 plosion rent the air, while the shells spattered on the 
 rock around the stairfoot, and, at that signal, both 
 the other columns opened fire from the positions 
 they had taken up, while from the ridge hummed 
 chilled steel bolts which fell upon the hacienda in an 
 infernal hail. 
 
 Corbyn, on his way up the winding stair with 
 Allardyce at his elbow and his men preceding him, 
 heard the shrapnel burst in the guard-chamber 
 underneath. 
 
 " We're going to be very busy," he opined, " and 
 at an inconvenient moment. 
 
 "Poor Denny's missing, Allardyce, and I'm 
 afraid " 
 
 " Not in the pit ! Not in the pit ! " 
 
 ''Yes, in the pit."
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 IN DESPERATION 
 
 YGNACIO YBARRA felt that he was being hardly 
 used by fate. Scarcely had he set foot in camp on 
 his return from witnessing the execution which had 
 afforded him such lively satisfaction when he dis- 
 covered on his desk a most astounding message 
 from the dead man. 
 
 It told him, in curt terms, that his most trusted 
 General had, for some reason unexplained, but 
 doubtless foolishly quixotic, assumed the guise of 
 the condemned, ransomed him with his own life. 
 
 He had feared and disliked Von Rudolf, had 
 always intended to rid himself of the Austrian; but 
 not before he should have made full use of him. 
 To lose him thus and in the midst of crisis was mad- 
 dening. It was as though the servant had dis- 
 missed his master, and that when his master needed 
 his services most. His Excellency, biting his nails 
 in impotent anger, growled like a beast as he glared 
 at the paper before him. He dared not tell the 
 troops of the mistake made in the dusk of dawn, 
 lest they should turn and rend him because of it. 
 
 Von Rudolf had been far more popular among 
 248
 
 244 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 the men than he, and since the pay-chest had run 
 dry, only the dead man's popularity had held to- 
 gether the regiments on the ridge. These had been 
 reinforced by guns and cavalry, but there was dis- 
 content and insubordination among all arms and 
 the sole salve for these was money. 
 
 He had been counting on the insurance money 
 due him for the Hilario to tide him over till he 
 could lay hands on his recalcitrant cousin again, 
 but that the New York underwriters refused to pay, 
 holding that a man who is foolish enough to insure 
 a ship and then sink her deliberately is well off if 
 he escape prosecution for conspiracy to defraud. 
 
 He knew only too well that no more was to be 
 wrung from his impoverished country, and since 
 Quentin Sariol had been at work its foreign credit 
 also had been cut short. He cursed Don Quentin 
 savagely in all his works and ways, and fate re- 
 warded him with a long cipher message from Alta 
 Cruz, in which the Vice-President explained that 
 the Red Revolution had achieved proportions un- 
 believable, that he felt quite incapable of coping 
 with it, and that it would be for the good of all 
 concerned if President Ybarra would tear himself 
 away from his private affairs at the hacienda and 
 once more take up the cares of state. There was 
 even a veiled threat in the wording of it, and a 
 postscript, which conveyed the news that a strong 
 insurgent force had surrounded the capital, asked 
 instant and explicit instructions.
 
 IN DESPERATION 245 
 
 "The dog!" His Excellency snarled when he had 
 mastered this. " He knows that I am tied here and 
 is shaping matters so that, if I seem to shirk issue 
 with the Reds, he may step into may shoes and make 
 terms with them for his own advancement. But 
 there is only room for one ruler in San Benito ! I'll 
 show him that the Tiger has sharp teeth as well as 
 claws." 
 
 He took deep thought and called a council of the 
 senior officers, sour and unsmiling men with many 
 grievances, to whom he put the matter with engaging 
 frankness. 
 
 "Our friend, Von Rudolf," he said smilingly, 
 " has had to leave us at an anxious time, but I could 
 not spare any of you others, and it will be for a few 
 days only. 
 
 "Meantime and until he gets back with the gold 
 he has gone for, I have decided to advance out of 
 my private pocket a sufficient sum to settle all out- 
 standing pay-sheets. 
 
 "The savings of a lifetime spent in the service 
 of our country are insignificant, but all that there 
 is I shall devote to the reduction of the debt I owe 
 you and your men." 
 
 Encouraged by the signs of approval which 
 greeted this most welcome and unexpected statement, 
 he went on smoothly: "Don Quentin Sariol sends 
 word that the Reds have besieged Alta Cruz. Our 
 duty calls us thither. I would not have it said that 
 we, responsible for the good government of our
 
 246 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 afflicted Fatherland, were absent from its capital cat 
 such a moment. I put it to you frankly, whether we 
 should leave those filibustering foreigners in full 
 possession of the Golden Horseshoe, wherein, un- 
 fortunately for us all, are locked away my poor 
 resources against poverty, or, seize the hacienda 
 first and then " 
 
 "If you have funds concealed there, in God's 
 name let us storm the place," broke in a grizzled 
 colonel of artillery. "Alta Cruz will be too hot to 
 hold us if we march back with empty pockets, with 
 neither cash nor credit." 
 
 "Well said," agreed an officer of cavalry whose 
 threadbare uniform proclaimed his impecunious 
 plight. 
 
 The others growled unanimous assent. "Our 
 men are mutinous and disaffected," they said bluntly. 
 " While there is treasure hidden in the Jiacienda we 
 stay here." 
 
 "But we must act," Ybarra argued. "What 
 boots it to sit still and blow my buildings into 
 ruins ! " 
 
 "Let us attack then," snapped their spokesman. 
 " Are twenty men to hold at bay an army ? " 
 
 His Excellency rose, well pleased that he had 
 gained a point of such importance by a stratagem 
 so simple. He had been half afraid that, knowing 
 him for what he was, they would desert his standard. 
 Their gullibility, in spite of past experience, gave 
 him fresh confidence.
 
 IN DESPERATION 247 
 
 "We will attack within the hour," he said deci- 
 sively, " with our full fighting force. Sheer weight 
 of numbers will enable us to overwhelm the enemy. 
 Let your men know that, once we hold the Jiacienda, 
 there will be ample funds wherewith to satisfy their 
 just demands with interest in the shape of a 
 month's pay additional for all ranks. And, in Von 
 Rudolf's absence, I shall lead in person. I hold 
 the only key to the position." 
 
 He watched them hasten off, and, as one after 
 another reached his lines and spread the glad news 
 without ceremony, there arose a dull buzz which 
 presently broke into a thin, crackling semblance 
 of applause. 
 
 " Viva el Presidente! " was its burden, and don 
 Ygnacio, standing at his tent-door, smiled with 
 sardonic pleasure as he saw the train that he had 
 lit burn without further blowing on his part. 
 
 He meant to make his promise good if that were 
 absolutely necessary, after the place was taken, by 
 forcing Beatriz to sign a draft upon her bankers 
 for the few thousand dollars it would take to keep 
 his troops in temper. What plunder he had hidden 
 in the hacienda was in the shape of bonds and share 
 certificates which he could not by any means negotiate 
 while he held office. And, furthermore, they formed 
 the nucleus of that capital with which he hoped, 
 when he had added a sufficiency, to make himself 
 more or less independent of his cousin's millions. 
 His final goal was Paris, where it would not be
 
 248 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 pleasant to exist quite on sufferance and at the 
 caprice of a wealthy wife. 
 
 He turned into the tent and got himself into a 
 gorgeous uniform in time to inspect the miniature 
 columns as they marched past on their way to the 
 parade-ground. 
 
 The ragged rank and file glanced up to where he 
 stood as they went by, and he could see how much 
 the prospect he had held out had encouraged them. 
 They were all eager for the fray, had no fear of de- 
 feat. Those left behind to guard the ridge were 
 grumbling for that they were not to take part in the 
 killing that was toward. 
 
 He took his place in front of the first column, and 
 the advance commenced. At the last moment he 
 thought fit to attempt a bloodless victory, and rode 
 into the stairfoot to demand surrender. It would 
 have given him much more pleasure to hang the 
 garrison piecemeal afterwards than to dispose of 
 them from a distance in bulk. But his interview 
 with Allardyce and Corbyn upset his temper terribly, 
 and then the guns began to thunder. He knew 
 that most of their fire was ineffectual, but counted 
 on its moral effect to frighten the besieged before 
 it should be time to assault the stairway, while every 
 single man that the shells should dispose of would 
 be one less to withstand the stormers there. 
 
 A ceaseless shower from Schweitzer's battery on 
 the ridge was falling on the flat table-land above, 
 and segregating the two parties into which the de-
 
 IN DESPERATION 249 
 
 fence had perforce fallen. One of which held the 
 stairway, while the other was confined to the chapel 
 passage whereby the tunnel entrance might be 
 reached. Between them there was no communica- 
 tion possible while the cruel shrapnel swept the 
 intervening space. 
 
 Ybarra left his own gun-squads hard at work, and 
 cantered round to where his second column was 
 directing its fire at the cliff-edge above the stables. 
 It angered him sorely that he should have to disclose 
 his cherished secret, but, since that must be, he would 
 be prompt about it. 
 
 "Lay two guns on the centre of that ivy-patch 
 beyond the middle roof," he ordered. "There lies 
 the passage by which we must gain footing on the 
 plateau." 
 
 Two or three bursting shells tore the green screen 
 apart, and then they sent in solid shot until, upon 
 the bare rock-face, there showed a black spot which 
 was the tunnel entrance. 
 
 A nod from him and word went spurring to begin 
 the assault on the stairway, while he slipped from his 
 saddle, and went forward afoot with the infantry 
 who were to enter by his private access. From the 
 third column, idle at the rear, either of those actively 
 engaged could obtain reinforcement at short notice. 
 The field-guns had ceased fire, but those on the ridge 
 maintained their raking and continuous discharge. 
 
 The little, wiry linesmen raced each other to the 
 stairfoot, and went swarming up, regardless of the
 
 250 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 certain death which waited those who led as soon as 
 they should turn the corner which concealed the 
 strangely silent enemy. Their fellows following 
 were thrusting forward. A seething wave went 
 swirling upwards until its crest came into contact with 
 a sheet of flame, and broke, and toppled over, and 
 fell back, blood red. 
 
 Allardyce and his men had held their hands until 
 time's clock ticked out the crucial moment. 
 
 And then began a battle such as no man would 
 take part in twice of his own choice. A battle as 
 between wild beasts penned into a close cage, while 
 the dead weight of multitudes of others pressed them 
 to such close contact that it was barely possible to 
 move. For those above had built a battlement of 
 boulders which completely blocked the narrow way, 
 and four of them were fighting on the outside, while 
 from within and overhead there spat the vicious 
 sparks before which men with glaring eyeballs 
 bowed blindly down, and were trampled underfoot 
 ere they could rise again. 
 
 Therewith an outcry as of hell itself let loose, a 
 shrill, insistent, wailing discord keyed to the utter- 
 most of agony. 
 
 The four in front were working with clubbed 
 carbines and for a time they managed to keep foot- 
 hold clear, but, from behind the writhing heap about 
 their feet, one of the storming-party managed to pull 
 trigger and one of Allardyce's men fell limply forward. 
 
 " Climb back ! " he shouted to the other two, and
 
 IN DESPERATION 251 
 
 they obeyed while he beat off the hands that would 
 have held them by the heel. The muzzles at his 
 shoulders belched, and, while the gap their bullets 
 made about him still endured, he in turn was pulled 
 upwards into temporary safety. 
 
 Immediately the wave crest surged against the 
 barricade, rose and curled foaming down the slope, 
 came on again with the same sullen fury. But it 
 had plucked another of the defenders from off their 
 slippery breakwater. He dived, head foremost, 
 disappeared in the dark undertow, a shapeless pulp. 
 Until, at length, the tide's resistless strength over- 
 topped every obstacle, lapped to the barrier-lip, 
 splashed down within. 
 
 Ybarra's men had met with no resistance at the 
 tunnel mouth, but found the inner door securely 
 closed against them. Sappers were ordered for- 
 ward, and these soon had that demolished. Beyond 
 it, all was dark. They did not dare to show a light 
 lest it should bring down on them so much the earlier 
 the inevitable tempest. Shoulder to shoulder they 
 crept upwards, carrying ladders with them to bridge 
 the gulf ahead. Once started there was no stop 
 possible. The solid phalanx was kept moving by 
 the relentless pressure at its base. It almost seemed 
 as though they might pass unmolested when, without 
 warning, death came whistling down the tunnel. 
 
 The echo of the carbines up above, intensified in 
 that Cimmerian burrow, was like the crack of doom. 
 A groan of horror mingled with it. But for those
 
 252 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 who must face them there was no release, and itx* 
 by foot they were pushed forward. 
 
 The first discharge had done small damage, how- 
 ever. The bullets splashed and ricochetted on the 
 walls, filling the air with flying splinters which cut 
 deep but did not kill. It is not easy to aim truly in 
 gross darkness. Wherefore, and also to avoid dis- 
 covering their whereabouts, the men in front did 
 not fire back. 
 
 One or two fell before the fusillade that was kept 
 up against them, but others took their places, and 
 when these in turn had borne the brunt there was 
 no lack of bearers for the ladders. Their only hope 
 now lay in emerging from the trap they had so 
 blindly entered. One slipped and fell, but forwards, 
 and another followed him. Their screams came 
 from below, and it was obvious that this was where 
 the ladders must be laid. It cost a dozen more 
 lives to lay them evenly from edge to slippery edge 
 of the pit-mouth, but, that accomplished, fifty men 
 out of a hundred scrambled over. And the last was 
 Ybarra. By his direction the remainder halted 
 and lay down. They were to reinforce him when 
 he should have gained the crypt, and meantime he 
 himself need not be forced forward by them, while, 
 if the fifty failed, he would avail himself of the alcove- 
 like gallery as to whose existence all were ignorant 
 except himself, and thence throw further forces 
 forward until the day was won. 
 
 He felt his way along the ledge, and, sheltered
 
 IN DESPERATION 253 
 
 there from any risk of a stray shot, listened intently 
 to the turmoil raging beyond. A sulphurous stench 
 assailed his nostrils, and he was almost deafened 
 by the uproar, but over all he heard the sound of 
 sobs from underneath and shivered as he thought of 
 the black gulf there. 
 
 Ten men were far too few to hold the tunnel, and 
 there were only ten to withstand the assault. Cor- 
 byn, Meggs, and eight others had made up their 
 minds to do or die in the pitch darkness, and they 
 were very busy doing. 
 
 One of them fell and then another as the fifty 
 fought them backwards step by step. They gave way, 
 to charge down again, regaining their lost ground, 
 but every enemy they overbore was speedily replaced, 
 while the two gaps in their own ranks could not be 
 filled, and very shortly a third occurred, leaving 
 them only seven strong. 
 
 The odds were too unequal, and, in spite of the 
 most desperate efforts, they were unable to hold 
 their own. Inch after inch they ceded. Meggs 
 slipped and fell among the ensanguined moving 
 bodies over which the combat was perforce conducted, 
 and the remaining six knew that their plight was 
 practically hopeless. They were already at the 
 crypt door. Three of them passed through and re- 
 loaded, firing point blank over their comrades* 
 heads into the swarm beyond, and, by the flash, 
 saw that a fresh detachment of troops was on the 
 point of crossing the chasm.
 
 254 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Corbyn had opened his mouth to bid the others 
 back through and leave him, when there came 
 rumbling upwards out of the very bowels of eartn 
 the blast of a most soul-sickening explosion. 
 
 Ybarra's ears had been throbbing to the infernal 
 din about him, but throughout he had kept his 
 head and so been able to follow the course of events 
 with sufficient accuracy to despatch his supports 
 when they were most likely to turn the tide of battle 
 in his favour. He heard the crypt-door clang, and 
 cried to those who waited that they should advance. 
 The impulse they would lend to the exhausted fight- 
 ing line should surely settle matters, and there were 
 plenty more behind to take a hand within the chapel. 
 
 He saw success within his grasp, and was about 
 to congratulate himself upon his generalship, when 
 the clutch of two hands about his ankles all but 
 caused him to lose his balance and so fall toppling 
 into space. He leaned against the rough-hewn 
 rock behind him and kicked hard, a cold sweat 
 breaking out upon his brow. The sobbing he had 
 heard was real, not imaginary. There was some 
 creature crouching there beside him. The skin 
 upon Ms head contracted. His superstitious horror 
 of the place came back to him tenfold. He would 
 have fled but that the hands held fast. 
 
 And then the explosion came. 
 
 Warm, sticky smoke spat up from underfoot and 
 choked his lungs. A thin, blue, lambent flame 
 lit up a picture unforgettable. In front of him, and
 
 IN DESPERATION 255- 
 
 overhanging it, were the frail ladders over which his 
 men were thrusting. Above, the rock-roof, ghastly 
 in that unearthly glare. Beneath, a seething caul- 
 dron filled with vapour, twisted and torn into strange 
 shapes and shot with corposant-like lights which, 
 rose and fell and floated there like souls in purgatory. 
 Upon the ledge and holding him above that hell 
 wherefrom there echoed and re-echoed after the 
 first infernal thunder a most blood-curdling chorus, 
 shrieks and groans as of anguish beyond bearing, 
 devilish laughter, lay Joaquin Gonzalez. 
 
 Ybarra's nerves were racked to utmost tension, 
 but at the sight of this man all the human beast in 
 him awoke, stifling the terror which had almost 
 overmastered him. 
 
