CHAPTER XIV.
THE SENATOR'S SON SEEKS A KEY.
Jimmie and Jack were lying behind a great flowing vine which swung froma balete tree, looking keenly out in the direction in which theybelieved the camp to be situated, when four lusty men who appeared to beFilipinos crept noiselessly out of the jungle and sat down on theirbacks with chuckles of satisfaction.
"Quit it!" roared Jimmie, thinking they had been followed from the boat.
Then he saw it was no joke, for Jack was floundering about, and one ofthe little brown men was tying his hands with a hard cord. He floppedover on his back and looked up into the sinister face of a native.
"What's comin' off here?" demanded the boy, trying hard to get a glimpseof Jack from where he lay.
"We're pinched!" Jack called out.
Then the two were dragged hastily to their feet and pushed through thejungle toward the camp. Jimmie thought this a place for optimism, anddecided to try it on the low-browed chap who was rather rudely forcinghim along. "I was just thinking of going down to see your camp," he saidwith a grin, "but I didn't know the way exactly. I'm glad you happenedalong. I've got the left hind foot of a rabbit that was caught by ablack cat at midnight, in the dark of the moon, in a negro cemetery, onthe grave of a black man who was hanged for murder. Guess that's broughtme luck."
"You'll need four rabbits' feet if you get out of this," Jack grumbled."Suppose we take a quick hike for the boat, right now?" he added,believing the Filipinos would not be able to understand English.
In this he was mistaken, for one of the men said:
"Don't you ever try it. Your left hind foot won't protect you if youdo."
The boys gazed about the group, now halted, trying to pick out thespeaker.
"But this is a magic rabbit-foot," Jimmie retorted, scornfully as if anysane person ought to know of the virtues of a left hind rabbit-foot. "Itused to be owned by an armless man who rowed over the Great AmericanDesert in an open boat!"
This, of course, was all for the purpose of inducing the one who hadspoken in English to speak again, in order that he might be sorted outof the others. Jimmie's imaginative powers proved equal to the occasion.
A man who, regarded closely, did not look at all like a Filipino--aslender, though broad-shouldered, man with sharp gray eyes and theawkward manner of one unused to disguise--laughed lightly at the boy'sodd conceit and said:
"That will be about enough of that Bowery lingo. What are you boys doinghere?" he added.
"We came over to see about puttin' up a couple of skyscrapers!" repliedJimmie. "The air seems nice an' high here. Guess we wouldn't have topush it up any to build fifty stories. Where you takin' us?" he went on."If I owned this shrubbery we're borin' through, I'd have it manicured."
"Where did you leave the _Manhattan_?" asked the other, without takingthe trouble to answer Jimmie's question.
"We didn't leave her," Jimmie lied, cheerfully arguing with himself thatit wasn't any of the other man's business where they had left the boat."She's left us, an' gone off on a cruise to the South; left us to reignon this island. She'll be back in a couple of days, an' then you'll getwhat's comin' to you."
"I'm glad you took over the government of the island," the otherlaughed. "Only for your appearance here we should not have known aboutthe _Manhattan_ being in these waters. Now we can look her up. We have asteamer here for that purpose."
"I guess I ought to have remained on board," Jimmie said, ruefully.
"It is a wonder that Nestor permitted you to leave the boat," observedthe other. "It is said of the lad that he makes few mistakes," he wenton, glancing from one boy to the other.
"So you know Ned, do you?" asked Jack. "Well, you know a good fellow. Ifyou stay about here you'll be likely to know more about him beforelong."
"Oh, I mean to remain," was the cool reply. "Nestor is wanted at Manilafor disobeying orders, and I'll take him along with me when I go.There's a steamer out here looking for him."
The boys knew that Ned had left Manila in defiance of the orders ofMajor John Ross, but they did not believe that a steamer had been sentout to arrest him. They knew that he had received his original ordersfrom Washington, and believed that when Ross communicated with theauthorities there he would be instructed to keep his hands off so far asNed was concerned.
The man was, of course, lying, doubtless in the hope of creating theimpression in the minds of the boys that he was still in the service ofthe government, and there on official business. The boys had no fear oftheir leader being taken back to Manila under arrest. They were moreconcerned for his life if he fell into the hands of this traitor.
