CHAPTER TWELVE.
BAD NEWS.
It was a glorious morning when Jack, after an early breakfast, made hisway to the railway station and, having written two days before toapprise his friends of his coming, demanded a first-class ticket forPinar del Rio. He was gratified to find that not only were there notroops going by his train, but also that very few people were travellingby it, and that he was therefore likely to be able to secure acompartment to himself; for he found himself in a most unaccountablestate of excitement at the prospect of meeting his friends once more,and was also acutely conscious of a desire to be absolutely alone inorder that he might be free to picture to himself the precise manner inwhich "she" would be likely to receive him. There was also anotherreason why the young man was anxious to be alone during his journey,which was that, mingling curiously with the feeling of exhilarationresulting from pleasurable anticipation, there was a certain vagueuneasiness, traceable to the fact that no word, either by telegram orletter, had come to him from any member of the Montijo family since hehad said _au revoir_ to them on that platform nine days ago. He had nothad much time to dwell upon this fact while the yacht was in dock;indeed, he had been so exceedingly busy, and so dog-tired at the end ofeach day's work, that it had scarcely obtruded itself upon hisattention: but now he began to worry himself as to why it was thatsomeone--by which he really meant Dona Isolda--had not been able to findtime to drop him so much as two or three lines to say that they hadarrived safely, and were hoping to see him soon. Of course, as he toldhimself, there was no very particular reason why anyone should havewritten so very vapid and commonplace a piece of intelligence as thatthey had arrived home safely, for it might be taken for granted thatthey had done so: the trains in Cuba travelled too slowly, and thetraffic was too meagre, to admit of the possibility of an accident--and,moreover, there had been no news of any such thing; and, apart from anaccident, there was absolutely no reason that Jack could think of whyhis friends should not reach their destination in safety. Yet thisyoung man, usually so reasonable and level-headed, was now fast worryinghimself into a fever because certain people had not done something whichhe constantly assured himself there was not the slightest need for themto have done. And when at length the train drew up at the platform ofPinar del Rio station, and he saw Senor Eugenio Calderon, Don Hermoso'smanager, waiting thereon, his heart sank, a momentary feeling ofsickness and giddiness seized him, and as he reeled out of the carriageon to the platform he muttered to himself: "I knew it; I was certainthat something was wrong!" Then he pulled himself together and turnedto greet Senor Calderon as unconcernedly as might be.
"Well, Senor Calderon, how are you, and how are all at the hacienda?" heexclaimed. "Don Hermoso received my note, I suppose, and--?"
"Let us walk to the end of the platform, Senor," replied Calderon,drawing him away out of earshot of the little crowd of alighting andembarking passengers. "I received your letter, Senor Singleton, and, inthe absence of Don Hermoso, opened it, as I have opened all lettersarriving for him since he left the hacienda. And when I had read it Icame to the conclusion that it was my duty to meet you here upon yourarrival; for, Senor, I can no longer hide from myself the fear thatsomething untoward has befallen Don Hermoso and his family. I dulyreceived the telegram which he dispatched to me from Havana, apprisingme of his arrival there and his intention to return home that same day,and, as requested by the message, I dispatched the carriage here to meetthe train by which he said he intended to travel; but on the followingday the carriage returned to the house with the intelligence thatneither Don Hermoso nor any of the family had arrived, either by thetrain indicated in the telegram, or by any subsequent train. From thisI very naturally concluded that something had occurred to detain theparty in Havana, and I looked, from day to day, for a letter or messageof some kind explaining the delay; but nothing came, and when at lengthI received your letter, and gathered from it that you believed thefamily to be at home, I at once felt that something very wrong hadhappened, and came to the conclusion that the proper thing for me to dowas to meet you here and inform you of all the circumstances."
"Of course," concurred Jack; "that certainly was the proper thing to do.But what can possibly have happened to them all? And why the dickensdid you not write to me at once when the party failed to turn up?"
"I can see now that I ought to have done so," said Calderon. "But yousee, Senor," he added in excuse; "I was constantly expecting to hearfrom Don Hermoso, explaining his absence and naming another day for hisarrival; and in this condition of expectancy the days slipped away."