 "Judas!" he hissed, leaning forward to loosen 
 the twining fingers, and, as the spy looked up at him 
 out of lack-lustre eyes from which all intelligence 
 had fled, "Judas!" he cried aloud again, spitting. 
 
 The noisome fog was choking him, he was alone 
 there, without strength to save himself, but he stood 
 watching while the body he had launched forth fell 
 whirling into the inferno. 
 
 A red-gold glare replaced the pale light which had 
 first shot up, the rumbling grew still more insistent, 
 ominous. 
 
 His knees gave way beneath him. He collapsed.
 
 CHAPTER XVH 
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 
 
 '* A LIGHT here quick ! " cried Corbyn from the 
 crypt, and Fifi Florian ran forward with a torch. 
 
 An impulse irresistible had drawn her from the 
 chapel where Beatriz and she had spent upon their 
 knees that seemingly interminable space of time 
 for which the fighting had endured. 
 
 He snatched it from her and dived down into 
 the swirling clouds which choked the tunnel, thrust- 
 ing it here and there, from face to face of the dead 
 men who filled.it. He disappeared from view, and 
 two of those above went after him. 
 
 They found him swaying on his feet by the im- 
 mobile body of Gerald Meggs lying beneath a pile 
 of others, and bade him mount again while they 
 would bring it up. But he stayed with them and 
 together they achieved their object, carrying their 
 comrade back to the crypt, where they forthwith 
 fell headlong and for long lay as if dead. 
 
 The women tended them, and, afterwards, when 
 they had in some measure regained consciouness, 
 turned to the body they had brought. 
 
 It they took through into the chapel, setting them- 
 256
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 257 
 
 selves to save the life that lingered in it. For a faint, 
 intermittent heart-beat told them that Meggs had 
 yet a slender chance. 
 
 Corbyn staggered to his feet, and, by the torch- 
 light, saw his men still standing guard at the crypt- 
 door which gave upon the tunnel. The two who 
 had gone down into the depths with him were 
 struggling to sit up, and it was evident that they 
 would soon be fit for further service. 
 
 The acrid reek which filled the passage under- 
 neath would safeguard its defenders for a space. 
 He made his way up, through the chapel, into the 
 open air, and Beatriz Ybarra shuddered as he 
 passed her where she and Fifi were kneeling over 
 Meggs. It was the first time she had seen the gentle- 
 mannered Corbyn in such case and his face frightened 
 her. 
 
 At hazard he held straightly for the stairhead, 
 despite the shells that Schweitzer was still showering 
 on the plateau, and, as he reached his objective, 
 Allardyce's men came streaming up the last steps 
 and threw themselves face downwards at his feet. 
 Allardyce followed and pulled Corbyn to earth 
 beside him. 
 
 A sheet of flame shut the pursuit off, a rending 
 blast seemed to shake the whole earth, and from 
 below came one short, despairing yell. Then silence. 
 
 They lifted their heads and listened: rose with 
 wild eyes, and, staring strangely at each other, 
 crept to the crumbling cliff-edge. 
 17
 
 258 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 As they drew back again Allardyce spoke with 
 shaking voice: "I had to do it," he said. "They 
 had us beaten otherwise." 
 
 Corbyn laid a soothing hand upon his shoulder. 
 " They brought it on themselves," he answered, 
 "and I shall answer with you for it when the time 
 comes." 
 
 They turned away, leaving sufficient men to picket 
 the now almost inapproachable stairway. The 
 others they sent to the crypt, and, as they themselves 
 crept across the garden to espy the tunnel-entrance, 
 u How did you do it ? " Corbyn asked quietly. 
 
 "A charge of picric. I saw some lying in that 
 laboratory behind the barn when we were there this 
 morning and thought of it at the last moment. 
 McGuire volunteered to fetch it across for me he's 
 a brave fellow, that ! and while we fought he pried 
 a step up and so tamped it thoroughly. It's a most 
 terrible explosive!" 
 
 "I think that you were justified in every way," 
 his friend reassured him, "although it was a grave 
 risk to yourselves as well. 
 
 "By Jove! Look there." 
 
 Allardyce looked, and " God ! " he cried : " What's 
 happened ? " 
 
 The stables were wreathed in grey clinging 
 smoke, out of which stumbled now and then dark 
 figures. Which fell, and rose, and scrambled for- 
 ward, swaying, and rolled over, and lay still. Be- 
 yond them, where their column had been drawn up,
 
 259 
 
 the plain was empty. But to the right, in the direc- 
 tion of the ridge, there was a moving mass and far 
 ahead of them guns, galloping, in full retreat. 
 
 "I don't quite know what happened," Corbyn 
 answered, " but I believe we're livingover a volcano." 
 
 "And Denny?" 
 
 "Denny has perished in it." 
 
 They waited there till the first fugitives had reached 
 the distant camp, and then the shell-fire ceased, 
 enabling them to satisfy themselves that the siege 
 had been raised all round. 
 
 Wherewith they went back to the chapel and 
 found to their intense relief that Meggs was showing 
 signs of a return from that black bourne he had been 
 on the point of crossing. 
 
 And Corbyn, all blood-stained and begrimed and 
 spent with battle, sat down at Beatriz Ybarra's feet 
 where she was busy with a roll of bandages. She 
 said no word, but laid a hand gently on his bowed 
 head. A golden curl brushed past his cheek, and 
 something else touched it with pitiful tenderness. 
 Then she went on with her work. 
 
 Allardyce had already recovered his sang-froid. 
 He call the roll and counted his survivors. 
 
 Sixteen were left out of the twenty -one who had 
 taken part in the defence, and eight of these were 
 subjects for a surgeon. 
 
 Von Rudolf's man had fallen, fighting bravely, 
 and four others. It seemed most marvellous that 
 any should have escaped at all.
 
 260 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Gonzalez must be set down missing, and as for 
 O'Dare he stopped, and sighed, in memory of 
 one more comrade who had joined the great major- 
 ity. There were so many now, but none he would 
 miss more than that stanch ally in adversity. 
 
 He posted six of his eight sound men at points of 
 vantage, took a fresh torch, passed through the crypt 
 with the remaining two, and tried the tunnel. The 
 smoke had partially cleared, and he was able to 
 make his way by degrees, through the dead bodies 
 there, to the pit-mouth. At that point also all was 
 silent. The scaling-ladders still lay where they had 
 been left when the panic-stricken attack had turned 
 and fled. 
 
 He tipped them over the edge. They fell without 
 a sound. 
 
 Turning towards the ledge, he passed around the 
 gallery, and, at its narrowest, found Ybarra lying 
 in a huddled heap. 
 
 He called his two assistants and they carried that 
 limp body also into the crypt. 
 
 "He's dead, no doubt," said Allardyce, "but 
 we'll make sure before we bury him." 
 
 A hasty survey of the lower stretch of stair showed 
 that it was comparatively clear, and then he turned 
 back to attend the President. 
 
 "He's not dead yet," Corbyn whispered to him 
 with dry lips, " and I suppose that we must not take 
 justice into our own hands. 
 
 ** Will you look after him, Allardyce ? "
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 261 
 
 The Englishman nodded, knowing the dire tempta- 
 tion, since it had come to him also. It would have 
 : been so very easy to send what looked like a corpse 
 after the ladders into the abyss. 
 
 He set to work in a far corner with such resources 
 as were available, and, after much patient effort, 
 was rewarded by some symptom of returning anima- 
 tion ; a faint, almost imperceptible movement of the 
 eyelids, a respiration scarce discernible. 
 
 Meggs had pulled round already and came 
 shuffling over to ask if he could assist. 
 
 "Tell me about O'Dare, Jerry," Allardyce 
 requested breathlessly. " I'll resurrect this criminal 
 myself." 
 
 "We let him down till he signalled 'Stop,'" said 
 Meggs in a lifeless, mechanical voice. "Then the 
 rope swayed a good deal and we started to haul in 
 without waiting for any order. But the weight was 
 off it. We lowered it again and waited : waited till 
 the attack was close on us, when we had to wind up 
 or else let go altogether. 
 
 "It was cut clean through, signal-line and all, at 
 the far end. 
 
 "How could that happen, Allardyce?" 
 
 "I can't imagine, Jerry, old chap. You mustn't 
 fret about it. Denny would say the same if he 
 were here." 
 
 Meggs passed restlessly onwards, but with drag- 
 ging footsteps, and then turned back to ask, " Has 
 the smoke cleared yet ? "
 
 262 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "It was clearing rapidly when I came up," said 
 Allardyce. 
 
 " I wish you'd help me when you're through here," 
 begged Meggs. "I'm going down below to look 
 for him." 
 
 A little later don Ygnacio Ybarra was out of dan- 
 ger, and Allardyce entrusted the further care of him 
 to two of the less seriously wounded men, whom he 
 provided with utensils for the prompt suppression 
 of their prisoner in case that stormy petrel should 
 show any signs of spreading his wings for flight. 
 
 " Treat him with all due respect but don't stand 
 any nonsense," he instructed them, and sought 
 out Corbyn, who was once more occupied with all 
 the cares of his almost desperate situation. 
 
 "The well's run dry," was his first greeting, and 
 at that Allardyce looked very blank; "and we've 
 only fifty-eight rounds of ammunition left," he added 
 gloomily. 
 
 "Did Meggs tell you that he wants to go after 
 Denny?" Allardyce asked after he had digested 
 these unpleasant tidings. 
 
 "Yes, and I didn't like to stop him. He's ter- 
 ribly upset about it all, and I wish you'd see to it 
 that he does nothing rash. I'll send you warning 
 if there's any move on the enemy's part towards 
 the tunnel, but I don't think there will be at the 
 moment." 
 
 That was all Allardyce had aimed at, and he went 
 underground again in haste.
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 263 
 
 The bodies on the steps had been disposed of by 
 the only method possible, that of consigning them 
 to the dark gulf below, and when he reached its 
 orifice he found Meggs actively engaged in prepara- 
 tion for the perilous descent thereinto. 
 
 The glare of torches and the fire his helpers had 
 kindled in the cresset shewed a velvet blackness 
 beneath, and, when they held their breaths to listen, 
 utter silence reigned. 
 
 "I've sent a light down," Meggs remarked, "and 
 it burned brightly at the limit of the line. The 
 air's cleared. There must be some sort of ventila- 
 tion below." 
 
 "Let me go in your place, old chap," Allardyce 
 begged persuasively, but Meggs merely shook his 
 head. 
 
 "You'll stay here, won't you, Allardyce?" said 
 he, " and lower me until I'm satisfied ? I've brought 
 down a fresh coil of rope to lengthen this. 
 
 " Don't pull me up till I tell you to. That was the 
 mistake I made, and it has cost us dearly." 
 
 He spoke quite briskly, and the other promised 
 to observe his wishes. It was too late now to cavil. 
 
 So that Meggs went down into the depths without 
 more words, to find out why his friend had not 
 returned therefrom. 
 
 "His light's disappeared," reported the lookout 
 man on the ledge, but Allardyce, despite his fears, 
 paid fathom after fathom out until, to his unspeak- 
 able relief, the signal came to stop.
 
 264 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "Seems to be swinging a good deal," said the ob- 
 server, and Allardyce, both hands on the rope, could 
 feel it come and go a little while the men behind him 
 held fast. 
 
 The weight went off it suddenly and a cold fear 
 laid finger on his heart. What if another clean-cut, 
 empty line were all they could recover from that 
 most mysterious chasm! 
 
 For five long minutes which passed like five 
 centuries he stood there motionless and mindful of 
 his promise. A throb of thankfulness set his heart 
 beating with fresh vigour as two emphatic tugs at 
 the cord about his wrist said "Heave away." 
 
 " Shoulder the rope, McGuire, and haul down-hill," 
 he said, and proceeded to pull hard, hand over 
 hand. 
 
 It proved a harder task than he had anticipated, 
 considering Meggs' light weight, and they had to 
 pause twice to draw breath ere the outlook encouraged 
 them with the announcement, " Light below ! " And 
 shortly after that a cheery shout of " Here he comes ! " 
 caused them to slow down lest their passenger 
 should strike the rocks with violence unnecessary. 
 And then his head and shoulders showed above 
 the brim, and Allardyce cried in a scared voice, 
 "Denny!" 
 
 He might have let the rope slip in lu's absolute 
 amazement but that McGuire had hold of it far 
 down the tunnel. And the grey ghost attached to its 
 travelling end said, somewhat crossly, "Haul in,
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 265 
 
 you silly owl! For Heaven's sake, don't drop 
 me!" 
 
 A final effort fetched him to safe footing, and, 
 while Allardyce danced to and fro and slapped him 
 on the shoulder, trying to find words to express his 
 feelings but failing dismally, he stared about him 
 with a vast contentment. And his drawn face 
 relaxed a little as he said in softer tones, "Excuse 
 my temper, Allardyce, but I've had a trying time. 
 
 "We must get Jerry up at once. It isn't nice to 
 be down there alone. 
 
 " Lower away until you reach the length he stopped 
 you at, and then I'll show you how to ' 
 
 He picked up a hank of cord, and, when McGuire, 
 the cable-end about his waist, was once more close 
 to them, knew there was rope enough out. He made 
 one end of the cord fast to it, and led the other 
 round the ledge to the lip opposite. 
 
 Two or three steady pulls set the rope swaying 
 like a pendulum, and presently the outlook told 
 them it had stopped. 
 
 "That means that Meggs has caught it," said 
 O'Dare, and almost instantly there came the second 
 signal to pull up. 
 
 With which it was not long before Meggs also 
 came back from the tomb-like abyss ; and in a state 
 of mind which bore a strong resemblance to nervous 
 prostration. His venture, on the top of his ex- 
 periences of that morning, had taxed him to the 
 uttermost.
 
 266 
 
 They did not linger, therefore, but, having sent 
 McGuire on in advance to break to their friends the 
 news of O'Dare's most amazing resurrection, climbed 
 upwards arm in arm. 
 
 Corbyn came through the crypt to meet them, 
 while the two girls at the trap-door above could 
 scarcely wait till he came forth to welcome him ; and 
 Fifi's eyes were full of thankful tears, and Beatriz 
 Ybarra stammered as she spoke, and even the 
 wounded men sat up to cheer. 
 
 Dennis was quite embarrassed by the w T armth of 
 his reception, and gradually the strained expression 
 in his eyes gave place to one of calmer retrospect. 
 
 He told his story simply, in few words. 
 
 " A rock abutting hid my light when I was half- 
 way down," he said, "and, of course, I lost sight of 
 those above at the same moment. The funnel does 
 not fall plumb, but curves inwards from that point. 
 
 " I could see that the rope was travelling in a groove 
 on the rock-face above me; which showed that I 
 was not by any means the first to explore the cavern. 
 Otherwise I would have turned back then and there, 
 for underneath I could see something moving. 
 
 " I was half -sick with fright, but knew that Jerry 
 would run me up whenever I gave the word, and so 
 went on until I saw to one side a smooth shelf. And 
 on the wall behind it was an iron ring. 
 
 " I started swinging so that I might reach it, and 
 very soon succeeded in doing so. 
 
 "Standing there, I came to the conclusion that
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 267 
 
 years must have passed since any one had set foot 
 on it. The ring was rotting, the rock beneath was 
 thickly coated with fine grey dust. 
 
 " Ahead of me I saw what looked like a rude door- 
 way, and, of course, had to find out whether there 
 was any chance for us through that. It was not idle 
 curiosity that kept me going, I can tell you. 
 
 ''But Jerry's knots proved too tough for my 
 fingers. I had to cut the rope to free myself, and, 
 most unfortunately, reached too high, with the 
 result that I severed the signal-cord also, and in 
 my anxiety to save that I lost my life-line. There 
 I was stranded, with both of them dangling six or 
 eight feet beyond my reach. 
 
 "I howled and shouted until I was hoarse; but 
 could hear no reply. That was because the rock is 
 honeycombed with openings which lead Heaven 
 knows where, but evidently carry off all sound. I 
 studied them on my way up. 
 
 "I was half frantic for a time, but judged that 
 some one would come after me and plucked up heart 
 to employ my time more usefully for all of us. 
 
 "The door was latched, without a lock, and on 
 the inside " his face blanched again, he spoke with 
 twisted lips " on the inside there was a grey monk 
 sitting on an oaken chest his head hung forward 
 beneath his cowl. I could have cried with cold ter- 
 ror ! But, as I started back, he disappeared melted 
 away before my eyes God! it was horrible. 
 
 "Nothing but sheer funk kept me from bolting
 
 268 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 back past the spot where he had been sitting, and 
 flinging myself from the shelf. I'm thankful I was 
 preserved from that. 
 
 "As soon as I could think, I knew, of course, that 
 I had merely come across a mummy, and mustered 
 up sufficient courage to root round and make some 
 more investigations. 
 
 "The chest he had been sitting on was full of 
 church plate cups, and candle-sticks, and chalices, 
 all solid gold and there were others ranged behind 
 it. I didn't open them, and only brought away one 
 relic." 
 
 He drew forth from an inside pocket a little ob- 
 long volume bound in yellow boards that looked 
 like horn, and Corbyn took it from him, turning over 
 the thick, crackling leaves until he saw this super- 
 scription in thin, faded characters traced by a clerkly 
 hand and very long ago: 
 
 "Fray Jayme, Madryd, 1620," and underneath, 
 "Sefyel." 
 
 " ' Be faithful,' " he translated the curt motto 
 which had brought its owner overseas from Spain. 
 "And he was very faithful, poor chap even unto 
 death. 
 
