Gale expressed his gratitude and delight; but, as a matter of fact, he was secretly disappointed. When entering the room, he had been fully aware of the identity of his host’s distinguished visitor, and he had made his request, not with the idea of having it granted, but with the expectation that when he heard it, Portiforo’s minister of war would be filled with consternation. In that case Gale would have had cause to believe that there was something in the tip which his paper had instructed him to investigate. But now, General Replife’s willingness to let him go through the prison caused him to doubt that Felix was confined there.
“Present this order to the commandant of El Torro, and he will show you all that you wish to see,” said the minister of war graciously, handing him the paper which he had just made out. “I trust you will find there, señor, some interesting material for the magazine article you wish to write.”
CHAPTER XIV.
A MYSTERIOUS SUMMONS.
The end of the Camera Chap’s first week in Baracoa found him not much nearer to the fulfillment of his mission than on the day of his arrival. He had made several trips on the crooked little railway which connected the capital with Porto Cabero, and as unobtrusively as possible had hung around the cafés and public places of the seaport. As the soldiers from the fortress, when off duty, patronized these places, he was in hopes that by mingling with them, and keeping his eyes and ears wide open, he might pick up something which would aid him in the performance of his task.
In addition to this he had chartered a motor boat and made many excursions into the harbor, hovering around El Torro fortress, and making a careful, though futile, study of the exterior of that grim edifice. Although none of these efforts had as yet been productive of results, he was not discouraged. With characteristic patience and optimism he felt confident that sooner or later he would hit upon a solution of the big problem which confronted him.
During this time he had held several consultations with his fair confederate, Virginia Throgmorton. The latter, who was fond of horseback riding, was in the habit of taking long rides daily out into the country. At her suggestion, the Camera Chap hired a mount, and went for frequent canters in the same direction. Thus they were able to meet and compare notes, safe from prying eyes and ears—or, at least, so they believed. But one afternoon, when Hawley galloped off into the outskirts of San Cristobal, to keep one of these trysts, Virginia met him with a troubled expression on her usually serene countenance.
“This is the last time that we must meet here—or anywhere else, for that matter!” she declared firmly. “I’m afraid we’ve been inexcusably careless.”
“Careless?” the Camera Chap repeated wonderingly. “My dear Miss Throgmorton, what’s the matter?”
The girl turned in her saddle, and shot nervous glances about her in all directions. “We ought to have foreseen the folly of this,” she said severely. “We might have known that we couldn’t meet like this without being found out.”
“You don’t mean to say that such a thing has happened?” exclaimed the Camera Chap.