CHAPTER XXIV.
THE STRANGE MEETING IN THE DUNGEON.
A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should notutter a word above the lowest whisper.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almostsuffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
He pitied her, for he could easily understand why she should thus feeldistressed.
"Courage--we cannot be far away from his cell now. Bear up, and allwill be well. To fail at this time would mean his death."
Roderic did not add that their own fate would probably be alsosealed--he knew that fact only too well, but it was useless to mentionit.
At any rate all Inez thought of was Leon's welfare.
She seemed to call upon some reserve force, and her companion knew thecrisis had been safely passed, for which he was deeply thankful.
When he said he believed they were near the spot where they would findLeon, he spoke truly.
There were strong evidences of dungeons all around them, some with thedoors entirely gone, while others had a stout barrier hanging from onegreat rusty hinge.
It might be supposed that ere long they would run across those stillremaining in a good state of preservation, and in which prisoners wereconfined.
Perhaps an especial guard had been stationed in the passage.
If so it would be Roderic's duty to take care of him, and to this endhe had previously made ample preparation.
Desperate measures are only carried to a successful issue by heroictreatment, and no man was better equipped for this purpose than theAmerican who dared enter San Juan while the Spanish flag still wavedover the walls.
The darkness was now against them, and it would have been almostimpossible to advance but for a streak of luck that separated cloudsand moon, and allowed the latter to sift her silvery radiance downthrough various breaches in the overhanging walls, thus dissipating tosome extent the appalling gloom.
Thanks then to this feeble illumination Roderic with his keen visionwas enabled to discover a figure ahead.
Spanish soldiers doing duty in the tropics are generally in the habitof wearing white uniforms made of some coarse drilling or canvas.
It was this fact that betrayed the presence of the guard, and Rodericmentally thanked his lucky stars for the favor.
He watched the man.
The Spaniard seemed nervous, and would walk up and down with jerkysteps, stopping now and then to try the doors of several cells.
Roderic was unable to decide what the man was up to, since Spanishsoldiers as a rule are not given to exert themselves overly much.
Now and then the fellow would stop, and at such times his attitudestrongly reminded the watcher of one who was straining his hearing inthe hope of catching some eagerly anticipated signal.
After a little reflection Roderic felt compelled to decide that thefellow was anxiously waiting for a relief guard to appear, althoughthis hardly satisfied him.
His duty in the premises was clear enough.
That guard was in the way.
He threatened to block their game just when, after surmounting so manydifficulties, it promised to bring them success.
Such a thing could not be allowed.
The guard would have to succumb, like all Spaniards, to superior Yankeedominion.
First he must give Inez warning as to his intentions, so that she mightnot be alarmed when he quitted her side.
He found her very sensible, for she realized that some such move mustbe adopted to get rid of the miserable sentry.
"Spare him not, senor--he has doubtless taken delight in torturingmy Leon--have no pity on the wretch," she whispered in his ear, withconsiderable warmth.
Roderic had his own notion about the eternal fitness of things, andbeing a cool, sensible American instead of a hot blooded Spaniard, hewas decidedly averse to shedding blood when such a thing might possiblybe avoided.
There were other ways of accomplishing the same end, this Yankee braindecided.
With a few last words of caution to Inez, who was trembling all overwith excitement, he left her and started upon his advance.
An old Indian fighter might have been proud of the progress Rodericmade.
He imitated a cat creeping upon a bird, his eyes being glued upon thewhite garbed figure of the guard, and every movement governed by thatof the man who carried the Mauser.
Foot by foot he went forward.
The guard was muttering to himself as he still moved restlessly fromone heavy door to another.
Something undoubtedly disturbed him, but it was a mystery to Roderic,who could not quite catch the words he let fall, and which might havesimplified matters had he heard them.
The closer he drew the more cautious he became.
Everything depended on the successful issue of his plans; even his ownfuture happiness was at stake in the matter.
It may be taken for granted, therefore, that he exercised his utmostcare, for after all there is no motive so positive of good results ina general way, as self interest--it makes a success of co-operativefactories wherever tried.
