CHAPTER XXIV.
A CLEW.
CHARLEY and Walter climbed into the auto with Mr. Bruce, whoimmediately started up the machine and drove slowly out on the oldroad, noting his surroundings with interest.
"I have never been out in this country before," he said. "It seemswonderfully strange and interesting to me. So unlike anything I haveever seen in the North. I suppose that thick growth of trees ahead isthe jungle you told me about."
The boys assured him that such was the case, and before entering thejungle he stopped the car and looked back at the machine. "At the rateyour men are working, you will have the road completed up to the junglein another week," he observed.
"Yes," Charley agreed, "that is, if we are not molested too much. Idread the work through the jungle, though."
"I should think you would dread it," agreed Mr. Bruce as the carslipped into the jungle's gloomy depths. "Gosh, I never saw such asickly looking place and these awful snakes. I'll dream of them forweeks. Why, the place fairly reeks with fever and disease."
"We are going to set fire to it before we put the machine into it,"Walter said. "The fire will kill off a good many of the snakes, but itwon't stop the danger from fever much."
Mr. Bruce drove on in silence until the car rolled into Indiantown,where he stopped it in front of one of the truck gardens with anexclamation of surprise. "My, I never saw stuff grow like that before,"he said. "This land must be wonderfully fertile, although it does notlook so very rich on top."
"There's a soft grayish rock a little below the surface," Charleyexplained. "I believe it produces that wonderful growth. I've got somesamples of it in my game bag. You can have them if you want them. Thisland is wonderfully fertile, as you say," he continued, while Mr. Bruceexamined the bits of rock, "but I don't believe, even with that in itsfavor, that it will be worth much until a railroad runs through here.It's too far from transportation."
"Yes," agreed Mr. Bruce absently. "It is too far away to be worth muchfor farming purposes."
The little party rode on as far as the trading-post, then Mr. Brucedeclared he had seen enough, and turning the car around headed back forcamp.
"It's queer how a really brilliant mind sometimes overlooks plainsimple little things," he said as they slipped by the row of surveyor'sstakes. "Now the man who is directing operations against you is aman of considerable intelligence, the ingenuity of his moves againstyou prove that. He has kept in concealment, and, in spite of all theannoyance he has caused you, you haven't got the slightest bit ofevidence against him. Some of his tricks have been infernally clever,and yet he has overlooked one little thing that would have put you outof business in a short time."
"Don't name it out loud," Charley begged. "I noticed it long ago, but Ihaven't even dared think of it for fear it might occur to him."
"I don't know but what you fellows are in the same class with him,"said Mr. Bruce, with a smile. "This case reminds me of a story by EdgarAllan Poe about a long search for a hidden document. All sorts ofout-of-the-way nooks and places were searched, and all the while thedocument lay in full view upon a mantel shelf."
"You mean that we have overlooked the solution of our troubles becauseit was in plain sight?" said Walter eagerly.
"Something like that," Mr. Bruce admitted. "I am not positive about ityet, but I expect to be within a few days. In the meantime, I'm goingto refuse to answer any questions about it."
It was not yet noon when they got back to camp and Mr. Bruce retired atonce to Charley's tent and began filling in the blank places on a lotof legal forms he had brought with him. "I want all you Americans tosign these without asking any questions," he said. "I know it's ratheran unusual request, but this case is rather an unusual one, so you willhave to do this blindfold if you want me to go on with your case. Youwill just have to trust to my honor, that's all."
Without any hesitation, our little party affixed their signatures tothe papers, the contents of which the lawyer kept carefully hidden.They reasoned that in their present position they had nothing to lose,if the lawyer proved dishonest, which they did not believe he would,for they were all favorably impressed with his appearance and brisk,business-like manner.
After they had signed, the teamster and engineers were called in andalso asked to sign, which they willingly did, without question orcomment.
"Now," said Mr. Bruce, when the signing was over, "I'll be going, forI've got to do some hustling the next few days if I am going to be ofany use to you."
"Better wait for dinner," Charley urged, but Mr. Bruce shook his head."I'll get a lunch in Jupiter," he said. "Every hour is important now.I wish you had come to me sooner; as it is, I have only a short time todo a whole lot of work in."
Charley followed him out to the auto. "I wish you would tell us whatyou have discovered and what you are going to do," he said.
