CHAPTER XXIII. ALONG THE CHAGRES.
"Well, did you ever!! Jared of all people!"
"What on earth is he doing here?"
"That's plain enough," was Rob's reply to the last exclamation, which hadproceeded from Tubby following Rob's hasty recital of what he had seen onthe top of the dam.
"That's plain enough," he repeated. "Jared is a pretty slick sort ofarticle, or, at any rate, the men with whom he is in league are cunningand clever. What better place could Jared be, watched as he is, thanholding down a job as a canal worker, bossing some small undertaking? Whowould ever dream of looking for him in such a position?"
"That's so," agreed Fred, "and then, too, he gets a chance to survey theground thoroughly and lay plans for whatever sort of deviltry that gangis up to. Maybe Alverado and Estrada are working on menial jobs, too,with the same end in view."
"Quite likely," replied Rob, "and also that mysterious chap we've seenwith Jared on several occasions. Anyhow, our duty now is plain enough. Wemust make all haste back to Mr. Mainwaring and report to him what we havediscovered."
"Let's get some of this mess cleaned off us first," said the practicalMerritt. "We look more like drowned rats than Scouts, in our presentplight."
The boys set to work trying to remove the traces of the ducking that hadbeen given them by the malignant Jared, who had undoubtedly recognizedthem. Had they known that he was actually on the lookout for them, theywould have been much astonished. Yet such was the case, as will appearbefore long.
Luckily the mixture of cement that had been doused over them was a verywatery one, the rinsings of a cement bucket, in fact, so that in a shorttime the hot sun had dried out most of the traces of their adventure.
But Mr. Mainwaring greeted them with exclamations of astonishment.
"What in the world have you lads been up to now," he exclaimed halflaughingly as they rejoined him, "taking a swim with your uniforms on?"
"Well, we did have an involuntary bath," admitted Rob, and he went on totell just what had happened.
"Jove!" exclaimed Mr. Mainwaring when he had finished, "this is gettinginteresting, and perhaps explains many annoying things that have beenhappening about here recently. Derrick booms have collapsed withoutapparent cause and an investigation has shown that acid has been pouredon the supporting ropes by some malignantly disposed persons. Blasts havebeen set off prematurely, narrowly avoiding injury, and the work has beendelayed by many such tricks. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if your friendJared and the Latin Americans who are interested in delaying the canalconstruction are at the bottom of this. I'll dispatch men at once to gethold of this chap Jared and we'll make him confess all about it."
As he spoke there was a sudden crash behind him as a workman, who hadbeen standing close to him and who must have overheard every word,dropped a heavy bucket. They all faced round and saw a man shuffling offrapidly. Something familiar about him struck Rob, but for the life of himhe could not place the man. It was not until later that he recalled wherethey had seen him before. He was the man who had driven them to the ruinsof old Panama on that memorable morning, and who must have heard some oftheir talk. But what was he doing on the canal work? Was he allied withthe forces that were trying to defeat the completion of the canal? Had hetold the plotters of what he had overheard and warned them that vigilantretribution was on their trail?
All these were questions that for the time had to wait. Rob decided notto say anything just then. After all he might have been mistaken. In themeantime the searchers sent out after Jared reported that they could notfind him. Undoubtedly after venting his malice on the boys he had madeoff. Rob was not mistaken in his identification of the cabman. The fellowwas allied with the plotters by close ties both of nationality andsentiment. He had been set to driving a hack in Panama so that he mightcarry on his spy work without being suspected. It was by chance that theboys had happened to take his cab. But what he had overheard that day hadcaused him to hasten to the dam and inform his confederates, who, as Robhad guessed, were constantly about there disguised as workmen.
In that vast enterprise, employing thousands of laborers, it was a simpleenough matter for any able bodied men to obtain employment, and noquestions were asked so long as the laborer proved able to earn his pay.At dinner time Mr. Mainwaring was unusually silent. There was no questionin his mind now but that there were plotters mingled in among theworkmen. That night orders for extra vigilance in patroling the dam wereissued, and that night, also, Mr. Mainwaring announced that he intendedto start the next day on his search for the troublesome tributary of theChagres River which it was his intention to devise a means to control.
As may be imagined, this was great news to the boys, and they passed anall but sleepless night in their room in Mr. Mainwaring's bungalow, whichstood in a row of "gold-men's" houses, among which it was the largest andbest finished.
The boys' equipment had been brought up from Panama with them and was, asusual, all in readiness for instant transportation. These Boy Scoutslived up to their "Be Prepared" motto all the time, and to the finestdetail. When their camping equipment had been packed up on the submarineisland everything had been stowed away with military precision so thatthey knew, without going through a lot of troublesome overhauling, thateverything, down to their small pocket water filters, was in its rightplace.
A wagon transported their goods and chattels to the landing place on theChagres the next morning, right after an early breakfast. Mr. Raynor wasto accompany his chief in the capacity of assistant, and the surveyinginstruments and other paraphernalia almost filled one of the odd nativecanoes they were to use. Another canoe held the camping outfits. But theywere not to paddle their way laboriously up the swiftly flowing river.
To the delight of the boys a light draught launch, fitted with powerfulengines and a spidery stern paddle wheel, was to do the towing while theytook it easy. This suited Tubby down to the ground, and Rob's cup ofsatisfaction was full to the brim when he learned that he and Merrittwere to alternate as engineers. As we know, both boys were familiar withthe management of gasolene engines, and they gazed with approval at thefourteen horse-power, twin-cylinder engine of the _Pathfinder_, as thelaunch was called.
Before they left, the chief of the Gatun Guards, as the police thatwatched the big dam were called, reported to Mr. Mainwaring that nothingsuspicious had occurred during the night and also that no trace could befound of the men wanted. This was disappointing, but the boys were sokeyed up with the expectation of the wonders that awaited them in thetropical forests through which the Chagres wound its way on its higherreaches, that they gave but scant thought to Jared and the plotters.
At last all was in readiness; Mr. Mainwaring, who had the steering wheel,gave the signal to start the engines.
Rob gave the big fly-wheel a twist against the compression, while Merrittturned on the gasolene and set the spark. The engine gave a chug and asnort and the big stern paddle wheel, which gave the boat such an oddlook but was necessary for shoal water navigation, began to beat thewater.
The boys gave a shout and their patrol cries. From the bow of the_Pathfinder_, as a compliment to them, fluttered the pennants of theEagles and the Black Wolves, the same which it had been designed to plantat old Panama. At the stern waved Old Glory. Astern towed the twodugouts, loaded deep down with "duffle."
Thus started a trip that was to prove one of the most adventurous thatlads ever embarked upon "by flood or field."