CHAPTER XXVI.
THE CAPTURE OF THE BEGGARS.
When Bark Lingall and Jacob Lobo arrived at Gibraltar, they went to the Club-House Hotel to inquire for the fugitive. He was not there; but they spent half an hour questioning the landlord and others about the hall, in regard to the town and its hotels and boarding-houses. Then they went to the King’s Arms; and, in the course of another half-hour, they learned that Henry Raymond had left this hotel within an hour. Where had he gone? The landlord could not tell. No steamer had left that day; he might have left by crossing the Neutral Ground, or he might have gone over to Algeciras in a boat.
“I wonder why he cleared out so suddenly,” said Bark, very much annoyed at the situation.
“I suppose he was frightened at something,” replied Jacob. “Very likely he saw you when we went into the Club-House.”
“But he wouldn’t run away from me. He and I are the best of friends.”
“But circumstances alter cases,” laughed the interpreter. “He may have supposed you had gone over to the enemy, and had come here to entrap him in some way.”
“It may be; but I hardly believe it,” mused Bark.
Jacob Lobo had no suspicion that he had been the cause of Raymond’s hurried departure; and he did not suggest the true solution of the problem. But the fugitive was gone; and all they had to do was to look him up. They were zealous in the mission with which they were charged, and lost not a moment in prosecuting the search. But they had almost gained the battle in obtaining a clew to the fugitive. Lobo declared that it would be easy enough to trace him out of the town, for he must have gone by the Neutral Ground, which is the strip of land separating the Rock from the mainland, or crossed to Algeciras in a boat. They were on their way to the landing-port, when the evening gun was fired.
“That’s as far as we can go to-night,” said Lobo, coming to a sudden halt.
“Why? what’s the matter now?” asked Bark.
“That’s the gun, and the gate will be closed in a few minutes,” replied Lobo. “They wouldn’t open it to oblige the King of Spain, if he happened along here about this time.”
It was no use to argue the matter in the face of fact; and they spent the rest of the day in making inquiries about the town. They went to the drivers of cabs, and to those who kept horses and mules to let. They questioned men and women located near the gate. No one had seen such a person as was described. They went to the King’s Arms for the night; and as soon as the gate was opened in the morning they hastened to the landing-port to make inquiries among the boatmen. They found one with whom they had spoken when they landed the day before. He wanted a job, as all of them do. He had seen a young man answering to the description given; and he had gone over to Algeciras in the very boat that brought them over. Would they like to go over to Algeciras? They would, immediately after breakfast; for they had left their bags, and had not paid their bill at the hotel.
The wind was light, and it took them two hours to cross the bay. With but little difficulty they found the stable at which the fugitive had obtained his mules, and learned that the name of the guide was José Barca. The keeper of the fonda volunteered the information that José was a brigand and a rascal; but the stable-keeper, who had furnished the guide, insisted that the landlord spoke ill of José because he had not obtained the job for his own man.
“About all these guides are ex-brigands and smugglers,” said Lobo.
“But the landlord of the fonda looks like a more honest man than the stable-keeper,” added Bark. “I think I should prefer to trust him.”
“I believe you are right, Mr. Lingall; but either of them would cheat you if he got the chance,” laughed Lobo; but, being a courier himself, it was for his interest to cry down the men with whom travellers have to deal, in order to enhance the value of his own calling.
The landlord would furnish mules and a guide; and in an hour the animals were ready for a start. It was not known where Raymond had gone: he had taken the mules for San Roque, but with the understanding that he could go as far as he pleased with them. The name of the landlord’s guide was Julio Piedra. He was armed to the teeth, as Raymond’s guide had been. He was a good-natured, talkative fellow; and the fugitive would certainly have done better, so far as the agreeableness of his companion was concerned, if he had patronized the landlord instead of the stable-keeper.
When the party arrived at the hotel in San Roque, their store of information was increased by the knowledge that Raymond had started that morning for Ronda. The pursuit looked very hopeful now, and the travellers resumed their journey.
“We are not making more than three or four knots an hour on this tack,” said Bark, when they had ridden a short distance.
