CHAPTER VI--THE HOLE IN THE WALL
It would not be becoming to record the exact words used by O'Connor ashe lay, within a few feet of Will, on the slope of the embankment. Theywere very expressive, and very warm, so warm indeed that Mr. Jacksonjust beyond him suggested that he should "draw it mild." Ruggles, alittle farther away, did not utter a word, and for some moments Willsimply listened sympathetically to O'Connor, who undoubtedly expressedthe feelings of them all.
"It was Machado, after all," said Will at length.
This provoked another explosion from O'Connor, who said a great deal asto what he would do to Machado when he got him.
"Yes, the scoundrel!" said Mr. Jackson. "He and his telegraph have doneit. I'll take care another time to have an English telegraphist."
Machado had in fact telegraphed in the Chief's name to Bolivar, askingthat six empty trucks should be coupled to the usual train. He hadfurther instructed that the train should stop at a place about twentymiles from railhead to load up sleepers, which were cut from the forestfor use on the railway. When the train pulled up at the appointed spotthere was no load of sleepers, but a company of armed rebels, who spranginto the empty trucks, and covered themselves with canvas, CaptainEspejo having ordered the driver, a Spaniard, to take them on torailhead, threatening him with instant death if he attempted to givewarning.
"I wonder what they will do with us," said Mr. Jackson.
"I hope they'll take us away from this pretty soon," said Will. "There'sa fly on my nose, and I can't shake it off."
"My throat is like an oven," growled O'Connor.
"One glass of beer!" sighed Ruggles: "just one: there's no harm in one."
Their plight was indeed desperately unpleasant. They were laid on thesunny side of the embankment. The afternoon sun beat full upon them,and before long they were subject to the pressing attentions ofinnumerable insects, which, their arms being bound, they were unable todrive away. They got some relief by turning over on their faces, but astime went on the heat, the insects, and their thirst made themthoroughly wretched. More than once O'Connor yelled for some one tobring him a drink; but no attention was paid to him, and it seemed as ifCaptain Espejo, for all his charming manners, was bent on slowlygrilling them to death.
Just before sunset, however, a bugle sounded. Sitting up, the prisonerswitnessed the arrival of General Carabano himself. He rode in amid agroup of twenty officers, who formed a sort of guard of honour. CaptainEspejo had paraded his men to welcome the General, whom they receivedwith a volley of sounding vivas. Behind rode a long line of cavalry inall sorts of costumes, many of them having a led horse, no doubt thesteeds of Captain Espejo's party. Behind these came a long processionof animals and men, the latter the most motley collection of ruffiansWill had ever seen. Some were mounted on mules, some on donkeys; somehad saddles, some rode bare-backed. There were bridles of leather, ofrope, of bejuco, a climbing plant that grows plentifully in the forests.Some had no bridles at all, but clung to the donkey's mane, guiding itby a slap on the right or left ear, or a thump on the flank.
When Will thought he had seen the last of them enter, he was amazed tofind that they were followed by a regiment of Caribbee infantry, who hadalready earned from the Government troops the name of Carabano'sbloodhounds. Their only clothing was a narrow strip about the waist andthe feathers in their hair. Each had a lance, and a bow and quiverslung over the back.
"A dashed fine-looking lot," said O'Connor, admiring these muscularredskins. "You could make something of those fellows."
"The General looks a Tartar," said Will.
"There's a good deal of the negro in his composition, I'll swear,"remarked Mr. Jackson. "That's a bad look-out for us; there's no moreinsufferable brute than your negro in authority."
General Carabano in truth looked an unpleasant man to deal with. He wasvery big and tall, with a large fat face, a wide nose and thick lips,and woolly hair. He sat his horse in the middle of the compound by thetree until his men had all marched in. Then, after a few words withCaptain Espejo, he rode towards the prisoners. Halting opposite them,he told his orderlies to stand them on their feet, and then, assuming ahaughty demeanour, he demanded to know what they meant by rebellingagainst his Government. None of them replied. Enraged at theirsilence, he declared that he would shoot them. On this, however,Captain Espejo deferentially suggested that the penalty might be atleast deferred.