 "Will you let Beatriz have this missal, Denny? 
 If all goes well with us we'll treasure/it as a remem- 
 brance of you and our other comrades here, the 
 living and the dead." 
 
 O'Dare assented willingly. 
 
 * Another iron ring at the far end of the treasure-
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 2C9 
 
 house attracted my attention, and after some trouble. 
 I succeeded in divining its use. It was the handle 
 to a solid slab of stone, set on a pivot, which served 
 as a door, and I made up my mind to see what lay 
 beyond that also. 
 
 " It gave on an inner chamber where the air was 
 cool and pleasant. A flight of steps there led to a 
 low cell, and down what looked like a long shaft 
 in its back wall a strong wind was whistling. 
 
 " The opening was a very small one and there was 
 a hinged iron plate held back at one side by a hasp. 
 I slipped that and it closed at once, diverting the air- 
 current into the chamber I had come through. 
 
 "Almost immediately I was half deafened by a 
 horrible explosion and an infernal glare lit the place 
 up like electricity. 
 
 "I bolted back, but fell, half choked, before I 
 could reach the shelf I had landed on. The pit 
 itself was vomiting like a volcano. 
 
 " I scrambled in again and closed the aperture at 
 the end of the treasure-house to shut the smoke out, 
 leaving myself once more in darkness but for the 
 candle I had with me. 
 
 "A sudden inspiration caused me to wrench up 
 the shaft cover, and then I got some inkling of the 
 cause of trouble. Peering through, as though the 
 sloping shaft had been a telescope, I saw, deep down 
 below, the bubbling crater which will lie quiet while 
 the ventilation suits it, but, if that is diverted, will 
 wake up and spit the hacienda from its lips.
 
 270 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 " It must have been the Spanish monks who har- 
 nessed it to make an actual hell, and at the end of 
 all these centuries their machinery works perhaps 
 more smoothly than it did with them. 
 
 "In any case, the uproar began to die away 
 soon after I had released the air-current. The 
 flames below burned out, and after an interval 
 which seemed age-long I ventured to try the stone 
 door again. Three times I had to close it hurriedly 
 before the smoke cleared, but at last I got back to 
 the shelf and sat there in the heat till I saw Jerry's 
 light and knew that he had not forgotten me, as I 
 had almost begun to fear. I felt as if I had been 
 down there for endless ages." 
 
 He ceased and for a long time no one spoke. The 
 tale he had told had almost been beyond belief but 
 for the unassailable corroboration of the eruption 
 they had witnessed. Thought of the agonies he 
 must have suffered held them tongue-tied till a voice 
 spoke from behind, a covetous, uncertain voice 
 which grated strangely on their ears : " The hacienda 
 of the Golden Horseshoe is my property, and mine 
 alone," it said. "The treasure that you chanced 
 upon is mine, all mine. I knew I knew that it 
 was there." 
 
 A lame and lying voice, little like that in which 
 Ygnacio Ybarra was wont to make his statements. 
 And no one answered it. 
 
 "Have you made up your mind yet, Corbyn?" 
 Allardyce asked presently and his friend replied,
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 271 
 
 "Yes. Since there is no other way. I'll go at 
 nightfall." 
 
 " It would be perhaps as well to take His Excel- 
 lency with you." 
 
 "Yes," Corbyn agreed again, "I'll take him with 
 me." 
 
 " I'll go and get things ready, then," said Allardyce. 
 
 He went off with O'Dare, and all that afternoon 
 the two worked together among the clump of trees 
 behind the barns. With fire and cords and tubes 
 and cylinders they followed all the formulae that 
 Allardyce had already set down on paper even as 
 Corbyn had done. When all was ready they stopped 
 to watch the sun set. 
 
 A gentle breeze was blowing from the inner rim 
 of the great horseshoe shape which shut them in. 
 The twinkling camp-fires on the far-off ridge burned 
 brightly as it fanned them. 
 
 Allardyce turned to O'Dare and laughed. " The 
 President will curse his passion for new toys when 
 he sees how this one's going to serve us," said he, 
 and, looking round, saw a small group advancing 
 towards the clearing in which he and his companion 
 stood. 
 
 Corbyn came forward first and cast the eye of a 
 connoisseur over the silken sphere which swayed 
 and rustled in its centre. Behind him, and some- 
 what shyly, appeared two comely boys, one dressed 
 like a chauffeur, the other in a uniform. Ybarra, 
 with hands tied behind his back and two armed
 
 272 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 guards attending him, brought up the rear, and when 
 he saw the great balloon, which he had believed 
 to be damaged beyond repair, tug-tugging at its 
 moorings, a moan of baffled rage broke from his lips, 
 he struggled in his bonds until a peremptory order 
 quieted him. 
 
 For the last time Allardyce went over every work- 
 ing-part, inspecting valves and cordage, car and 
 stores. That to him was no new experience. 
 
 Then the two boys who were once girls climbed in, 
 and the five free men there laid hands upon the 
 President of San Benito, to such purpose that he 
 was shortly trussed and ready for his aerial flight. 
 But his place was underneath the car, not inside it. 
 
 All save he shook hands silently, and O'Dare 
 almost broke down as he pressed Fifi's slender fingers 
 for what might well prove the last time. None of 
 them but felt the stress of parting very keenly, but, 
 since it must be, Corbyn gave the word quickly. 
 The moorings parted simultaneously under the 
 ready knives. 
 
 A last good-bye came floating back from above 
 the tree-tops and there were four lives hanging in 
 the wind. 
 
 The moon had risen already and the wind seemed 
 to be dropping. The great globe overhead was 
 floating slowly northwards but at no great elevation. 
 
 "I didn't dare to put much ballast in, with all 
 their weight on board," Allardyce said to O'Dare 
 as they passed the torn and battered hacienda build-
 
 THE ROLL-CALL 273 
 
 ings on their way to the extreme point of the plateau, 
 whence they might see their friends across the ridge. 
 " It will be deadly dangerous for them if they don't 
 rise. Schweitzer's a stunning marksman." 
 
 " I wish we had been able to send him word that 
 Don Ygnacio's on board or rather, under board 
 returned O'Dare. "In any case they can drop 
 him if it's impossible to reach a safe height other- 
 wise." 
 
 Meggs came up behind and "Are they safely 
 off?" he asked. "I said good-bye below. Corbyn 
 set me at work which kept me there." 
 
 A distant bugle answered him and then another. 
 The fires on the ridge went out with surprising 
 suddenness. The enemy had already observed the 
 fugitives, and was all alert. 
 
 "It's the explosive gas that I'm afraid of," Allar- 
 dyce continued. "A bursting shell would blow 
 them into smithereens. But we were lucky to 
 find even that, and with a little more luck they'll 
 Ah! damn you!" 
 
 A dull report had come up-wind, and the listening 
 watchers knew that a shell had gone shrieking 
 skywards with the dark image of a ghastly death 
 astride it. 
 18
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE RED REVOLUTIONISTS 
 
 THE wires between La Boca and Alta Cruz had 
 not yet been repaired at all points, for the insurgent 
 forces, gaining power and prestige with each day 
 Ybarra delayed at the Golden Horseshoe, had now 
 assumed the offensive, and were laying waste the land. 
 They saw to it that no news of their operations 
 trickled through to the coast. 
 
 Don Quentin Sariol had endured with all philos- 
 ophy their presence outside his shut gates. The 
 capital was in a state of siege, but that did not seem 
 to disturb him. He had harangued the few troops 
 left at his disposal since the President had almost 
 emptied the cavalry and artillery barracks to serve 
 his private ends, and, that done, adopted a patient 
 dignity under difficulties which might have deceived 
 any one who did not know him intimately. 
 
 But every citizen of Alta Cruz knew him well, 
 had known him too long to be taken in, and even 
 Challoner, the special correspondent of the New 
 York Wireless, who was the only stranger then within 
 the walls, winked cynically after he had sized up the 
 Vice-President's new attitude. 
 
 274
 
 THE RED REVOLUTIONISTS 75 
 
 That most assiduous searcher after news of note 
 had taken up his quarters in the city of the golden 
 spires after his ignominious expulsion from the 
 Golden Horseshoe. He had the entree of the palace 
 wherein he picked up that information which went 
 winging coastwards with the carrier-pigeons he had 
 thoughtfully provided for such purpose, so that 
 Newspaper Row and Fleet Street were far better 
 informed as to what was going on in San Benito 
 than were the bulk of the inhabitants of that be- 
 nighted country. 
 
 The South -American republic was in a state of 
 anarchy, its debts unpaid, its treasury empty, His 
 Excellency, its official head, secluded at or near 
 his summer residence among the mountains, whence 
 the most urgent appeals for his presence had failed 
 to entice him back to his post. His deputy did not 
 dare to assume office in his absence, was waiting 
 the trend of events, would take no action whatever 
 at his own risk. Responsible government there 
 was none ; the strongest party at the moment was 
 that of the insurgent Reds. 
 
 Such was the situation as set forth under scare 
 head-lines in the Wireless on the same morning that 
 its delegate at Alta Cruz went up the palace-steps 
 for the last time. He had heard rumours of an 
 impending consultation between Don Quentin, with 
 such members of the National Assembly as were 
 then in residence within the capital, and the leaders 
 of the revolutionary movement, which] assuredly
 
 276 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 presaged trouble for some one; whether Ybarra, 
 against whom they were plotting, or themselves, on 
 whom the Tiger might spring from his lair at any 
 moment, no one could yet foresee and they least 
 of all. 
 
 The palace was well guarded, but Challoner, duly 
 accredited, made his way unchecked to the great 
 banquet-hall wherein seats had been set for those 
 expected. He was the earliest arrival there and took 
 the opportunity to seek a corner where his presence 
 need not be unnecessarily noticeable. It irked him 
 to be bound by such precautions, but while the 
 Wireless paid him for the gathering of foreign in- 
 telligence he had to sink all scruples in its service, 
 safeguard himself, its representative, by all means 
 in his power. 
 
 A curtained window-seat provided him with the 
 seclusion needed, and there he waited as the room 
 filled eavesdropping if you will, but from no mean 
 motive and at his own grave risk. 
 
 A dozen men in frock-coats and soft hats slipped 
 in, sat down in shamefaced silence until one, a little 
 bolder than his brethren, spoke sibilantly to another, 
 when there broke out a low storm of suspicious 
 whispering. Others appeared till Challoner could 
 count eighteen, and the eighteenth was Quentin Sa- 
 riol, smiling suavely, hand outstretched to every one. 
 
 He took the chair of State, the others closed up 
 towards him, and without further ceremony they 
 commenced their session.
 
 THE RED REVOLUTIONISTS 277 
 
 One greybeard got upon his feet, and speaking, 
 by his own statement, for the people, repeated a long 
 list of grievances, asking redress for them of the 
 Vice-President. 
 
 "Senor Ybarra has deserted us in our darkest 
 hour," he cried with tragic gesture and concluded. 
 
 Following him, the Minister of Finance begged 
 leave to state that he had no finances, and proved 
 the need thereof if he were to hold his portfolio. 
 "We are the laughing-stock of South America," 
 said he with frowning brows, " we, patriots and men 
 of single mind. I call upon you, fellow-countrymen, 
 to free yourself for ever from the impositions which 
 have drained the very dregs, wrung the last copper 
 coin from a treasury once well stocked, of a respon- 
 sibility none could impugn." 
 
 Foreign Affairs added his quota to the general dis- 
 content, and his colleague, the Minister of War, 
 spoke wofully of matters military. " It is not meet," 
 he urged, "that, while we suffer here the hardships 
 and privations seemingly inseparable from a siege, 
 the flower of our brave army should be forced afield 
 to aid a private enterprise. I see the body politic 
 without a head, and sick at heart. Let us beware 
 lest it should die before we call in the doctor." 
 
 Subdued applause greeted this happy simile and 
 he sat down. A dozen others had remarks to make 
 in a like strain, and Sariol, the slippery, heard them 
 out in silence ; and when they looked to him for some 
 response, he merely said, "A deputation from the
 
 278 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 misguided men who have besieged this city has 
 asked the honour of an interview with with us. 
 Shall we receive them here or send word that we 
 do not treat with rebels ? " 
 
 His assumption of the impartial outsider tickled 
 Challoner, who knew how carefully all these 
 proceedings had keen planned. But the grey 
 beard was once more wagging, and to the Vice-Presi- 
 dent's discomfiture. " We look to you for guidance, 
 Don Quentin," its owner answered for his fellows. 
 "You are responsible, in His Excellency's absence, 
 for the conduct of affairs of State." 
 
 Don Quentin, thus hard pressed, touched the 
 golden bell beside him, and at the signal there was 
 ushered in a group of swarthy, black-browed fighting 
 men, who, in defiance of all etiquette, were fully 
 armed. They clanked across to where, by some 
 strange coincidence, there was standing a row of 
 empty chairs, and nodded cavalierly to the assem- 
 blage, which returned their scanty greeting with all 
 ceremony. 
 
 " Have you decided anything ? " a leader of guerril- 
 las asked and stared from face to face with impatient, 
 bloodshot eyes. "My dogs are straining at the 
 leash. It will be well to act before they break it." 
 
 " What would you have me do ? " demanded 
 Sariol, assuming the responsibility his colleagues of 
 the Council had appeared to thrust upon him. 
 " While President Ybarra is in power it is with him 
 that we must reckon."
 
 THE RED REVOLUTIONISTS 279 
 
 '* Ybarra has absconded from his post," the spokes- 
 man answered. "We look to you, Don Quentin 
 Sariol, to take his place to remedy the evils he 
 has caused to save our Fatherland from further 
 strife within its borders. 
 
 " If you are man enough to lead, we follow; but 
 we will not wait. Time presses, and unless that 
 main point can be settled here and now, Alta Cruz 
 will be sacked till nothing but the site is left of it. 
 Speak up, senor! We lack a president in this 
 Republic. Will you take office under oath ? " 
 
 Sariol sat and pondered, without speaking. Now 
 that his careful schemes had borne the fruit he had 
 hoped to pluck, now that the hour of crisis was at 
 hand, the moment which meant everything, upon 
 him, he felt unusually nervous, ill at ease. The 
 crown of his career had been held out to him, he 
 had been urged, almost implored to take it. 
 
 He looked up at the stained-glass dome above him, 
 studied it for an instant, and then shook his head 
 with simple dignity. 
 
 "I cannot step into a friend's shoes while that 
 friend is absent," he said in ringing tones, and 
 Challoner, in turn, sought inspiration in the roof- 
 light for this change of front. 
 
 The figure of Ygnacio Ybarra was outlined against 
 the glass, his face was peering down upon the gather- 
 ing below, a sneering smile that showed his teeth 
 between moustache and beard proclaiming that he 
 had at least divined its purpose.
 
 280 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "All I can promise you," said Sariol in a much 
 lower key, but as though he had seen nothing, " is 
 that the shoes in question will be filled without delay. 
 Meantime, you gentlemen who have attended us 
 under safe conduct will do well to get straightway 
 beyond the walls, and at a gallop. I have a tele- 
 gram " He fumbled in a pocket and, producing 
 
 a crumpled sheet, spoke still more softly but with 
 warning emphasis, "I have a telegram to say to 
 say that the senor Ybarra is at this moment on his 
 way hither from the Golden Horseshoe. As soon 
 as I have consulted with him I I " 
 
 He- left his seat, and no one needed any second 
 bidding to begone. The insurgent leaders spurred, 
 the National Assembly shuffled off on foot, and 
 scarcely had the echo of their flight died down before 
 Ybarra, with a posse of life-guards at his back, was 
 standing at the doorway looking aggrievedly into 
 the empty room. 
 
 Challoner took no chances. He waited where he 
 was, and saw His Excellency enter after the soldiers 
 had departed in obedience to a sign. Then Sariol 
 came in, his eyes fixed meditatively upon the floor, 
 and when he saw the other there, great was his 
 
 jy- 
 
 "My dear Ygnacio!" he cried, coming forward 
 with outstretched arms. " My dear Ygnacio ! This 
 is a pleasure long looked forward to. The days 
 have dragged since we met last and much has hap- 
 pened to make me long for your return. When did
 
 THE RED REVOLUTIONISTS 281 
 
 you get here ? What good news have you ? Your 
 wife is well ? And you yourself ? " 
 
 He spoke with a most admirable air of innocent 
 astonishment, and even Ybarra was in some degree 
 imposed upon by it. 
 
 "You've had a meeting here," His Excellency 
 said abruptly, and ignoring altogether the other's 
 inquiries. 
 
 " The rebels sent a deputation in to treat with us," 
 explained Don Quentin with ingenious veracity. 
 "They have but this minute gone. They are per- 
 emptory, Ygnacio. I had to temporise. I told them 
 that you would be here anon: that until then 
 I was without authority to act. They threatened 
 us with consequences, but since you have come 
 back there will be security of life and property for 
 the loyalists." 
 
 Ybarra looked him up and down admiringly, as 
 though half minded to compliment him on his 
 diplomatic explanation of a difficult position, but 
 all he said was, "Will you send word to them that 
 I am here, with tempting terms to offer ? " 
 
 Whatever disappointment the Vice-President may 
 have experienced at his superior's acceptance of a 
 situation complicated to the last degree, he managed 
 to dissemble it, and took steps to comply with the 
 charge laid on him, sending word to the seething camp 
 without that they must still postpone the execution 
 their mutual plan and in its place take part in 
 further conference.
 
