CHAPTER XXV.
AGAIN UNDER THE FOLDS OF "OLD GLORY."
The four boys were so utterly astonished when this Mexican soldier made his appeal in excellent English, calling Rob directly by name, that they could hardly catch their breath for the moment.
"Oh! don't you know me – Merritt, Andy, Tubby, – your old schoolmate, Jared Applegate? For the sake of the good old days save me from being shot by these human wolves! I've got an old father and mother up home in Hampton, you know! Think what a shock it would be to them to hear what had happened to their boy. Save me, Rob! You can do it, because I heard General Villa promise you anything you asked!"
The four scouts recognized him now, though never more taken aback in all their lives. When last they saw this young fellow, who had indeed lived near Hampton, – his father being a crabbed old farmer who hated the very name of Boy Scouts, – Jared had been hand-in-glove with some foreign plotters who meant to blow up the locks of the gigantic Panama Canal. As narrated in the preceding volume, Rob and his intimate chums were largely instrumental in preventing this terrible crime from being carried out; and at that time young Jared had managed to escape, while the chief conspirators were captured.
Indeed, the scouts had forgotten that there had been such a fellow as Jared Applegate in the wide world; and now to have him turn up unexpectedly like this, with a frantic appeal for them to save his life on account of those old schoolboy days, was certainly staggering.
They turned and looked at each other, while the guard who had followed after the prisoner-of-war waited to see what would happen, seeming to realize that this fellow must know the American lads who were so high in the good graces of the commander.
"It is Jared, as sure as shooting!" ejaculated Tubby, staring as though he had just seen a ghost.
"They say bad pennies always turn up again," observed Andy; "and I reckon Jared is about as tough a case as you could find."
Rob and Merritt did not say anything along those lines. They could not add to the burden under which it was plain the wretched youth was already staggering. And so Jared continued to wring his hands, kneeling there and waiting to hear the scout master, whom he knew so well, say whether he would lift his hand to help him, or simply turn aside and let things take their course.
"But how does it come that we find you here, and wearing the uniform of a Mexican Regular?" Rob asked him.
"The last we saw of you, remember, was on the Isthmus, where you played a low-down trick on us," Tubby interjected.
"Yes; and after I managed to get away from there I drifted to Mexico, because I was ashamed to go back home. I expected that you'd tell everybody what a fool I'd been, working with men who hated the United States and wanted to injure the Canal. Then I took the oath of allegiance to Mexico and entered the army because there wasn't anything else I could do. And now the rebels have captured me, they mean to stand me up against a wall and murder me! Oh! Rob, please get me off! You can do it if you will. It's up to you whether I'm killed or not! You wouldn't care to think of that always, would you?"
"Well, I don't like you any too much, Jared, because of what you've done in the past," Rob said slowly; "and when you try to put the whole thing on my shoulders you're on the wrong tack, because I haven't had a single thing to do with it. But I can't forget that you are a Hampton boy, bad as you've always been. If I should manage to get General Villa to let you go, what would you do?"
"Get over the line the first thing," replied Jared promptly, showing that this must have been on his mind for some time. "I meant to desert any way, just as soon as I saw a chance to get clear. I've been treated like a dog down here, and hate the whole country as well as the dagoes in it. But, Rob, promise to help me, won't you? Here comes General Villa now to see what it all means. Tell him I'm not going to lift a hand against him again. I was forced into it this time."
"Well, I'll see what I can do, Jared," Rob told the shivering wretch; "but don't feel too sure that it'll come out as you wish. General Villa is very bitter toward all of the men serving under Huerta; and I chance to know he hates to find a foreigner in the ranks of the Government troops."
As the fighting general of the revolutionists came up, Rob started in to tell him about Jared, and how he was from the same town away up on Long Island that the other boys called home. He did not whisper a word about what Jared had done in connection with that Canal conspiracy; for he seemed to know that such a thing would be apt to set Villa's mind against the young chap.
"Since you say that he is from your town," the general observed, after Rob had made his plea, "and was once a friend of yours, why, I will agree to let him go free on condition that he crosses the river to Texas without delay. Will you promise to see that this compact is carried out, young señor?"
