George Waldo Browne

“ His companion glanced in the direction pointed out by Ronie, and a glad cry escaped his lips.
"Boat, ahoy!" he cried. "Help! H-e-l-p!"
Then they listened for a reply, fearing lest the other should fail to catch their faint appeal, for both were so hoarse and exhausted that their united voices could not reach far.
"It is a sloop," declared Jack. "It is coming straight down upon us. They cannot miss us—ay, they are veering away! They have not heard us—they have not seen us—they are going to pass us. Once again, lad, shout for your life. It is our only hope." ”

“ Deacon Cornhill relapsed into silence, while he watched the swift, dexterous movements of the cheerful bootblack, who began to sing a snatch of song. He was one of those broad-minded, whole-souled men who never see another in lowly circumstances without wanting to lift him up. The frank honesty of Little Hickory, as the boy persisted in being known, had won his confidence, and to have done that was to insure a friendship not to be swerved from its purpose. ”

“ With a cry almost human the steed she had ridden staggered forward and fell at the old man’s feet in the throes of death!
At the same instant the horsemen dashed upon the scene.
“What, ho! there!” cried the leader. “It is a long race that has no end!”
“What does this mean?” asked Colonel Morland, trembling like an aspen leaf.
“We are after Cavalry Curt! He has made a bold dash for freedom. Stand aside, old man, if you value your life!”
“No—no! you shall not harm her!” cried the old soldier, bending over Mara, who was just opening her eyes. ”

“ The little crowd about the post office at Six Roads looked with speechless amazement upon the riderless horse as the animal approached at a furious pace.
"Something has happened to Dix!" exclaimed Mr. Rimmon. "I feared it. Come here, Jack; where is your master?"
With a low neigh, the panting horse stopped beside him, the creature trembling in every part.
Even Dan Shag was moved to emotion, and for the time he forgot to repeat his request for the mail pouch.
"I wish you could speak, Jack," said the postmaster, patting the horse's head. "Where did you leave him?" ”

“ Then Jack paused, signaling to Ronie to do the same by a gentle grip upon his wrist.
It had become very still in the jungle-like forest, and Ronie was wondering what this movement of his companion meant, when a sharp scream pierced the night air. It was a woman's voice, freighted with great fear and suffering.
"We are not the only ones in trouble," whispered Jack.
"What does it mean? Hark, Jack! she is pleading for her liberty. There is a man's voice, and he, too, is begging for some one to spare his life. Is there nothing we can do for them?" ”

“ It was a fearful moment to the maiden. “Spare us,” she implored. “We are loyal yet.”
“Will you tell us where Cavalry Curt is hiding?”
“I cannot!”
“You lie. Colonel Morland, do you uphold her in this scheme?”
“No—no. Mara, if you know where the spy is secreted tell him and spare us further trouble.”
“Grandpa, are we to submit to his insolence? I would that my brother were here.”
“So do I, my child.”
“He may learn of this sooner than you will wish,” retorted Captain Dermot, fiercely.
“Duty compels me to do what is far from pleasant. Colonel Morland, consider yourself our prisoner. ”

“ LITTLE SNAP'S REMARKABLE RIDE. The thrill of terror which ran through the postboy's form at sight of the reeling cliff swiftly descending upon him was quickly followed by the ready decision of action so natural to him.
Given but an instant in which to think and act, a less level-headed person must have been caught under the massive block of granite. Not one in a hundred would have had the nerve to do what Dix Lewis dared in that awful moment. ”

“ No doubt the craft was one of Castro's spies. They are looking far and wide for the Libertador, but they cannot find her," he concluded, showing evident pleasure at the thought. Then he asked, as if a new thought had come suddenly to him:
"What do they say of us in the Great Republic?"
"The sympathy of the United States is ever with the down-trodden," replied Jack, cautiously. "But we are not able to say just how our nation looks upon the revolution here, except that it will see fair play, for you must remember it has been nearly a year since we left home." ”