 282 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Whereat the revolutionary leaders cavilled to such 
 purpose that His Excellency had no option but to 
 go with them since they refused point blank to 
 show sufficient faith in his safe-conduct as regarded 
 coming to him. He went forth fearlessly with a 
 small escort, and unarmed. The common people 
 cheered him for his courage as he passed towards 
 the gates, and Don Quentin, left waiting in the 
 palace, cursed them for their pains. He had to 
 learn yet, what Ybarra knew full well, the fickleness 
 of popular allegiance. 
 
 When the insurgents saw the Tiger ride through 
 their lines as calm and unconcerned to outward 
 seeming as if they had been his best friends, they, 
 too, experienced a change of feeling. A single bul- 
 let would have rid them of the burden they were there 
 to strike from off their shoulders, but the man's cold 
 daring overawed them once again, as it had often 
 done before. They let him pass unscathed, and he 
 dismounted at the spot set by their chiefs for the 
 conference, and these then gathered about him with 
 grave courtesy, so that the opportunity was lost. 
 
 His Excellency's cue in their case was an easy 
 intimacy such as, coming from one of his high station, 
 could not but please them. He told them frankly, 
 if not altogether truthfully, the plans that he had 
 laid for the salvation of their common country by 
 means of an alliance with his wealthy cousin. He 
 multiplied her fortune many times and turned it into 
 local currency for their edification. They gasped
 
 THE RED REVOLUTIONISTS 283 
 
 with impotent astonishment at the idea that a mere 
 woman should have sole control of such unbounded 
 wealth. He pointed out to them how they had 
 hampered him, by their ill-advised manoeuvres in 
 his attempt to bring the matter to a head ; how they 
 had interfered at every turn to his discomfiture and 
 therefore to the advantage of those foreigners who 
 had been bold enough to desecrate the sacred soil of 
 San Benito, bearing weapons. He played upon their 
 childishly perverted patriotism until they were ready 
 to apologise for all their actions, and ended with a 
 plausible appeal for their assistance to undo the 
 evils they themselves had wrought, of course, un- 
 wittingly. 
 
 When he had finished he drew back a little that 
 they might discuss the case in all its aspects among 
 themselves, and made some further friends among 
 the rank and file grouped in the background. His 
 careless bonhomie charmed the cut -throat scoundrels 
 who had swarmed to swell the forces of rebellion; 
 his hints of a congenial opening for their talents, 
 subject only to their leaders' full concurrence, in- 
 flamed their curiosity, tantalised them, gave them 
 good cause to wonder whether they were wise to 
 work while there was money to be made at play such 
 as he vaguely outlined. 
 
 A murmur of approval followed him as he rejoined 
 the conclave he had left, and his eyes narrowed with 
 an inward merriment over the ease wherewith he 
 was shaping their rude wills towards his own ends.
 
 284 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 A provisional capitulation was the present out- 
 come of his talent for intrigue. Where there was 
 money to be made the revolutionists were foster- 
 brothers of the loyalist party. The President might 
 rest assured that they would aid him to the uttermost 
 in his attempt to snatch such a prize as the dona 
 Beatrix Ybarra from the grasp of a greedy alien. 
 Her bounden duty was to marry him, and so enrich 
 her native land. Since she had proven contumelious 
 they would interfere on his behalf. 
 
 And that was all he wanted with them. 
 
 "The American and the two women with him 
 must be in hiding somewhere between here and the 
 Pass," he said with certainty. "In any case they 
 cannot cross the Summit, which is guarded. If 
 you will scour the country till you capture them I'll 
 send a fresh force to retake the hacienda you have 
 heard, no doubt, that I had too few men for that ? 
 Some of you may remember the old stories of the 
 hidden treasure there of the church plate which 
 disappeared when the heathen tribes sacked the 
 mission as it was then. It was all gold, pure gold, 
 and of incalculable value. I have discovered its 
 strange hiding-place, and, once we have achieved 
 success, all who take part in either expedition will 
 be entitled to an equal share " 
 
 "Viva Ybarra!" shouted a swart mountaineer to 
 whom the oft-told legend of the Golden Horseshoe 
 was as gospel. A dozen more took up the cry, a 
 score, a hundred, every man there. The Tiger
 
 THE RED REVOLUTIONISTS 285 
 
 mounted and rode off to be acclaimed again through- 
 out the streets and at the palace-entrance, where he 
 was welcomed back by the Vice -President, who 
 wore a somewhat sickly smile. 
 
 Don Quentin Sariol had played one of the highest 
 trumps he held in his hand, but his finesse had not 
 availed against his adversary. 
 
 Alta Cruz was astir with excitement and surmise. 
 About the bivouacs beyond its gates there was 
 great bustle and confusion. The factions which, 
 but an hour before, would have flown at each other's 
 throats were fraternising like friends long separated. 
 Ybarra's fresh device had certainly saved a difficult 
 situation, although at the expense of the Vice- 
 President's private plans. That discomfited plotter 
 retired to his own apartment in the palace, there to 
 ponder over his own delicate position, the best way 
 out of it. 
 
 And neither of the two principals in the game 
 whose stakes were life and death took any notice 
 of Challoner looking on. That observant student 
 of chance had followed unperceived when the Presi- 
 dent went forth to interview the insurgents. From 
 them he afterwards learned all that had passed, 
 and he observed on his own behalf the active prep- 
 arations going forward for the despatch of re- 
 inforcements to the force besieging the Golden 
 Horseshoe* of a search-party on Corbyn's trail. 
 
 He did not deem it advisable to run the risks 
 attendant on a return to his temporary domicile
 
 286 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 within the city, but made for his motor-bicycle 
 concealed in a safe place at the side of the road to 
 the sea, and departed for La Boca with much chug- 
 chugging. So that Manhattan heard in due course 
 how the President of San Benito had come out of 
 his retirement and once more taken up the reins 
 of misgovernment. And Washington was able to 
 assure all whom it might concern that there would 
 be no immediate need for the fast cruisers which 
 had innocently congregated among the islands to 
 the north of that most turbulent Republic.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 YBARRA'S DOWNFALL 
 
 WHEN Allardyce had seen the torn silk envelope 
 of the balloon among the litter of extraordinary odds 
 and ends which lay about the barns wherein Ybarra 
 had been wont to diveri himself during his leisure 
 moments with pseudo-scientific playthings, he had 
 been at a loss to know by what means an ascent 
 had been possible where there was no gas to be count- 
 ed on for inflating it. But he had not failed to realise 
 the possible importance of his find, and his next 
 discovery had solved the difficulty. In the steel 
 cylinders stacked opposite there were dry chemicals 
 which, under heat, would give off vapour volatile 
 enough to render flight quite feasible, although at 
 the gravest risk. 
 
 Allardyce had had experience at Aldershot with 
 a balloon corps. He called Corbyn's attention to 
 his find and Corbyn quickly grasped its salient 
 features. They cast their calculations into many 
 points of decimals and Corbyn set the two girls to 
 sew the rents in the silk. When the time came, 
 Allardyce brewed with extreme caution the danger- 
 ous ether on which they must depend for lack of 
 safer medium. 
 
 287
 
 288 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Escape by such means was the last and a most 
 desperate resource. But for the sake of the girls 
 escape was imperative. Corbyn would have sent 
 Allardyce with them, but against that the English- 
 man mutinied flatly. His place was with those 
 for whom there was no escape, Corbyn's with 
 Beatriz. And, since it was so settled, Corbyn set out 
 with a stout heart, putting his trust in Providence 
 and a determination to succeed in spite of every 
 obstacle. 
 
 The start was none too auspicious. The weight 
 in the car and beneath it kept them from rising 
 sufficiently in that rare atmosphere. They were too 
 low down to cross with any assurance of safety the 
 guarded ridge towards which they were drifting on 
 a dying wind. 
 
 Schweitzer's infernal marksmanship was what he 
 feared most, and how to baffle that without the aid 
 of circumstances he did not know. 
 
 The blast of a bugle floated clearly upwards from 
 the enemy's camp and he turned to Beatriz sitting 
 behind him, her eyes on his every movement. 
 
 "We'll have to jettison the last ounce of our 
 outfit," he said swiftly. "I can't well drop your 
 cousin here it would be murder at this height. 
 But all we can throw out must go." One after 
 another he sent overside the almost indispensable 
 provisions he had made for the girls' comfort, and 
 with that the great sphere rose a few feet. At last 
 and most reluctantly he had to rid himself even
 
 YBARRA'S DOWNFALL 289 
 
 of the three rifles and the ammunition on which he 
 had depended for his last stand, should matters 
 reach that stage. And with it all they were still 
 within short range of the guns. 
 
 A purl of air set them a-stagger as a shell shrieked 
 past, but Schweitzer had not set his time-fuse as 
 he ought and it burst far beyond them. A second 
 followed and went wide. Corbyn could see men 
 with shovels digging behind the gun-trails to get 
 elevation for the muzzles. Pale-faced but silent, 
 he was leaning with folded arms on the basket-edge, 
 and he did not draw back when a third shot swept 
 closely by, so closely that his hair stirred in its 
 angry breath. 
 
 The globe above rocked drunkerily and sank still 
 lower as they approached the ridge, where they were 
 greeted with a wild rifle-fire. 
 
 Ybarra, tied fast underfoot, gave vent to an irre- 
 pressible yell when a stray bullet chipped white 
 splinters off the canework close to his head. But 
 otherwise he made no protest as to his very un- 
 pleasant position, and soon they were immediately 
 over the camp. 
 
 The cold, clear moonlight showed the gunners 
 shifting their pieces round, and Corbyn knew that, 
 once they got trajectory to the north, it would be 
 easy for them to achieve their object. The time 
 had come for him to avail himself of his ultimate 
 resource. 
 
 "Sit tight," he said over his shoulder. "There 
 19
 
 290 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 will be an explosion underneath us in a moment. 
 Don't be afraid." 
 
 Then, with an inward prayer, he dropped the phial 
 he had been holding to his thumping heart since 
 Allardyce had handed it to him with a whispered 
 caution when they had started, narrowed his eyelids, 
 and clutched very nervously at the guy-rope beside 
 him. If the explosive gas caught light now 
 
 A curtain of white flame spread suddenly between 
 the car and those on solid earth. The crash that 
 followed was as that of a thunderbolt. The ball 
 of the balloon rebounded over it and it seemed as 
 though the thin silk must surely burst under the 
 pressure ere they shot upwards with a sickening jerk, 
 enveloped in a thin, acrid vapour through which 
 they could hear Ybarra coughing like a consump- 
 tive. 
 
 Corbyn, breathing through contracted nostrils, 
 jerkily, peered through it all until he saw the full 
 effect of his bomb. And presently he turned once 
 more inwards to assure the trembling pair crouched 
 in a corner of the car that they were out of all im- 
 mediate danger. 
 
 "Schweitzer will worry us no more," he said in 
 tones which shook despite his efforts to speak 
 steadily. But that he had been imperatively forced 
 to employ such means of dispersing the enemy he 
 would have scrupled to do so. The tiny flask had 
 wrought heart-breaking havoc among them, whole- 
 sale destruction. Where but a moment before there
 
 YBARRA'S DOWNFALL 291 
 
 had been the gun-pits, alive with men, lay a dark, 
 gaping chasm in which there was no more move- 
 ment. 
 
 The artificial impetus they had acquired carried 
 them to a height whereat there was no fear of further 
 trouble from the survivors further along the ridge, 
 and there an upper current of air caught them, and 
 carried them northwards in the direction of Alta 
 Cruz. 
 
 Corbyn looked back at the Golden Horseshoe, 
 black and silver in that light against the mountain- 
 side, and sighed to think of all that might yet happen 
 there before he should be able to return to the rescife 
 of his comrades. And his two charges, overhearing 
 him, tried hard to pluck up heart for his sake. 
 
 Both had been very gently nurtured. The scenes 
 of death and desolation they had witnessed could 
 not but have affected them most hurtfully. But 
 both were brave enough to put the past with all its 
 horrors out of their minds and memories for the 
 present. 
 
 They were soon chatting quite contentedly, and 
 Corbyn found comfort inexpressible in their calm 
 courage. 
 
 He helped them to their feet and they looked out 
 upon a panorama unforgettable : a white world, far 
 away and very lovely, flooded with tender radiance, 
 and only bounded by the cloud-capped bulk behind 
 them, the distant mountain-range between them 
 and the sea. Its heart was the dream-city of the
 
 292 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 golden spires, sparkling in the mid-distance like a 
 frost-diamond set with pearls. 
 
 "How perfect!" Beatriz said softly, and Corbyn 
 laid a hand on hers. "We've caught a glimpse of 
 Heaven together, sweetheart," he whispered in her 
 ear. She nodded, and her fingers closed on his. 
 Her heaven was with him. 
 
 But more material affairs demanded his attention 
 before long. They had not escaped scatheless from 
 the fusillade directed at them as they had crossed 
 the ridge. Gas was escaping somewhere, and, 
 when he clambered clumsily into the netting while 
 the girls closed their eyes in sick fear for his safety, 
 he found that more than one of the nickel-nosed 
 bullets had pierced the cover. These had cut 
 cleanly through, leaving small punctures which it 
 was difficult to locate, but he succeeded in effecting 
 such repairs as stopped the outflow to some extent, 
 and with that had to rest satisfied. 
 
 They had descended imperceptibly to a stratum 
 where the atmosphere was almost stagnant, and 
 hung there immobile until the breeze that would 
 bring daybreak began to blow down from the moun- 
 tains, driving them once more on their way. The 
 moon had set. Only a few faint misty lights showed 
 through the dark from where Alta Cruz lay. It 
 was evident that they would cross the city at an alti- 
 tude which would preserve them from all fears of 
 interference even in daylight and, though their 
 course was sloping gradually earthwards, Corbyn
 
 YBARRA'S DOWNFALL 293 
 
 hoped that his next step would help them high 
 enough to surmount the final barrier between them 
 and the coast, the heights above La Boca. 
 
 As they drew nearer the lights beneath he busied 
 himself with a coil of cordage over the basket-edge, 
 and, when he had laid that to his liking, leaned out 
 to advise the President of his purpose. 
 
 "Ybarra!" he called loudly, and from beneath 
 his feet came the unwilling answer, "I'm still here." 
 
 "We must part company at this point," said 
 Corbyn pleasantly. 
 
 " W T hat are you going to do ? " the voice below 
 asked. 
 
 " I'm going to drop you at the capital." 
 
 A long and pregnant silence, broken defiantly 
 by the bound and helpless prisoner : 
 
 " If you expect me to ask mercy, you're mistaken. 
 You think I am at heart a coward, American dog! 
 Drop me. I will not whimper." 
 
 Corbyn bit his lip and seemed about to speak 
 again. The imputation was an unpleasant one. 
 But he changed his mind. 
 
 He cut the canvas slings which laced his enemy 
 securely into place, slacked off the rope until that 
 dogged evil-doer hung suspended twenty feet below, 
 tugged at the light line with which he had tied the 
 other's wrists behind him. 
 
 " Are your hands free ? " he shouted 'sharply, and, 
 since no response was vouchsafed him, satisfied 
 himself on that point with a hasty glance.
 
 294 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 With his knife he slashed through the last connect- 
 ing link between himself and the contrivance tied 
 underneath, and, looking hastily overside, saw a 
 rapidly diminishing black speck shoot like a plummet 
 earthwards through the dim gloom. He drew a 
 sharp breath of relief as it was shut out of sight by 
 a more bulky body. 
 
 '* Time and no more," he communed with himself, 
 and said aloud. " He's all right, sweetheart. Come 
 here and see the parachute descend." 
 
 " Is he quite safe, Phil ? " Beatriz asked anxiously, 
 as she looked down, her lover's arm about her. 
 
 " Safe as a house," he answered heartily. " There 
 would be much more risk he were a better 
 man.'* 
 
 Thus relieved of so much dead weight, they soared 
 aloft again with renewed buoyancy and an hour 
 later the sun's rays, expanding what gas there was 
 left, helped them to hold the advantage for a time. 
 But up above they entered a colder current from off 
 the snow-line and dropped from that at dangerous 
 velocity. 
 
 Do what he would, Corbyn could not devise effec- 
 tual means to stop the leakage, and it was all too 
 obvious that they must make such landing as they 
 might upon the pla ; n between Alta Cruz and the 
 Pass, where the ; r plight would be worse than 
 unenviable. 
 
 It was by no means enviable now, hung up there 
 without food or water, under a scorching sun.
 
 YBARRA'S DOWNFALL 295 
 
 "I think we'd better get to ground," he said with 
 sudden resolution, and released the escape-valve. 
 "We'll have a good chance of hiding at any rate, 
 while, if we stay here too long, they'll be below ready 
 to net us when we do come down." 
 
 The shrunken sphere did not require much empty- 
 ing. He closed the valve again and checked their 
 fall so that they came quite softly to the tree-tops of 
 the forest he had aimed at entering, a dry and sapless- 
 looking wilderness of gnarled tree-trunks roofed 
 with red, rusty leaves. 
 
 Through a great crash of breaking branches they 
 reached momentary safety, scrambling breathlessly 
 clear of the plunging car. 
 
 Corbyn slit the silk here and there so that the gas 
 remaining might escape, and all they left behind 
 them when they started off on foot was the torn 
 basket and the empty bag of the balloon. 
 