“Three miles an hour is all you can average on mules through this country,” replied Lobo.
“Can’t we offer the guide a bonus to hurry up?”
“You can’t stand it to ride any faster; and, as it is, you will be very sore when you get out of bed to-morrow morning.”
“I can stand any thing in this chase,” added Bark confidently.
“What good will it do to hurry?” persisted Lobo. “It is one o’clock now; and Raymond has five hours the start of us. It will be impossible to overtake him to-day. The mules can go about so far; and at six o’clock we shall reach the place where Raymond stopped to dine. That will be Barca de Cuenca; and that will be the place for us to stop over night.”
“Over night! I don’t want to stop anywhere till we come up with Raymond,” replied Bark.
“You won’t say that when you get to Barca,” laughed Lobo. “You will be tired enough to go to bed without your supper. Besides, the mules will want rest, if you do not; for the distance will be twenty miles from Algeciras. Raymond stopped over night at San Roque.”
“But where shall we catch up with him?”
“Not till we get to Ronda, as things now stand.”
“I don’t like the idea of dragging after him in this lazy way,” protested Bark.
“What do you wish to do?” demanded Lobo, who had been over this road twenty times or more, and knew all about the business.
“I don’t believe in stopping anywhere over night,” replied Bark with enthusiasm.
“Very well, Mr. Lingall,” added Lobo, laughing. “If when you get to Barca, and have had your supper, you wish to go any farther, I will see what can be done. I can make a trade with Julio to go on with these mules, or we can hire others.”
“You say that Raymond left at noon the place where we shall be at supper-time: where will he be at that time?” asked Bark.
“He will go on to Barca de Cortes, which is twelve miles farther; unless he takes it into his head, as you do, that he will travel in the night.”
“I am in favor of going on to that place where he sleeps.”
“You are in favor of it now; but, take my word for it, you will not be in favor of it when you get to Barca de Cuenca,” laughed Lobo.
“It will be only four hours more; and I can stand that, if I am tired, as I have no doubt I shall be. In fact, I am tired now, for I am not used to riding on horseback, or muleback either.”
Before six o’clock they reached Barca de Cuenca; and Bark was certainly very tired. The motion of the mule made him uncomfortable, and he had walked a good part of the distance. But, in spite of his weariness, he was still in favor of proceeding that night to the place where it was supposed the fugitive lodged. It would save going about twenty miles in all; and he thought he should come out of the journey better in the end if he were relieved of riding this distance. Julio was willing to take out his mules again after they had rested two hours, for a consideration.
While they were making these arrangements in the court of the venta, or inn, a man mounted on one mule, and leading another, entered the yard. He was dressed and armed in the same style as Julio. At this moment the landlord called the party to supper. Bark was democratic in his ideas; and he insisted that the guide should take a seat at the table with Lobo and himself. Julio was a little backward, but he finally took the seat assigned to him. He said something in Spanish to the interpreter as soon as he had taken his chair, which seemed to excite the greatest astonishment on the part of the latter. Lobo plied him with a running fire of questions, which Julio answered as fast as they were put. Bark judged, that, as neither of them touched the food which was on their plates, the subject of the conversation must be exceedingly interesting.
“What is it, Lobo?” he asked, when he had listened, as long as his patience held out, to the exciting talk he could not understand.
“Did you notice the man that rode into the yard on a mule, leading another?” said Lobo.
“I did: he was dressed like Julio,” replied Bark.
“That was José Barca, who came from Algeciras as Raymond’s guide.”
“But what has he done with Raymond?” demanded Bark, now as much excited as his companions.
“We don’t know. Julio has quarrelled with José, and refuses to speak to him; and he says José would not answer him if he did.”
“Do you suppose any thing has gone wrong with Raymond?” asked Bark anxiously.
“I don’t know; but it looks bad to see this fellow coming back at this time.”
“Well, can’t you see José, and ask him what has become of Raymond?”
“Certainly I can; but whether he will tell me is another thing.”
“Of course he will tell you: why shouldn’t he?”
