Wearily Jim fell in between the Gonzalas brothers, while the leader of the reception committee gallantly assisted the woman, who went forward with set face. Once a sob escaped her, but it was a small one, and she bravely controlled herself. Most women would have cried after such a heart-breaking series of disappointments. Presently they reached a large flat stone where the fire had been lighted and still blazed cheerfully.
“Right nice to have you folks drop in on us this way,” the Admiral remarked sweetly. “Ain’t no place in the world, no place where people are so neighborly as this here Peru.”
“Have a cup of coffee, Ma’m. It’ll warm you up plenty and the night’s still young.” He poured some of the steaming stuff into a tin cup and offered it to the woman, who accepted it promptly, for her teeth were beginning to chatter.
“The men, they too are cold,” she pleaded.
“Sure, sure, there ain’t nothin’ mean about us.” Another cup was produced and the three men drank. It revived their spirits greatly, and the hot black mixture warmed them up.
“Thanks a lot,” Jim said, then added, “What are you fellows going to do with us? These people have nothing to do with me—”
“Aw, we didn’t ask you no questions, did we?”
“We can’t tell yet, but we’ll know before long,” the General added.
“There it goes now—” They listened, then heard a series of distant shots, evidently from a small gun, spelling out some sort of code. It was none Jim recognized, but the men made notes on pieces of paper, and finally, when there was a pause, the general picked up a rifle which was near at hand, and fired three shots. A moment later the sound of the motor, which had been silenced during the exchange, boomed out again, and Austin knew that the machine gunner was on his way.
“Well now, ain’t that nice.” The men had their heads bowed over what they had written.