There was nothing for Rob to do but agree, though he knew that this would mean he must stand the company of Jared until such time as they reached Juarez, and could cross to the other side of the Rio Grande. But he could not find it in his generous heart to abandon the wretched fellow, little as the other deserved mercy at his hands.
General Villa, before hurrying away, said a few words to the guard, who went back to the other prisoners and left Jared with the scouts. He began to pour out his thanks, having been in a state of abject terror; but Rob quickly put a stop to this.
"Words are cheap, Jared, you understand," he said, "and actions speak a great deal louder all the time. If you're really thankful for what we've done for you, show it by turning over a new leaf, and doing something that you'd be proud to have the home folks in old Hampton hear about."
"I mean to, Rob," whined the other boy; "this here has been a terrible lesson to me; and after this you don't catch me in any more games like I've been meddlin' with lately. Some day, mebbe, you'll hear about Jared Applegate doing a big thing. I'm a changed boy, I tell you, Rob, sure I am!"
But Rob felt that he "would have to be shown" before he could believe in any reformation on the part of Jared Applegate. And more than that, he duly warned his three chums that under no circumstances should they let fall a hint regarding the true nature of their mission to Mexico while Jared was in their company. He hoped the other had not guessed anything along those lines as yet; for Rob believed that if Jared knew they were carrying back a large sum of money, such as General Villa meant to hand over to Tubby in payment for his friend's cattle, it would be a great temptation to the weak boy, who might even plot to steal it while they slept.
The engine belonging to the stalled train was finally fixed, so that it could again draw the long line of cars. Being desirous of taking his men to Juarez as quickly as possible, on account of some coup he expected to make, Villa had most of them crowd aboard and on top of the train that was ready to start, some being left to engage in the work of rebuilding the burned bridge as soon as possible.
Before he left the scouts, General Villa had another interview with them.
"Fortunately," he told the boys, "I know just about the number of head of cattle there happens to be on Dr. Matthews' ranch right now, because my men have been on guard there to protect it against all danger. And I have figured it out that if I send him seventy-five thousand American dollars it will cover the bill. This I now take pleasure in handing over to you, as the nephew of my old friend, the man who saved Pancho Villa's life. Sign this receipt, all of you, as the custodians of the fund, so that I may have something to show. I shall sometimes think of you, boys, for you are after my own heart. I shall immediately send men to fetch my cattle to camp, so that my army may be fed. This money comes from honest sources, tell Dr. Matthews. It is the advance payment made by an American company for some of the property held by traitors to the cause in Chihuahua, and which they can never own again while Villa or his cause lives. That is all, for I must be gone."
He shook hands with every one of the four boys, but drew the line at Jared, for whom he evidently felt only contempt and distrust. Whether it was an honor, or not, to press the hand of this rebel leader must always be an open question in the minds of the scouts, because they had heard many terrible stories about his cruelty, as well as others concerning his rare ability as a leader of men. But at least, it would be something to remember and to tell the other lads in Hampton when they reached home again.
Jared had not been close enough to overhear what was said at the time the package of bills was turned over, and Tubby had been careful to secrete it at once; so they hoped that the wretched traitor to his country knew nothing about it.
When Tubby found a chance, he turned the packet over to Rob for safe keeping.
"I managed to count it, Rob, on the sly," he whispered; "and just as Villa said, there's a full seventy-five thousand dollars there in big bills. Just to think of us carrying a whole fortune around like that! But after you've sewed it in the lining of your coat, where that letter was, I guess there'll be no danger."
"More from Jared than anybody else," warned Rob; "so make sure not to drop a hint."
"Mum's the word," agreed Tubby with a set look on his face. "And say, I hope we take things easy going all the way to Juarez again. No need for hurrying, is there?"
"No, not anything that would worry us," Rob replied; "though I won't rest easy until we've handed this money over to a bank, and got a draft for it. And I'll see if I can fix you a more comfortable seat by using your blanket in four thicknesses. I managed to get a horse for Jared, so we'll be able to ride in company. We'll feed him and take him along to Juarez; but under no circumstances must he be allowed to join in our talk."
Lopez again took charge of the expedition, and they headed north, satisfied with the result of their adventurous ride into Mexico. They carried a paper from Villa that would serve to pass them, should they come upon any detachment of roving rebels. If raiding Federals appeared, they would have to gallop for it, or fight them off.