 "Until they find that they can't start upon our 
 trail," he said encouragingly, "and it will take some 
 finding in this wilderness. 
 
 " Now for a drink of water, eh, Fifi ? And then 
 we'll make a move towards the coast." 
 
 Fifi smiled wistfully, but did not answer. She 
 had been suffering agonies of thirst ; her parched and 
 swollen lips refused to speak for her. 
 
 It did not take them long, however, to reach the 
 stream Corbyn had been able to forecast from over- 
 head by studying the foliage. A green glade ran 
 right through the heart of the sere desert, and by the
 
 296 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 compass at his belt they made their way in its direc- 
 tion. 
 
 Fifi ran forward when she heard the first faint 
 echo of the rivulet to which the forest had owed its 
 being, and, when the others reached her, she was 
 kneeling with wet lips beside a crystal pool, her 
 attitude expressive of the thankfulness she felt. 
 
 Corbyn saw then how worn and heavy-eyed she 
 was, and his heart smote him. Beatriz also was show- 
 ing signs of the strain they had been suffering since 
 they had started. 
 
 Food there was none, but surely, he thought, they 
 might rest for a brief hour. 
 
 "We'll stay here for a time," he told them, and 
 they threw themselves down wearily without a word. 
 But for himself there was no rest possible. 
 
 He took liis bearings with exactitude, and left 
 them for a short space that he might climb a bluff 
 above and thence lay the course they must follow. 
 It cost him twenty minutes to climb high enough, 
 and there he spent ten more making a rough sketch- 
 map of the country which stretched between him and 
 the sea-range. It would be very dangerous to stray 
 from the due route. 
 
 Then he caught sight of a cloud of dust close to 
 Alta Cruz, and, training his glasses on it, gathered 
 that the pursuit was in full cry already. 
 
 He waited only to make sure that they were well 
 enough aware of the balloon's descent to start the 
 search within the forest and then went stumbling
 
 YBARRA'S DOWNFALL 297 
 
 downwards at his best speed, keeping to the high 
 bank above the stream instead of following its bed 
 as he had done on the way up, so that he saw no sign 
 of the two men who were tracing so carefully, step 
 by step, the few faint signs of his ascent. 
 
 And when he got back to the spot where he had 
 left the two girls, it was empty. 
 
 His heart stood still and his face turned grey 
 through its tan. With frenzied haste he verified 
 the fact that he was not mistaken as to the locality. 
 The leaves that they had lain on still bore the faint 
 impress of their forms. Indentations in the softer 
 soil proclaimed that many other feet than theirs had 
 trod it recently. 
 
 He groaned aloud in his agony, not knowing where 
 to turn first. It took him precious time to find 
 which way their kidnappers had come and whither 
 gone. And, while he followed frantically the true 
 trail, he heard the chase so close that he knew it 
 must have discovered the balloon already. 
 
 A yell of triumph gave conclusive evidence of 
 that, and he turned back with blazing eyes, a last 
 despairing project in his mind. 
 
 He crossed the stream again, ran through the 
 green grove on its banks to where the thicket lay 
 all dry and brown and rotten. 
 
 A little pile of dead leaves served his purpose. He 
 put a match to them, and, in an instant, they caught 
 light, blazed up, sent tongues of flame into the 
 tangle fronting them.
 
 298 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Once up-hill and once down did he repeat the 
 process, and when he once more turned back to 
 pursue his own path, there was an almost smokeless 
 screen of fire between him and his enemies a 
 screen which spread and broadened until those in 
 front of it became aware that the strange roaring 
 they could hear up-wind presaged a forest fire, and 
 got to horse again and fled in fear before it ; leaving 
 beyond the green embattlement about the rivulet 
 the man they had come there to seek. 
 
 Satisfied that he had thus stopped them for the 
 moment, Corbyn broke back to where the dim 
 foot-prints turned and twisted through the under- 
 growth and northwards. He lost them frequently, 
 found them again, and struggled on in a hot fuiy 
 of determination that only death should daunt him 
 in his quest. 
 
 He blamed himself most bitterly for the misfortune 
 which had thus befallen, was ready to make restitu- 
 tion to the uttermost. 
 
 Thorns and projecting branches tore his uniform, 
 scratching his face and hands till the blood flowed. 
 He tripped and fell and rose again, dusty, dishevelled, 
 sweating at every pore. 
 
 His lungs were clogged and heavy, he could scarce- 
 ly see. And, when a band of men sprang suddenly 
 upon him from both sides, he was in no case to with- 
 stand them.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE BELLS TOLL BACKWARDS 
 
 WHILE Meggs and O'Dare and Allardyce stood 
 on the edge of the plateau watching the balloon 
 drift towards the ridge, they suffered even more than 
 did those who were travelling in it through the danger 
 zone. 
 
 Dennis O'Dare's heart sank till he felt physically 
 sick at thought of Fifi's peril when the first gun was 
 fired, and not until the flask of picric fell among the 
 enemy did they dare to assume that their friends had 
 the slightest chance of getting through unscathed. 
 But after that, and when they saw the great gas-bag 
 leap upwards unhurt on the atmospheric wave 
 caused by the explosion, their apprehensions gave 
 place to a grave elation, the other two congratulating 
 Allardyce on the forethought which had provided 
 for such eventuality. 
 
 "We owed old Schweitzer one," said that youth 
 modestly, "and Corbyn's paid it for us at his own 
 risk. He's safely started now, though, and the 
 sooner we find some way to follow him the better 
 for all of us. 
 
 " What we've got to consider first is how to handle 
 299
 
 300 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 the wounded. But for them we might have made 
 a dash for it behind the bomb." 
 
 " With twenty-four hours' rest they will be fit to 
 travel," asserted Meggs. "They're all sound in 
 the legs at any rate." 
 
 " They're a great-hearted lot of boys ! " said O'Dare 
 emphatically. " Two or three of the worst hit told 
 me they'd stay behind and take their chances rather 
 than keep the others back. But we'll get all that's 
 left safe home, please God." 
 
 "We must get out of this at any rate," Allardyce 
 put in. "The well's been bone-dry since the dis- 
 turbance underground, and the few bucketfuls of 
 water I could save won't last us long even on half- 
 rations. "If we could only land beyond the ridge 
 and pick some horses up " 
 
 They turned back towards the hacienda, there to 
 spend the night cudgelling their brains for some 
 scheme of escape. 
 
 The hours passed without active incident, and all 
 next day they watched and waited for the final as- 
 sault they feared but which did not come : and made 
 such preparation as they might for the sortie they 
 had decided on as the upshot of their discussion. 
 
 Such ammunition as was left among them they 
 divided equally. Their scant supplies of food and 
 water were devoted chiefly to the invalids. They 
 laid fires to be lit at dark in order to deceive the 
 enemy. And Allardyce contrived, with weights 
 and cords and torches, an ingenious device by means
 
 of which shots might be fired at intervals for some 
 time after they should have left, from the otherwise 
 unserviceable rifles they had found among the dead 
 two days before. 
 
 Towards dusk, however, they became aware of a 
 fresh stir within the distant camp which had lain 
 in such quietude since morning; and, with their 
 glasses, watched the arrival there from Alta Cruz of 
 ft field column fit to face an army corps. 
 
 "They honour us," said Meggs contemptuously 
 as they saw the last company march in. "We're 
 only nineteen strong, and they seem to have sent 
 half the population of the Republic up to tackle us." 
 
 "So much the better for us after we get past 
 them," AUardyce responded cheerfully. But for 
 all his brave words his heart was heavy. What 
 possible chance could nineteen men have against 
 such odds ? 
 
 " I don't think they'll attack to-night," he added. 
 " Their reinforcements must have had a hardish day 
 of it if they've come from the capital. 
 
 "But all the same I think we should slip out in 
 good time. There's no use waiting until they sur- 
 round us and then trying to escape. 
 
 " I'll take a stroll down to the tunnel-mouth and 
 see if all's clear there. Then, if you both agree with 
 me, we'd better start right off, before the moon 
 comes over the mountain." 
 
 " I'll go below with you," Meggs said, " and Denny 
 can keep watch till we get back."
 
 302 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 They went away together, through the chapel and 
 the crypt, into the long, dark passage, which was 
 strangely warm. 
 
 At the pit-mouth they stopped to peer down, and 
 Allardyce uttered a startled exclamation. 
 
 " Gad ! Jerry," he ejaculated. " There seems to be 
 something wrong here, or else my eyesight's failing. 
 
 The darkness looks too solid to " He bent 
 
 above the opening and let fall a stone. A little spurt 
 of liquid rose immediately below them and splashed 
 back. A ripple overspread the blackness. 
 
 "It's water," Meggs cried, and they looked at 
 each other with startled eyes. 
 
 "It must have been Denny's tampering with the 
 arrangements underground," he suggested more 
 slowly. "The well's closed, and the water's rising 
 here. 
 
 " And there must be a stream behind it to force 
 it up, Allardyce. What if it's cut the conduit to 
 the reservoir!" 
 
 "This must be where the heat is coming from," 
 his friend said in an anxious voice. " We've struck 
 a hot-pipe and it's going to flood this passage 
 presently. Think of the rate it must be rising at to 
 have filled this great bottle since we were here last. 
 
 " Then, when the outlet's choked, it will boil over 
 or burst through into the fire beneath in which 
 case there will be a bad blow-up somewhere. We'll 
 have to get a move on, Jerry, if we don't want to be 
 scalded !"
 
 THE BELLS TOLL BACKWARDS 303 
 
 They turned back to the chapel without delay and 
 sent out a hurry-call for O'Dare; bade the men 
 there make all speed to the stables, and, as soon as 
 the wondering Dennis had joined them with his sen- 
 tries, followed without loss of time, leaving the 
 watch-fires burning, their house in order. 
 
 Even as they crept round the gallery at the pit- 
 mouth, they could see steam rising from the nearer 
 surface, which bade fair to overflow before they could 
 win clear of the tunnel. 
 
 A hasty recount within the empty stables showed 
 that they were all there, however, and they crept 
 away through the darkness in Indian file, Meggs 
 and Allardyce at the head of the hasty procession, 
 O'Dare shepherding the rear. 
 
 The leaders bore to the left, where an old maize 
 plantation might afford them cover of some sort 
 among the trampled stalks. They skirted that to its 
 extremity, and cut at a right angle along its base 
 towards the vertical wall of rock which gave the 
 Horseshoe shape. 
 
 The jingle of cavalry accoutrements came from 
 afar to their ears, and, with a whisper down the 
 line, they dived back into concealment, lay down, 
 with carbines ready. 
 
 A strong patrol went past at a walk and stopped 
 close by. It stayed there for a space, the troopers 
 talking in low tones but loud enough to overhear. 
 
 Allardyce gathered from their chance conversation 
 that Corbyn had crossed Alta Cruz, but had been
 
 304 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 captured on the other side. And that the rampant 
 Tiger was once more in power. He heard them 
 curse their superiors for the unnecessary watchfulness 
 displayed at this late date; assert with blasphemy 
 that there was no chance of the remaining prisoners 
 within the Horseshoe winning escape; and declare 
 their absolute indifference as to such a detail while 
 there was treasure waiting to be won on the 
 plateau. 
 
 A little later they went their way, amd the silent 
 watchers withdrew the fingers that had been lying 
 alongside trigger-guards. 
 
 The moon rose ere these fugitives had reached the 
 shadow of the encircling precipice, and, as its light 
 swept the great plain before them, they saw for 
 themselves that they had got away in time and no 
 more. 
 
 The army of the ridge was crossing it in extended 
 order towards the hacienda. The patrol they had 
 passed was part of its half-moon formation. All 
 had been carefully planned for the final, decisive 
 struggle. 
 
 With such incentive to spur them on they made 
 good speed. 
 
 "Those fellows weren't troopers of the forces," 
 Allardyce whispered breathlessly by the way to 
 Meggs. " The revolution has joined forces with the 
 Government, it seems, at this stage of the game. 
 Ybarra's offered them the treasure in the pit as a 
 prize if they retake the hacienda, and I don't think
 
 there will be many left upon the ridge with that loot 
 waiting. 
 
 " What do you say if we try the water-gate ? " 
 
 " That was nay idea," Meggs answered, chuckling, 
 " I hope they have some divers with them this time, 
 Allardyce. And even then they will have difficulty 
 in plumbing the pit." 
 
 They reached the reservoir, and found it almost 
 dry, with an open sluice. 
 
 "The careless dog!" said AUardyce disgustedly. 
 " There doesn't seem to be a soldier left among them 
 since Von Rudolf died, poor fellow! And as for 
 discipline I'll bet the guard's gone off to join the 
 pillagers. Gad! won't they look sick when they 
 find what's waiting them!" 
 
 It turned out even as he had predicted. No one 
 denied them entrance to the empty river-bed, down 
 which they scrambled, and at the exit they found 
 but a dying fire in token that the watch which had 
 been stationed there had not been able to resist the 
 temptation to join the treasure-seekers. 
 
 They passed the spot where they had left their 
 horses, and which was also empty, swore softly over 
 that loss, and pursued their way on foot until it seemed 
 that they might safely call a halt to ease their labour- 
 ing lungs. Whereafter they pushed on for a time in 
 proper military order, with scouts and point and 
 rear-guard of able men, the main body invalids. 
 
 These last were making valiant efforts to keep 
 pace with their more fortunate fellows, but before 
 2*
 
 306 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 long O'Dare had to send word towards the front that 
 one or two were lagging. Allardyce was at point, 
 and slowed down when the message reached him, 
 but even then the weak and wounded were unable to 
 maintain their places in the line of march. 
 
 He halted once more among the shadows until 
 the full force had come up from behind, and held 
 brief consultation with his friends. 
 
 It would have been waste of time to resume their 
 flight at the risk of a total break-down. Transport 
 of some sort must be provided for the unfortunate 
 invalids. He had a concrete plan in his head where- 
 by that might be procured. He explained it to them, 
 and, having overborne their united protest against 
 his taking any such suicidal chance, chose two out 
 of the dozen volunteers to accompany him on his 
 dangerous errand. 
 
 " If I'm not back in an hour, don't wait for me," 
 he begged of Meggs and O'Dare. "Keep moving 
 coastwards, however slowly, and good luck to 
 you!" 
 
 They wrung his hand, and let him go, since needs 
 must. 
 
 He encountered no least sign of pursuit as he and 
 his two assistants tramped back along the dusty, 
 deserted road which led to the ridge. It was evident 
 that the attacking enemy had so far failed to dis- 
 cover the flight of the defence. 
 
 As soon as he came within shouting-distance of 
 the cutting through which he must gain ingress to
 
 THE BELLS TOLL BACKWARDS 307 
 
 the camp he left his aggrieved companions in hiding, 
 under strict orders to rejoin the others without a 
 moment's delay in case they should hear him cry 
 that he had been caught, and went on alone, trusting 
 to luck to see him safely through the guard at the 
 entrance. 
 
 And as luck would have it there was but a single 
 sentry on duty. 
 
 The armistice in force between the rebels and the 
 government had afforded excuse for the relaxation 
 of such assiduous precautions as had been needful 
 previously. 
 
 Allardyce, parleying with the man, found time 
 to observe that the guard-tents seemed to be empty. 
 The wonderful magnet hidden away in the heart of 
 the Golden Horseshoe had broken the bonds of 
 discipline even more effectually than he had dared 
 to hope it might. 
 
 He explained to the indifferent native that he and 
 certain foot-sore troopers of his command had been 
 left by the wayside for lack of horses, and that he 
 had come on alone to take back mounts for his men. 
 
 That plea was sufficiently plausible to excuse his 
 ignorance of the countersign, and his travel-worn 
 uniform stood him in still better stead. He passed 
 on stiffly and entered the camp itself, turning as 
 if by instinct towards the cavalry lines, no one else 
 interfering with him. 
 
 There were rows upon rows of horses picketed 
 there, with saddles stacked at their heels. He
 
 308 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 picked out eight of the best appearing, clapped their 
 gear on loosely, mounted one, and rode away leading 
 the others. 
 
 From here and there a gruff voice called some 
 remark to him as he passed, but he paid no attention 
 to them, holding straight for the roadway that led 
 to the exit, his teeth tightly set, his heart thump- 
 ing hard to his ribs. 
 
 It was all he could do to rein back when the sentry 
 once more cried the challenge, to go on again at a 
 moderate pace when permission to pass was ac- 
 corded. 
 
 " What news of the attack, lieutenant ? " inquired 
 the guardian of the gateway, laying an eager, de- 
 taining hand on his reins. 
 
 " Have they found the treasure ? What mil my 
 share be worth ? Is it right that I shall have some- 
 thing extra for staying here ? " 
 
 AUardyce pressed cautiously past him, ready to 
 make a dash for it. 
 
 " I could not get word with a soul inside," he called 
 back in a gruff voice. "They're every one after 
 the gold. A wise man would make his OWH share 
 sure." 
 
 The soldier drew back, scratched his head, and 
 stood staring after him in a state of most grievous 
 indecision. 
 
 A little way down the road a cautious whistle 
 brought his two comrades forth from their hiding- 
 place, and all three were soon galloping for the main
 
 THE BELLS TOLL BACKWARDS 309 
 
 body, Allardyce riding recklessly, a great sensation of 
 relief in his heart. There was only time for a hasty 
 word of congratulation on his almost miraculous 
 success before the wounded were set in the saddle 
 and they resumed the march to the sea. 
 
