_Chapter nine_
The American Embassy sent a well-dressed young attache to call for Hallin the morning. He arrived in a low-slung yellow sedan, introducedhimself as Orville Smith, snubbed everyone in sight, and relaxed onlywhen he and Hall were well out of sight of the camp. "They said that yousure hung one on," he said pleasantly and, Hall realized, with even atouch of admiration.
"Must have been something I ate," Hall answered.
"Glad you turned up intact, old man. Might have led to some amusingcomplications. If the major had called five minutes later, this wouldhave appeared on the front page of _El Imparcial_ this morning."
He gave Hall a galley proof of a news story. _Missing American WriterBelieved Victim of Communists._ Missing since yesterday ... last seenleaving hotel ... On Wednesday, at American Embassy party, Hall haddiscussed Red threats to his safety, told publisher of _Imparcial_ thatgiant Red assassin had followed him day before ... Embassy officialsdescribed Hall as author of book on experiences on _H.M.S. Revenger_ ...The missing American failed to phone or keep appointment made withpublisher of _Imparcial_ in connection with Soviet threats ... Fearedabducted and killed.
"What do you make of it?" Hall asked.
"Politics. They take their politics seriously down here. Was it truethat you were followed?"
"Yes. But not by the Reds. By the fascists."
"Are there any fascists down here?" This in a tone of detachedamusement.
"A few. How well do you know Fernandez?"
"Quite well. He's one of the few gentlemen in San Hermano. Comes from anold Spanish aristocratic family. Did you really have an appointment withhim?"
"It wasn't definite. He told me he had heard of some Red plot to bump meoff. I just kidded him along."
"Mr. Fernandez is really very well informed," Smith said. "He has acrack staff of reporters, and the information that they pick upshouldn't be ignored."
"Yeah," Hall said. "I hear he's good. Matter of fact, I heard_Imparcial_ is getting the Cabot Prize this year."
It was like a shaft driven into Smith's armor. "No!" he exclaimed. "Whotold you?"
"Some _puta_," Hall said, dryly. "In bed." He watched the blood rushingto Orville Smith's head. "You'd be surprised at what a gal who sleepsaround can pick up."
"She was pulling your leg, Hall."
Hall grinned. "Please, Mr. Smith," he said. "Gentlemen don't discusssuch things." Smith grew redder.
"Not to change the subject," Hall said, "but what's cooking in town? Inpolitics, for example. Doesn't the Congress open today?"
"Not really. They have the ceremonial opening this afternoon. Accordingto tradition, the President speaks to the entire Congress. Then theysettle down to a week of reviewing last year's business. The firstworking session really starts in about ten days."
"And today I guess Gamburdo is speaking instead of Tabio."
"Oh, beyond a doubt. Tabio is really on his last legs, old man. Isuppose I should feel sorry about the old coot, but then you learnthings in my game."
"About Tabio?"
"Oh, yes. We had information that in his address to the Congress, Tabiowas planning to call for the nationalization of all the mines in thecountry."
"But why?"
"Oh," Smith said, "because he was being forced into it, I guess. I'vemet Tabio and he's not as bad as his enemies make him out to be. Butwhat are you going to do when you are elected by a Popular Frontmajority? The Communist Senators and Deputies are all from the miningprovinces up north. They've been hollering for the nationalization ofthe mines for twenty years. Now they're strong enough to put the squeezeon Tabio."
"But isn't Gamburdo in the Popular Front?"
"Gamburdo is different," Smith said. "He has different ideas, and hecan't be pressured by the bolos."
"I'm doing a story on Gamburdo for a magazine back in the States. Youget around. Tell me more about Gamburdo. I've got him down as the comingman on the continent. Am I half cocked, or is he really hot?"
Orville Smith discussed Gamburdo, Tabio, the political scene. He talkedabout the politicos, about their ideas, about the gossip which followedthem in their careers. Carefully prodded by Hall, he spoke fluently fornearly two hours. It was a very revealing monologue. It told Hall howOrville Smith had spent his three years in San Hermano. Week-end partiesat the estates of wealthy Spanish planters. Dinners, cocktails, highmasses, weddings, fishing trips with the Vardienos and the Fernandezesand the Gamburdos. Info straight from the horse's mouth.