“Circumstances alter cases. If Raymond has dismissed him in order to continue his journey in some other way, José will tell all he knows about it.”
“Do you suppose that is what he has done?”
“I am afraid not,” answered Lobo seriously.
“What has become of him, then?” asked Bark, almost borne down by anxiety for his friend.
“There is only one other thing that can have happened to him; and that is, that he has been set upon by brigands, and made a prisoner for the sake of the ransom. If this is the case, José will not be so likely to tell what he knows about the matter.”
“Brigands!” exclaimed Bark, startled at the word.
“A party of English people were captured last year; but I have not heard of any being on the road this year,” added Lobo. “But they won’t hurt him if he is quiet, and don’t attempt to resist.”
After supper Lobo had a talk with José. He did not know what had become of the young gentleman. Three beggars had met them on the road, and Raymond had gone away with them. They wanted to show him a cave in the mountains, and he accompanied them. José had waited two hours for him, and then had gone to look for him, but could not find him.
“Where was this?” demanded Lobo.
“Less than two leagues from here,” replied José.
Lobo translated this story to Bark, and declared that every word of it was a lie.
“Raymond went from this venta five hours ago; and it must have taken six or seven hours for all that José describes to take place,” added Lobo. “But we must pretend to believe the story, and not say a word.”
Bark could not say a word except to the interpreter, who had a talk with Julio next; and the guide presently disappeared. Lobo had formed his plan, and put it into execution.
“The route by which we have come is not by the great road from San Roque to Ronda, but a shorter one by which two leagues are saved,” said Lobo, explaining his operations to Bark. “All the guides take this route. About a league across the country, is a considerable town, which is the headquarters of the civil guard, sent here last year after the English party was captured, to guard the roads. This is an extra force; and I have sent Julio over to bring a squad of them to this place. José will spend the night here, and start for home to-morrow morning. I want some of the civil guard before he goes; and they will be here in the course of a couple of hours. Julio is glad enough of a chance to get José into trouble.”
“But do you believe José has done any thing wrong, even if Raymond has been captured by brigands?” asked Bark.
“Very likely he is to have a share of the plunder and the ransom; and I think you will find him ready to negotiate for the ransom now.”
This proved to be the case; for in the course of an hour José broached the subject to Lobo. He thought, if the friends of the young man would pay liberally for the trouble of looking him up, he might possibly be found. He did not know what had become of him; but he would undertake to find him. He was a poor man, and he could not afford to spend his time in the search for nothing. Lobo encouraged him to talk as much as he could, and mentioned several sums of money. They were too small. The beggars had probably lured the young man into the mountains; and he did not believe they would let him go without a reward. He thought that the beggars would be satisfied with fifty thousand reales.
While they were talking about the price, Julio returned with an officer and ten soldiers, who at once took José into custody. It seemed that he had been mixed up in some other irregular transaction, and the officers knew their man. Lobo stated the substance of his conversation with José, who protested his innocence in the strongest terms. It was evident that he preferred to deal with the friends of Raymond, rather than the civil guard.
The officer of the guard examined the guide very closely; and his story was quite different from that he had told Lobo, though he still insisted that the men whom they had encountered were beggars. The officer was very prompt in action. José was required to conduct the party to the spot where the young man had been captured. Bark and Lobo mounted their mules again, and Julio led the way as before.
“Can any thing be done in the night?” asked Bark.
“The officer says the night is the best time to hunt up these gentlemen of the road,” replied Lobo. “They often make fires, and cook their victuals, for the soldiers do not like to follow them in the dark.”
When the procession had been in motion an hour and a quarter, José indicated that it had reached the place where the beggars—as he still persisted in calling them—had stopped the traveller. For some reason or other, he told the truth, halting the soldiers at the rock which made a corner in the road. He also indicated the place where the beggars had taken to the hills. The officer of the civil guard disposed of his force for a careful but silent search of the region near the road. Many of the soldiers were familiar with the locality; for they had examined it in order to become acquainted with the haunts of brigands. The members were widely scattered, so as to cover as much territory as possible. Bark and Lobo were required to remain with the officer.