"Yes," assented Jack grimly; "I see. Well, it is useless to worry aboutthat now; the question is: What has become of them all? People do notdisappear in that mysterious fashion without a cause. It is certainthat they did not remain in Havana, for I saw them off; and if they hadgone back to the city they would have returned to the yacht, orcommunicated with me in some way. And it is equally certain that whenthey stepped aboard the train that morning, they fully intended toreturn to the house. Their disappearance, therefore, is involuntary ontheir part; I am confident of that. Now, what can be the explanation ofthis most singular occurrence? Can it be that--by the way, SenorCalderon, have you had any visitors to the house during the absence ofDon Hermoso and his family?"
"Yes, Senor, unfortunately we have had visitors--on one occasion; andthat visit may very possibly--now that you come to mention it--have hadsomething to do with the disappearance of Senor Montijo and his family.It occurred some three weeks ago; and the visitors consisted of anofficer of cavalry and a dozen troopers. He--the officer--enquired forDon Hermoso; and, when told that he was absent from home, demanded thekeys of Don Hermoso's desk, which he compelled me to surrender. Andwhen I had handed over the keys, the officer sat down at the desk andspent nearly three hours in going through the whole of Senor Montijo'sprivate papers, some of which he took away with him."
"Did he make any remark, or say who he was?" demanded Jack.
"No, Senor; neither the one nor the other," answered Calderon.
"How long have you been in Don Hermoso's service?" demanded Jack.
"For eleven years and--let me consider--yes--for eleven years and ninemonths, Senor. And I owe to Don Hermoso everything that I have,"answered Calderon.
"And I suppose you are fully in Don Hermoso's confidence?" asked Jack.
"I believe so, Senor," answered Calderon; "I doubt very much whether hehas any secrets from me. I know, for instance," dropping his voicealmost to a whisper, "that the yacht _Thetis_, which is understood to beyour property, really belongs to him. I also know that she brought outfrom England a large consignment of arms, ammunition, and stores for theuse of the insurgents, and that the consignment was landed in the Lagunade Cortes; and I am fully aware that Senor Montijo is activelysympathetic with the insurgents--as is every member of his family andhousehold, down to the meanest stable boy or labourer in the fields."
"In that case," said Jack, "the probability is that the papers which theunknown cavalry officer took away with him were of a more or lesscompromising character, eh?"
"I very much fear so, Senor," answered Calderon. "Or, if not exactlycompromising, at least of such a character as to prove that Don Hermosowas both sympathetic and in correspondence with the insurgent faction.Pardon me for saying so, Senor Singleton, but I quite easily perceive,by your manner, that you are not at all certain of my fidelity to DonHermoso. I hope to convince you of that in due time, however; andmeanwhile I honour you for your distrust, for it proves your friendlyinterest in my employer and his family. I shall remain here to managethe estate and guard my employer's interests as long as I am permittedto do so; and, if I mistake not, you will presently be leaving here toreturn to Havana, with the object of discovering what has happened toDon Hermoso and his family. My own opinion now is that they have allbeen arrested as conspirators, upon evidence supplied by thoseabstracted papers--and, if so, I say most fervently, God help them! forthe Spaniards wil
l show them no mercy. And, as to my fidelity, Senor,perhaps I can even now afford you some small proof of it by guiding yourfirst footsteps in your search for the lost ones. When you return toHavana, call upon Don Ramon Bergera, whose house is in the Calle delIgnacio, immediately opposite the mansion of the Capitan-General. He isa great friend of Don Hermoso, and--although I believe quite unsuspectedby the authorities--an ardent sympathiser with the insurgents; he isalso preternaturally clever in obtaining information of all kinds, andsolving mysteries. Introduce yourself to him; tell him all that youknow of the matter, and all that I have told you; and be guided by him.And with his skill and your courage, Senor Singleton, I trust that allmay even yet be well with my honoured friend and patron and his family.Now, here comes your train, Senor; so I will bid you good-bye, and wishyou the best of good luck. Should it be necessary for you tocommunicate with me at any time, it will be advisable to do so byspecial messenger; for there is only too much reason to suspect thatletters are often scrutinised during their passage through the postoffice. Now you will have to be quick if you wish to get your ticket;so _adios, Senor! Hasta mas verle_."