"No, I'm not going to do that," said the lawyer decidedly, "not until Iam sure that I am right. Do you think you can keep on working and standthose fellows off for a week longer?"
"I think so," Charley said simply.
"Good," approved Mr. Bruce, "I will be back within a week. I must warnyou, however, that if my theories are correct the further you dig themore trouble you are likely to have. I expect the enemy will abandonall tricks and resort to attempts to kill before the week is out."
"That's a cheerful outlook," said Charley dryly.
Mr. Bruce hesitated before replying. "As a lawyer," he said, "I amagainst killing in any form, but as a mere man I would say that I wouldshoot to kill if the other fellow was doing the same."
"But killing is an awful thing," protested Charley. "It is neverjustified except in war."
"Then just consider that this is war," smiled the lawyer. "You will nothave to stretch your imagination much. Good-by. I will be back in aweek." The teamster climbed into the auto with him and in a few minutesthe car was out of sight.
Charley slowly returned to the camp, where he told his chums what thelawyer had said.
"I think I know about where those gunmen are camped," Walter said. "Ican see the smoke of a campfire near where the convicts camped. If wehave any more trouble with them, we could, perhaps, capture them in thedaytime when they are sleeping and turn them over to the sheriff."
Charley shook his head. "That won't do," he said. "In the first place,even counting in the engineers, there would only be seven of us to dothe job, for we could not count on the Spaniards. They lack the nervefor such work. Seven men could hardly handle twenty. In the secondplace, we have no evidence against any of them, except the one whokilled the mules, and he is dead. If we turned them over to the sheriffhe would have to turn them loose again."
"You're right about the Spaniards lacking nerve," Captain Westfieldobserved. "All these mysterious night attacks are frightening them. Iam afraid we are going to have trouble holding them if this sort ofthing continues."
"I've been fearing that very thing," Charley said thoughtfully. "Theyare a superstitious people and what they cannot understand frightensthem. I can see only one thing more that we can do and that is for Waltand I to go on the night guard with them, and if there is any shootingwe had better do as the lawyer says--shoot back."
"I don't like the idea of bloodshed," said Captain Westfield.
"Nor I," said Charley grimly. "But if blood must be shed I would ratherit would be theirs than ours."
"Same here," agreed Walter. "If we are going to keep watch to-night,Charley, we had better eat dinner and turn in for a nap."
It was nearly sundown when the boys emerged from their tents where theyhad been awakened from their sleep by a clamoring outside.
They found the din the herald of the arrival of Willie John with allhis worldly goods, consisting of numerous dogs, pigs, cattle, twowagons, eight oxen, a squaw, his mother and his mother-in-law, a crowdof children, and a couple of wrinkled old Indians, likely his fatherand father-in-law.
Much to the chums' relief, Willie John decided to make camp furtheron close t
o the machine. After they had reached their camping place,Willie John left the squaws to the ignoble menial work of making camp,and with his son, a fine looking Indian lad, came over to discussbusiness with his pale-face employers.
"Me drive one wagon, four oxen," he said. "Boy drive one wagon, fouroxen. How much?"
"Six dollars a day," said Charley promptly. "Six dollars and plenty oftobacco."
"It is well," said the Seminole. "Some tobacco now."
Charley went to the supply and got a package, and the Indian, fillinghis pipe, sat down on a log and puffed away in silent content, his sonsitting by his side silent and motionless except for the quick shiftingof his black, beady eyes that took in every detail of the camp and itsoccupants.
"Fine boy you've got," observed Walter, who had been admiring theperfect form and proud carriage of the Indian lad.
There was a glint of fatherly pride in Willie John's eyes as he laidhis hand caressingly on the lad's black head. "Him good boy," he saidsimply. "Him run faster, wrestle better, swim better than any otherIndian boy. Him no drink wyomee (whiskey). Him no smoke. Him save allmoney. By and bye, he go to school, all the same as pale-face boy."
"That's good," Walter approved. "How old is he?"
"Twelve years," answered the Seminole. "We go back to camp now.Good-by."
"He certainly thinks a lot of that boy for an Indian," Walter remarkedto his chum.
"Why not?" said Charley. "Don't you suppose Indians have feelings likeother human beings?"
Both lads had occasion to remember this conversation in the nearfuture.