 They had been travelling thus, with an infrequent 
 pause to draw breath, for some hours, had reached 
 the entrance to that deep gorge through which the 
 roadway threaded the foothills, when, without warn- 
 ing, they experienced two sudden and most discon- 
 certing shocks. 
 
 The first of these, the meeting with a picket obvi- 
 ously strong enough to overpower them, which at a 
 vigilant outlook's warning, sprang from among the 
 rocks on either side and strung across their path; the 
 second a muffled, subterranean rumbling which 
 set the horses shying wildly, an ominous, 
 dreadful movement of the solid earth beneath their 
 feet. 
 
 A chorus of wild cries surged up from the men 
 in front of them. 
 
 "El temblor! El temblor! The earthquake!" 
 screamed a voice that was scarcely human, and at 
 the dread words those who would have withstood 
 them fled, terror-stricken, from the spot. For 
 there the highway lay between two walls of rock, 
 which were swaying loosely in the cold moonlight 
 as though they must come together and crush in 
 their cruel jaws the puny human beings, the cowed 
 and trembling horses, staggering foolishly where they
 
 310 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 had stopped, making no effort to find what safety 
 they might in flight. 
 
 The shock passed. "Trot!" shouted Allardyce, 
 his face still haggard with the horror of it, and, 
 clutching a stirrup-leather, struck at the shivering 
 animal beyond it, stumbled forward. The others 
 followed at irregular intervals since it took time to 
 start some of the horses, but all were present when, 
 at a safe distance, he stopped again to see. Then 
 he collapsed, lying down limply by the roadside, 
 letting his head fall forward in the dust. And the 
 riders slipped from their sweating horses, throwing 
 themselves on the ground that they might ease the 
 awful vertigo which was still making their heads 
 swim, rid themselves of a nausea worse than any 
 seasickness. 
 
 It took them time to recover their mental and 
 moral capacity, but, as their beasts calmed down, 
 they too regained some measure of self-confidence; 
 and, in a little, went on their way without speaking. 
 
 That which had passed had been too awful in 
 its sinister significance for words. 
 
 The night and the long road alike seemed never- 
 ending, but dawn found them looking down on Alta 
 Cruz, a city almost unrecognisable. 
 
 Its golden spires had suffered cruel eclipse, and 
 from such as had been left standing bells tolling 
 backwards cried to the clouds above its anguish. 
 Black, heavy clouds these, fed by the fires still blaz 
 ing here and there amid the ruins of the capital.
 
 THE BELLS TOLL BACKWARDS 311 
 
 Even the weary travellers grouped on the brow 
 of the hill above it gazed blankly at each other, 
 dumbly dismayed by disaster so widespread and 
 pitiless. 
 
 But they were not allowed long time for reflection, 
 since almost at their heels there poured forth from 
 the foothills a wild flight from the inferno they had 
 left behind in the mountains. They were forced to 
 seek hiding while its forerunners fled past. Troopers 
 of cavalry these, from the camp on the ridge, riding 
 with necks for sale down to the lowlands, anywhere, 
 to get away from those terrible, toppling peaks. 
 Then came the gunners, on heavier horses, spurring, 
 wild-eyed and afraid. For a long hour they streamed 
 out from the foothills in hundreds, while the handful 
 of men concealed on a bank above the roadway 
 rested watchfully. But panic reigned, to the ex- 
 clusion of all other business, public or private. 
 Personal safety was every one's chief concern. With 
 a mere human enemy it was no time to interfere. 
 
 Wherefore, after the last of the mounted fugitives 
 had gone by, those who were waiting were able to 
 go on their own way unnoticed. 
 
 They thought it wisest, however, not to take any 
 unnecessary risk, and to that end made a circuit of 
 the city at great pains rather than pass through or 
 near it. The foragers they sent out discovered a 
 deserted rancho in a valley by the way, and there 
 found food in the shape of eggs and black bread. 
 With that they broke their fast, and thus were
 
 312 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 strengthened to push on, but it was afternoon before 
 they came into the level country lying between the 
 capital and La Boca. 
 
 On that side their position was much more dan- 
 gerous, and, more than once, they saw troops on 
 the more in military order. From which they judged 
 that the worst of the earthquake had been confined 
 to the upper regions, that the plain had not suffered 
 so severely, 
 
 On its edge they paused to consult, and made up 
 their minds to remain in cover till nightfall, when 
 they could resume their march to the sea under more 
 propitious auspices. They selected a suitable spot 
 to encamp on, and there bade the wounded men lie 
 down and sleep, while such of those still sound as 
 could be spared from duty took their turn of rest 
 with devout thankfulness. 
 
 The hours passed like so many minutes since they 
 were not molested, and, when the time came, they 
 went onwards again uncomplainingly, with drooping 
 heads and aching limbs, but all undaunted. 
 
 They had to keep the highroad at the start, as, 
 until the moon showed up, it would have been im- 
 possible to make headway across country. The 
 wind was with them, and the dust they raised came 
 after them in a low cloud. But in the dark that did 
 not matter, and they trudged along without regarding 
 it, hope growing in the hearts with every mile they 
 covered. 
 
 "We've only one more difficulty to negotiate,'*
 
 THE BELLS TOLL BACKWARDS 313 
 
 Allardyce said to Meggs in a low tone as they two 
 led the way. " If we can get across the Pass " 
 
 Two shadows sprang upon him, two upon his 
 friend, a multitude on the men behind. The cocked 
 revolver he was carrying exploded harmlessly as he 
 fought tooth and nail to free himself. No other 
 shot was fired and none was necessary, so complete 
 was the surprise. 
 
 He groaned aloud in his great bitterness of heart 
 for that they had been captured after all they had 
 come through and on the very threshold of escape.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 
 
 AFTER Ybarra had despatched part of his motley 
 army, half regular, half revolutionist, to the retaking 
 of the Golden Horseshoe he sent for his deputy, don 
 Quentin Sariol ; being imbued with a lately conceived 
 and patriotic impulse to make that gentleman part 
 with a considerable sum of ready money for the 
 replenishment of the national exchequer, with the 
 alternative of being instantly shot on the score of 
 having trafficked treacherously with the forces of 
 rebellion. 
 
 But don Quentin was far too old a bird to be 
 caught napping on a limed twig. He had already 
 set out post haste for the seaport of La Boca, leaving 
 a courteous note to explain that, since his senior had 
 once more assumed the cares of office, he would 
 solace himself, after his recent and most harassing 
 responsibilities, with a short sojourn elsewhere. 
 
 Whereat His Excellency swore very vehemently, 
 for he had been set in his purpose of squeezing don 
 Quentin to the last onza. 
 
 His dangerous descent by means of the parachute 
 had not depressed him. Rather the contrary, for 
 314
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 315 
 
 he felt that a man who could come safely through 
 all he had suffered within the past four and twenty 
 hours was surely marked out for especial eminence. 
 Mere death was not for him. He was inebriated 
 with his own conceit. 
 
 I He had not overheard from the roof's height where 
 he had surreptitiously ensconced himself to spy on 
 Quentin and his coadjutors, who had thought him 
 still safely occupied at the hacienda, what had passed 
 between the members of the meeting underneath, 
 and, after its convener had observed him at his peep- 
 hole, he had not been able to get down in time to 
 intercept them. The catch of the trap-door through 
 which he had gained the roof had slipped into place 
 while he was still outside and it had cost him precious 
 minutes to summon assistance, to obtain entrance 
 again. But, notwithstanding the Vice-President's 
 plausible explanation, he had felt well assured that 
 there was treason brewing, that he could turn it to 
 account in ready money. For don Quentin had 
 held his present post too long to be a poor man, 
 had saved while Ybarra had squandered, and that 
 without affording his superior any pretext to extract 
 a loan, compulsory or voluntary. 
 
 All of which irked His Excellency so sorely that 
 he swore. 
 
 Then he called for a horse, and orderlies, riding 
 forth like a man possessed on the trail of the force 
 he had sent to surround the balloon. The common 
 people stopped to gape at him as he passed through
 
 316 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 the streets, his great black charger striking fire from 
 every flinty cobble, he sitting it like a centaur, his 
 lancers on their speedy ponies many lengths in the 
 rear. 
 
 " The devil himself surely sits at the Tiger's crup- 
 per," grumbled a crone he had all but trampled under 
 foot in his mad passage, and the mob laughed. They 
 loved a loose rein and a steady seat, a reckless rider. 
 
 Word had already reached him that the American 
 had come to earth within the charcoal-burners, 
 forest, a dozen miles beyond the city-gates. His 
 brown face burned beneath the blazing sun as he 
 sped onwards, and, when he reached the spot where- 
 at the hunt had left the roadway to break through 
 to the balloon, he sent the spurs home, shooting past 
 it without hesitation, a fresh purpose already 
 formed. 
 
 He knew that Corbyn must seek some outlet from 
 the woods, and meant to head him off thereat, to 
 take him prisoner single-handed, and thus revenge 
 condignly all the humiliations he had suffered in his 
 cousin's sight. She must be brought to see that he 
 could stay the longest course, and come out winner; 
 and if his enemy should prove recalcitrant the pair 
 behind him had their carbines. The credit of the 
 capture or the killing should be his. His brain- 
 less friends within the covert would serve as beaters. 
 
 League after league he laid behind him and at 
 length turned to the left along a country-road skirting 
 the forest base. Striking a lower reach of the same
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 317 
 
 stream the fugitives had stopped at, he halted there 
 until his escort scurried up. 
 
 He bade them tie the dripping horses to a tree 
 and lead the way up-stream. 
 
 They started in, he at their heels, and clambered 
 noiselessly along the open channel, pausing at inter- 
 vals to cock their ears and listen, but heard no sound 
 until too late. 
 
 Six very able-bodied men dropped on them from 
 above in a steep gully they were threading, choking 
 them to such purpose in the sand and gravel there 
 that they could not cry out. And, when they were 
 jerked very rudely to their feet, they had thick gags 
 to bite on, and were thus compelled to silence. 
 
 Steel handcuffs held their wrists together at their 
 backs, and, in this plight they were pulled up the 
 bank, pushed into the presence of a gathering which 
 filled His Excellency's active mind with apprehension. 
 
 It was composed of men in peasants' garb, lean, 
 sun-tanned men who laughed within themselves at 
 sight of him: all armed with well-oiled rifles of the 
 pattern he had once hoped to supply his army with, 
 and hung about with well-filled bandoliers of 
 lightest webbing. 
 
 His heart sank though his eyes were glaring, as he 
 gathered these details before he was tripped up and 
 thrown behind a bush without regard to his high 
 rank in the Republic. He made a mental memo- 
 randum to have his two scouts assassinated at an 
 early date if he himself should survive so long, and
 
 318 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 lifted his head high enough to look across the 
 roots before him. Fresh footsteps were approaching, 
 hurried, stumbling footsteps coming down-hill at a 
 mad speed. 
 
 His captors had laid ambush for whoever that was 
 also. Ybarra could have chuckled as he caught sight 
 of Corbyn's blood-stained, anxious face, but that at 
 the moment a girl's voice cried " Phil ! " most gladly, 
 and he knew then that Beatriz as well had fallen 
 prisoner to the band. 
 
 Corbyn fought desperately for his freedom, and, 
 at that word, he gained it, for the four men who had 
 sprung upon him fell back simultaneously and the 
 girl's voice cried, " Don't shoot ! Don't shoot, Phil ! " 
 
 He held his hand, unwillingly, and Beatriz ran for- 
 ward, clasping his arms in hers so that he stood 
 there powerless. And after her emerged from the 
 thick growth about the waterside a stout and jovial' 
 looking labourer who stuck a monocle into one eye, 
 and said, " The dooce ! old fellow. How d'ye do, ch ? " 
 
 Corbyn eyed him in wordless wonder for a moment 
 and then said limply, " Landguard ! " 
 
 At which remark the labourer grinned sheepishly. 
 " I do look rather rakish in this rig-out, don't I, old 
 chap, eh, what ? " said he. 
 
 "God! but I'm glad to see you here," Corbyn 
 assured him in a hoarse, shaky voice. "I was 
 
 afraid I thought that Why did you leave me, 
 
 Beatriz?"
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 319 
 
 She saw how he had suffered and made answer 
 swiftly : 
 
 "Lord Landguard found us, and bade us come 
 with him. He said the troops were close at hand, 
 and that he would send you word." 
 
 "And so they were," his lordship corroborated. 
 "I sent two men to fetch you after us, old fellow. 
 Didn't you meet *em up above ? 
 
 "I thought it would be too dangerous to keep 
 the women waiting there while " 
 
 " You were quite right," Corbyn said, still breath- 
 ing heavily, " but I missed your men. I stopped to 
 fire the underwood we had better move out without 
 delay they'll ride round to this side, and " 
 
 His lordship drew a silver whistle from a pocket 
 in his ragged coat and at its sound there came to- 
 wards them the main body of his command, some 
 twoscore stalwart riflemen all attired like himself. 
 Fifi came out of concealment also, and, from behind 
 a sapless tree-trunk, stepped Challoner the corre- 
 spondent, who found time to wring Corbyn's hand 
 delightedly ere they once more started down-stream 
 at a pace only limited by the girls' powers. 
 
 "The Wireless doesn't need me any longer in San' 
 Benito," he explained. "They've sent a substitute 
 to take my place. I'm on my way to Russia now. 
 That's how I happened to take a hand in this deal. 
 
 " If I had been working for the paper, of course 
 I'd have had to stand out." 
 
 "You're rottin', Quiff," his lordship interrupted.
 
 320 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "He's been my guidin' star all through, Phil, old 
 chap, Wireless or no Wireless. 
 
 " Dolly an' I were cruisin' about the Islands, when 
 we got word from him that you were cookin' in a 
 pot o' trouble somewhere up country. 
 
 "An' what to do after we'd landed I did not 
 know, damned if I did your pardon, Miss Ybarra ; 
 my tongue's always slippin' until he tipped me 
 one or two wily wrinkles of his own, dressed me an' 
 the men up in these dam ahem! these these rags, 
 smuggled us across that da that that Pass, and 
 then went puffin' off on his infernal yes, I'll stick 
 to that one his infernal machine. 
 
 "He found us flounderin' about this da this 
 the surroundin' scenery this forenoon, an' led the 
 way to where we found you. 
 
 " I wonder who those three were that we bagged 
 just before you came into view ? " 
 
 " One was Ybarra, the President of San Benito," 
 Challoner said quietly, "and the other two his 
 orderlies." 
 
 "Where are they?" asked Corbyn as soon as he 
 had gotten over his surprise at the announcement. 
 
 " Comin' along behind," Lord Landguard answer- 
 ed nonchalantly. "They're all right, old chap. 
 Don't you fret." 
 
 Debouching from the forest they found the three 
 horses tied there and quite safe from any danger 
 of the blaze which had come licking after them along 
 the other bank. The stream would save that portion
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 321 
 
 they had travelled through, and Corbyn felt no re- 
 morse for the destruction of the belt of dead wood 
 between them and the city. 
 
 "We'd better leave the animals where they are,'* 
 he said. "When his followers find them they'll be 
 at a loss to know whether the President's alive or 
 dead." 
 
 "Pass the word to inquire whether the two men 
 who went after Mr. Corbyn have yet reported," 
 Lord Landguard ordered, and the message went up 
 the long line till word came back that they had just 
 come in touch with the rear-guard. 
 
 " Then we'll get back to our base," said his lordship 
 briskly to the officer behind him. "Wait here and 
 tell each man that passes that we must scatter widely 
 and cross country under cover. They are to pick 
 their steps over the hardest ground and leave no 
 spoor. Rally on that low kopje yes, the one to 
 westward of the Pass and watch for signals by the 
 way. See that the horses are securely fastened. 
 Come on behind after you've counted every man 
 out." 
 
 The other saluted, with incongruous effect in the 
 disguise of the slovenly costume he was wearing, and 
 Corbyn led Beatrix along the border of a tobacco- 
 field, while Landguard undertook to pilot Fifi. It 
 would have been unwise k> follow the stream further 
 and so lay a trail which would be obvious to every 
 tyro in the hunt. 
 
 The men, emerging after them, broke right and 
 21
 
 322 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 left, travelling stealthily, and they went onwards in 
 a V-shaped wedge, with Landguard, in command, 
 as apex, the prisoners with their guards inside but 
 separated. 
 
 They had scarcely covered a short mile, when, 
 looking backwards, they saw the pursuit stream 
 past that angle of the forest which had hidden them. 
 Landguard lay down behind an ant-heap and trained 
 his Zeiss glasses on the mob of horsemen. 
 
 " I thought at first that they were comin' after us," 
 he said to Fifi, " but they've turned along the slope. 
 The fire has crept as far's the road already it will 
 soon burn out. We'll dig along again, Miss Flo- 
 rian; I'm hankerin' to get back to papa." 
 
 He grinned most genially, and Fifi for all her 
 fatigue could not but laugh both with and at him. 
 
 Another half-hour of laborious progress brought 
 them very near their objective, and there a discon- 
 certing incident occurred. 
 
 An elderly gentleman, pink-faced and white of 
 whisker, jumped from behind a boulder as they 
 skirted it, levelling at them the rifle he had hold 
 of. 
 
 Fifi suppressed with difficulty the cry upon her 
 lips as her attendant cavalier stopped short and 
 looked most quizzically at this strange enemy. 
 
