Forbidden Cargoes

can jungle at its back, a slim, stooping sort of boy, with eyes that gleamed out of the dark corners exactly li

who spent much of his young life in India and other tropical lands. He also found himse

roughly hewn rosewood. A small steel safe stood in one corner, the door slightly ajar. Before it on the floor lay a

look at the money, nearly a thousand dollars. The map! They knew we could do nothing wit

m, he was sure of that. A jaguar couldn't escape him, much less a man. Yet the map might be destroyed. Without it nothing could be accomplished. Thousands were at stake, t

ny would come

red miles away. What was more, he was behind iron bars in a stout stone

, he tossed out a miscellaneous assortment of articles, some small oilcloth wrapped packages, a black box, some fibre trays

typewriter. He destroyed four half written sheets before he did one to suit him.

*:

$ -9:3 5*

@; -98:-

534 85 8

#99= 975

;3% %8@

547$5 :94

@ ;9

% #

@

ut right away he won't be coming up to my expectations. And if any of these blacks and

across his shoulder and leaving the cabin, disa

ound crouching close to the side of a

red a gray powder from the package to a narrow V shaped piece of iron. A little of the powde

ve got to get hold of myself. If I don't keep cool I'll ma

the jungle!" He shuddered at the thought. "

y shall not get me, and I shall su

trough, he ran a small black fuse half through it, then gave the fuse five turns about

!" he

elled. Their great fronds had been stripped. The fibre stripped from the stems had been piled in a heap, the stems themselves in another heap. Crotched mahogany limbs were fastened together with tie-tie vines. This made a frame. Rafters were added. The bamboo leaf fi

through these cracks, and through them the boy could see all that went on within. All this in

mboo frame, was a map. The map, some four feet across, showed certain boundary lines, creeks and rivers. There were spots that had been done

relief as the man moved, allowing a full v

Next he adjusted a small black box before the crack, but lower down. Then, with a hand that still trem

of a burning fuse. One of the Spaniards arose and sniffed the air. He spoke a word to a companion. They tu

e whole affair to be spoiled by a whiff o

block the view," he tho

at was this? A black man jumped. Had the smell of burnt powder rea

for a fraction of a second, the whole place, cabin, bamboo trees, and the surrounding jungl

n unknown phenomenon, an unseen enemy, the men fought their way to the door, then out into the night. Before

The Central American jungle was not new to him. Deep se

is ears, he made his way swiftly, silently down a narrow deer

still without a light, he made his way swiftly f

he thought with a sigh as h

The jungle here was new to him, yet the bubbling stream, the moss on the tr

he followed a narrow trail up

es of little falls. This was the thing he had expected. He was sleepy. The night was far spent. In his pack was a mosquito bar canopy and a light, strong hammock, wo

nd golden coated jaguars. For this boy all these held little terror. But the swamps were not for him. T

to himself, "and aft

the trail, showed him that which brought him up short. In a damp spot at the base of a rock were footprints, t

d for a moment

here. Pant was surprised. This portion of the jungle was new to

ittle beyond this spot, in the midst of a broad clearing, half hidden by stately royal palms, gleaming

onlight, staring and irresolute.

himself. Something akin to awe crep

d himself a moment late

ght be a dark place up there somewhere, an aba

ere he might hang his hammock and spread his canopy to sl

and honorable Spaniards. There are s

eeze swaying his ham

palms when he awoke. For a time, with the damp sweet o

cozy home fireside had gleamed for him. He had gone out into the world with an unanswered longing for some one whom he might think of as a kinsman. Bravely he had fought his way through alone. When Johnny Thompson came into his life and remained the

e came upon this person of his dreams. While walking upon the coral beach he ha

paringly with the young stranger who had come so recently from the land of his birth; for Colonel Longstreet, as the patriarch styled himself, though now for more than sixt

to Central America. His life had been further embittered by the early death of his wife. His only child,

sugar, bananas and mahogany had been his. Sudden drops in prices, a revolution, the dread Panama disease, had cost him all of these. Now he was pla

nd startling discovery that Pant was the son of the boy who had been sent back by Colonel Longstreet to Virginia, that Colonel Longstreet was none other

h at the present tim

f his friends, a concession from the British Government for

ldn't be worth a red cent. As it is, with one company importing two million dollars worth a year and other smaller companies competing and yelling for more, there's a for

t they had leased. To the right and above this tract was shown on the map the holdings of a power

the Colonel's small office. He offered a ridiculously low price for the concession. His offer was r

et th

hat he had men who could be depended upon to go anywhere, to do anything. The

stormed, threatened, then in

y Pant had come to the office only t

ed. "We know Diaz has it

ithout a map is to court disaster. With a big and jealous American company on one side of us and a crooked Spaniard on the other, we are between the rocks and the tide. We are sur

will help us out. Give us a little tim

not returned. He was in jail. Pant had been obliged to go it alone. "And now in this short time," he told himself, "I have located th

med. "I must find a spot

. Some one was singing. In a clear girlish voice

th a round face and sober brown eyes, tripping barefoot d

e boy told himself. "How like tho

alls of that ancient and mysterious castle, which had a