“'Tis a clever plan—very clever indeed,” he admitted. “As a matter of fact, I can think of only one person in Scorpia’s ranks whom it would not fool. When I was stationed in San Francisco it was reported that a certain beautiful young girl was in love with Count Borg....”
“A woman!” cried Mercedes Colby. “That tears it, Don! Remember, I was the only one of us who knew that Count Borg was not you? A woman’s instinct will tell her the truth, in spite of the most perfect disguise. If you meet this girl, as you surely will, she’ll know you’re not her lover. By the way, what is her name, Mr. Splendor?”
“They call her the Lotus,” chuckled the gray-haired cripple. “Some say that she is part Chinese, others that she is of pure white blood, brought up by Chinese who kidnapped her in infancy. All agree that she is very lovely and very clever having been trained by Cho-San himself.”
“Then she is all the more dangerous!” Mercedes protested. “Please, Don! Give up this wild notion of putting yourself into Scorpia’s power, for that is just what you would be doing! You might be able to disguise your identity from men, but never from a woman in love!”
“Maybe,” suggested Red Pennington, “this gal Lotus isn’t in love with Count Borg any more. A lot of things have happened since you were stationed in 'Frisco, Mr. Splendor. And a dame like that could change her mind, you know.”
“Sure, 'tis entirely possible, Lieutenant,” the older man agreed. “I’ll think over the whole proposition between now and the time we drop anchor in Port-au-Prince. On the way to my villa in the mountains we can talk again, me friends. Will that suit you?”
“It ought to, Mr. Splendor!” smiled Mercedes rising from her chair. “In the meantime, Don and Red are going to rest undisturbed, if I have to stand guard at the door. After swimming all night and fighting all morning, they’ve got to get some sleep!”
With sleepy grins, the two young officers steered obediently for their stateroom. Tumbling into their berths, clothes and all, they knew nothing more until the cabin steward called them for mess that evening.
The ship had already dropped anchor in the harbor of Port-au-Prince, and Don and his friends were eager to go ashore at the first possible moment. After a hastily eaten meal, they shook hands with the Gatoon’s officers, and stepped into the gunboat’s launch.
At the dock Splendor’s pilot, Panama, met them with a powerful car. For ten minutes they dodged and twisted through the city’s quaint old streets, then struck into a fine, smooth road leading toward the hills.