“ The only ones who really enjoyed the ride were the three boys—Chick, Ruddy and Tony—though two others, known as Tom and Jerry, joined with them in the outbursts of merriment.
Rob, their leader, realized that the halo had fled from the picture, and that only the dark background was now revealed. He saw a bitter struggle ahead in order to meet the dangers likely to surround them in this new life. In this unexpected crisis his companions were not likely to prove of help, but he was the last boy to despair. ”

“ Reluctantly she turned from the sight of the burning building.
“Homeless and a fugitive!” she murmured. “God have pity on me now.”
“Do not lose courage,” he said. “Remember you are not alone in your grief. All that I held dear sleeps to-night beneath the Confederate sod.”
Then as if wishing to change the subject he said, pointing down the valley:
“That must be our course. On our right is Dalton, on our left, Buzzard’s Gap. We must look sharp or we shall run into the clutches of foes before we know it. These disguises must be cast off at the first possible moment. ”

“ The next instant he felt a quiver run through the frame of the faithful steed, and he knew that she was falling!
Under the weight of her burden the mare somehow missed her footing, her feet slipped on the treacherous way, and she tried in vain to recover her equilibrium.
Finding that she was falling, Little Snap freed his feet from the stirrups just as horse and rider shot headlong into the boiling river! ”

“ When the fury of the storm was beginning to wane, the little party of frightened people slowly gained courage.
“It must be leaking into the chambers,” said Joe. “I will get one or two of those old buckets in the cellar and put them under the worst places.”
“Oh, don’t dare to move,” admonished Aunt Vinnie. “This is awful.”
Not to be deterred from her purpose, Joe lit the stump of a candle, and carefully descended the old stairs leading to the damp, musty cellar. But she had not gone far before she was startled to find a light already in the dismal place. ”

“ The only cheerful sight that greeted their gaze was the crimson streak marking the eastern horizon, and which announced the breaking of a new day.
"I would give a good deal to know where Harrie is at this moment," said Ronie.
"We can only hope that he is able to look after himself," replied Jack. "And we can only make the most of our situation. As for me, I feel better on this sand bar than I have felt on board such ships as we have known since leaving Colon."
"If this is a sample of Venezuela," said Ronie, "I am heartily sick of it already." ”

“ Did you see anything of Captain Rhoades and his bold riders?"
"We heard of him," replied Jack. "We have been looking for them. Are you expecting them this way?"
"No one can tell where El Capitan will strike next, señor. He is very brave, and he moves about as if he and his men had wings."
"Is it possible that Castro's hirelings have penetrated into this region?" asked Jack, as a feeler.
"Possible it may be, but not probable. He has been whipped on every hand, and I have no doubt General Matos will ride into Caracas its conquerer before we are much older." ”

“ Assailed upon every hand, Little Hickory, as valiant a battle as he was waging, sorely needed whatever assistance he could have. Regardless of what might follow, in his excitement and awakened determination to win at any cost, he sent his enemies reeling backward on either hand, fairly forcing his way through the crowd.
“Don’t let the hoodlums get away!” cried ’Squire Hardy, hurrying forward to join in the fray if necessary. “He’s killed Ralph!” ”

“ Little Snap had thought to seize the sack and spring down upon the lower rim of ledge out of the outlaw's reach before he could stop him. But Robin Burrnock proved himself almost as nimble as his young assailant, so the postboy found himself caught in the man's strong arms, when the twain became locked in a hand-to-hand struggle for life or death. ”

“ While Riva Baez was struggling with his wounded horse, whose sudden plunge had nearly unseated him, Ronie was also active, but in quite another manner. The flash of the shots from the treetops had not sent out its blaze of lurid light before he had discovered a pair of dark forms crouching in the foliage overhead, and the double report had not died away before he had covered one of these with his rifle, his clear, ringing voice exclaiming:
"Hold, there! Move an inch, and I will send a bullet through your head!" ”

