The Motor Scout: A Story of Adventure in South America

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER V

  PARDO DISMISSES HIMSELF

  "I am going into the town," said Mr. O'Hagan at breakfast next morning."Last night's affair must not be passed over. I shall lay a formalcomplaint before Senor Fagasta. It won't be any good, but it wouldnever do to take no notice. When Pardo comes, Tim, tell him that hemust get the ledger posted to-day; he is rather behind. And if any ofthe people are curious about the shots last night--they must have heardthem--don't answer any questions. I have already told the servants tohold their tongues."

  Setting off on horseback, he rode straight to the gobernador's house.He noticed that the magistrate greeted him nervously. When the usualcivilities had been exchanged, he said:

  "I have to report, senor, that an attempt was made last night to breakinto my house, and to ask that you will do what you can to discover thevillains and bring them to justice."

  "This is very distressing, senor," said the gobernador. "It will givethe town a bad name, especially as it happened the day after the visitof our illustrious Prefect."

  "Yes, that is decidedly unfortunate," remarked Mr. O'Hagan ironically.

  "I will of course do what I can with the few police at my disposal," thegobernador continued. "Had it happened on the night before, I shouldhave been better able to deal with the matter, for the Prefect left afew of his escort of gendarmes behind. They were quartered on me; butthey departed yesterday evening. Perhaps you will give me fullparticulars, which I will draw up in proper form."

  Mr. O'Hagan related the circumstances, which the gobernador wrote downwith great deliberateness and solemnity. While he was doing this, Mr.O'Hagan had time to put two and two together. He had little doubt thatthe attack had been made by men left behind for that purpose by thePrefect, and guessed that the gobernador had learnt or suspected theirdesign from something they had let fall while quartered in his house.

  The report having been drawn up, Senor Fagasta gravely stamped it withthe official seal, and said:

  "Be assured I will do what I can, senor. I trust that the senora andyour excellent son are well?"

  "Quite, senor, thank you," said Mr. O'Hagan.

  Neither had mentioned the incident of the bicycle or the warning givenby the gobernador, from whose manner Mr. O'Hagan judged that he did notwish those matters to be alluded to. On his side, he felt that it wouldbe indiscreet and probably useless to press the magistrate forparticulars of what he knew or suspected. He had done a good turn ingiving the warning, no doubt risking the vengeance of the Prefect if hisaction should come to that worthy's knowledge.

  Taking leave of the gobernador, Mr. O'Hagan rode home and went straightto the office. It was empty. He called to Tim, who was practising withan air-gun at a target set up at the end of the lawn.

  "Where's Pardo?" he asked.

  "He hasn't turned up, Father. He sent a kid over to say that he'sgrieved to the heart at not being able to attend to his duties, owing toa painful attack of lumbago. I don't like the chap, Father."

  "Because he's got lumbago?"

  "No; because I think he's a bit of a fraud. Last time he stayed away itwas a sore heel, you remember; but I happened to see him picking orangesin the evening when the men had gone home, and he walked well enough."

  "You didn't mention it to me."

  "Well, his heel might have been sore, and I didn't want to meddle,especially as you think a good deal of him, Father."

  "I do. He's the best book-keeper I ever had. I'll get your mother tosend him some turpentine: that'll put him to rights."

  In the course of the day Romana was despatched by Mrs. O'Hagan with abottle of turpentine for the sick man. Pardo was not to be seen. Theold half-breed woman who looked after him told Romana that her masterhad not risen that day, complaining of pains and stiffness in his back.

  "Has he sent for the doctor?" he asked.

  "Not yet. He says it is a chill, and will soon pass."

  "The mistress has sent some stuff to cure him. The instruction is torub it into the skin very thoroughly. Take it to Senor Pardo, and askif I can do anything for him."

  The old woman went off with the bottle. Romana had noticed Pardo's coatlying over the back of a chair. As soon as he was alone, he lifted thecoat, cast a rapid but searching glance over it, and laid it on thechair again.

  "Many thanks, senor," came Pardo's voice from the inner room. "Thankthe gracious lady for me, and say that I hope to return to my belovedduty in a day or two."

  "Is the pain very severe, senor?" asked Romana sympathetically.

  "Not so severe as the stiffness, senor. Take care that you don't take achill."

  "Thanks, my friend. I myself am always careful of the night air.Good-day; I will give the mistress your message."

  Romana hurried back to the house, and sought his master in the office.

  "Well, how is the invalid?" asked Mr. O'Hagan. "Did you see him?"

  "No, senor: he was keeping his bed. I would suggest that you shouldsend your own doctor to him."

  "That's not necessary, surely. A good rubbing is all that he needs forlumbago."

  "If it is lumbago!" said the man. "Will you give me a moment, senor?"

  "Of course," replied Mr. O'Hagan, laying down his pen. "What is it?"

  He leant back in his chair, frowning a little. A most unsuspicious manhimself, he was annoyed at Romana's suggestion of malingering, coming ontop of the doubts hinted by Tim.

  "On the day when the senor gobernador rode on the bicycle," said Romana,"Senor Pardo sent a letter to his excellency the Prefect."

  "What of that? and how do you know?" asked Mr. O'Hagan sharply.

