CHAPTER XIII
Armed Revolt
David Riddle had fired the last series of shots from Connel's stations.By unanimous consent, the last station at the volcanic pipe had beenomitted. Two stations would have to do for now. All agreed it would befoolish to jeopardize a man by going near the guarded third station.
Since Riddle had the longest distance to travel, he had not arrived whenthe boys returned to the hotel. Now, as Zircon finished his ominousstatement, the government geologist strode into the room.
"We're in trouble," he stated. "I'm only a few minutes ahead ofsoldiers. I came out of the trail onto the road and saw them just comingoff the dirt road onto the pavement. They shouted for me to stop, but Iwasn't of a mind to tangle with troops. I came as fast as I could."
"Are they coming here?" Hartson Brant asked quickly.
"They're either coming here or marching into Calor. Those are the onlytwo places the road leads. My guess is that they're marching here."
Rick said swiftly, "Connel got to Guevara! And Guevara is going to makesure we don't spread the word!"
"Rick is probably right," Zircon snapped. "I suggest we clear out. Ifwe're captured, we'll be unable to operate at all."
"Grab the supplies and get into the jeeps," Hartson Brant ordered."Quickly! Rick, you and Scotty move fast. Get your stuff into the jeep,then take as much dynamite as you can. Go up the road to where you havea good view and act as lookouts. Give us as much warning as you can.We'll take the rest of the dynamite and the equipment in the otherjeeps!"
Rick and Scotty dashed to their room. They threw clothes into theirbags, slammed them shut without bothering to pack neatly, and hurriedout into the parking lot. Rick backed the jeep up to the pump shed whileScotty ran to the door. To the policeman on duty he explained only thatthey were in a great hurry.
The boys took time to load six cases, plus one of the detonators and aroll of wire, then they got into the jeep and roared off up the roadtoward the pumice works.
"We've probably got ten minutes," Scotty estimated. "If they're marchingat a normal pace, it would take them a little less than a half hour towalk from the pumice works."
Rick drove a half mile up the road to where he had a good view ofseveral hundred yards and stopped the jeep. "We'll be able to spot themfrom here." He turned the jeep around, ready to run as soon as thetroops came in sight. "Where do you suppose the soldiers came from?"
"Probably from a camp near San Souci," Scotty guessed. "Otherwise,they'd have come up the main road from Calor. There's probably a camp onthe western shore somewhere."
"Wish we had some way of slowing them down," Rick mused. "We need amortar or a few military rockets. But all we've got is some dynamite,and we can't throw that very far."
"Why do we have to throw it?" Scotty asked excitedly. "Listen. We'll puta charge by the side of the road and string wire back a way. Then we canpark the jeep off the road next to the detonator. When they get withinrange, we'll push the plunger and run. We can time it so they won't getblown up, but they may think they're being shelled."
"That should do it," Rick agreed. He shifted into gear and moved aheadslowly, searching for a likely spot. There was one a few yards aheadwhere a clump of wild banana plants would shield the jeep from view. Hebacked the jeep in next to the banana plants and made sure he could getout again easily, then he took the coil of wire and began unwinding italong the edge of the road. Scotty took out his scout knife and began topry open a case of dynamite.
Rick fed wire until he reached a spot a hundred yards up the road, thentook out his knife and cut through the thin stuff. He started back tohelp Scotty and was just in time to see the dark-haired boy with a stickof dynamite in his mouth!
Rick gasped. He started to run toward Scotty, but his pal waved himback. Then, as Rick watched, horrified, he saw Scotty take the stick outof his mouth and motion for him to come ahead.
"What are you doing?" Rick demanded. "I thought for a minute you'd lostall your buttons and started eating dynamite."
"We didn't have crimpers," Scotty explained. "The only way I could getthe cap on was to crimp it with my teeth."
Rick turned white. He gulped. No wonder Scotty looked a little pale!
"It worked," Scotty said, a little shakily. "But I don't want to do itas a regular thing."
"I should hope not!" Rick exclaimed fervently. "Give me that stick. I'llconnect up. Will one be enough?"
"Plenty," Scotty said. "Get going. I'll connect up the detonator."
By the time Rick had placed the dynamite and connected the wires, Scottywas ready, the detonator in the front seat of the jeep between his legs.
"I wish we had some regular fuse," he said. "Then we could put shortfuses on a few sticks, light them, and throw them."