But fortune was kind, and they finally arrived safely in the vicinity of Juarez. Their paper allowed them to cross the international bridge, which has been the scene of so many stirring events of late years; and every Boy Scout was thrilled to the heart when he once more realized that he stood on American soil and under the protecting folds of "Old Glory." They gathered around Rob and gave three cheers and a tiger for General Villa, toward whom, naturally enough, all of the boys were feeling warmly, because he had shown himself their good friend.
One of the first things Tubby did, after the money had been turned over to a bank, was to send a long message over the wire, directed to Uncle Mark, telling of their great good fortune, and asking that the home folks of the other boys be informed of the fact that they were all well, and headed for home.
Jared Applegate was permitted to go, with a sum of money in his pocket and many protestations of gratitude on his lips, which the scouts "took with a grain of allowance," as the old saying is. Then they shook hands with faithful Lopez, whom they would always remember, and were ready to start on the long journey toward home.
CHAPTER XXVI.
ON TO WASHINGTON!
"Now, fellers," said Tubby, drawing a long sigh as, business over, Rob pulled out a railroad guide, "the time has come to spring a surprise on you. I've nearly burst trying to keep it a secret."
Tubby sighed again and took another "Mexican kiss" from the candy box in his hand.
"Have one, Andy? Help yourself, Merritt. Just hold this box a minute, Rob," he continued indistinctly as his heavy jaws met on the sticky, nutty mouthful.
"No more for me, thank you," replied Andy with a little gesture of refusal. "Just about one makes a satisfactory between-meal, in my opinion."
"None for me," rejoined Merritt, also. "I have barely succeeded in washing off the sticky traces of my last 'kiss.'"
"But what is the surprise, Tubby?" demanded Rob, keeping his finger in the folded time table as he accommodatingly held the box.
"Come over to this bench in the shade," directed Tubby importantly, "and I will unveil the mystery!"
The boys winked amusedly at one another as they followed Tubby. They expected nothing more serious than a joke, and Rob was a little impatient at the interruption.
"I couldn't tell you at first," Tubby went on, sinking upon the seat as the boys reached it, "because Uncle Mark told me to say nothing until we were ready to leave Mexico. And then I didn't dare share the news so long as Jared was around. But now – "
Tubby paused dramatically, and drew out of an inner pocket a sealed envelope that bulged invitingly. This he turned over several times, apparently in an absent manner, and then looked up to see how the boys were taking it.
"What in the world – " began Andy wonderingly.
"Out with it, Tubby!" cried Rob. "I'm in a hurry to look up the first train that leaves here, going our way."
"You needn't hurry," replied Tubby deliberately. "We shall not leave until the evening train for the north."
"Come, Tubby," urged Merritt, "what is up your sleeve?"
"Oh, it is in my hand now," said Tubby teasingly. "Now listen, fellers! When Uncle Mark bought our tickets, he secured them through a friend who is in a big touring agency, you know. Instead of buying straight-through, round-trip tickets, he got the return set with stop-over privileges, and had a little private itinerary arranged for us.
"We leave El Paso to-night and have an hour or two in Albuquerque to-morrow morning, before we take the train east. Beyond that, I know no more than the rest of you, – but here goes!"
With a quick motion, Tubby tore open the sealed envelope and took out four long combination tickets, and a typewritten list of directions.
"Here, Rob, you read them to us," he said, handing over the paper.
"This gives us stop-overs at Albuquerque, St. Louis and Washington," remarked Rob, glancing hastily at the items. "Each stop is for less than a day, and we travel every night. Hurray for Uncle Mark!"
"And a tiger!" added Andy enthusiastically.
"And many bravos," supplemented Merritt, his eyes shining at the prospect. "I have always wanted to visit Washington, but, with all our travels, we have managed to skip straight to our destinations without stopping anywhere."
"At this rate," commented Andy, "it will take us a good deal longer to get home!"
"Even so," agreed Tubby. "But who is in a hurry now? Give them time to finish their repairs on the old Academy, Andy."