The sun's last rays were gilding the walls of the Morro and the Cabanacastles when Jack stepped out of the train at Havana Central Stationthat evening; but the residence of Don Ramon Bergera was close at hand,and the young Englishman determined to call, there and then, in the hopeof finding the Don at home. He was fortunately successful; and fiveminutes later he found himself in the presence of a fine, distinguished-looking man, with piercing black eyes that seemed to look one throughand through. Jack was favourably impressed at once, for there was alook of strength, moral as well as physical, and of straightforwardness,about the man who faced him, that very powerfully appealed to the simplehonesty of the Englishman, as also did the frank, open-hearted courtesyof his reception.
"Pray be seated, Senor Singleton," said Don Ramon, placing a chair forhis visitor; "I am very glad to make your acquaintance. Allow me tooffer you a cigar and a glass of sangaree; the latter will refresh you,for you look hot, tired, and dusty, as though you had just made ajourney."
"I have," said Jack, gratefully accepting the proffered refreshment; andavailing himself forthwith of the opening afforded by Don Ramon'sremark, he proceeded to tell the whole story of the mysteriousdisappearance of the Montijo family, winding it up by mentioning that hehad made this call at Calderon's suggestion.
"I am very glad indeed that you acted upon that suggestion," said DonRamon. "Calderon is all right; he is absolutely faithful andtrustworthy, and Don Hermoso's interests are perfectly safe in hishands. And now, let us consider the very serious question of thismysterious evanishment of my friend and his family. Did I understandyou to say that you actually saw them leave Havana?"
"Yes," said Jack, "I went with them to the station, and chatted withthem until the train pulled out."
"Then," said Don Ramon, "it is obvious that the disappearance occurredsomewhere between Havana and Pinar del Rio--possibly at Santiago, ormaybe at Bejucal. If I cannot hear anything of them elsewhere I willrun down to both those places to-morrow and institute a few judiciousenquiries. Meanwhile, I fear that Senor Calderon's apprehensions as tothe arrest of the entire family are only too well-founded. The factthat a party of soldiers was sent to search Don Hermoso's house provesmost conclusively that my friend had somehow contrived to arouse thesuspicion of the authorities, which, after all, is not very surprising,knowing what I do as to Don Hermoso's connection with the insurgents;and the fact that certain papers were seized by the search party pointsto the inference that those papers contained incriminating evidence.And if they did I can only say that I am heartily sorry for the family,for since the recent risings the Government is adopting the mostruthless measures to discourage even passive sympathy with theinsurgents; and we know--you and I--that Don Hermoso's sympathy wassomething very much more than passive. Now, there is another questionwhich I should like to ask you. Do you happen to know whether by anychance Don Hermoso has been unfortunate enough to make any enemies amongthe Government entourage?--for I may tell you that the present moment isa particularly favourable one for the gratification of private enmity,if the enemy happens to be connected with the Government."
Jack considered for a moment. "No," he said slowly, "I am not aware ofanything of--stop a moment, though! Yes, by Jove, there is something ofthat kind, after all! There is a certain Captain Alvaros, belonging toone of your infantry regiments, who had the confounded impudence topropose his marriage with Senorita Isolda, although the young lady isonly about sixteen years of age, I believe; and Don Hermoso, veryrightly, would not hear of it, refused the fellow point-blank, Iunderstood, and forbade him the house."