“ Rob now realized that his situation was a desperate one. The aroused brute was preparing to attack him, [113] and in a hand-to-hand battle with the terrific animal he must be torn limb from limb.
Again he snatched up a stone, and hurled it with such unerring aim that it fell squarely upon the tiger’s nose. But this fusillade, instead of checking the onset of the brute, served to awaken its furious nature, and with another growl it leaped into the air, its forepaws outstretched to grapple with him, while its white teeth gleamed fiercely in the gathering gloom of the evening. ”

“ Captain Morland quickly acquainted her with the particulars of the postponed execution.
“It is an unpleasant turn of affairs,” he said in conclusion, “but no more than one must be prepared to meet in the fortunes of war. Curt is a spy and a dreaded foe to our cause. I love him as a brother, but am powerless to help him. God knows I would gladly save him if I could.”
She wrung her hands in agony.
“And you are sure that he will be shot to-morrow?”
“As certain as I am that the sun will rise. But, Mara, this is weak in you. He is not the only one——”
“I know—I know, brother. But I—I love him! ”

“ Ab Raggles had suddenly appeared upon the scene, looking more uncouth and haggard than ever. His clothing was torn almost in shreds, and his hands and face were bleeding from several scratches and cuts.
He seemed to see no one but Little Snap, to whom he cried:
"Come with me, Dix Lewis, to Greenbrier Cave."
"What is it?" asked the postboy.
"Oh, such doings! They have got 'em all fast in th' cave. You must come to once—you an' the rest." ”

“ Sad, anxious days to Mara Morland followed her return from that eventful trip to Dalton.
Her grandfather sank fast from the wound he received that morning and it soon became evident, even to Mara, that he had but a few hours to live.
“I do not mind dying,” he said. “I have lived far beyond the age of man, and I have felt I must soon be called home. It is for you that I fear, my child. ”

“ A trail of devastated plantations shall mark our course wherever the foolhardy defy us, and above the ruins of the smaller towns shall rise the captured columns of Valencia, La Guayra, Caracas—ay, Caracas! When the capital shall be ours, then will we make laws that lift the poor man into his just deserts, while the lawless rich shall feel the spur of oppression as his meeted judgment. Then shall the name of El Capitan stand beside that of Crespo, the mountain lion! ”

“ The gnarled live oak, with its blasted top, where Little Snap had met Old Solitaire so many times, stood on the west side of the ascent leading to the Narrows, where the road wound over a spur of the mountain, to descend into one of the wildest valleys even the hackneyed landscape of the Old Dominion can show. ”

“ The movement was so sudden that before the surprised sentry could discharge his weapon the rider was upon him.
The report of his rifle followed, but the bullet flew wide of its mark, and he was hurled to the earth.
“On, Wildbird, on!” cried the reckless rider, his words drowned by the sounds of his flying steed’s iron heel.
The amazed cavalrymen had gained their feet.
“Stop him, boys!” cried their leader. “’Tis one of Sherman’s scouts!” ”

“ Give it plenty of room, lad, we can afford to."
Then, in silence they watched the dying struggles of the brute, as it beat earth and space with its lacerated body, now groveling in the dust, now bounding upward in blind endeavor to reach an enemy it could not see, each moment growing weaker, until it lay at last quite still, scarcely less terrible to look upon in death than it had been in life.
"Your shot saved us," said Jack, frankly. "It was well done, lad, exceedingly well done, and it alone has saved us from the claws of the jaguar." ”

“ The faithful steed needed no urging to do this, and with the reports of the baffled men's firearms and the cries of the startled Raggles family ringing in his ears, the postboy of the Kanawha dashed furiously down the path leading to the main road from Greenbrier to Six Roads.
Not a word escaped his tightly compressed lips, until the highway was reached, when he patted his horse on the neck, saying, gently:
"Easy, now, Jack, old boy; the danger is over for the present. It was a close call, but a miss is as good as a mile, though I don't care to go through that experience again." ”