That evening, as arranged, the four boys took the train from El Paso. As they sat on the observation platform for an hour before turning in, Rob remarked:
"Do you realize that we have been in the largest state in the Union, – Texas? I can't appreciate it, for we have seen such a little portion of the northwest corner. They say that El Paso, high and dry, is the most isolated of the larger cities, and that irrigation has done much to increase its products and its population."
"I was surprised to learn that it is an important station on at least five big railway lines," added Merritt.
"But we have used the city in its most particular capacity," interjected Tubby proudly. "You know it is called 'the doorway to Mexico'!"
"And I guess that we are not very sorry to be on this side of the door!" commented Andy with a nod of his head.
All that night the train rumbled northward, never departing far from the course of the Rio Grande, as if following it toward its source. And when the boys awoke they were approaching Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they were to breakfast and to spend some time before making their east-bound connections.
"Whoop-ee! Look at the gay buildings!" cried Tubby, thrusting his head out of the car window as the train slowed down. "Is that what you'd call modified adobe architecture?"
"You may wish to modify that statement later," remarked Merritt dryly, "so I will pull you in before you lose the top of your think-tank."
"All ready, boys?" called Rob briskly. "All out for breakfast!"
"Right here," replied Tubby promptly. "Hope we'll have a good one."
"We shall. The chain of restaurants along this line has a great reputation," Rob rejoined, smiling at Tubby's eagerness. "Got everything, Andy?"
The four boys and a few fellow passengers, likewise eastward bound, alighted from the train as soon as it had stopped and took a bee-line for the dining-room, scarcely noticing their unique surroundings. But after even Tubby had pronounced his breakfast amply satisfying, the boys stepped outside with eyes and ears open for new impressions.
As they strolled along the broad, low piazza of the long Alvarado, Tubby peered through the arched sides toward the railroad.
"See the procession of Indians!" he ejaculated. "They are wearing all the clothes they own and carrying the rest of their worldly possessions on their heads!"
Andy laughed outright at this observation. "Did you ever see such clumsy legs?" he chuckled. "They are padded like a football player's."
"Worse!" commented Merritt, joining the discussion. "And those are women, too."
At that moment the line of approaching Indians broke into several groups.
Each woman squatted down on the edge of the sidewalk leading to the main entrance of the Indian Building, and spread about her the baskets and pottery which she had been carrying on her head.
The few Indian men who had sauntered on before the procession lounged nonchalantly against the arches near the doorway, gazing at their women in superior disdain.
As the boys approached, the men merely looked at them from under the black locks that straggled almost into their eyes; but the women rose clumsily to their feet, pulled their big plaid shawls more closely about their heads, and hastened to offer their wares.
"By the way, fellers," said Tubby quietly, turning to the other boys, "Uncle Mark said to tell you to pick up some souvenirs and he would foot the bill. In fact, he gave me another sealed envelope marked 'Incidentals,' and I found four ten-dollar bills in it when I opened it last night. So go ahead, and select some things for the home folks."
"Tubby, your uncle is certainly all right!" exclaimed Andy.
"Well, he is some grateful, you know," returned Tubby.
"We won't refuse such a chance," remarked Rob appreciatively, "and I see a basket right now that would look fine on my mother's sewing table."
"Let's go inside and look around first," suggested Merritt. "It looks like a museum in there."
For the next hour the boys were absorbed in the interesting things displayed in the various sections of the Indian Building.
"Jiminy," cried Andy, as he caught sight of a bark canoe suspended from the ceiling, "there is the genuine article, all right!"
"Doesn't that rug make you think of a cozy den at home, Rob?" added Merritt a moment later.
"It is the very thing that a fellow likes, – red and black with a white design," rejoined Rob. "And there's a little one with the swastika on it; just right to throw over the foot of the couch."
"What is the 'swastika'?" inquired Andy.
"Oh, it is a good-luck sign. If you look, you will find it in a great many rugs and blankets, and it is often woven into the baskets, too."
"I wonder if this zig-zag pattern means anything?" asked Tubby, pointing a chubby finger at a large rug that lay on the floor.
"I've heard that that stands for lightning," Rob answered. "You know all savage people have a great respect for the mysteries of nature."
"What do I hear?" exclaimed Andy, halting suddenly.
"It is a baby whimpering!" cried Tubby. "Of all things! There must be a papoose somewhere around!"
