Up the Forked River, Edward Sylvester Ellis [best free ebook reader for pc .TXT] 📗

delicious cocoa, including prepared rice, mandioc and cassava, the last being the most popular food in that part of the world.

Juanita having left the meal, courtesied, called down the blessings of the saints upon the visitors, and, assuring them that it would be her happiness to come whenever wanted and to act the part of slave all her life to them, went away, and once more our friends were alone. The Senorita did not fasten the door, for there was no call to do so, and in due time, the two drew up their chairs and partook of the food with the zest of youth and health. There was abundance for both and they fully enjoyed it. By and by, Juanita returned and removed the remains of the repast.

Miss Starland walked to each of the narrow windows in turn and gazed out over the surrounding country. One of the openings gave a view of the Rio Rubio, as it wound to the eastward, until its reunion and onward flow to the Atlantic. She descried a catboat leaning far over and skimming up stream toward Atlamalco, and a canoe, in which were two natives, was observed, as one of the occupants swung his paddle like an American Indian and drove the tiny craft toward the northern shore. But as her vision roved up and down the river, she failed to see that for which she longed above everything else. The yacht which had brought her to this part of the world was still absent. In neither direction could she catch a glimpse of Atlamalco or Zalapata. The other window opened to the south, or toward the mountains, where the view had no interest for her.

As she had done before, she remarked upon the massiveness of the walls and the straightness of the window openings.

"They are so narrow that we could not force ourselves through."

"Our old buccaneer friend must have had them made thus on purpose. Suppose some of those who hated him--which means all the others--should have become strong enough to clamber up the walls on the outside,--was it not well to make it impossible for them to enter the Castle?"

The matter, however, was of slight interest to our friends and they hurried their preparations for the journey. The Senorita donned her hat and led the way down the steps to the outside. To both it looked as if the number of guards had been increased during the night, for more than a dozen were in sight, without regarding those who had lain down to rest. The young women were saluted by all as they appeared, and the soldiers whom they recognized as their escort of the night before, came forward to learn their wishes.

"Carlos, the ponies that brought us here are still with you?"

"They are, Senorita."

"Have them saddled and brought out; we are to ride to Zalapata today, and wish to make an early start."

The man removed his hat, bowed and spoke with the utmost respect:

"I am grieved not to hasten to comply with your commands; but we have orders from General Yozarro that the Senoritas are to remain here till he comes, which will be in a few hours, I think. It fills my heart with sorrow, but as a soldier, the Senorita knows that no choice is left to me."

And this time, he made two obesiances,--one for each of the dumfounded young women.


CHAPTER XVIII.

The two looked at each other in speechless amaze. This was a direct interference with their personal freedom, the first either had known.

The Senorita was the first to find speech. Addressing the soldier, she said:

"You say this is the order of General Yozarro?"

"Were it not, I should not dare utter the words."

"What is his reason for the command?"

It was essentially a feminine question, but the soldier did not hesitate with the reply:

"War impends between Zalapata and Atlamalco; we are expecting at almost any hour an attack upon _Castillo Descanso_; the Senorita observes the armed force that has been placed here by General Yozarro; he cannot allow the Senoritas the danger of falling into the hands of the perfidious General Bambos and his barbarians."

It was on the tongue of Miss Starland to declare that she would prefer a hundred times that eventuality to remaining in charge of the Atlamalcans, but instead, her companion said what was in the minds of both:

"The order of General Yozarro may apply to me, but cannot apply to my friend who owes no allegiance to Atlamalco or Zalapata. She comes from the Great Republic of the North, and no one elsewhere has the right to say yea or nay to her."

"It distresses me very much, Senorita Estacardo, that special weight was laid by General Yozarro upon the order as affecting _la Americana_."

And looking toward the latter, he again removed his hat and bowed low, instead of contenting himself with the military salute that would have been the proper thing under the circumstances. The soldier was above the ordinary native in intelligence.

His words showed the futility of further argument. Without a word, but throwing back her head with a scornful gesture, the Senorita nodded to her friend to accompany her back into the gloomy building. Silently and slowly the two went up the sloping stone steps and re-entered the room which they had left a few minutes before. The Senorita locked the door and the two faced each other.

"What do you make of it, Manuela?"