 "Now, Pops," he said in a reproving voice, "this 
 ain't the time of year for shootin' son-in-laws! 
 Better be careful or you'll end up by blowin' a bullet 
 into somebody.
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 323 
 
 "This is my father-in-law, Mr. Corbyn, Miss 
 Florian." 
 
 The stranger bowed, and blushed. "My eyes 
 are failing me," he said. " I've been on the lookout 
 for you for the last hour. Where are the others? 
 What news is there, Dick?" 
 
 "Great news, Pops. We've got the two ladies 
 safe, and we've bagged Ybarra, and 
 
 " Where's Phil ? " demanded the older man, unable 
 to restrain his gnawing anxiety. 
 
 His lordship halted, and at a blast from his silver 
 whistle a dozen heads popped up in the neighbour- 
 hood, all looking in his direction. 
 
 "Where's Phil?" said he, and pointed to two of 
 the nearest. "That looks pretty like Phil Corbyn, 
 doesn't it, Pops ? " 
 
 He grinned delightedly again at Fifiashis father- 
 in-law hurried off at a great pace. 
 
 " Poor old Pops ! " said he, and they went on to- 
 gether, the others following. 
 
 Corbyn stopped in astonishment at sight of the 
 elderly gentleman bearing down on him with out- 
 stretched hand. He had thought that his sister and 
 Landguard had been alone on their yacht, that his 
 father was at his office in San Francisco, and the 
 surprise that his brother-in-law had planned for 
 him almost took his breath away. 
 
 "Dad!" he said jerkily. 
 
 " Phil ! " cried his father, and they clasped hands. 
 There were no more words needed to effect full and
 
 324 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 complete reconciliation. Neither was given to un- 
 necessary speech. Each knew the other too well 
 to ask any further assurance that the feud which 
 had sundered them for so long was dead and buried, 
 forgiven, forgotten on both sides. Corbyn was 
 overjoyed that it should be so, the older man dumbly 
 thankful that it was not yet to* late to retrieve the 
 grievous mistakes of the past. He had dealt very 
 harshly with his only son. He must find some 
 means to make that up to him now. 
 
 He turned to Beatriz, on Corbyn's arm, and she 
 flushed rosily. Was ever maiden fated to meet 
 critical inspection in less fit garb! What would he 
 think of her, for whom his son had sacrificed so 
 much? 
 
 Could she have known it, he was thinking that, 
 had he been in Phil's place, he could not have done 
 differently. And wishing that the boy's dead mother 
 could but have set eyes on the two of them as they 
 stood there before him: one fair and sweet beyond 
 all telling, with downcast eyes which yet, when they 
 had first met his, had told him everything that he 
 desired to know; the other tanned and haggard 
 after the hardships he had undergone for her sake, 
 but very straight and upright, looking him squarely 
 in the face as he would the whole world, a son whom 
 any father might have been proud of. 
 
 "Dad," said that dutiful young man, one arm 
 protectingly about the shrinking girl, " Dad, this is 
 Beatriz."
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 325 
 
 His tone told all there was to tell, and Mr. Corbyn 
 chuckled delightedly to think of the good news he 
 had brought them both. But that would keep, and 
 meantime he stood upon no ceremony. And the 
 shy glarice of gratitude she gave him ere they went 
 on again together in haste to rejoin the others com- 
 pleted her conquest. From that time forward he 
 next to his bold son was her stanchest ally. She had 
 perforce to avail herself of the arm each offered her, 
 and it was thus that they came into camp, greatly 
 to the satisfaction of Fifi and Landguard, who had 
 both been somewhat anxious as to the outcome of 
 their encounter. 
 
 "Dick," cried the old gentleman with vast con- 
 tentment as they drew near, "I'm indebted to you, 
 my boy, for a daughter as well as a son." 
 
 "I thought you would be, Pops," said his son-in- 
 law sapiently, and changed the conversation without 
 delay. 
 
 "You've fixed us up a famous fort here," he ob- 
 served as they all passed round the base of a rough 
 hillock only to be ascended from behind. 
 
 " It should be possible to hold it against great odds," 
 said Mr. Corbyn modestly. He had been left there 
 on the pretext that he must hold the base for them 
 while the main body made its wild dash into the 
 forest, and Landguard had suggested that he should 
 occupy the height they were now ascending. Six 
 men, two mules, and a machine-gun formed his 
 garrison, and with that force he had effected great
 
 326 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 things. Loose stones had been banked up to afford 
 cover, sites sorted for the gun, shelter built for the 
 mules. The place was not, of course, impregnable, 
 but, fortified thus, would not be taken easily. 
 
 " Hope we shan't have to test the theory," Land- 
 guard replied laughingly. "So far we haven't had 
 to fire a shot, and the less gunnin' we get mixed up 
 in the better for me when I have to get on to my hind- 
 legs in the House of Lords an' tell 'em how it hap- 
 pened that I came to be invading a friendly country 
 with an armed force at my back. It might be a 
 hangin' matter for me, Pops." 
 
 At which misstatement his father-in-law merely 
 smiled. He knew that Richard, Lord Landguard, 
 was given to speaking figuratively, and at that 
 moment the rest of the fighting-force marched in, 
 their prisoners with them. 
 
 A council of war was held as soon as Landguard 
 had seen the men settled and dispositions had been 
 made for the defence of their stronghold in case of 
 attack. Corbyn repeated what he had already told 
 each in part about the plight of his comrades at the 
 hacienda, and it was settled that they must stake 
 what they had so far won on the rescue of the sur- 
 vivors at the Golden Horseshoe, holding Ybarra 
 hostage for the girls' safety. It was no moment for 
 half-measures. Time pressed and come what might 
 they could not desert Meggs and his men. 
 
 The President was therefore brought forward, and 
 their intention explained to him, but he made no
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 327 
 
 comment on it, contenting himself with staring 
 fixedly at Beatriz, seated with Fifi under the shade 
 of a rock near-by. And, since nothing was to be 
 got out of him, they sent him back to his own place, 
 with a last warning that his life would be held forfeit 
 if any harm befell her now. 
 
 Then there arose the question whether they 
 should all go south again together or leave a force 
 in concealment there to care for the women, and 
 take a flying column through to the mountains. 
 
 But that was unexpectedly solved for them by 
 the appearance from among the hills behind of a 
 great force in groups innumerable. Which strayed 
 past their hiding-place and across the plain towards 
 Alta Cruz, finally forming camp on the open plain, 
 always in separate parties and directly across their 
 path. 
 
 "Those are guerrillas from the coastal range," 
 said Challoner. " They must be concentrating there 
 either to assist in besieging the city or because word 
 has reached them that the Beds and regulars are 
 to share the treasure at the hacienda. I'm half 
 afraid they'll stay where they are till something turns 
 up. They're too suspicious of the Tiger's strategy 
 to trust themselves much nearer his headquarters." 
 
 His fears were not without foundation, for at 
 nightfall there were leagues of country covered by 
 scattered campfires, and a ceaseless interchange of 
 visits between the bands seemed to be going on. 
 No more effectual barrier could have been raised
 
 328 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 between the fretting rescue-party and their friends 
 in the country beyond the capital. 
 
 All next day it endured, and, when darkness came 
 down, the lights showed that there was nothing for 
 it but to draw further on a stock of patience that 
 was waning fast. 
 
 " If they're still there to-morrow," said Landguard, 
 "we'll have to supply ourselves with horses from 
 their picket-lines and make a dash for it." 
 
 It would have been sheer madness to attempt 
 that, but nevertheless they turned the project over 
 in their minds with relish, and might indeed have 
 attempted it but for the earthquake which presently 
 woke the world up like a wild nightmare. 
 
 There in the open they did not suffer so severely 
 as those who were penned in among the mountains, 
 but, notwithstanding, the cold terror of it gripped 
 hard at their hearts. 
 
 Even Ybarra, fearless beyond all standards 
 among men, cried on the gods he had so long con- 
 temned as he lay bound among his guards and felt 
 the solid rock shake underneath him, while tor- 
 tured voices groaned and growled in the great travail 
 of the under-earth. 
 
 The shock passed, and, in time, the sun once more 
 shone down on them. They saw a greater multitude 
 than ever on the plain, and a black cloud above the 
 city of the golden spires whose brilliance had 
 departed. 
 
 Then there came flying thence towards the sea
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 329 
 
 fugitives, civilian, military, men and women, a little 
 later the most cowardly of the deserters from the 
 siege of the Golden Horseshoe. 
 
 Landguard, on the alert and desperately anxious 
 now, sent a detachment out to capture any straggling 
 soldier whose appearance might warrant the belief 
 that he had come from up-country. That brought 
 back a white-faced linesman who had stolen a com- 
 rade's mount from the cavalry-lines on the ridge and 
 fled so fast and far that he had lamed the animal 
 irremediably. 
 
 And from him they learned all he could tell con- 
 cerning the happenings at the hacienda, Challoner 
 translating his disjointed sentences into smooth 
 English. 
 
 "The attack was timed for moon-rise," he began, 
 "and, as there was no longer need to guard the 
 ridge against the rebels also, all of us save the main- 
 guard had permission to take part in it. 
 
 "And we went willingly to share the trea- 
 sure. 
 
 "Those up above had blown a great gap in the 
 eastern stairway but we had hopes of bridging that, 
 and there was also a plan laid to clear the tunnel. I 
 thought the latter the more likely to succeed and 
 went with that half of our force. But at the entrance 
 there was water flowing, water almost too hot to 
 touch. 
 
 "Some of the sappers were thrust forward to 
 investigate and driven up by bullets from behind.
 
 330 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 But that was useless, for the flood rose far too swiftly, 
 and always hotter. Those that the bullets spared 
 died in the steam that spat out suddenly in a ter- 
 rific blast. 
 
 "We fell back, for the tunnel-mouth was like a 
 kettle spout, and I went round to see how those at 
 the stairfoot were faring. 
 
 " A shot or two was was fired from overhead and 
 we judged that the enemy was well aware of our 
 purpose, but we worked away with lines and ladders 
 until - 
 
 The man's voice shook. He shivered. 
 
 "I heard a tearing sound that hurt my ears and 
 then a dull explosion. 
 
 " We turned and ran, all of us that were left the 
 cliff had come down headlong. The Golden Horse- 
 shoe was lit up like hell itself. The plateau upon 
 which had stood the hacienda was a vomiting vol- 
 cano, topped by a dense white cloud. 
 
 " I was among the first to reach the ridge and so 
 secured a horse. Half way between there and Alta 
 Cruz death clutched at me again in a most dreadful 
 earthquake, but I I am here. 
 
 "How many may have perished at the siege I 
 know not, but for the defenders there was no hope 
 no, not one: for men who have passed me by the 
 way say that the Golden Horseshoe is becoming a 
 great lake." 
 
 He ceased, and those about him sat with heads 
 bent, sorrowing, as he was led away and placed
 
 GRIEVOUS NEWS 331 
 
 among the other prisoners. No one had any word 
 to say. 
 
 But, while the dead had rest, those who were left 
 must struggle on, and, after a long time, Lord Land- 
 guard spoke: i 
 
 "We must make for the coast to-night," he re- 
 marked quietly. "I'll come back afterwards, 
 and- 
 
 " We'll go up-country together, Dick," said Cor- 
 byn as he hesitated, "after we've got the others 
 safely on board your boat." His voice was not very 
 steady, but he showed no other sign of all that he 
 had suffered in that dark hour. 
 
 They broke camp at a late hour to allow time for 
 the road to clear before they should attempt the Pass, 
 which Challoner advised them to negotiate just be- 
 fore dawn, and started with heavy hearts on their 
 long march. 
 
 And all went well till the rear-guard sent forward 
 word that an armed force had debouched from 
 among the hills on their trail and was following fast.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 AU REVOIR 
 
 " THAT'S deuced awkward ! " grumbled Lord Land- 
 guard. "What are we goin' to do about it, eh? 
 If we get shootin' at them we'll soon have the whole 
 wasps' nest about our ears." 
 
 "If there are not too many, hold them up," 
 Challoner counselled. "Ambush them. Smash 
 their rifles. Turn right about, towards Alta Cruz, 
 and then kick; kick hard. 
 
 "We can't afford to have them chase us up the 
 slope, nor can we let them get ahead of us and so 
 take news of our coming to the camp on the Sum- 
 mit." 
 
 Corbyn nodded concurrence, and they three fell 
 back on the rear-guard to see the scheme carried out, 
 whispering curt instructions to those in subordinate 
 command of the dim figures swinging past them. 
 
 The column was moving swiftly, the two girls 
 travelling on the mules that had formerly carried 
 the machine-gun, which cherished piece of ordnance 
 now lay deeply buried among the rocks behind their 
 vacated entrenchments. 
 
 The rear-guard, thus strengthened, was told off in 
 332
 
 AU REVOIR 333 
 
 pairs, and, as soon as they came to a suitable spot, 
 took position, crouching down in the darkness, a 
 double line of men with their rifles slung. 
 
 They had not long to wait ere their pursuers ap- 
 peared, trudging stolidly into the trap, all unwitting 
 of that which lay lurking in wait on either side 
 of the dust -cloud enveloping them. 
 
 The jaws of the trap snapped together at both 
 ends simultaneously. A single revolver shot, an 
 insignificant crack like that of a whip, was audible 
 above the shuffling of feet, the panting breaths of 
 those who were struggling at odds. 
 
 "Break back, lads! Break back and escape!" 
 cried a desperate voice from in front, and was an- 
 swered by one shouting wildly, " Stand fast ! We're 
 friends." 
 
 Captors and captured relaxed their tense grips for 
 an instant while Corbyn asked in a tremulous tone 
 of the shadow whose cry had come in time and no 
 more to prevent further mischief, "Who who are 
 you?" 
 
 " Is that you, Corbyn, old chap ? " it answered, 
 shakily also and almost in unbelief. "I I'm 
 Allardyce." 
 
 Words fail to paint the rapture of the reunion* 
 which took place there in the starless night. Ten 
 minutes passed and ten more ere they had got half 
 through their mutual congratulations and explana- 
 tions. But at last Landguard gave the command, 
 " Quick march, " and the girls sought their saddles
 
 334 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 again, while, as they moved on, Beatriz found Cor- 
 byn at her bridle. Dennis O'Dare had replaced the 
 seaman who had been leading Fifi's mount. 
 
 There was but one more barrier between the united 
 expeditions and the successful end of their enter- 
 prise. It was sufficiently formidable to give them 
 pause, but, if their luck held, they might overcome 
 it as they had its forerunners, while, if it came to 
 fighting, they must take such chances as might befall. 
 But even Ybarra, shuffling unwillingly along be- 
 tween his guards, felt curious to know how they in- 
 tended to get past the garrison which held the 
 Pass. 
 
 They halted half a mile below the Summit, where 
 a most marvellous metamorphosis took place, all the 
 less understandable since it was still dark. 
 
 Some fifty very slovenly insurgents pulled out 
 clasp-knives, slit their soiled outer clothing carefully 
 from head to heel, and, through that chrysalis, 
 emerged in the familiar form of British bluejackets. 
 Landguard, their leader, and the officers of his com- 
 mand were also in full uniform of blue and brass and 
 gold. 
 
 Corbyn and his worn men felt shabby and forlorn 
 *beside them, but there was yet a part for them to 
 play in character when the time came. Challoner 
 Was stage-manager of that performance also, and, 
 all his orders having been complied with, they went 
 on till a picket challenged their advance. 
 
 Then Landguard, in the lead, called, with as-
 
 AU REVOIR 335 
 
 sumed anger in his voice, for Corbyn, who hastened 
 forward with a rough native imprecation. 
 
 " What's this ? " he shouted sternly and glared at 
 the shivering sentry. "Cannot you see, fool, that 
 these are foreigners? Are you a raw recruit that 
 you don't know the difference between their uniform 
 and ours ? Have you not heard the order that the 
 legation guards are to pass unquestioned ? " 
 
 "Forward, senores! Let me apologise for the 
 stupidity of this black animal." 
 
 He made a ferocious lunge at the alarmed lines- 
 man, who did not dare to protest, lest worse should 
 befall him at the hands of his superior, and Corbyn 
 stayed beside him, breathing dire wrath, while the 
 stalwart English sailors tramped stolidly past, 
 rifles at the slope. 
 
 After them came a footsore detachment of native 
 troops, hustling along a huddled party of prisoners 
 in the shape of Beatriz and Ygnacio Ybarra, Fifi and 
 Challoner, the elder Corbyn, the President's two 
 orderlies, and the man who had fled from the siege 
 of the Golden Horseshoe, followed by a few wounded 
 men on horseback. 
 
 When they had all gone by, Corbyn, with a part- 
 ing threat to the sentry, went on again to browbeat 
 any one else rash enough to interfere. But no one 
 did so. 
 
 News of the earthquake, the destruction of Alta 
 Cruz and the Golden Horseshoe, the consequent 
 extinction of the filibusters who had held the Presi-
 
 336 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 dent's Jiacienda against its rightful owner, the Tigers 
 own tragic fate in the forest fire, had already reached 
 the Summit through the fugitives who had ever since 
 been trooping across the Pass. 
 
 There was nothing at all unusual in the aspect 
 of the prisoners, with bandaged heads, bound hands, 
 or of their escort, ragged, dirty, and slouching of 
 gait, a very indifferent contrast to the smart foreign 
 squad in front. The garrison main-guard, standing 
 round their fire among the trees above the roadway, 
 were satisfied that all was well, since the picket had 
 led the travellers pass. They looked on with dull, 
 sleepy eyes till the last of them was out of sight. 
 