"They are Englishmen, Excellency," he said, "and if you treat them asthey undoubtedly deserve there will be trouble with their Government,which may seriously embarrass the consolidation of your administration."
"Caramba!" cried the General: "their Government is thousands of milesaway."
"True, Excellency; but it is above all things essential that the livesof foreigners should be spared if you wish your Government to berecognized."
"Well, we will think of it. Set a guard over them to-night, SenorCapitan, and take care that none of them escapes. Where is that loyalfriend of the State, Senor Machado?"
The prisoners' feet were unbound, and they were led away to one of thetents, so that they did not hear the conversation between the Generaland Machado. The upshot of this was that the telegraphist flashed amessage to Bolivar in Mr. Jackson's name, saying that the engine hadbroken down, and asking for another train to be dispatched with bridgingmaterials and other things which he found himself in need of. TheGeneral's aim was to get possession of as much rolling stock as possiblefor the transport of his troops to Bolivar when the time arrived. Thecity was a hundred and thirty miles distant by rail, though less thanhalf that distance across country, and the junction was fifty miles fromrailhead, so that with care and the assistance of Machado it would beeasy to prevent news of what had happened from reaching the Jefe. Thecamp was situated in a part of the country remote from highways, and themounted men whom the General had placed at various points would preventany messengers from getting through in either direction.
The prisoners were given a meal; then they were bound again and left inthe tent, a strong guard being posted outside. They spent a mostuncomfortable night. After Captain Espejo's remonstrance they did notsuppose the General would shoot them; but uncertainty as to their fateand distress at the ruin of the Company's business worried them, andthey were sleepless during the greater part of the night, discussingtheir situation in low tones.
Next day they were not allowed to leave the tent. They saw nothing ofthe General, who was in fact busy following up his operations of theprevious evening. He got Machado to telegraph to head-quarters for moremoney. The reason given was that a wash-out--one of the sudden floodsto which the country is subject--had destroyed a large quantity ofstores, which must be replaced on the spot by purchases from theneighbouring haciendados. He impressed into his service such of thepeons and foremen as he thought worthy of it, and drove the rest fromthe camp, no doubt feeling confident that by the time any of them couldmake their way over difficult country to Bolivar that town would havefallen into his hands.
The supplies and money requisitioned arrived late on the following day.The General had now two locomotives and thirty wagons, including thosethat were permanently at railhead for construction purposes. Thepersonnel of the two trains were kept under guard, to prevent them frommaking off with the engines.
Meanwhile the General, finding the rough camp at railhead little to histaste, had shifted his quarters to Antonio de Mello's residence aboutfive miles below. The news of the coup had been conveyed to De Melloinstantly by some of the Indians who had fled from the camp, and he hadhurriedly quitted the place for another estate of his many miles to thesouth, where his mother and sister were living. The hacienda was leftin charge of the servants. De Mello knew that he could make noresistance to the appropriation of his house by the revolutionaryleader; the utmost he could do was to remove his horses. It was notvery patriotic conduct; but patriotism is not a common virtue in thatland of revolution.
The General took up his qua
rters in the hacienda with some of his staff,including Captain Espejo, their horses being placed in the new stables.The sight of the old stables suggested to Espejo that the prisonersmight be conveyed thither, so that they should be constantly under theGeneral's eye. Accordingly they were marched in under escort ofcavalry, O'Connor fuming at the indignity, which gave the others alittle amusement. Will even cracked a joke when each was given aloose-box, remarking that it was the first time he had been in a box,the dress circle having been hitherto the height of his attainment.
Unknown to the prisoners, a telegraph cabin had been hurriedly rigged upfor Machado at the railway line within a short distance of the house.The General had found the man so useful that he deemed it convenient tohave him close at hand. It seemed advisable also that his troops shouldbe more closely in touch with him than they could be in the old camp, sohe ordered the tents to be struck, and all the stores and other thingsthat would be useful to be transferred to a new camp about half-a-milein the rear of the hacienda.