"Over here, boys," called Merritt, motioning toward the farther corner of the room. The boys hastened to follow him and found a little alcove, shut off by draped blankets and enclosed by a slender wooden gateway. Through the wide slats of this, they discovered an Indian woman kneeling on a fur rug and busily weaving a brilliant blanket on an upright loom. Just beyond the mother, a little dark-skinned girl was peeping shyly at them, one finger lost between her lips. And in the background, propped against a roll of blankets, was the wailing papoose, securely wrapped and bound upon a board-cradle in typical and traditional Indian fashion.
As the boys looked in at this picturesque exhibition of family life, a tall, lank Indian man sauntered up and muttered a few authoritative words to the woman at the loom. She stopped her work and went over to the child, trying to hush its cries by shaking a string of bright beads before it.
"Huh!" grunted Tubby, looking after the departing man. "He only wanted us to see that he was 'big chief' here! Huh!"
When the east-bound train stopped at Albuquerque an hour later, each one of the boys had purchased a few small souvenirs. Rob had the tiny square rug of Navajo weaving that had caught his eye, a round, almost flat workbasket, and a little pair of bead-embroidered moccasins.
Merritt and Andy had selected a few inexpensive, gaudily decorated gourds and strings of beads for their boy friends. At the last moment, Tubby decided to burden himself with what he considered an artistic bit of pottery. Rob warned him that vases and jugs and urns were breakable, but Tubby persisted in bargaining for the piece that he had chosen.
"Two dolla'," the woman who held it said as he hesitated beside her.
"No, no. One dolla'," Tubby offered.
"One dolla'," the woman agreed; and then as Tubby extended his hand for the vase and gave her the money, the woman drew back and said frowningly, "No, no! Two dolla'!"
At this Tubby seized his purchase and rather inelegantly rejoined, "Not on your life!" as he made off for the car.
At St. Louis the boys were glad to break the long railway journey and to visit the places noted in the itinerary that Dr. Matthews had provided. This included an automobile ride about the city, which gave them an excellent idea of its arrangement, its fine system of parks and its public buildings. At the end of the ride they felt quite ready to follow the next suggestion, which directed them to a popular restaurant. And after luncheon they still had time to walk across the great bridge that spans the Mississippi and to return by ferry, before their train was due to depart for Washington.
They reached the National City early in the morning, and here, too, they were advised by their typewritten directions to save time by taking a sight-seeing automobile and sitting near the "personal conductor" of the car in order to view quickly the important sections of Washington.
Having engaged their seats, the four boys sat in the big machine and studied diligently the map of the city and the guide books that they had bought at the station, until the usual hour for the daily morning trip arrived. Then, eagerly interested, they gave their whole attention to the vistas that opened momentarily before them and to the descriptions that interpreted the sights. They made many mental notes of places that they would like to see again: the Capitol, the Congressional Library, the Smithsonian Institute, the Washington Monument, the White House and a dozen other interesting buildings. But when the ride was over, they decided to accept the advice on the touring agent's list and spend most of their remaining time in the Capitol and Congressional Library.
"We'll engage a guide here," said Rob as they ran up the broad flight of steps leading to the western entrance of the Capitol. "I know that it is the customary thing to do, and it will save a lot of time, too."
Scarcely had they entered the Rotunda before a blue-uniformed attendant approached them and offered his services, and no time was lost in making a start.
The historical paintings gave the guide the text for his opening speech, and from then to the end of the trip the boys followed him closely and listened to his explanations with keen interest.
Coming so recently from scenes of civil strife, the scouts had a new respect for the torn and soiled battle flags that they saw, and for the significant typo for magnificent paintings that illustrated scenes of martial victory.
"I'll bet Cornwallis hated to give up," ejaculated Tubby thoughtfully, as he gazed at the picture of the surrender at Yorktown.
"We don't often think of his feelings when we remember our victory," responded Rob, "but it is just as well to know that there are two points of view for every crisis."
"This way, please," called the guide, and the boys hurried after him into the Statuary Hall.
While Tubby stood lost in contemplation before a statue of Daniel Webster, the guide led Andy quietly out of sight behind another marble figure.
"Now whisper a message to your friend," directed the guide softly.