"Phew!" whistled Don Ramon, with some show of consternation; "is thatso? Caramba! I am sorry to hear that. What you have just said isamply sufficient to account for everything. I know a good deal aboutDon Sebastian Alvaros, enough to assure you, Senor Singleton, that heis, as you English say, `a thorough bad egg'; and, worse than that, heis also a man of some standing and importance in official circles. Nowthat you come to mention it, I remember that he was stationed, with hiscompany, at Pinar del Rio not so very long ago; but within the last twomonths he has been made governor of the prison of La Jacoba. Poor DonHermoso; I am sorry for him! Of course, knowing Alvaros, as he musthave done, to refuse him was the only thing possible; but it is a bittermisfortune for him and all his family that the fellow should ever havehad an opportunity to see Dona Isolda. And, of course, he was alsoafter Don Hermoso's money, knowing, as he doubtless did, that the son-in-law of Senor Montijo will be an exceedingly lucky man in everyrespect. Now, Senor Singleton, have you anything else to tell me?Because, if not, I will dispense with ceremony and bid you good evening.Under other circumstances it would have afforded me the greatestpossible pleasure if you would have stayed to dine with me: but afterwhat you have told me I shall dine at a restaurant not very far fromhere, which is largely patronised by officers and Government officials;possibly I may meet someone there from whom I may be fortunate enough toextract a little information. And I will not ask you to accompany me,because it is very desirable that you and I should not be seen together,and that it should not be known that we are acquainted. For whichreason it will also be advisable that, in the event of our meeting eachother in the street, we should behave as strangers, taking no notice ofeach other. But you will naturally be anxious to know how I amprogressing with my enquiries; and it is also desirable that we shouldmeet and confer together from time to time: therefore our meeting-placehad better be here. But do not enter by the front door, as you did thisevening, lest someone, knowing you by sight, and aware of yourfriendship for Don Hermoso--who, you must remember, is a suspected man--should see you, and the fact of our acquaintance thus become known.When you have occasion to call upon me--which I trust, Senor, will bevery often--come to the little wicket in the back wall of my garden, bywhich I am about to let you out, and I will give my gardenerinstructions to admit you whenever you may present yourself; there willthus be much less chance of our acquaintance with each other becomingknown."
So saying, Don Ramon conducted his visitor down a narrow corkscrewstaircase into a large and most beautiful garden, where Jack and thegardener were duly confronted with each other, and certain instructionsgiven to the latter; after which the gate in the wall was opened, and,with a prior precautionary peep, to ensure that no lurking watcher wasin sight, the young Englishman was gently hustled into a narrow and verydark and dirty lane.
"Your way lies to the left," murmured Don Ramon, as he shook hands withJack and bade him good night. "Walk in the middle of the road; and keepa wary eye on the courts and passages to right and left of you, as youpass them. These back streets are always dangerous, and especially soat night-time; therefore, if anyone should spring out at you, do notstop to parley, but hit out straight and hard. Good night!"
As it happened, Jack did not see a solitary human being until hepresently eme
rged into one of the wider and more frequented streets; andtwenty minutes later he was safely on board the _Thetis_ again, to thegreat astonishment of Milsom, who had been pacing the deck in anendeavour to raise an appetite for dinner, and meanwhile picturing tohimself the pleasant time that he supposed Jack to be having at thehacienda. He was, of course, profoundly concerned at the news whichJack had to tell him; and spent the remainder of the evening inalternately invoking sea blessings upon the head of Don SebastianAlvaros, wondering what would happen to the Montijos should theapprehensions of their friends prove correct, and endeavouring to deviseschemes for the discovery and liberation of the family.
The next morning saw Jack an early visitor at the office of the BritishConsul; and into the sympathetic ear of that most long-sufferingofficial the young man poured all his woes, all his fears, all hisindignation that such happenings could occur in a so-called Christiancountry. But the Consul could offer him very little comfort; for, as hepointed out to Jack, the affair was one concerning the SpanishGovernment alone, and with which he could not possibly interfere--atleast officially; but he undertook to refer to the matter unofficially,at his next interview with the Capitan-General, and promised to furnishJack with any information which he might then or upon any other occasionobtain. And with that somewhat meagre promise Master Jack was obligedto rest content. But the young man could not remain so for long; and onthat and several succeeding days he wandered about the Havana streetsand haunted the various cafes and restaurants in the hope of somewherehearing a chance word which would throw a glimmer of light upon themystery. And he also reconnoitred the jails, passing and repassing thema dozen times a day upon the off-chance that he might sooner or latercatch a glimpse of one or another of his friends' faces peering outthrough one of the little grated openings in the walls. But all to nopurpose; at the end of three weeks from the date of the disappearancethe mystery remained as insoluble as ever. Nor had Don Ramon met withany better success. "I cannot understand it," exclaimed that gentlemanirritably; "I have sought information in every conceivable direction,and have set all sorts of unseen forces in motion, with absolutely noresult. Even the Capitan-General has drawn blank: he is ignorant--orpretends to be--of what has happened to our friends; and the most that Ihave been able to get out of him is the statement--which we may take forwhat it is worth--that he has issued no order for the arrest of anymember of the Montijo family. I wish I could get hold of Alvaros, but Ihave not been able to run up against him; and nobody seems to know wherehe is, or anything about him."