“ Cavalry Curt uttered the affirmative when the thought occurred to him that it would serve to hide his face.
But his voice had betrayed him.
Captain Morland turned his searching gaze upon him and their eyes met.
“Curt Remington!”
“Hal Morland!”
It was a strange meeting for old friends.
The scout was the first to recover his self-possession.
“I hoped you wouldn’t recognize me, Hal. But do your duty. It is a poor soldier who is afraid to die.”
“No—no! not that, Curt. My God, I did not dream of this. I have not forgot the debt that I owe you. How came you here?”
“I was caught as a spy. ”

“ He had no time to think of this, or even to question whether the gun was loaded or empty before the dark form of the jaguar shot into the air, and the maddened creature came like a cannon ball toward the twain.
"Jump for your life!" cried Jack, and so closely followed the animal upon his words that, as the couple separated, Ronie springing to the right and he to the left, an outstretched paw of the creature brushed a shoulder of each as it sped past them! ”

“ Ay, from out of their depths flashed at times the light which told plainly of the slumbering flame of insanity.
“I knew you would come here,” he said, calmly.
“But—I do not know you,” exclaimed Mara in alarm, glancing toward a group of soldiers just beyond.
“Nor need you marvel at that,” replied the stranger, lowly. “I know every man in the Confederate army, but no one knows me! Nor would they recognize me if they did. The tent is vacated now; come in.” ”

“ With rare presence of mind the woman on the gray horse wheeled her spirited animal quickly around to make a bold dash for freedom. There were horsemen behind her, but that was her only way of escape, if she could hope to get away at all. In a moment the entire scene had become one of wildest excitement, and above the clatter of hoofs and the cries of his men, rang the voice of the leader, as he swung his own horse around, calling upon his panic-stricken followers:
"Don't let her escape! Shoot her if must be, but stop her!" ”

“ You see our men have captured a troublesome fellow called Cavalry Curt, one of Sherman’s spies. He is to be shot at sunset and the unpleasant duty has been assigned to you. See that there is no blunder in the proceedings. You will find him under guard down at the lower barracks. As soon as it is over report to me. By the way news have come that Sherman is beginning hostilities. It looks as if we might be called to the front at any moment. It is no time to harbor spies. Captain Morland, your duty is plain. I trust we can depend upon you for the work. ”

“ Ay, in South America the word 'republic' loses the significance of liberty that it bears in other lands. It is natural a people condemned to lifelong poverty, for no fault of their own in most cases, should be ever ready to listen to the call to arms as a summons to a holiday. So you see it is easy to raise an army of this sort, and it is small wonder Venezuela has been bothered with so many outbreaks against its peace and progress. But here we are close upon the spacious abode of the coffee planter, who is the principal man of this vicinity, unless there happens to be another of his class. ”

“ The climate is delightful; the first impressions of the capital pleasing.
Caracas has a population of about eighty thousand, it being the usage that only one family shall occupy a house. It is a city of culture and fashion, of public statues to scholars and artists, as well as warriors, for not all of the history of this interesting republic is filled with war. While a land of hotheaded people, whose career has been largely filled with riots and revolutions, here and there are to be found evidences of a high civilization, producing marked contracts of the rival forces of man. ”

“ Still no response—no sound to break the dreadful silence of their watery surroundings.
"My old arms are not quite tired out yet, lad; hold upon me."
"No—no, Jack. I am young and strong. I can bear up a while longer. If I only knew Harrie had escaped I should feel better."
"We can only hope that they have, and fight for our lives a little longer." ”

“ I have spoken the truth. Had I a dozen lives depending on my answer, it would be the same. Kill me if you wish. I can die without a regret, knowing that Francisco is not here to witness my death or suffer at your hands, El Capitan."
"She is Francisco's mother," whispered Ronie, anxiously.
"Ay, lad; and he is Rhoades, the insurgent leader."
"Must we let him butcher her in cold blood and remain inactive?" asked Ronie, whose hot nature was aroused by this unwarranted treatment of a helpless captive.
"Hist!" warned Jack. "We are watched by an enemy in yon coppice." ”

