“My daughter?” he was demanding, shaking his fist under Ramirez’s nose. “Where is my daughter?”
And the latter, his evil eyes gleaming from his swarthy face, was leering down at the smaller man.
“Where you cannot find her,” he was saying, for he believed that his shout of warning, emitted as Hannaford captured him, had been heard and heeded by the captors of Rafaela who were in the car outside.
But the malicious triumph that shone from his eyes departed when his attention was drawn by the loud trampling of feet in the hall and he swung around to face newcomers in the doorway. If these were more Americans from the front of the house, it was likely that his men had been captured and Rafaela rescued, was the thought that followed. And this suspicion of the downfall of his rascality was confirmed when Bob stepped up to Don Ferdinand.
“Don’t believe him, sir,” said the big fellow. “Your daughter is safe outside. Jack is with her.”
The last words fell on unheeding ears. Don Ferdinand went through the crowd and out the hall like an arrow.
Much had been done, but something still remained. Ramirez and several of his lieutenants had been captured, and Rafaela rescued. But a score of Ramirez’s followers were still at large, and the large band of Orientals whom Ramirez was smuggling into the United States in defiance of the immigration laws would have to be rounded up before the Border Patrol would consider its efforts a complete success.
“You see, it’s this way,” Captain Cornell hurriedly explained to Jack and his comrades; “the new immigration law which is under discussion in Congress right now proposes a practically complete ban of Orientals. Few enough have been admitted heretofore, the majority being permitted to enter under a so-called gentlemen’s agreement, and posing as students. Well, some have been students, but certainly not all.
“Now,” he added, “if you are not familiar with what is going on, I can tell you that our government is preparing to frame a law which will make it impossible for Orientals to enter our country. There have been frequent rumors of late to the effect that the Orientals were leaving their crowded home lands and migrating to Mexico, where there is no ban against them, in large numbers. Doubtless, Ramirez, who has a head on his shoulders, even if he does use it only for rascality, and who keeps abreast of the times, saw his opportunity in this situation. He has planned an ‘underground railway’ for running Orientals out of Mexico and into the United States. There used to be a traffic in the same sort of human contraband on the Pacific Coast, until it was broken up a few years ago. But,” he interrupted, surprised, “why these knowing looks at each other?”
His listeners laughed. “You tell him, Jack,” said Bob.