Will's box was in the centre, and through the open door he could see twosentries marching to and fro. Another sentry was posted at the door ofthe hacienda. He could see also the comings and goings of the Generaland his staff. They often walked up and down on the terrace in front ofthe house. The door of the stables was usually open during theday-time, but it was closed at night, and a sentry came on guard within.General Carabano had given orders that the prisoners were to beprevented from communicating with one another. At first theydisregarded the command, but when Captain Espejo threatened to gag themif they persisted they thought it best to remain silent, irksome thoughthe restriction was. One of the annoyances of their situation was theimpertinent curiosity of the officers and such of the men as came onvarious errands to the hacienda. The former sometimes lolled at thedoor, smoking their long cigarros, and jesting among themselves at thefour prisoners, who sat in enforced silence in the mangers. When theofficers were not present, their servants copied them, and droveO'Connor almost frantic with their insulting remarks. The other three,not so sensitive as the fiery Irishman, accepted their lot morephilosophically.
Meanwhile General Carabano's force was increasing. News of his exploithad been carried through the neighbourhood, and since nothing succeedslike success, it had had the effect of bringing to his flag many whohoped to share in his expected triumph. There was at present plenty ofprovisions in the camp, and with the serviceable Machado at his elbow,the General could always telegraph for further supplies. Will hopedthat De Mello would have informed the authorities at Caracas of what hadoccurred, and that a Government force would be dispatched to deal withthe General; but De Mello had gone in the opposite direction. Moreover,the Government had its hands full in the north, and there was no chanceof present assistance from that quarter.
On the second day of the imprisonment, Will, looking through thedoorway, caught sight of a black figure lurking among some bushes on thefarther side of the lake, not far from the house. It seemed very muchlike his negro boy Jose, and to assure himself on the point, he walkedas far as the sentry would allow him towards the door. As he came intothe light the negro apparently recognized him and impulsively startedforward: then, fearing discovery, slipped back again into the bushes.
"I wonder what he is after," thought Will.
At that moment he saw Machado leave the house, and walk slowly round themargin of the lake as if going for an aimless stroll. All at once hesprang forward, and before the negro could get away, Machado pounced onhim and hauled him to the house. They disappeared through the doorway,and though Will kept a pretty careful watch on it for the rest of theday, he did not see the boy come out again.
That night it occurred to him that, though speaking was forbidden, hemight yet communicate with the Chief, whose box was next to his own.They both knew the Morse code, though neither had any expert knowledgeof telegraphy, and Will experimented by tapping gently on the partition,spelling out the words, "Are you awake?" For some time he received noreply, and thought that the Chief must either be asleep or did notunderstand that the taps had any meaning. By and by, however, when thequestion was repeated for the fourth time, Will was delighted to hearanswering taps, which he made out to be, "All right: I twig: becareful."
The conversation that ensued was a very laborious one. The prisonerswere afraid of attracting the attention of the sentry, and sometimestapped so gently that neither could understand the other. At the best,spelling a message by means of dots and dashes is a lengthy process. Butby and by the snores of Ruggles and the incessant croaking of thebullfrogs that infested the canal and lake covered the slight sounds onthe partition, and the prisoners conversed more freely. What they saidto each other in this way is as follows--
"Machado has caught my boy Jose and lugged him into house."
"Ware hydroplane."
"I shall be sick if they find it."
"They'll make the boy tell."
"Wish I could get away."
"Wishing won't do it."
"No."
"Door locked, sentry inside and out: no go."
"Wish I could, though."
"Impossible."
"Nothing's impossible."
"Rubbish!"
"If I can!"
"You can't."
"I might get to Bolivar."
"No good if you could."
"They'd send help."
"They wouldn't. Country disturbed: would have sent escort with train ifcould."
"Can't we do anything?"
"No: go to sleep."
"Can't sleep."
"No such word as can't."
"I can escape then."
"Rubbish."
"Rotten business."
"Go to sleep."