Tabio the tool and or agent of bolshevism. The better element. Howsocial legislation would push taxes up and cut down returns on Americaninvestments. Vardieno gives lovely parties on his island. No, not manylately. No oil for the boats, hard enough to get it for his narrow-gaugeDiesel locomotives. Fine lad, young Quinones; made the golf team atPrinceton. The Vardieno girl in the Press Bureau? That would be the onewho went to finishing school in the States. She just started in at theBureau for some experience. Cross and Sword? Oh, I know the pinkos backhome would call it fascist. It's not, really. Conservative, for freeenterprise and private ownership. All the better-element folks belong orsupport it. Do I know any labor leaders? No, never met one. Did I everspend a week-end in a small village hotel? No, thank you, the roachesare bigger than sparrows in the sticks.
Hall thought about the art of diplomacy. You take a kid from the FFV'sand at an early age you wrap him in cellophane and send him off to somenice, prophylactic boarding school, well-heeled white Gentiles only,thank you, High Episcopalians preferred, and only nice clean thoughts,none of them less than a century old, are gently swished against thecellophane until some of them seep through by osmosis. He meets only thesons of the better element and outside of an adolescent clap he picks upon one wild week-end with some of the boys in New York he has no realproblem until he's eased out of prep and then he has an idea he wants togo to Harvard but the family prevails and he does time at Princeton,nearly makes varsity football but a high tackle in a practice scrimmagechanges his mind, and then he is ready for his place on the board of themill but someone--a nice girl of fine breeding, no doubt--puts anotheridea in his head. So he goes to Georgetown, fills out a lot of nastyforms, and then, _voila!_, the young monsieur arrives in Paris as ThirdSecretary and dreamily sends that first letter home to the folks: HelloFolks, here I am in Gay Paree learning how to be an Ambassador.
And then in Paris, Hall thought, listening to Orville Smith, your youngThird Secretary naturally gravitates to his French equivalents, theyoung bluebloods who were reared in French cellophane and got the sameideas, only in French, in their own versions of Princeton and Groton.The better element meets the better element, and he makes factual,intelligent reports. The Popular Front falling into hands of the bolos.This he learns at a week-end party on Flandin's yacht. The Croix de Feuand the Cagoulards are fine, conservative forces. Only the pinkos callthem fascists, but Bertrand de Juvenal, the fledgling ambassador's pal,knows otherwise. Sit-down strikes, forty-hour week, vacations withpay--he puts them all down in his reports; communist, of course. Got thelowdown on the beach at Cannes just the other day. Daladier is the manto watch. Yes, he is in the Popular Front. But Daladier's different.He's like Monsieur Laval, the French Calvin Coolidge. Fine force forsensible government. There will be no war, Munich has settled that. Gotthe lowdown from Flandin himself. Germany will be defeated. Spent a mostfascinating week-end with General Weygand. Marechal Petain is man of thehour. Marechal Petain will make France another Verdun. Vichy wants to befriends with Washington. The Marechal indignantly denies, in private,that that was a Nazi salute you saw in the newsreels, sir, he says hewas just waving at the cameramen. But Bertrand de Juvenal does not deny,and Laval does not deny, and Daladier weeps in his collapsed house ofcards. And then comes the transfer to San Hermano at a better rating.
Smith pointed to the suburbs of San Hermano ahead of them. "We made goodtime," he said. "We'll be in the Embassy in ten minutes."
"Good going. You can drop me at the Bolivar, if you don'
t mind."
"Not at all, old man. But say, why don't you drop by for a spot of lunchwith the old man and the boys at the Embassy? We'd love to have you withus and, besides, the old man will probably want to see for himself thatyou're in one piece."
Hall looked at his watch. "What time do you have lunch?"
"About one."
"Good. I'd like to join you. But I'll still have time to stop off at theBolivar to change and pick up my mail. I'm expecting a letter from mysweetheart."
* * * * *
Pepe was waiting in his cab in front of the Bolivar. He was contrite andsubdued. "I nearly killed you with my stupidity, Mateo," he said. "Ishould have known that cafe was owned by Falangistas."
"It's nothing, Pepe. I had it coming to me. I'm all over it now, anyway.What's new?"
"I have the complete list of where the passengers from the _Marques deAvillar_ are staying. Their names, too. Except the names of the two menwho are at the Gamburdo ranch. But they are still there."
"Did you recognize any of the names?"
"My friends are examining the lists now. I'll have them back for you inthe evening."
"Have you seen Duarte?"
"I told him about you. He wants you to call him at the Mexican Embassy."