"You know a fat lot about it," Jack said, disdainfully. "What you knowabout Ned's business won't swell your head any. Where's this steameryou're talking about?"
"I suspect," replied the other, "that she is now circling the island inorder to pick up the _Manhattan_. Nestor was wrong to run away with agovernment boat. He'll serve time for it, I reckon."
"I suppose," Jimmie said, in as sarcastic a tone as he could bringforth, "that you're lookin' among these bushes for the _Manhattan_. Shemight have climbed one of these big trees," he added, with a grin.
The leader made no reply, none being required, and the party pressedforward toward the center of the island. The jungle grew thinner as theyadvanced, and presently the encampment came into view.
It was evident to the boys that some of the native chiefs were there instate, for some of the tents--doubtless stolen from the government--weregaudily decorated, and attendants were flying about as if their livesdepended on the speed with which they covered the ground. It seemed tothe boys that there could not be less than three hundred personspresent, and the decorated tents, marking the stopping place of a chief,indicated a large collection of native rulers.
The boys were not taken through the encampment, but led into a tent onthe outskirts, where they were securely tied up and left alone.
"Cripes!" Jimmie said, when the flap of the tent fell behind the figureof the disguised man, "this reminds me of a drammer we used to have onthe good old Bowery. In this play there was a girl that was always bein'captured an' rescued. Any scene that didn't witness a couple of capturesand a couple of rescues was no good. This is just like that. We're bein'captured, all right, but we ain't bein' rescued--not just yet!"
"Ned's somewhere about," Jack said, confidently. "He'll manage to turnus loose before long."
Then through the jungle, and ringing snappingly on the clear air, camethe snorting of the _Manhattan's_ engines. At that moment she wasentering the little creek which Pat had pointed out. In a moment theexplosions ceased.
"If they didn't know before," Jack said, "they know now. It won't takethem long to geezle the _Manhattan_ now. Say," he added, "roll over hereand eat these cords. If I could get down to them I'd soon be free."
"I wonder if I could?" asked Jimmie.
The cords were hard and strong and tightly knotted, but after a longtime the boy succeeded in releasing Jack's hands, and the rest was easyas they were alone in the tent. In a very short time both boys were freeof bonds.
The tent did not seem to be guarded, as the captors doubtless believedescape from the island impossible, even if the boys succeeded in gettingaway from the camp. They did not know, of course, that the member of theWild Cat Patrol from Manila had noted the capture of the lads, and hadstarted away to notify their friends as soon as the explosions heard soplainly by the boys notified him of the whereabouts of the _Manhattan_.
Jimmie and Jack remained quietly in the tent for some moments aftertheir freedom from their bonds had been gained, then Jimmie crawled tothe wall nearest the center of the camp, lifted the canvas and lookedout. He crouched there a moment and then dropped the canvas and turnedto his chum.
"You remember the night in Yokohama?" he asked.
"I should say so," Jack replied. "Didn't I wait around a bum old hoteluntil almost morning for you to come back?"
"Well," Jimmie went on, "th
e man that sat in disguise in the tea house,and the men who were there with him, are out there."
Jack approached the little opening made by the lifting of the canvas andlooked out.
"Which one?" he asked. "Which one was disguised!"
"The military-lookin' chap," was the reply.
"On the night them gazabos chased us down the Street of a Thousand Stepshe was made up like a Jap. When we came to the marines he ducked, as ifafraid of Uncle Sam's uniforms."
"Ned rather thought he'd be down to this conference," Jack said.
The man to whom the boy called special attention was in the garb of acivilian, but the military manner was unmistakable. He now stood talkingwith half a dozen Filipinos, occasionally pointing to the eastern coastof the island.
"He's sendin' his natives after the _Manhattan_, all right," Jimmiesaid. "There's goin' to be somethin' doin here before long. Look who'shere!" he added, as a young man of perhaps twenty-five sauntered towardthe tent.
Under his arm the young man carried a steel box, like those used asreceptacles for cash and important papers in safe deposit vaults. Thebox seemed to be quite heavy, for the young man frequently shifted itfrom one side to the other.