  "I saw his Cholo messenger ride away with it to San Juan, senor, and afriend reported to me that the Cholo took it to the Prefect's house. Asyou know, the Prefect came to San Rosario two days after, and visitedthe gobernador. He then rode here. Senor Pardo held his stirrup whilehe dismounted. He returned to San Juan, but left some of his gendarmesbehind. Then came the matter of last night. To-day Senor Pardo is notto be seen."

  "What are you driving at?" asked Mr. O'Hagan irritably.

  "Have patience, senor. I have been ten years in your service, and youhave no complaint against me?"

  "That is true, but I don't like this air of mystery and suspicion. Sayplainly what you have in your mind."

  "I have just seen Senor Pardo's coat--the one he was wearing yesterday:there were several little black holes in the back. I think if you sendyour doctor to him, you will find that he suffers not from lumbago butfrom shot wounds."

  Mr. O'Hagan stared in amazement.

  "You suggest that he was among those villains who tried to break in lastnight?" he asked.

  "I do, senor."

  "And that the Prefect was concerned in it?"

  "The Prefect's gendarmes, senor. As for the Prefect himself!..."

  He shrugged expressively.

  "And that Senor Pardo is in the Prefect's pay?"

  "That is my belief, senor."

  "Romana, are you a spy?"

  "Senor, I am a Mollendist," replied the man with dignity.

  Mr. O'Hagan was much perturbed. He was loth to believe that Pardo was atraitor, but the chain of events as linked together by Romana wasunpleasantly consistent. Perhaps what troubled him most of all was thediscovery that, careful as he had been to hold aloof from localdissensions, two of his servants were mixed up in them, on oppositesides. It was now easier to understand the mutual antagonism betweenthe two men, of which, though veiled by the outward forms of civility,he had always been conscious.

  "You have told no one else what you suspect?" he said, after a fewmoments' deliberation.

  "Nobody, senor."

  "Then take care not to do so. I believe that you mean well, but I hopeto find you mistaken. We shall see."

  When Romana had gone, Mr. O'Hagan sought his wife and told hereverything.

  "I have never liked Pardo," she said, "tho
ugh I can't say why. Perhapsit would be as well to ask Dr. Pereira to see him."

  "I prefer not to. I shall put it to the fellow direct when he comesback to work. One thing is certain: Romana must go. I can't have aMollendist about the place. If it became known, the Prefect would makeit another reason for worrying me, or worse."

  "Won't you write to the British consul at Lima?"

  "I'm afraid that would be useless. He's too far away to be able to doanything. We're in a desperately awkward position, Rose. The Prefectwill have his knife in me, and young Tim has certainly offended theMollendists by releasing the gobernador. Whatever they meant to do withhim, they will be furious at being baulked by a youngster. When I sendmy next convoy to the capital, I think you and the boy had better gotoo. You'll be out of harm's way there."

  "Indeed I will do nothing of the kind, Tim. I will not leave you. AndI can't believe that there's any danger to a British subject here.Write to the consul at once, dear; it's just as well to be beforehandwith trouble."

  "I will do so. Say nothing to Tim, by the way. He'd only worry."

  Three days afterwards Pardo returned. He looked rather pale, and aftergreeting his employer launched out into a voluble description of hissufferings.

  "But the gracious lady's lotion worked wonders, senor," he said.

  "Rather painful, isn't it?" said Mr. O'Hagan, noticing with misgivingthat the man wore a new coat.

  "Not at all, senor. Its application was most soothing. It is a mostexcellent remedy."

  Mr. O'Hagan remembered how, when suffering from lumbago himself, thefriction with turpentine had left his back sore and smarting for days.

  "Sit down, Pardo," he said. "I've something to say to you."

  The man sat down awkwardly on his chair, smiling amiably.

  "You remember the night of the attempted robbery," Mr. O'Hagan went on."No doubt my shots disturbed you."

  "Not at all, senor. I slept the sleep of the just."

  "How often do you correspond with the Prefect?"

  The sudden question obviously took Pardo aback. He lookeduncomfortable, but recovered himself in a moment, and said with a feeblesmile:

  "A humble clerk and book-keeper does not correspond with so important aperson as his excellency, senor."

  "Nevertheless, you sent a letter to his excellency a few days ago. Hevisited me two days after, and left a party of his gendarmes in the townwhen he returned to San Juan. I have reason to suspect that they wereconcerned in the attempt to rob me. How did they know that at thatprecise moment I had a large sum of money in my safe?"

  "These are very strange questions, senor," said Pardo. His manner wasquiet and restrained, but Mr. O'Hagan, intently watching him, noticed alook of fear in his eyes.

  "They are," he said. "Here's another: where is your old coat? I meanthe coat you were wearing last time you were here. It was nearly new."

  Pardo started to his feet.

  "Senor, this is intolerable," he cried. "I don't know what you mean, butyour questions are an insult to a perfect gentleman." (Every Peruvianis a perfect gentleman.) "You will please to accept my resignation."

  "Very well, Pardo: perhaps it is best." He handed him his week's wages.

  "And let me tell you this, Senor Ingles," cried the man furiously as hepocketed the money: "a Peruvian gentleman does not take lightly suchinsults to his honour. You will repent this. You will feel the weightof my just anger. You treat me like a dog: dogs can bite. I will notaccept your money."

  He took it from his pocket and threw it on the floor. "You shall learnwhat it is to insult a perfect gentleman."

  Snatching up his hat, he swept it round in ironical salutation, andflung out of the room.