"I will, later. I have to go to my room for a minute, and then I wantyou to take me to the American Embassy. I'm having lunch there." Heentered the hotel and asked for his mail at the desk. There was amessage from Jerry, a short gossipy note from his publisher, and anotherlove letter from Havana.
The note from Jerry was very short. "I missed you, you dog," it said."Phone me when you return to town. Jerry."
The letter from Havana, mailed the day after the first letter, wasalmost a duplicate of the first. Again it protested its love, but thistime it said, "How many times must I tell you that the man you think isyour rival is unworthy of all human decencies? Far from being a rival inmy eyes, I look upon him as a creature worse than an assassin. You mustbelieve me; I detest the man." Hall put the letter in his wallet.
He examined his room carefully. It had not been searched, thestethoscope was still in its hiding place, his clothes were just as hehad left them. Everything was as it had been. Hall took out his portabletypewriter, copied the _El Imparcial_ story which had been killed, andsealed the copy in an envelope. He went downstairs, got into the cab,and slipped the envelope into Pepe's pocket.
"Give the envelope to Dr. Gonzales," he said. "And tell him to get theinformation to Major Segador right away."
"I'll drive right out to the doctor as soon as I leave you. Shall I waitfor you outside of the American Embassy after I see the doctor?"
"I think you'd better."
Ambassador Skidmore seemed pleased to see Hall. "You gave us quite ascare, young fellow," he said, his ruddy face beaming, white hairbobbing as Skidmore shook his head from side to side in mock anxiety."Ah, you newspaper boys," he laughed. "Always going off on a tear whenyou are least expected to! And here poor Joe Fernandez was so sure thatthe Reds had made hamburger out of you, Hall."
"I'm sorry I spoiled a good story," Hall said. "I'd better callFernandez on the phone before he sends out another alarm."
"No need to, my boy," the Ambassador said. "Joe Fernandez is joining usat lunch."
Fernandez showed up with a former Senator, a dignified old dandy namedRios, who sported a silver-headed cane, a waxed, dyed mustache, and aCross and Sword emblem in his lapel. They shared the table in theAmbassador's small private dining room with Hall, Orville Smith and theAmbassador.
The publisher fawned over Hall like a long-lost brother. "You are safe,"he exclaimed. "Thanks be to the Virgin Mother! What happened? Was itvery bad?"
"I got drunk," Hall said. "That's all that happened."
"Ridiculous, Senor Hall! You are a man who can take his drink. You weredrugged. Mark my words, senor, you were drugged. You don't know theseReds."
Orville Smith winked broadly at Hall. "The main thing is," he said toFernandez, "that Hall is safe now. I'm sure he appreciates your concern,Don Jose." In deference to the Ambassador's three-word Spanishvocabulary, Smith and the others spoke English. Rios, who spoke onlySpanish, sat between Skidmore and Smith, who acted as their interpreter.
"What province did you represent in the Senate?" Hall asked the formerSenator.
"San Martin, in the north."
"Don Joaquin is a great statesman," Fernandez interrupted. "But when ElTovarich prepared his gangsters for the elections two years ago, hearmed the Red miners and they held their guns in the ribs of DonJoaquin's majority."
Hall listened to Smith translate this account of Rios' defeat at thepolls before he spoke. "And do you plan to run again, Senor Rios?" heasked.
Fernandez answered for the dandy. "He will run again," he shouted, "andhe will be elected. Fire can fight fire. Guns can fight guns."
"I have _pantalones_," Rios said. "I am a man of honor."
"Don Joaquin's constituents demand that he runs again," Fernandez said.He turned to the Ambassador, became his own translator. The ex-Senatornodded happily at every word Fernandez addressed to the Ambassador, asif by nodding he could bolster the words whose meaning he had to guess.
"How do you think things will go in Congress today?" Hall askedFernandez.
"The same as every year, Senor Hall. Ceremonials, the speech, andthen--_quien sabe_?"
Rumors rose from the table. Everyone had a choice rumor to air. Rios hadit on good authority that Tabio's illness was merely a pretext; thePresident was afraid to face the Congress lest they force him to justifyhis wild socialistic measures which had put the national budget in suchdire peril. Orville Smith informed the men at the table that Tabio'sillness had taken a more serious turn. "In fact, I understand that Dr.Ansaldo has informed the government that he will refuse to operate onTabio without the written permission of the Cabinet." Fernandez spoke ofAnsaldo's skill as a surgeon.