“ Had they been forgotten by their captors, or was it a premeditated plan to kill them by starvation and thirst? Such questions as these filled their minds and occupied most of their conversation.
"I wonder where Colonel Marchand thinks we are?" asked Harrie.
"I tell you what let's do, boys," suggested the fertile Jack Greenland. "Let's remind them that we are human beings, and that we must have food and drink or perish. Now, together, let us call for water!" ”

“ These grew rapidly louder and more fraught with terror.
"He is close at hand," panted Jack, and the next moment they came upon a startling sight, which, for a brief while, held them spellbound. The underbrush had here been beaten down, and bruised into fragments by the furious trampling back and forth of a huge specimen of that king of the South American forest, the jaguar. The cause of the anger of this terrible brute, equal in size and ferocity to the tiger of the jungles of Asia, was the sight of a human being—a man—suspended in midair, almost over the head of the maddened creature. ”

“ All of the revolutions and political plots that have harassed our country have been almost entirely uncalled for, though I will confess our leaders have made an excuse easy through their eagerness to "feather their nests," as you would say. But honest men have ever found little encouragement to remain honest, when the populace stands ready to take up the cry of 'fraud' the moment some disgruntled office seeker utters such a cry to cover his own disappointment. The utterance of the word becomes instantly the battle cry to call the mob to riot and ruin. ”

“ On the rim of the distant horizon shone with a soft luster the glorious radii of the gem of the Antipodes, the Southern Cross.
Harrie was promptly on hand to keep his meeting with the strange youth, but no earlier than the other, who greeted him in his musical voice:
"Señor is in good season. It is well, for our time cannot be long in which to talk. While we speak let us walk slowly back and forth, arm in arm, so we shall not be overheard." ”

“ In June General Matos, encouraged by the success of his followers, announced a provincial government, with himself as president.
This bit of news reached Colonel Marchand at the close of a warm day's fight with his old-time enemy, El Capitan. As usual, it had been a draw game, and the colonel was sitting in his hammock feeling in anything but an amiable mood.
"By the soul of Bolivar!" he exclaimed, slapping his knee by way of emphasis, "he is like a ground mole, that runs for its hole the moment an enemy is in sight. I wish we might meet a foe worthy of our steel. ”

“ But half a dozen lusty fellows lifted the wounded don and bore him into the house, while others stared after them in complete dismay.
"El Capitan is rallying," said Ronie. "It's too bad for us to be in this condition. He will sweep the place, now the don has fallen."
"Why not take the lead, Ronie?" asked Harrie. "Some one must, or we are all lost."
"I am not sure they would follow me. Here comes Señor Riva."
"Sergeant Rand, Don Isadora begs me to tell you that he is better, but is not able to lead his men. He beseeches of you to do this." ”

“ There was that air of mystery about the sloop and those who manned her, which already created a feeling in the breasts of our twain of doubt as to the honesty of the craft. What was this single American doing in these waters with a Venezuelan crew, not one of whom did they believe could speak a word of English, and certainly not one of whom appeared as if he would shrink from cutting a man's throat in case that person stood between him and any purpose he may have had in view.
"Captain Hawkins," said Jack, frankly and fearlessly, "we wish to ask whither you are bound. ”

“ My ears are very keen, and not every one would have heard the little I did."
"It is not well for one to repeat what one hears, sometimes," said Jack, by way of reply.
"I have a mind as well as ears, señors," replied the youth. "While I can see as well as I can hear, I can think for both eyes and ears. You are not satisfied with the appearance of the Libertador?" ”

“ But I am afraid some fearful fate has overtaken her. I shall not rest until I know the truth."
"You know I am with you, Ronie," said Harrie.
"Ay, lad; you can count on old Jack Greenland to stand by you both, through thick and thin."
"God bless you, Jack!" exclaimed Ronie, clasping one hand, while Harrie seized the other, echoing the words of his friend:
"God bless you, Jack; a nobler soul never lived."
When the three had hastily reviewed the troubles they had passed through they decided unanimously to return to Colonel Marchand with such haste as was consistent with safety. ”