Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 61: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AMERICANS ‘“‘Enough, senor! They have fied! See, one and all, they have gone, and those that could not flee were thrown after, into the boats!” ‘““Eh?” stammered Mr. Girton. “And the women, sefior! They have been liberated and they are unharmed, for—” He said no more. Girton, in one sec- end, had come to his senses—had looked about swiftly—and had Mercedes Tesoro in his arms! It was a heart-stopping moment. The civilized element in Girton welled up, aud, silently and fervently, he gave up thanks as he pressed the frightened, sobbing girl to him. It was the first tear that Mercedes had shed since that astounding moment at the foot of the garden, as these were the first tears of Carmen Hemmett, standing by Mrs. Barton and striving to still the hysteria that had afflicted the older lady ever since the beginning of the amazing - adventure. Stephen Girton returned to life quite suddenly. Patero, white and breathless still, was tapping his arm. ‘“Sefior!” he said. ‘The vessel is sinking!” ‘ What?” “Tt is said by Miguelo that the sea- cocks have been opened. He would ask if the senor would know how they may - be closed?”’ Girton, blinking, bit his lips. “JJ don’t know!” he confessed. “ Get the search-light into action and—”’ “Tf it needs electricity, sefor, it is impossible,” said Patero. “ Water is in the fire-rooms and the engine-room. This much I have seen, but if there be other power, perhaps—”’ “Tf there is, I don’t know how to find it!”? Girton told him. ‘I’m no marine engineer, and—” Unusual man that he was, in the vastness of his relief he laughed outright. ‘We'll have to take to the boats and get back to the Pavoroso.”’ ‘“ And that, too, is impossible, for the ‘the act of the crew, sefor! AFTER ALL. 403 boats are gone, even to. the one in which we came!” said the dockman energetical- ly. ‘‘ And more evil than this has been To the last life-belt, every means of keeping afloat has been cast overboard! It-was the work of murderers, and we should have understood when we saw the two chests hurled into the sea, but in the great -turmoil—’”’ Girton’s laugh had died altogether. So had Mercedes’s excited flood of words, up to this minute continuing in spite of Patero. A tremendous stillness seemed to settle on the deck of El Fuego. “Do you mean to say,” Girton de- manded thickly, “‘ that this thing’s going down, and that we have no means of getting off?” “With the shore two miles away, senor.” “Then yell!” cried Mr. Girton. “ Yell like blazes for help, and—” Patero smiled forlorfily. “Help from the Pavoroso? The night wind blows squarely in our faces from that quarter, senor!” CHAPTER XVIII. THE DEED OF ALVAREZ. UST how the thing had happened, Edward Hemmett could not recall; but Jones was lying there at his feet, senseless and bruised and very un- wholesome to look upon! Canita had suffered, too; Canita lay huddled down by the hatch, weeping queerly and appar- ently unable to move—and the senseless figure over there wore the cap of El Fuego, as did three others who were being held by the Pavoroso’s scrub crew! Further, Alvarez was holding his arm and saying: ‘Senor! I know! I understand, but we shall settle! You would not kill une pigs with your own hands?” “ Didn’t I—didn’t I finish Jones?” Hemmett panted, as his vision cleared a little and familiar objects of the deck comicloool C©