"Hey, Tubby, how would you like to be the man on the pedestal?" whispered Andy, seeing that there was some joke in store for his fat chum.
Tubby whirled around quickly at the question, and looked vastly surprised not to find Andy at his elbow.
"Where are you?" he asked, bewildered.
Andy chuckled softly and, at a nod from the smiling guide, whispered, "This side of the Rio Grande!"
"Where is Andy, fellers?" questioned Tubby, looking at Rob and Merritt. "Honest, his voice sounded right in my ear!"
At that Andy stepped into view, and the guide explained that the hall had the properties of a "whispering gallery," and that half his fun in life came through playing this simple trick on unsuspecting visitors.
"It is a good trick, all right," admitted Tubby, grinning, "and I won't hold it against you, Mr. Guide!"
From this room, – in Daniel Webster's day the Hall of Representatives, – the boys were led to the doors of the present legislative chambers and permitted brief views of the imposing desks, arranged in semi-circular rows, at which the men sent from all over the nation sit in long sessions of serious deliberation. On the day of the scouts' visit, Congress was not in session and there was nothing to prevent the boys from peopling the empty seats with men of their own imagination.
"Some day maybe you and Merritt will sit there," said Tubby to Rob.
"Why not you, Tubby?" asked Merritt quickly.
"Oh, me?" questioned the fat boy in alarm. "This is no place for me. Give me a good steady job that I can keep at till it's finished. Perhaps I'll join the Secret Service!" And Tubby patted the pocket where the odd shaving lay.
After lingering briefly in admiration before the paintings that adorned these rooms and the statues that punctuated the long corridors, the guide conducted the boys to the foot of the stairs that led to the lofty dome above the Rotunda.
"Better not hurry," he cautioned them, glancing at Tubby's bulk. "There are three hundred and nineteen steps between us and the top gallery."
"I'm game," said Tubby quickly. "Come on, fellers. It can't be so bad as horseback riding in Mexico!"
When about two-thirds of the way up, the guide halted the boys to demonstrate a second "whispering gallery," and there he placed Rob and Merritt sixty-five feet apart to enjoy a private conversation! Tubby refused to be convinced without a trial himself, so he and Andy tested the acoustic properties of the gallery until they were satisfied that the guide's claims were well founded.
When they reached the highest point available within the dome, Rob made a discovery.
"Boys, will you look at that mess of color over your heads? From 'way down below I thought that was a very beautiful painting!"
"And so it is," put in the guide.
"One of the kind where 'distance lends enchantment,'" commented Merritt, gazing at the thick patches of paint on the ceiling above them.
"That is quite right," said the guide. "This painting was put here to be seen from the floor of the Rotunda, and that is one hundred and eighty feet below."
"Jiminy," ejaculated Tubby, "our heads must look like mere specks to the people who are looking up here now!"
"And the people down there look like flies and ants scuttering around," added Andy with his usual chuckle, as he peered over the lofty railing.
On the way down, the attendant showed the boys a fine view from the dome, and pointed out many of the prominent buildings and towers that they had already passed in their morning's ride.
As they paid the excellent guide in thanks as well as coin and went out of the great eastern portico, Tubby patted the front of his coat suggestively.
"Fellers, my feelings tell me that it is long past noon," he said.
Rob pulled out his watch.
"For once your feelings are to be trusted, Tubby. It is one o'clock. We'll get a hasty lunch nearby and try to visit both the Library and the Monument this afternoon."
An hour passed, however, before the boys were again free to go sight-seeing. In Washington, distances are deceptive and time flies.
"Well, which shall it be, boys?" asked Rob. "It is two o'clock, and we have two hours before we must start for the station."
"Let's make it the Monument," suggested Merritt.
"Agreed," said the others.
"And we'll ask this policeman the quickest way to get there," added Rob, jumping after a passing uniform.
The man pointed out a coming street car, gave them a few definite directions, and the boys were off once more.
At the Monument luck favored them again, for they were just in time to catch an ascending elevator. In spite of all that they had seen, they were greatly surprised at the extent and the beauty of the view from the top of the tall shaft. It was fortunately a clear day and they could trace easily the glint of the broad Potomac for many miles.
"Time to be moving if we walk down," said Rob, after they had tried to locate everything visible in the panorama spread out before them.