Roderic was finally in a position to lay his plans for a finish.
He waited until the man's back was turned and then slipped forward to acertain dark doorway previously selected.
Then he awaited the return of the sentry--awaited him as the tiger liesin cover for his advancing prey, with muscles tense and drawn, andevery small nerve on the alert for the desperate charge.
Ah! the fellow in pursuing his eccentric tactics had reached whatappeared to be the terminus of his beat, and wheeling had started back,utterly unconscious of what lay in store for him and that each nervousstep took him closer to his fate.
Roderic was perfectly cool and collected--he was not in the habit ofgiving way to excitement and losing his advantage.
As he thus lay in wait and watched the advance of the dusky figurewhich he had set out to overcome, he even selected the very portion ofthe sentry's person upon which he should throw his full force.
Closer still.
The man's fate hung like the sword of Damocles, as by a single hair.
Roderic timed his leap with such precision that he struck the sentrytotally unawares.
A dark figure launched forward like a gigantic bat--the man only hadtime to give a gurgle of surprise when a firm hand closed on histhroat, and the sound died there.
Such was the impetus of Roderic's advance that the two of them went tothe stone floor.
Immediately the American felt his antagonist cease to struggle, and heknew the other must have been knocked senseless through the blow on thehead received when he came in contact with the flagging.
The percussion had sounded loud enough at least, to account for hishaving lost all interest in affairs mundane.
Roderic hoped he was not killed, nor did he have any reason to believesuch a fate had overtaken the wretched guard.
At least everything seemed to be working beautifully in his favor, andhe certainly could find no cause for complaint.
What was to be done with this pretty thing, now that he had secured theprize?
The man might prove to be something of a white elephant on his hands.
However, his first move was to drag out some stout cord, with which hemade the fellow's hands and feet secure.
In doing so he could not but notice,--through touch more than sight,since the darkness was only partially dissipated by the moon'sinquisitive beams that forced an entrance--that the luckless guard haddelicate hands such as he had seldom noticed among the common Spanishsoldiers.
At another time he might have endeavored to assign some logical reasonfor this thing, but just at the present crisis it mattered little.
The end and not the means engrossed his fullest attention.
When he took hold of the senseless guard and began dragging him acrossthe corridor t
o the shade that lay more densely in that quarter, it wasonly with the intention of getting him out of the way, so that in caseany one came along he would not stumble over the fellow and thus havethe peculiar status of affairs rudely thrust upon his attention.
Perhaps Roderic was not as careful as he might and should have been--atany rate he tripped and fell over some object lying in his way.
Even as he went down he was strongly impressed with the suspicion thatwhat he had taken his cropper over was a human being, and possibly asecond guard enjoying a quiet nap.
Hence, Roderic scrambled up in all haste with the intention of throwinghimself upon the fellow, and if possible preventing him from giving thealarm, for that was what his wretched mistake might end in.
To his surprise as well as gratification there was not the least signof an aroused sentry endeavoring to gather his scattered senses andshout for help.
All was silent.
He put out his hand, groping for the object which had been the causeof his tumble.
When finally he touched it a peculiar sensation flashed over him fromhead to foot, for in truth it was a human being.
Could the man be dead?
Had there been some drunken dispute between the guards resulting in atragedy?
He remembered the peculiar actions of the man who now lay bound near by.
Bending over the second fellow he speedily made a discovery of somemoment.
A strong scent of liquor greeted him and his hand came upon the flaskstill clutched in the miserable guard's hand.
Where he got it, and why the second man did not take his share werepuzzling questions which Roderic only shook his head over.
For him it was quite sufficient that the two sentries had in differentways been rendered _hors de combat_, and would so far as he could see,give him no further trouble.
So he left them there, the second chap with his head resting lovinglyupon the body of the toper, two of a kind and well matched, heconsidered.
Perhaps there would be a reckoning when the officer of the guard camearound later, though if the flask still contained a portion of itsoriginal contents he might forgive the erring one.