"There's your treaty box!" laughed Jack, poking Jimmie in the ribs.
"It may be, at that," the boy replied.
The young man passed from group to group in front of the tents,apparently seeking some one. Occasionally he pointed to the keyhole ofthe box and the others felt in their pockets.
"He's lost the key to the treaty box," Jimmie grinned.
"Probably he's got cigarettes in there and wants to dope himself withone," Jack replied.
"Anyway," Jimmie went on, "I wish Ned was here. I'll bet he could openthat box for him."
"Now he's talking with the man who chased you out of the tea house inthe Street of a Thousand Steps," Jack said, "and the fellow is ravingabout something."
"They can't open the treaty box!" laughed Jimmie.
"You'll be seeing things next," Jack grunted. "Now, what do you think ofthat?" he added. "The chap is bringing his box here."
"Then fix yourself up so you'll look like you was in captivity," Jimmieadvised. "If he finds out we've released ourselves he'll tie us upagain."
The boys found pieces of the cord with which they had been tied andmanaged to put up a very fair imitation of being bound good and hard.When the young man entered the tent he stood over them for a moment witha supercilious grin on his face.
"How do you like it, boys?" he finally asked.
"Fine!" Jimmie sang out.
"Isn't it most dinner time?" Jack added.
The young man sat down on a bundle of freshly cut grass, placed the boxby his side, placed his chin on his hands, his elbows on his knees, andsat for some moments regarding the boys with an amused smile on hisrather weak face.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"We're doin' acrobatic stunts on a high wire just now," scorned Jimmie.
"Don't get gay, now," the other growled. "I'm the son of a United Statessenator."
"I'm the sister of the sun an' moon," Jimmie replied. "So don't begivin' me no guff."
"You're a cheeky little baggage," the son of the senator replied, risingto his feet.
"You might leave that box here," Jimmie called out, "if it's gotanythin' to eat in it. We could eat a crocodile."
"Be careful that the crocodiles don't eat you," warned the other and,seizing the box in a firmer grasp, walked out of the tent.
"What do you make of it?" asked Jack.
"The son of a senator," Jimmie replied, "is here representin' some biginterest, an' that's the treaty box he's got. Say, if they ever get allthese native kings an' queens an' prime ministers to goin', there'll bebloody war in the Philippines, an' Japan, or China, or Germany, orFrance will butt in, an' there'll be a fine time."
"Of course," Jack replied. "That's why we've got to stop it."
"It might be stopped by scatterin' these chiefs, an' kings, an' all therest," Jimmie concluded.
"Not so you could notice it," Jack insisted. "Didn't we scatter themwhen they met on that other island? Well, they've come together again,haven't they? I've heard Ned say that the only way to stop this thing isto get a good grip on the man at the head of it. The thing now is tofind who that man is."
"I should say so, with the military men all mixed up in it!" Jimmiesaid. "It seems to me that the head of it must be in Washington, inManila, or in Yokohama. I wish Ned was here."
"Tied up?" echoed Jack. "If he was, we'd never get out. Let me tell youthis, little man," he went on, the tan on his cheeks showing brownerthan ever against the sudden paleness of his face, "let me tell youthis: These men are here in the guise of soldiers to put this treatythrough. These chiefs think they represent men high up in ourgovernment. If they didn't think so they wouldn't listen.
"When it is all over, and war has been declared, and our title to theislands has gone up in smoke, these traitors will go back to their postsin the army. Now, this being the case, they won't want to see us around,will they?"
"Hardly," was the reply.
Jimmie saw what his chum was coming to and opened his eyes wider thanever.
"You mean," he added, "that when the ruction breaks out, or even before,we'll be put out of the way?"
"Of course."
"Then I'm goin' to duck right now!" Jimmie said, moving toward the wallof the tent. "I'm not goin' to stay here an' be bolo meat. If we can getto the first thicket we stand a chance of gettin' to the _Manhattan_."
"That's all right, but it won't do," Jack said. "Don't you suppose thesegazabos heard the fuss the engine was makin'? Well, then! But we've gotto go somewheres, so come on. Me for a point opposite to the directionof the sounds we heard."
There was a sudden commotion in the camp just then, and the boys reachedthe first thicket.