Tim stared, still unbelieving.
“Will you go?” Ford was pressing him for an answer.
“But you don’t know much about me.”
“I know that you’re resourceful and courageous and that Crazy John said you were a good man. I’d take Crazy John’s word for it even if I didn’t know the other things about you.”
“Then you can count me in right now if it can be arranged so I can get a leave of absence from the News.”
CHAPTER TEN
“Mr. Seven’s” Secret
Under the flickering firelight in the camp in the valley of the Cedar, Grenville Ford unfolded for Tim the story of the revolt in Guato, the looting of the gold mines and the flight from Martee in the old tramp steamer.
“I was covering the revolution in Guato at the time for the old New York Globe,” said Ford, as he traced the events which had finally brought him into contact with the flying reporter of the News.
“The revolution was headed by Manuel Crespes, who was a professional trouble maker. He got together a band of desperadoes, all of the riff-raff in Central America, armed them with modern weapons, and promised them all of the loot they could get. In less than a month he had 3,000 of the toughest soldiers you ever saw with him.”
Ford puffed slowly on his pipe.