Roderic sincerely hoped he had seen the last of the two guards--heexpressed a low but earnest desire that their slumbers might be sweet,and indefinitely prolonged--at least until his desperate work had beenaccomplished.
He uttered a low signal, the same bird call that, trilling forth at thetower corner of the fortress had brought Inez to his side.
She heard and gladly tripped forward.
It was a supreme moment for her--the girl was tremendously excited,and cast several quick glances toward the spot where the demoralizedsection of the invincible Spanish army lay.
Roderic noticed how her eager hand crept toward her bosom as she lookedtoward the dimly seen figures, and he quickly said:
"Come, we must find the door of his cell."
"You leave foes upon the trail you must tread on your return," was thesignificant way in which she put it.
"They are helpless--God forbid I should do murder," he returned,knowing at the same time that the Spanish way was the safer way.
The first cell door was beside them.
Roderic, bending over discovered that it was secured by a heavy ironbar--so far as he could see there was no other obstacle to an entrance.
He seized upon this and exerting his strength threw it over.
It made something of a clanking sound, possibly subdued, but toRoderic's mind very like the gong of a railway station dining room.
Inez uttered a low cry of alarm and he could hear her whisper the nameof her patron saint, as if invoking heavenly aid.
"It's all right--don't be alarmed," he said, encouragingly.
Roderic waited to draw out a little pocket lantern which when lightedwould throw some illumination upon their path.
This done he tried the door, and finding it fast put his shoulder to it.
Under such pressure further resistance was utterly out of thequestion, and the heavy barrier quickly gave way.
Inez would have rushed headlong in but Roderic's sturdy armprevented--he believed it was his duty to still lead the van so longas the future was unknown--it would be time enough to yield that placeof vantage to his frail companion in the venture when success had beenassured.
So they passed into the gloomy dungeon, the history of which woulddoubtless prove interesting reading as shedding a strong light uponSpain's methods of colonizing, for in the years gone no doubt manya political prisoner had been tortured here with all the despoticbarbarism that marked the infernal Inquisition of old.
Looking eagerly around the cell Roderic almost immediately discoveredthe object of his search.
Some one was standing beside a chair at the further end--some one whohad evidently risen hastily at the sound of the clanking iron bar--someone who uttered a cry at their rough entrance.
Roderic saw and was at once struck with the astonishing likeness toGeorgia in the smooth faced young man standing there; but he had beenprepared for that fact since she herself had impressed it on his mindwhen he demanded how he might know Leon should he meet him.
Yes, brother and sister were very much alike and the sight of him justthen gave Roderic something of a shock, since it seemed as though hewere gazing upon Georgia.
There was no longer any need of restraining Inez--at sight of theprisoner she had uttered a cry bubbling over with limitless delight andunable to longer keep back the eager desire to reach him, to convinceher ravished eyes that they did not deceive her soul, she sped forward.
Not straighter does the arrow fly from the warrior's bow than thisdevoted Spanish girl went to the object of her devotion.
Surely eyes of love could easily recognize in the seeming youth thebeautiful daughter of Morro's governor.
Her hat had fallen off in the struggle with Roderic, and her luxurianthair dropped almost to her waist, rendering further deception utterlyout of the question.
Roderic fully expected to see the amazed prisoner open his arms andeagerly take her close to his heart in a transport of joy.
It was only natural that he should look for just such an ending to thedevoted wife's adventurous search.
To the astonishment of the American nothing of the kindoccurred--indeed, a result about as contrary as one could wellconceive, came to pass.
As Inez was about to throw her arms about the figure of the handsomeyoung fellow, he put out his hand and gave her a vigorous push aside, apush that caused the poor girl to stagger back against the wall.
And with his great black eyes flashing with indignation the prisonercried out:
"Do not dare to touch me--go back to yonder double faced traitor, andleave me to my fate. I would sooner be left here to moulder than berescued by you, _creature_!"
Roderic was panic stricken--he could scarcely believe the evidence ofhis senses--the prisoner of the dungeon was to all appearances Leon,yet the voice was that of Georgia--the words evidently spoken by oneracked with jealousy, who saw in Inez a hated rival!