"Only one thing can be made of it; it is as I said; General Yozarro is determined you shall remain here for some time to come and he gives no more thought to the foolhardiness of his action than if he were a child too young to walk."

"What of the story of a war between the republics?"

"I do not believe a word of it."

"Meantime, what are we to do?"

"Sit down, fold our hands and be good; but," she added with a flash of her eyes, "that is the last thing to do; I long to meet my uncle face to face. It is the first time he ever offered such an insult to the daughter of his dead sister and to her friend. I hope he will not delay his coming."

"I wish to be present when you meet; I, too, shall have something to say, which I do not think he will soon forget."

But the hours wore slowly away and General Yozarro came not. Was he not shrinking from her whose fiery temper he well knew? Which of the two did he fear the most? The northerner may have been of cooler blood, but her anger, when once set aflame, was all the more profound. She abominated the man with his sleek smile, his oily manner and his tempestuous profanity when he thought himself beyond her hearing. She could not think that the other Dictator, with all his stupidity and grossness, was one-half as wicked as he. Were she free to do so, she would not hesitate to throw herself upon his protection.

"Where can Jack be?" she asked after the mid-day repast, and when the two had talked over every phase of the situation for the twentieth time. "Surely he must soon learn of this and he will be quick to call General Yozarro to account."

"I place little hope on that; do not forget, my dear Warrenia, that the Major is only one man against hundreds."

"But what of the yacht?"

"It is many miles away; no one can say when it will return; remember, too, General Yozarro's gunboat."

The lip of the American curled with contempt.

"Let them meet and it will be Manila Bay over again on a small scale. I only wish Captain Winton knew of this! He would sink the miserable craft or chase her to the foot of the Andes."

In the momentary reaction, Senorita Estacardo smiled:

"You have full faith in your countrymen."

"So have _you_; so has every one who knows them, and who does not? So will General Yozarro and his barbarians, if they ever rouse the anger of my people. But why do we speculate? It seems we can do nothing but wait. Manuela, can we not steal away when night comes?"

"I have asked myself that question, but I cannot see any hope of doing it. Neither of us can leave without being observed; guards will be on all sides and we shall be turned back as we were this morning. Let us go to the upper part of the Castle and look over the country. It may avail nothing, but it will be a relief to this monotony."

They climbed to the rooms above, which, as we know, were copies of those they had just left, with the narrow windows on all sides. The Senorita walked to the opening on the south which commanded a view of the densely wooded mountains that stretched clear across the island to the main branch of the Rio Rubio. She expected to see nothing in that direction of interest and made the survey because her companion passed to the windows on the north.

"Come to me!" called the American; "here is something strange."

The Senorita was at her side on the instant. Looking across the mile of rugged country to where the northern stream wound its way, they saw a small sailboat speeding to the eastward, the moderate breeze causing it to careen far to one side. Its prow cut the curling water and the foam spread out like a fan in its wake.

"If we had a glass we might study it closely," said Miss Starland regretfully, as she scrutinized the craft.

"I don't think there is anything of the kind in the Castle, but it can make little difference. The boat is a strange one to us, and whoever is guiding it is no concern of ours."

"Probably you are right, but it looks to me as if there are two or three aboard,--ah! there are three and they are heading toward shore. They must land near where we left the boat last night."

"And what of that?"

"It looks as if they are coming to the Castle; they will soon be here!"

"That does not seem likely to me; the only ones whom we expect are General Yozarro and his friends, and so long as he has the larger craft, he will not use such a puny boat as that."


CHAPTER XIX.

The American did not reply, but held her gaze upon the little vessel, whose curving to the right might change at any moment; but it kept straight on under the propulsion of the breeze until hidden from sight by the tops of the trees. The three men had certainly approached land, though it could not be said they had left the boat.

"What do you make of it?" asked Miss Starland.

"Probably three natives have run to shore for a little while and will soon pass out again and continue on their way."

"Let us keep watch."

They did so, and when an hour had passed and the sun was low in the sky, the craft had failed to appear. Far to the westward, a thin, dark, shadowy line lay motionless against the horizon, too far off to be identified.

"I think it is the smoke of the gunboat," said the Senorita; "General Yozarro means to come to the Castle over the same course we followed."

They looked