Not a sound could be heard while the soldiers were creeping stealthily about among the rocks, and visiting the various caverns they had discovered in their former survey. In less than half an hour, several of the guard returned together, reporting a fire they had all seen at about the same time. One of them described the place as being not more than ten minutes’ walk from the road; and he knew all about the cave in which the fire was built.
“The mouth of the cave is covered with mats; but they do not conceal the light of the fire,” continued the soldier; and Lobo translated his description to Bark. “The smoke goes out at a hole in the farther end of the cave; and, when the brigands are attacked in front, they will try to escape by this opening in the rear.”
“We will provide for that,” replied the officer.
He sent out some of the men to call in the rest of the party; and, at a safe distance from the fire, they used a whistle for this purpose. In a short time all the soldiers were collected in the road, at the nearest point to the cave. The lieutenant sent five of his men to the rear of the cave, and four to the front, leaving José in charge of one of them.
“Tell him not to let his men fire into the cave,” said Bark to the interpreter. “I am afraid they will shoot Raymond.”
“I will speak to him; but I do not think there will be any firing,” replied Lobo. “When the beggars find they are in any danger, they will try to get out at the hole in the rear; and the lieutenant will bag them as they come out.”
The officer directed the men in front not to fire at all, unless the brigands came out of the cave; and not then, if they could capture them without. Bark and Lobo accompanied the party to the rear, which started before the others. They went by a long roundabout way, creeping like cats the whole distance. They found the hole, and could see the light of the fire through the aperture.
The beggars appeared to be having a jolly good time in the cavern, for they were singing and joking; and Lobo said they were drinking the health of the prisoner while he was listening at the aperture. The lieutenant thought that one of their number had been to a town, a league from the place, to procure wine and provisions with the money they had taken from Raymond; for they could smell the garlic in the stew that was doubtless cooking on the fire. And this explained the lateness of the hour at which they were having their repast.
Bark looked into the hole. It appeared to be formed of two immense bowlders, which had been thrown together so as to form an angular space under them. The aperture was quite small at the rear end, and the bottom of the cave sloped sharply down to the part where the beggars were. Raymond could not be seen; but Bark heard his voice, as he spoke in cheerful tones, indicating that he had no great fears for the future. But, while Bark was looking into the den, the soldiers in front of the cave set up a tremendous yell, as they had been instructed to do; and the brigands sprang to their feet.
The rear opening into the cave was partly concealed by the rocks and trees: and probably the brigands supposed the cave was unknown to the soldiers. The officer pulled Bark away from the hole, and placed himself where he could see into it.
“Arrida! Alto ahi!” (Up! Up there!) shouted one of the brigands; and in a moment Raymond appeared at the opening, with his hands tied behind him, urged forward by the leader of the beggars.
They evidently intended to make sure of their prisoner, and were driving him out of the cave before them. The moment the first beggar appeared, he was seized by a couple of the soldiers; and in like manner four others were captured, for their number had been increased since Raymond was captured. Bark was overjoyed when he found that his friend was safe. He cut the rope that bound his hands behind him, and then actually hugged him.
“Who are you?” demanded Raymond; for it was too dark, coming from the bright light of the fire, for him to identify the person who was so demonstrative.
“Why, don’t you know me, Henry?” asked Bark, wringing the hand of his friend.
“What! Is it Bark?” demanded Raymond, overwhelmed with astonishment to find his late associate at this place.
“Of course it is Bark.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came after you; and I think, under the circumstances, it is rather fortunate I did come,” added Bark.
“God bless you, Bark! for you have saved me from these vagabonds, who might have kept me for months, so that I could not join my ship.”
That was all the harm the fugitive seemed to think would come of his capture. The soldiers had led the brigands down into the cavern, and the young men followed them. The fire was still burning briskly, and the pot over it was boiling merrily. Everybody was happy except the brigands; and the leader of these did not appear to be much disturbed by the accident that had happened to him.
“For Dios,” said Raymond, extending his hand to this latter worthy.
“Perdon usted por Dios hermano,” replied the leader, shrugging his shoulders.