It was three or four days later that Jack, by this time utterly wearyand heartsick at his lack of success, entered a restaurant which wasmuch frequented by the officers of the garrison, and, seating himself ata table, ordered second breakfast. There were not very many people inthe place at the moment, but it soon began to fill up; and presently theyoung man's heart gave a great bound, and he felt the pulses of histemples throbbing furiously, as three officers, laughing and talkingloudly, entered the place and began to look about them for a table. Oneof these men was Alvaros; hence Jack's emotion.
As the lad sat staring open-eyed at them, Alvaros glanced in hisdirection, and Jack saw the light of recognition leap into his eyes.
"See, my friends," exclaimed the Spaniard, "there is a vacant table,next to the one at which that young beast of an Englishman is sitting.Let us take it."
And therewith the trio stalked down the room, and, with a vast amount ofclatter, seated themselves at the table next to the one occupied bySingleton.
"That beggar means mischief; I can see it in his eye!" thought Jack."Well," continued he mentally, "let him do his worst; I mean mischieftoo, and we will see who is the better player at the game. But I mustkeep cool if I am to come out on top; and, who knows? the skunk may saysomething which will afford me a useful tip."
For a few minutes the three officers sat chatting together, and thenJack noticed that it was Alvaros and the youngest of the trio--anensign, apparently--who did most of the talking; the third man, who wasevidently a cavalryman, merely put in a word or two here and there, andseemed to be slightly disgusted at the boisterousness of his companions.Then Alvaros, who had feigned not to have recognised Jack, exclaimed:
"By the by, I must not forget to tell you a most interesting item ofnews. Do either of you fellows happen to know, or to have heard of, acertain Don Hermoso Montijo, who owns a large tobacco plantation in thedirection of Pinar del Rio? But of course you have; everybody knows orhas heard of Montijo, the richest man in Cuba--or who was until veryrecently; but I am afraid that his riches will never be of much use tohim again. Why? Simply because the old scoundrel turns out to be handin glove with the insurgents! He has been helping them most lavishlywith money, and it is more than suspected that it is he who isresponsible for the importations of arms and supplies of all sorts thathave entered the island and reached the hands of the insurgents withinthe last six months. He even went to Europe, taking his cub of a sonwith him, for the purpose of procuring the most modern weapons. EverySpaniard, therefore, who falls during the operations for the suppressionof the present rising will be indebted to Don Hermoso Montijo for hisdeath. But the Government is going to give him ample time in which torepent of his sins, for he and his family sail for Fernando Po on Sundaynext on board the convict steamer _El Maranon_, in the company ofseveral other choice miserables. So we shall no longer be troubled withhim or his. And as I was chiefly instrumental in laying bare hisvillainy, I shall, when his estates are confiscated, put in a claim forthem as my reward.