"How about Gamburdo's speech, Joe?" the Ambassador said. "You promisedto bring me an advance copy."
"I told my secretary to bring it to you as soon as it arrived,"Fernandez answered. "It is very late in arriving today."
"Have you any idea of what he is going to say, Joe?"
"He is a very sound man," Fernandez said. "I am sure that the speechwill be satisfactory."
"It won't call for the nationalization of the mines, at any rate," Smithadded.
He made the mistake of translating his remark for Joaquin Rios. He mightjust as well have dropped a match into a keg of gunpowder. The waxmustaches under the purpling nose of ex-Senator Rios began quiveringeven before he unleashed an avalanche of ringing livid paragraphs on thesubject. His eyes blind to the cold stares of Jose Fernandez, heunlimbered his heaviest verbal artillery, pounded the table until theglasses rattled, pointed accusing fingers at every corner of the room,and otherwise managed rather effectively to end the luncheon. Fernandezfairly had to drag him out of the Embassy to cool him down.
"Fine fellows," Skidmore said to Hall when they were gone. "Best of thelot down here."
"Sure," Hall said. "I've known all about Fernandez for years."
"He's a great guy, Hall. Publishes one of the best newspapers on thecontinent. As a matter of cold fact, old man, I wouldn't be at allsurprised if he won the--well, he might be in for a rather high honor."
"I know. The Cabot Prize."
"Who told you?"
Hall looked at Smith, who was growing uncomfortable. "I can't remember,"he said. "But it's hard to keep such a secret in San Hermano."
"Well, I'll be damned," the Ambassador laughed. "It was nice to see youagain, old man. Drop in any time when you have a problem."
"Problems in San Hermano? Things seem to be pretty much under control,I'd say."
"Yes," the Ambassador admitted. "Things are pretty quiet."
"Will it be as quiet when Tabio dies? I heard talk that the Gamburdocrowd is pretty close to the fascists."
"Gamburdo?" Skidmore grew both amuse
d and indignant. "What kind ofcommunistic nonsense have you been hearing? I know Eduardo Gamburdointimately. I've entertained him at the Embassy, and I've week-ended athis estate. He's a fine conservative influence on this government and,damn it all, young man, Gamburdo is a thorough gentleman."
"Yeah," Hall said. "Thorough." For a few seconds, during the luncheon,he had toyed with the idea of telling the Ambassador all that he knewabout Gamburdo and Ansaldo and the role of the Falange. Now he cursedhimself for a fool. Skidmore, he saw, was Orville Smith at sixty, butwith the power to make trouble for any visiting American who rubbedagainst his deep-set prejudices. "Well, thanks for everything," he said."I guess you're pretty busy today."
Hall rushed out of the Embassy, his face twitching crazily as he chargeddown the marble walk to the curb. He had broken into a heavy sweat whichdrenched him from head to toe. "Get me out of here," he roared at Pepe."Get going before I kill someone."
"What happened?" Pepe asked.
"Nothing. Where are we going?"
"Nowhere. What's the matter with your face?"
"Nothing." He put his hand against his right cheek. "Nothing. Did yousee Gonzales?"
"I gave him the letter. He said you should go to the opening of Congresstoday. He says you might be surprised."
"Thanks. I had my surprise for the day already."
"Gonzales was serious. He says you should go. It starts at fouro'clock."
"All right. I'll go. Better take me to Gobernacion. I'll need a passfrom the Press Bureau. No, wait, let's go to Duarte's place. He takeshis siesta at this time. I'll call that Vardieno bitch from his place."
Hall opened his tie. "Have we time to stop for a beer?" he asked. "I'mdying for a drink."
"No. We might miss Duarte. He'll have beer for you."
Pepe was right. Duarte did have beer, and had they stopped on the way,they would have missed him. He was about to leave the house when theyarrived. Duarte was wearing the green dress uniform of a Mexicanlieutenant-colonel, to which he had pinned his Spanish medals andinsignia.
"Going to war?" Hall asked.
"No. To the opening of Congress."
"You've got time."
"Hall is dying," Pepe said. "He needs cold beer."
The Mexican brought out five bottles of beer. "I've got more in the icebox," he said. "What's the matter?"
"He wants to kill someone," Pepe said.
"Me too. What of it?"
Hall put the mouth of the opened bottle to his lips, tilted his headback. "God," he said, "Pepe is right. Let me make one phone call, andthen I'll spill it. I've got to get it off my chest before I blow thetop."