Rick stared at him. "And crimp all the caps with your teeth? Boy, I'mglad we haven't any fuse!"
Scotty's estimate was two minutes off. It took twelve minutes for thetroops to come into sight. Watching from behind the banana plants, theboys saw them hiking down the road like a bunch of tenderfeet on theirfirst five-mile hike. It was obvious that discipline in the San Luzianarmy was slack. The men wore sloppy brown uniforms and a variety ofhats. They carried rifles and there were bandoliers of cartridges acrosstheir chests and grenades at their belts.
"Can you see?" Rick whispered.
"Fine," Scotty whispered back.
They sat in the jeep, waiting. Rick kept the motor idling, knowing thatthe sound would be inaudible a short distance away.
The troops reached the point the boys had selected. It was a big papayaabout fifty feet beyond the dynamite. Scotty pushed the plunger. Thedynamite exploded.
Rick raced the motor, then shifted into gear. Scotty cut the wires loosewith one flick of his knife and Rick lurched onto the road and fledtoward the hotel as fast as he could accelerate.
Through the rear-view mirror he could see the troops scatter and knewthey had slowed things down for a few minutes at least. The last view hehad was of one man, evidently an officer, trying to rally the troopsagain.
Rick rounded the turn leading to the hotel grounds and saw that thescientists were waiting in the jeeps, ready to roll. He slowed longenough to yell, "Let's go," then led the way down the road to the frontof the hotel and into Calor.
The next problem was to find a place to stay. Honorario advised stayingaway from the big hotels on the beach and suggested a smaller but quitecomfortable hostelry on the outskirts of town. Rick was pleased to seethat it was located right on the water, at the point where the long SanLuz beach began. But he doubted there would be time for swimming.
The Hotel Internationale was comfortable, and more than adequate. Thescientists congratulated each other on being able to get rooms.Fortunately, as the manager explained, it was not yet full _turista_time. If they were prepared to double up, two to a room, he couldaccommodate them.
Rick and Scotty drew a room on the second floor. The bath was down thehall, but they didn't mind that. Hartson Brant and Hobart Zircon sharedthe largest room, and there was a large porch that could be used as ameeting place.
The hotel also had a basement room that the manager was glad to turnover for the equipment--at a slight fee, naturally. But he boggled whenthe boys appeared with cases of dynamite on their shoulder.
"Leave it to me," Honorario suggested. "I will find a place that will besafe."
Rick was glad to leave it to Honorario. He was anxious to get in touchwith Montoya, to explain what had happened. The police station was notfar away. He and Scotty hiked over and found the young captain alone inhis office.
Montoya listened to their story, and his face became stern. "There aretwo possibilities," he said finally. "Either Guevara is mounting a bigrevolution, or he is interested only in the diamonds. If it is thediamonds, then he probably will keep the troops near the mountain, andthe city may not be bothered at all."
"How can we find out?" Rick asked. "Except by waiting to see if troopsshow up here."
Montoya stared through the window at the tiny harbor of Calor. The boyswaited while he thought it over.
Finally the captain swiveled around and faced them. "We can find out, ifyou will take a chance. I do not think it is much of a chance, really,but it may be. Let us think of things from Guevara's point of view. Heknows that you know of these diamonds. He also knows, because he isintelligent, that you surely realize the danger of talking about them.So, what would he do with you if he caught you? Perhaps detain you for awhile, but no more. He knows that harm to foreigners would bring downtrouble he could not handle. We would have Venezuela, Colombia, GreatBritain, and the United States in here. The first three might bring introops on the pretext of restoring order, but actually to back up theirclaims to the island. The United States would bring great pressure onall three to do something."
"It makes sense," Rick agreed. "So you don't think we're in any greatdanger from Guevara?"
"No. If you had been at the hotel, he would have kept you there, Ithink. But you were not, so we must see if he is prepared to follow you.My own opinion is that he wants to be let alone to mine diamonds, whilehe has time. It does not take an invasion of Calor to do this."
"What do you want us to do?" Scotty asked.
"Simply take a ride to the hotel, or as far as you can go. See what thesituation really is. If I, or my men, should try this it would surelymean shooting. But you are _extranjeros_,--foreigners. You can get awaywith it."
"You hope," Rick said.
Montoya's teeth flashed in the first smile they had seen on his face."Indeed," he agreed. "I hope."