 The outpost on the seaward slope did not think it 
 worth while to halt them since they had passed the 
 main-guard, and Ybarra, plodding down hill with 
 sealed lips, his heels in constant contact with the 
 boots of those immediately behind him, ground his 
 teeth in bitter impotent anger as he added one more 
 mental note to the long list in his retentive memory. 
 If he should live it would be his particular ambition 
 to teach the Tenth of the Line the duties of a picket 
 at a point of such importance. He did not know 
 that they were already congratulating themselves on 
 his supposititious demise. 
 
 A search-light from the bay below laid a long, thin, 
 white finger on the base of the black mountain-side 
 which the relieved adventurers were now descending, 
 and at Landguard's behest three fires were lit in 
 answer and left ablaze. So that when, after day
 
 ATI REVOIR 337 
 
 broke and the sun was high, they reached sea-level 
 and turned westward away from the road which led 
 into La Boca, there were boats waiting at a safe 
 place to carry them on board his lordship's yacht, 
 a great grey vessel like a man-of-war, lying at anchor 
 opposite the town. 
 
 Dorothy, Lady Landguard, was at the gangway 
 to receive them, and had her hands full with the 
 the wayworn party her bold husband had brought 
 back at such risk to himself and her. Her eyes were 
 wet with happy tears as she bade each one welcome, 
 from her husband, father, brother, down to the most 
 bashful of the brave men who had helped them 
 to succour her two sister-women. And then she led 
 Beatriz and Fifi below, and they cried on each 
 other's shoulder over the tale there was to be 
 told. 
 
 Ygnacio Ybarra and his followers were bestowed 
 in a place of security and left there under obser- 
 vation, the wounded all established in the sick- 
 bay, where the ship's surgeon soon found means 
 to improve their somewhat sorry plight, and the 
 remainder of the invading army devoted them- 
 selves with great glee to improving their appearances 
 in anticipation of the wedding to be celebrated forth- 
 with. It had been announced that there was a 
 couple on board about to enter the honourable 
 estate of matrimony, and in their welfare officers 
 and men alike seemed to take an interest extraordi- 
 narily keen. 
 22
 
 338 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 Landguard had his gig piped away as soon as he 
 had made himself presentable and was rowed over 
 to a smart cruiser flying the Stars and Stripes which 
 had just steamed in. Challoner had not come off 
 from the shore with the others, his professional in- 
 stincts having proved too strong to let him rest till 
 he should have found out what news there was in 
 La Boca. During their absence the ship was 
 dressed in honour of the occasion, and a brave show 
 she made with all her bunting abroad. 
 
 Beatriz came on deck first, in simple travelling 
 dress, and found Mr. Corbyn vastly busy in a cabin 
 there. The desk at which he was sitting was lit- 
 tered with slips of paper, to each of which he was 
 signing his name hastily but with method. He 
 rose as she stepped over the threshold and his face 
 lit up at sight of her. She was so dainty and demure, 
 so very womanly withal in her new guise. He had 
 no words to welcome this bewitchingly beautiful 
 princess who had replaced the shy boy he had found 
 such a snug place in his heart for, but he held out 
 his arms to her and she ran to him with a silken 
 rustle. 
 
 Corbyn encountered Meggs at the companion- 
 foot, and "Phil," said his friend, "we owe Barrof 
 Mobile a good turn after all ! " 
 
 " That doesn't \vorry me so much as what I owe 
 you, Jerry," Corbyn replied. " But for you, Beatriz 
 and I " 
 
 "I'll tell you how you can wipe that score off,"
 
 AU REVOIR 339 
 
 Meggs interrupted. " Let me be best man at your 
 wedding." 
 
 His honest eyes met Corbyn's straightly. There 
 was no bitterness in them, and the old blind regret 
 lay buried at the mountain-foot where he had fought 
 and overcome temptation. Corbyn made no reply, 
 since none was needed, but put an arm through his, 
 and in that wise they went out into the sunshine 
 together. 
 
 " Writing a book about it, Dad ? " Corbyn asked 
 from the door of the deck-cabin, wherein he had 
 caught sight of Beatriz. His father looked round, 
 laughing. 
 
 "Wedding-cards," he rejoined. "There's one for 
 yourself, Phil, and I want you to distribute the others 
 among your men. Take Beatriz with you she's 
 got something to tell you, I think and see that no 
 one's overlooked. Come back for more if there 
 aren't enough. 
 
 " And, Phil, if Dennis O'Darc's on deck ask him 
 to look in here, will you." 
 
 "Denny," cried Corbyn, catching sight of that 
 individual at the moment, and left him to inter- 
 view the old gentleman while he went forward with 
 Beatriz to distribute the checks with which he had 
 been entrusted. Beatriz chided him for that he had 
 pocketed his own without any acknowledgment, 
 but he found means to silence her when he thought 
 no one could oversee them and looked down into 
 her laughing eyes with a masterful smile.
 
 340 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "It's all right, sweetheart," he reassured her. 
 " Dad understands, and you don't know the Corbyn 
 ways yet. We don't deal much in flowers of 
 speech." 
 
 "Perhaps that's why he's deputed me to tell you 
 about your picture." 
 
 "What picture?" he demanded with sudden, 
 eager interest, and halted her in a nook at the back 
 of the chart-house. 
 
 She smiled provokingly up at him and he caught 
 her to him again. 
 
 " What picture ? " he asked imperiously. 
 
 "Some pretty girl you must have been seeing far 
 too much of while I was away," she replied, and her 
 eyes were accusing now, " since you were able to send 
 her portrait to the Academy. She's made your fame 
 and fortune, Phil, and I I'm jealous of her. Your 
 father says that she's the feature of the exhibition. 
 Every one's talking about you and her. Your 
 reputation's made, and I do think, Phil, that you 
 might have asked me to sit for my portrait instead of 
 her!" 
 
 Corbyn was almost overcome by the gladness of 
 her good tidings. Out of dire failure had come 
 achievement, so much the more welcome thus. He 
 had accomplished all he had set out to do, and the 
 fulfilment of his ambition was doubly sweet after the 
 dark and dreary days it had cost him. Success in 
 his chosen profession meant independence, and for 
 that he had intended to go on fighting until he should
 
 AU REVOIR 841 
 
 win it. His tanned face flushed with pleasure to 
 think that it was already won. 
 
 "Dear," said he very tenderly, "I had no model 
 from which to draw inspiration. I pictured my 
 good angel from memory, and she's captivated all 
 the critics for me. Whatever of fame or fortune may 
 be in store for us, we owe to the girl who looks at you 
 out of your own mirror." 
 
 Fifi and Allardyce were the last of the reha- 
 bilitated to appear, and on the former O'Dare de- 
 scended beaming from the deck-cabin, as Challoner 
 came clambering up the ship's side from a shore- 
 boat, with the sad news of San Francisco's terrible 
 fate still ringing in his ears. That he told Mr. 
 Corbyn privately, deeming it only right that he 
 should know at once, and they two kept to themselves 
 for the time being the knowledge of the ruin wrought 
 there by the selfsame earthquake which had spared 
 them. 
 
 " But I must get back as soon as possible and see 
 what I can do to help," said the old gentleman. 
 " It's purely providential, Mr. Challoner, that I was 
 not there when it happened. I had intended to 
 remain until I had wound up the last threads of my 
 business, but Doll induced me to leave them and 
 come away. My loss will be but light, and my 
 life has been mercifully preserved. I have much 
 to be thankful for at present." 
 
 "A very sensible young man that," he added to 
 himself, as the unconscious correspondent stepped
 
 342 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 out on deck again and joined the group at the ship's 
 rail whence they were watching Landguard's gig 
 start from the cruiser's side. 
 
 They welcomed Challoner so warmly that he had 
 almost blushed, a weakness of which he had not been 
 guilty within the memory of man, but he diverted 
 their attention from himself by producing a tiny 
 parcel which he handed to the prospective bride- 
 groom. 
 
 "You'll find that useful presently," he remarked 
 with great gravity, and, while the others gathered 
 round, Corbyn brought to light a rough gold ring. 
 
 "Sorry the workmanship's so crude," said Chal- 
 loner, "but it was the best I could get done in the 
 time I had. And I thought you'd maybe like it 
 for luck. The metal it's made of came from the 
 President's golden horseshoe. I found it on the 
 near-fore of his black stallion as we left the forest, 
 and got one of the men to file a stud off for me. The 
 good folk here believe that until it wears out he'll 
 sit secure in his saddle, and he seems to share their 
 belief, for he keeps it in good repair. 
 
 "Here's Landguard. Who's he got with him?" 
 
 " The cruiser's chaplain," said Allardyce. " We'd 
 better get to quarters. Where's Denny ? Tell 
 Mr. Corbyn, Quiff." 
 
 The little gathering broke up swiftly, to meet again 
 a few moments later in the long saloon, which Lady 
 Landguard had transformed, by what means she 
 alone knew, into a bower of brilliant tropical bios-
 
 AU REVOIR 9 343 
 
 soms. They could hear the boatswain's pipe as he 
 bade all hands lay aft, and presently the whole 
 ship's company trooped in. The chaplain took 
 his place. Corbyn stepped forward, a little nervous- 
 ly, in front of the draped flags, Meggs supporting 
 him as it had been arranged between them. Ybarra 
 was brought in between his guards that he might 
 witness the ceremony and profit 'by its significance. 
 And then the bride came up the aisle on Lord Land- 
 guard's arm, Fifi attending her. 
 
 On either side, bare-headed, bronzed, erect and 
 soldierly in their worn uniforms, stood the men who 
 had suffered so sorely in her defence, as gallant a 
 guard of honour as ever graced any wedding. They 
 would have spent their lives for her as uncom- 
 plainingly as had the comrades whom they had left 
 behind in the mountains. Without them it would 
 have gone very ill with Beatriz, and she found time 
 to remember that as she passed between the two 
 motionless ranks. 
 
 A breathless stillness pervaded the sunlit saloon 
 during the simple service. The chaplain's tones 
 sounded strangely impressive. Corbyn made his 
 responses in a clear voice, and even the bride's 
 somewhat tremulous whisper was audible every- 
 where. She had been dreading that her unscrupu- 
 lous cousin might see fit to allege some unjust cause 
 or impediment against her marriage, but the Tiger 
 looked on speechless, in ominous quietude. 
 
 "Whom God hath joined let no man sunder,"
 
 344 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 said the naval chaplain solemnly, and in another 
 moment the service was over. 
 
 "By files from the right," said McGuire, the 
 sergeant, at the head of his men, and marched for- 
 ward. 
 
 " Captain Corbyn, sor," said he, very huskily, 
 though he strove to speak without emotion, " me an' 
 the bhoys here would wish to shake hands, an' an' 
 good luck to ye, sor. We'd do it all over again 
 without thinkin' twice, for you an' for her." 
 
 Corbyn wrung his hand. 
 
 "McGuire," he replied, "I can't thank you in 
 words, but my wife and I will be in your debt all 
 our lives. If we can ever repay any part of what we 
 owe each one of you, you'll find means to let us know. 
 We ask that as a last favour of you." 
 
 Beacriz took his rough hand into both of hers, 
 and, "Sergeant McGuire," said she, "you won't 
 ever hurt us by forgetting that, will you ? " 
 
 "There's no mother's son of us will forget you, 
 Miss ma'am," answered Sergeant McGuire. 
 
 A coast-liner called at La Boca that afternoon, and 
 carried off a husband and wife bound for the Islands 
 which the mail-steamers connect with all the ends 
 of the earth. The other passengers were much 
 interested in them, for they were a very handsome 
 couple, but they seemed to prefer the less fre- 
 quented parts of the ship. When she left port and 
 the great grey yacht in the bay dipped her ensign as 
 if in farewell, they were leaning over the taffrai)
 
 AU REVOIR 345 
 
 looking their last at the frowning mountain-face 
 which had so lately been to them as a prison-wall. 
 And their hearts were very full as they saw the fa* 
 flag flutter down and up. So that they had nothing 
 to say to each other just then, but were well content 
 to stand there side by side, hand in hand, until 
 the frowning mountain-face grew golden in the dim 
 distance. 
 
 Those on board the yacht watched the steamer 
 sink out of sight with a feeling resembling relief. 
 Meggs gave voice to the general sentiment. 
 
 " We've spiked the Tiger's guns for good this time," 
 he remarked to Allardyce. " They'll be safely away 
 from the Islands before Landguard lets him loose 
 again. 
 
 " What's our next move to be ? I could do with 
 a little healthy excitement of some sort. I can't 
 stand too much monotony, and that's what's the 
 matter with me." 
 
 "You sit tight, Jerry," Challoner recommended. 
 "We'll all be back in Manhattan immediately 
 Landguard's going to take the whole outfit north 
 and we'll get you a prescription there that'll quiet- 
 en you down. You're too rambunctious, my son. 
 That's what's the matter with you." 
 
 " How would a week or two in London suit your 
 complaint?" inquired Allardyce. "I haven't seen 
 Piccadilly for close on two years. Quiff's bound 
 for St. Petersburg. What are your plans, Denny ? * 
 
 " I meant to tell you before, but you've all been so
 
 346 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 busy talking," returned O'Dare. "I'm going to 
 get married, and settle down. I'm going to give up 
 chasing trouble for the sake of finding out what 
 it looks like. And I'd advise you all " 
 
 Allardyce cut him short by clapping him lustily 
 over the shoulders, and "Denny," said he, "you've 
 done well, old chap. I know you'll be happy with 
 her. If you don't ask me to your wedding I'll never 
 forgive you. When's it to be ? " 
 
 f< Just as soon as I've got things fixed up all round," 
 O'Dare replied, "and that won't take long." 
 
 "Where's Fifi?" Meggs demanded. "I must 
 wish her health, wealth, and happiness with you, 
 Denny. You're in luck all right. She's one in a 
 thousand." 
 
 Challoner passed to O'Dare a tiny parcel, identi- 
 cal with that he had handed Corbyn a couple of 
 hours before. 
 
 " I had two of 'em made," he remarked. " Thought 
 there might be use for both, but I wasn't sure. May 
 it bring you both the best of fortune, Denny." 
 
 O'Dare smiled beatifically as he held up the 
 rough gold ring it contained. 
 
 " Faith, Quiff, you're a wizard," said he, " and me 
 thinking we had kept our secret quite safe ! " 
 
 They went off in a body to look for Fifi, whom 
 they found with Lady Landguard in the music- 
 room, and she was almost overwhelmed by the 
 warmth of their congratulations. Landguard came 
 in presently from an interview with Ybarra, and
 
 AU REVOIR 347 
 
 Mr. Corbyn came down from his favourite corner in 
 the deck-cabin to find out what was going on below. 
 And they all sat there till close on dinner-time, mak- 
 ing so much of the bold O'Dare and his blushing 
 fiancee that Fifi, more than modest as to her own 
 merits, became still more firmly convinced that Den- 
 nis was the most wonderful man in the world. 
 
 That night La Boca made merry over the Tiger's 
 downfall in death, the accession to power of don 
 Quentin Sariol, the people's friend. There were 
 illuminations and fireworks, banquets and speeches, 
 parades, salutes. Ybarra, on board the yacht, 
 foamed and fretted over the news which Challoner 
 had conveyed to him at his own urgent request, but 
 soon regained control of himself and did not give way 
 again even when, late next day, she put out to sea 
 with him and his men on board. 
 
 His captors had no intention, however, of taking 
 him with them further than was absolutely necessary, 
 and, as soon as they had made a sufficient offing, the 
 vessel was brought to, and a small shore-boat which 
 Landguard had procured for that purpose was put 
 overside. Into it the ex-President's underlings were 
 bidden descend and did so without any question. 
 Don Ygnacio himself was escorted as far as the gang- 
 way by the English peer, and, when he saw that he 
 was not after all to be shanghaied, he thanked his 
 hosts most courteously for their considerate treat- 
 ment, regretting that he had not been able to make 
 their stay in San Benito more pleasant for them.
 
 348 THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE 
 
 "That's all right, old chap," said his lordship 
 suavely. "We aren't grumblin' about anythin'. 
 And, let me whisper one last word to you. Don't 
 let's have any further argument about what's hap- 
 pened lately. We'll stay away from San Benito if 
 you'll leave us all in peace. But if you feel that you 
 want to discuss matters further we'll come straight 
 back an' play the game to a finish." 
 
 " I'd rather not make any rash promises," answered 
 Ybarra. "I'll be too busy for a time in settling 
 accounts with my successor to think of anything else 
 a pity you can't stay and see the sport ! but there- 
 after it may be that I shall have more to say to your 
 friend Corbyn. I'm honest with you, and I do 
 not know that I'm beaten." 
 
 "So be it," Lord Landguard agreed. "The 
 moment that you lift a finger against Phil Corbyn 
 I take a hand. And if Sariol shoots you when you 
 get ashore it may save me the trouble. You'll 
 pardon my frankness." 
 
 The Tiger looked up from the foot of the ladder 
 and smiled unconcernedly. 
 
 " When I find fate," he said assuredly, " it will not 
 be at Quentin Sariol's hands." 
 
 He stepped into the boat, and waved a parting to 
 the group at the gangway. 
 
 "Au revoir," said he.
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library 
 
 from which it was borrowed. 
 
 
 UUN06
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 A 000 038 770 4