Uncle Sam Detective

the good German ship Esmiranga and smoked many Mexican cigarettes on that historic morning in April, 1914, when she approached th

can sister republics on the verge of war. For the action of the head of the government of a hundred million of people, the orders extended to the military, the shuttling of battleships and transports, were bas

ut it was such a man, registering himself as G. Egeloff, pronouncing some of his indifferent English with the explosiveness of Russia and some of it with the lilting softness of Latin America, who created a scene in a Manhattan hotel and thus first introduced the w

Egeloff, the representative of rulers of nations, the bearer of credentials, the possessor of enough

in gold, signed by none other than Victoriano Huerta himself. At which signal the entire hotel staff salaamed profoundly, the m

mine the legitimacy of the mission of this

cquainted and whose activities centered about a certain Mexican boarding house just off Union square. He also knew that the Russian had called up

nt. Since the United States was denying clearance to ships with such cargoes destined to eith

entines based his operations upon the principle that the discarded munitions of progressive nations are plenty good enough for use in Latin-America and that the purchase of all such, no matter

ay night, he followed the Russian and three of his Mexican associates through the narrow lanes of the lower

ich was from the main establishment. The area-way upon which its single window looked faced the wall of a printing house, broken by but three or four small windows, as is so often the case with these blank surfaces. Gar

as that Valentines might leave his curtain up

ly Maid, born without the sense of hearing but mistress of the inestimable difficulties of lip reading and the possessor of the nimblest set of fingers in the world, these latter earning her a place as copyist for the service. Her face was of a cameo beauty, wi

publishing house in five minutes. Beneath a light in the hall Gard told the deaf girl of the situation, for lip reading needs light. Soon they were in the gloom by the little window and the eager eyes of the Lily Maid were l

ar, hollow voice of those who do not hear b

old Krupp rapid-fir

w from the opposite window. He turne

they are to be ship

to $750,000 in value," the gir

ys-Brooklyn-how can you

"The United States must accept our claim of that des

ent he approached the window and pulled down the curtain that loo

ET FLASHLIGHT ON HI

EY ARE TO BE SH

st of the American goods that were needed to complete the cargo of the Italian bark, City of Naples, that was ready to sail. It appeared that papers had already been taken out, tha

n for the ship to sail. It was, however, anxious to keep in touch with its m

Naples. He was dressed in a well-worn, light-checked, somewhat flashy suit, a scarlet vest, a flowing tie. His dark locks

she was making for the seas two hours ahead of her appointed time. The stowaway surmised that there was every reason why her officers

ght, and so this latter blow caught him on the chin and he went down and out. The second sailor was a squarehead and rushed his antagonist. The stowaway ducked and the force of the Swede increased the severity of a mighty jab with the right in the pit of the stomach, which happened at the time to be unusually full, and the attacker crumbled wit

the doorway in most indifferent Sp

orm of the bearded Russian who represente

wered in Spanish. "Ah, they ar

vice. He had learned the languages of the Mediterranean almost before he spoke English and was therefore much at home among its

is fighting?" a

y. "These pigs of sailormen know not how homesick I am.

ussian. "I happen to be interested in this cargo,

not be otherwise disposed of, the Italian captain set him to work as a clerk, and got much good service out of him on the ship's books before land was again sighted. It happen

ar, ignored the ports of Spain, sailed past the towns of her nativity in Italy and on to the east. Not until the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus were passed was

ever-vigilant of anarchistic plots, refused to let the ship unload her cargo of ammunition.

ulate. From there he was able to make his report to the home office an

ystery to him despite a semi-friendship that had slowly grown up between them. He had attempted in vain to lead the Russian into a discussion of his future plans in Mexico, and

m the lips of the interpreter. He knew that the purchases at Hartford had not exceeded $100,000. He drew the conclusion that this strange representative of the Indian

o days out when he became assured of a fact which he had suspected. The Russian was not aboard. The ship picked her course through the Mediterranean, out again past Gibraltar, bu

ves of the freedom of shore leave. As the afternoon wore on, the vessel was deserted with the exception of the Italian second mate and a few members of the crew. Ga

I want to se

a second voice repeated the request in Spanish, with no better resul

ou will be so good a

Gard to be at work, and, remembering that the supposed cler

rican, evidently misinterpre

rprise. The possibilities of such a situat

m?" he asked

y," said t

ntials, I suppo

. "I am authorized to provide f

n the three dropped into Spanish and continued the conversation. Gard presented letters he had found in the ship's office and addressed to these gentlemen. He took it that these

d. "The Esmiranga will take our stuff aboard imme

onant into his Spanish as he had heard it done for two months by the man whose r?le was being thrust upon him. "I

y of sailing. So was Gard relieved of the difficulty and danger of a sustained masquerade and so was he able again to get in touch with Americ

. Take me out where I may try the experiment of attempting to be a gentleman again. I am by no

made up of a square of the letters of the alphabet. One begins by writing the twenty-six letters in a row, commencing with A. The second line begins with B, placed directly under the A of the

ing translation. The message as it then appears is taken to the square of letters. In writing it as it is ultimately to be sent, its letters are found in the top line of the square and also in the perpendicular line that runs down its side. The lines of letters t

e cipher and that the keyword, rather strangely, was "Russian whiskers." The home government transmitted this information to its b

ched the situation he had developed with no little misgiving. It appeared that his conclusion that the Russian had made a getaway with much swag was correct. He was warml

do with Sanchez, as that volatile Latin would immediately lead him into much talk of Mexican men and condition

his cabin as soon as the Esmiranga took to sea. His sea manners were also far from Latin for he answered with guttural oaths any inquiries that were made as to the condition of his health. He seemed to have gone o

n existed off Mexico. The ships of those pigs of Americans were blockading Vera Cruz. They might blockade but they had no right to stop a German ship bound for that port. But he

which was to pay handsomely for the transportation of the

man passes the time of a voyage in playing solitaire. So it happened that the United States Government had all the details of the approach of a shipload of ammunition of American origin destined to Huerta, upon whom the s

Vera Cruz. The only method of stopping that ammunition was to seize the port and c

kers," conveyed the information that the vessel was approaching the Mexican coast and that her intention was to steam under the very noses of the Americ

scavenger buzzard of the Aztecs; beneath the walls of the ancient parochial church beside the Plaza de la Constitución where the first American boy was destined to die at the hands of a sniping pr

s a creature of unrest, uncertain where to land. Finally it put into Mobile, where its captain was left at a still greater loss, for the supposed Mexican gun-runn

and sought a way to deal with the captain of the Esmiranga, who was still unpaid for transporting his cargo and willing to listen to almost any proposition. But the constitutionalists bought no pigs in pokes and insisted on an examination of the cargo. Probably they had themselves bought of Valentines and knew the