But Will remained awake for some hours, beating his brains for somemeans of breaking prison. With a brick wall behind him, a sentry at thedoor inside, another outside, he had to confess at length that the ideaseemed hopeless, and gave it up in despair.
Next night again, after a fruitless conversation with the Chief, he layawake still pondering the problem. All at once he thought he heard aslight scratching on the wall behind him. Before he could assurehimself that he was not mistaken the sound ceased. He waited anxiously.Yes: without doubt some person or animal was scratching on the bricks,and judging by the sound the wall must be very thin. He tapped gentlywith his finger-nail on the brickwork. The scratching ceased for aconsiderable time; then began again. Once more he tapped, wonderingwhether a friend outside was trying to communicate with him: once morethe sound stopped; it seemed as though the scratcher had given a hintthat he should discontinue tapping. He lay listening. By and by thescratching recommenced, and went on continuously. Will fell asleep withthe sound in his ears, and when he was waked by the sentry opening thedoor, he almost believed he had heard it in a dream.
The prisoners were taken out for an airing each day, being carefullykept apart. Will looked around eagerly as he walked along by the sideof the sentry, to see if there was any clue to the proceedings of thenight. Passing along the side of the stables, he glanced at the backwall, but there was nothing to indicate the presence of any one.Tropical weeds grew in profusion behind the stables, nothing having beendone to clear the ground since they had been disused. All day he kepthis eye on the front of the house. There was the usual coming and goingof the inmates, but never a sign that any one of them was a friend.
Shortly after nightfall, the scratching began. It was so quietly donethat there was no danger of the sentry hearing it through the croakingof the frogs. Will could no longer doubt that some one was trying toget through the wall. He tapped on the partition.
"Do you hear scratching?"
"No. Mosquitoes or ants?"
"Some one trying to make hole in wall."
"Rubbish."
"Fact."
"Must be a fool."
Will did not attempt further to convince this doubting Thomas, butlistened hopefully to the continuous s
cratching. It went on for hours,and by and by, as it seemed to be coming nearer, he thought of passinghis hand over the surface of the brickwork. It touched, just below him,the point of a sharp instrument, and he discovered that the whole of themortar above two bricks had been scraped away. He wished that he couldhave helped his unknown friend, but he had neither knife nor any otherimplement. The knowledge that some one was trying to release him kepthim awake all that night, and he perspired with anxiety lest whenmorning came the work should be discovered. But the sentry did notapproach the wall. The day seemed to drag terribly, even though heslept a good part of it. Never in his life had he been so eager fornight to come.
Before the next dawn there was a gap in the wall almost large enough forhim to crawl through. He bent down to it, and spoke in a whisper; butthe only answer was the thrusting back of the bricks into their place.Hearing the Chief grunting in the next box, Will resolved to acquainthim with the progress the unknown worker had made.
"There's hole in wall nearly big enough to squeeze through."
"Honest Injun?"
"Yes. One more night's work will finish it."
"Who's doing it?"
"Don't know. Shall I ask him to make one for you?"
The Chief did not immediately reply.
"Shall I?"
"I've been thinking. No."
"Why not?"
"We'd want four. Take a fortnight."
"Couldn't we overpower sentry and all get away through this hole?"
"No: too risky. Fellow outside would hear scuffle. Certain to. Sureyou can get out?"
"To-morrow or next day."
"Make for hydroplane. Less risk for one. Go to Bolivar and get help ifyou can. Most likely you can't."
"Pity we can't tell others. They don't understand code."
"They'll know soon enough. There'll be a fine hullabaloo when thesentry misses you. Don't go without saying good-bye."
In the middle of the next night Will found that the opening was largeenough to admit his body. He tapped on the partition. There was noanswer. He tapped again: still no answer. The Chief was asleep.Fearing to let his chance slip, Will determined to go at once. Slowlyand cautiously he wriggled through to the outside. A dark form wascrouching among the weeds close to the opening. It gave a low grunt asWill appeared. Azito rose from his kneeling posture and began to moveaway, creeping like a shadow along the wall. Will stole after him.
Swift and Sure: The Story of a Hydroplane Page 8