Raymond informed the lieutenant that this was the manner the interview on the road had commenced. The officer ordered the ruffians to be searched; and the purse and watch of Raymond were found upon the chief beggar. They were restored to the owner, with the request that he would see if the money was all in the purse.
“I was not fool enough to give the beggar all I had,” answered Raymond. “I have a large sum of money in my belt, which was not disturbed.”
The good-natured leader of the beggars opened his eyes at this statement.
“There were six Isabelinos in the purse, and now there are but five,” added Raymond.
“We spent one of them for food and wine,” said the gentle beggar. “We had nothing to eat for two days, till we got some bread we bought with this money. We were going to have a good supper before we started for the mountains; but you have spoiled it.”
The officer was good-natured enough to let them eat their supper, as it was ready by this time. But Raymond and Bark did not care to wait, and started for the venta, where they intended to pass the night. Julio walked, and Raymond rode his mule.
“I congratulate the Count de Escarabajosa on his escape,” said Lobo, as they mounted the mules.
“I thank you; but where did you get that title, which I will thank you never to apply to me again?” replied Raymond rather coldly.
“I beg your pardon; but I meant no offence,” said Lobo, rather startled by the coldness and dignity of Raymond.
“He is a good friend; and if it hadn’t been for him I never should have found you, Henry,” interposed Bark.
“I do not understand where he learned about that title, and I do not know who he is,” added Raymond. “If you say he is a friend, Bark, I am satisfied.”
“He is, and a good friend. But why did you leave Gibraltar so suddenly?” asked Bark, thinking it best to change the subject.
“I left because I saw you and your companion go into the Club-House Hotel; and I knew that you would come to the King’s Arms next,” replied Raymond.
“You left because you saw me!” exclaimed Bark, astonished at this statement. “Why, I was sent after you because the principal thought you would not dodge out of sight if you saw Scott or me.”
“I did not dodge out of sight because I saw you, but because I saw you had a companion I did not know: I came to the conclusion that your friend was the detective sent after me.”
Bark explained who and what Lobo was; and Raymond apologized to the interpreter for his coldness. Before the party reached the venta, the messenger of the principal had explained the situation as it was changed by the death of Don Alejandro. Raymond was happy in being justified for his past conduct, and glad that his uncle had died confessing his sins and at peace with the Church.
The fugitive and his friend were asleep when the soldiers arrived with the prisoners. In the morning Raymond read the letter of Don Francisco, and immediately wrote a reply to it, requesting him to take charge of his affairs in Barcelona; and to ask the advice of his uncle in New York. Bark wrote to the principal a full account of his adventures in search of Raymond. These letters were mailed at Ronda, where the prisoners were taken, and where Raymond had to go as a witness. The testimony was abundant to convict them all; but Spanish courts were so slow, that Bark and Raymond were detained in Ronda for two weeks, though Lobo was sent back to Malaga at once.
The three brigands were sentenced to a long imprisonment; the two men who were found in the cave with them to a shorter term, as accomplices; but nothing was proved against José. Raymond made a handsome present to each of the soldiers, and to Julio, for the service they had rendered him; and, though his gratitude to Bark could not be expressed in this way, it was earnest and sincere. Julio and José were still in Ronda with their mules; and it was decided to return to Gibraltar as they had come. During their stay in this mountain city, the two students had seen the sights of the place; and they departed with a lively appreciation of this wild locality.
In two days they arrived at Gibraltar, to find that the fleet had been there, and left. Both of them were astonished at this information, which was given them at the King’s Arms, where they had both been guests before. They had been confident that the squadron would take her final departure for the “Isles of the Sea” from this port.
“Left!” exclaimed both of them in the same breath.
“The three vessels sailed three days ago,” replied the landlord.
“Where have they gone?” asked Raymond, who had depended upon meeting his friends on board of the Tritonia that evening.
“That I couldn’t tell you.”
They walked about the town, making inquiries in regard to the fleet; but no one knew where it had gone. The custom-house was closed for the day; and they were obliged to sleep without knowing whether or not the vessels were on their way across the ocean, or gone to some port in Spain.