He reached the Vardieno girl on the phone. She was so sorry. The listshad all gone down to the Hall of Congress. Anyway, all requests forforeign writers had to come through their embassies. That was the PressChief's new ruling.
"That's fine. That settles it," Hall said when he put the phone away."Now I must ask the Ambassador to approve me for the press gallery."
"Sit down, Mateo," Duarte said. "I can wait a full hour if necessary."He put a bottle of cold beer into Hall's hand. "Tell us about it."
"I'll wait outside," Pepe said.
"No. Stay with us, Pepe. I want you to know the facts. Do you bothremember that I was waiting for a letter from Havana? Well, I got it.Two letters, in fact. They told me what I wanted to know about Ansaldo."He drained the second bottle and then told them what had happened to himat the Embassy.
"Don't bother with him," Duarte said. "You don't need his permission.I'll give you my diplomatic invitation and my carnet. The uniform is allI need to get through the gates. You'll sit in the diplomatic gallerywith me."
"Great."
"You can even act as Skidmore's interpreter."
"_Con mucho gusto!_"
* * * * *
Riding to the Hall of Congress, Duarte drew Hall's attention to the loudspeakers fastened to the poles in every plaza. "The government hasbought over a hundred speakers in the past two weeks," he said. "I know,because most of them were bought in California and I had to O.K. theirtransit duty-free through Mexico. I think our friend Gamburdo is up tosomething today."
Hall looked at a knot of grim-faced _Hermanitos_ standing under one ofthe speakers. "I think the people suspect it too."
"We couldn't get an advance copy of the speech at the Embassy, Mateo.Usually, Tabio releases advance copies to the press and the diplomaticcorps on the morning of the speech."
"I wonder why?"
"I can only suspect the worst. After the speech, can you come back tothe house with me? I want to hear what happened to you. Commander Newcalled me this morning and told me that he had asked the police toinvestigate Fielding's death."
"What? On the phone?"
"Yes."
"Oh, the damned idiot! Now even if the police are not fixed every damnedfascist in South America knows that the Fielding thing went wrong!"
"It's too late for cursing now. Let's talk about the whole picture afterthe speech."
The plaza facing the Hall of Congress was filling up with citizens whohad come to hear the speech over the public-address system. Scatteredthrough the crowds were men carrying signs reading "_Viva_ EduardoGamburdo." Duarte pointed them out.
"Every one a Cross-and-Sword ruffian," he said. "I used to see the samefaces while the Falange was legal. They then wore the blue shirt."
"I can't see their faces," Hall said.
"I've seen their faces. Three months ago Lombardo came to San Hermano toaddress the C.T.A.L. convention. The same gang showed up with theirfilthy signs, only this time the signs read: '_Viva_ Christ the King'and 'Go back to Bolshevik Mexico, you Dirty Jew' and 'Down with theCommune of the anti-Christ' and other lovely things. I know them."
"Something is happening," Duarte said when they were in the building."Everyone is too quiet." They followed a military escort to the Mexicanbox.
The Mexican Ambassador was tense. "I don't like it," he said to Hall andDuarte. "Why is everyone so quiet on the rostrum?"
"They look as if they've seen a ghost," Hall said.
Duarte studied the faces of the officials on the flag-decked rostrum."Where's Gamburdo?" he said. "Has anyone seen him?"
"I saw his car parked outside when I came in," the Ambassador said.
"What's that? Do you hear it, Mateo?"
"Sounds like distant thunder, Felipe."
"It's not thunder. It's the crowd. What have they got to cheer about?"
"Gamburdo's cheer leaders must have gone to work."
"I don't like it," the Mexican Ambassador said. "I don't like it."
A gavel fell on a block. At a signal from the President of the Senate, amilitary band hidden in one of the caucus rooms began to play thenational anthem. The music was piped in to the great hall over thepublic-address system.
The gavel called the Congress to order. A clerk called the roll, theSenate head started the parliamentary ritual. Then the band started toplay the national anthem again, this time without a signal. A doorbehind the rostrum opened.
In the doorway, flanked by his two young sons, Anibal Tabio sat in awheel chair. His closest friend, Esteban Lavandero, the Minister ofEducation, stood behind him. Slowly, the chair was wheeled to therostrum.
"Members of the Congress," the Senate Chief shouted, "The President ofthe nation has come to deliver his annual address."