"But it was not so much of him as of his daughter that I intended totell you. Dona Isolda Montijo is universally admitted to be, beyond allquestion, the most lovely woman in Cuba; and for once the popularestimate is correct, as no man knows so well as I do." ("Steady, oldman, steady!" said Jack to himself. "Hold tight, and clench your teeth!The blackguard is talking now with the express intention of provokingyou into the commission of some overt act for which you would be sorryafterwards, and you must not allow yourself to be provoked. Theinfernal fool, in his anxiety to hurt you, has made you a present ofwhat may prove to be a most valuable bit of information; but you mustnot allow yourself to be inveigled into a scrape of any sort, or you maynot be allowed the opportunity to avail yourself of it. So keep a tightgrip upon yourself, Jack Singleton, and bottle up your wrath for futureuse!") "When the Montijos were arrested, about a month ago," continuedDon Sebastian, "I so arranged matters that they were confined in LaJacoba; and, of course, as Governor of the prison, I possessedconsiderable powers; thus it was not difficult--" And therewith thefellow proceeded with great gusto to tell the story of cruelty the likeof which, it is to be hoped, for the credit of one's manhood, is notoften repeated. And while it was telling, Jack "sat tight" andlistened, storing up every vile word and every monstrous detail in hismind that he might have something to whet his vengeance upon when thetime for vengeance should come. But his agitation was so evident, hisdistress so poignant, that Alvaros thought it would be very good fun todirect public attention to it; so, feigning to become suddenly aware ofit, he swung his chair round, and exclaimed loud enough for everybody inthe room to hear:
"Hillo, Senor Englishman, what is the matter with you? You appear to beupset about something. Perhaps my little story jars upon yourpuritanical English notions? Or perhaps it is--yes, of course you areupset about the news that you have just heard of your friends, for, nowthat I come to look at you, I see that you are the Englishman whom I metat Don Hermoso's house, and whom I warned to leave this island. How isit that you have not yet gone?"
"Because it pleased me to stay," answered Jack. "But I shall be leavingeither to-morrow or the next day--for a short time. Now, Don SebastianAlvaros, disgrace to the uniform that you wear, unmitigated blackguardand scoundrel, mean, contemptible coward, and, as I believe, colossalliar, listen to me! As I told you a moment ago, I am leaving Cubawithin the next day or two. But I shall return, Senor; and if it shouldever prove that the
infamous story which you have just told is evenapproximately true, I will not kill you, but I will inflict upon yousuch a fearful punishment for your vile deed that all Cuba shall ringwith it, and it shall be a warning to every man who hears the tale tobeware of doing the like!"
"Bueno, bueno; well spoken, young Englishman!" cried one or two voicesfrom amid the crowd; and several people, anticipating a fracas, startedto their feet, as did Alvaros, whose features were now livid andtwitching with mingled fury and fear.
"Pig of an Englishman," he exclaimed, clapping his hand on his swordhilt, "you shall die for this!" And he attempted to snatch his weaponfrom its sheath. But the cavalryman who had entered the place with him,and had listened in silence and with a lowering brow to his shamefulstory, now sprang out of his seat, and, seizing Alvaros by hisshoulders, thrust him violently back into his chair, hissing between hisclenched teeth:
"Silence, cochinillo! Sit down, and do not dare to further disgraceyour sword by drawing it on an unarmed man! I will manage this affair.Senor," turning to Jack, "you have publicly insulted an officer of theSpanish Army, and, great as has been your provocation, you must give theman satisfaction. You are an Englishman, it would appear, and it istherefore quite possible that you may have no friends here to see youthrough your quarrel. Should such be the case, I shall esteem myselfhonoured if you will permit me to place my services at your disposal. Ihave the pleasure to offer you my card, Senor." So saying, he produceda card-case, and, extracting a card therefrom, tendered it to Jack.Meanwhile, during the progress of the above little speech, Jack had beenthinking hard. He was in for a row, after all, despite his goodresolutions of a short time before; and he must carry the matter throughas best he could. But since this strange soldier was willing to standby him and see fair play, there was certainly no need for him to furthercomplicate matters by calling upon Don Ramon or any of the other peoplewhose acquaintance he had made during his short stay in the island--andall of whom were, moreover, friends of Don Hermoso; while, of course,the British Consul was quite impossible. He therefore accepted theproffered card, which bore the inscription:
"Lorenzo de Albareda, Colonel."
"5th (Madrid) Cuirassiers."
and handed over one of his own in return.
"I accept your generous offer, Colonel, with the utmost pleasure," hesaid, "and will leave myself entirely in your hands. I am at presentliving on board my yacht _Thetis_, which lies in the harbour, and I willarrange that my steamboat shall be in waiting for you at the custom-house steps to convey you on board, where you will find me when youshall have completed your arrangements. And now, Senor, I must leaveyou. _Adios_, until we meet again!"
And therewith, bowing first to his new friend, the Colonel, and then tothe company at large, many of whom clapped their hands approvingly, Jackpassed out of the restaurant, and made his way to Don Ramon Bergera'shouse, to tell him what he had learned.