Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 32: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

374 ‘Then you think Engoro’s a fake, too?” ‘IT think, sir, from your account, that he was drunk!” Barton snapped. ‘“ And please do not force me to say, gentlemen, that I almost suspect—er—ahem!”’ ‘We won't, because if. you happened to say it, it might be necessary to take a good grip on the scruff of your neck,” Hemmett informed him. ‘“ And let me say this, Barton: believe what you like, or believe nothing at all, I am going to take it upon myself to report to Wash- ington direct that—”’ Here he stopped, because the knocking on the door had become insistent. Girton answered it and came face to face with the little butler; and behind the little butler stood Dr. Cortera himself, perhaps the biggest medical man in Guanama and their very good and very old friend. ‘Pardon me for popping in like this!” Dr. Cortera said quickly in his easy English. ‘It’s important, the thing that brought me here. It concerns the United States, and—oh, I didn’t see you, Mr. Barton.” Girton was locking the door again. Hemmett rose to his feet. ‘“‘ What con- cerns the United States?” “Well, a—a death-bed confession, old man,” Cortera answered after a little hesitation. ‘I had rather intended tell- ing you about it first and then going down with you to Mr. Barton’s office if you saw fit.” “Go on!” Cortera glanced keenly from one to the other, then smiled grimly at Barton, with his bored, cynical eyes. “Tt was Captain Zarata,” he said. ‘“‘ Peritonitis got him, after all, and he— well, he wanted to talk to me alone be- fore he slipped away; and he did. He was commander of one of the battle-ships before disease got him, and he had a good deal on his mind-that needed con- fessing. “Gentlemen,” Dr. Cortera announced impressively, “‘ Guanama has been bought up by a nation across the Atlantic. THE ARGOSY. Guanama, from one end of the coast to the other, reeks with a plot of such size ‘as has rarely entered history! ‘““And to the best of my information and belief, that nation is making Gua- nama a base of supplies, and, when the base is all ready, the said nation is going to hand a terrible wallop to unprepared America!” CHAPTER VIII. WILLIAM JONES AGAIN. F/DWARD HEMMETT and the retired secretary of war turned as one and looked at the American minister. Barton had been startled out of his stodgy calm, at any rate; he was holding the arms of his wicker chair and leaning forward, scowling at Dr. Cortera and _ blinking fast. The doctor, for his part, gazed mild astonishment at Hemmett and Girton. ‘“ Nothing ever surprises you, does it?” he asked. ‘This doesn’t, because we knew all about it last night,” Girton said, with a faint smile. ‘‘ Leave us out of it, Cortera, and convince Barton that it is the truth. We've told him once, and he implied that we were drunk!” ‘““ Hey?” Cortera exclaimed. ‘‘ [—er—implied nothing of the sort!” said the American minister. “I was incredulous—frankly incredulous—and I am still incredulous! This captain, doc- tor? Was he in his right mind? Could he not have been speaking in the delirium which—”’ ‘ Zarata’s mind was as clear as a bell up to his very last breath,” Guanama’s leading physician said incisively. ‘‘ Don’t fool yourself at all on that count, Mr. Barton. Zarata knew exactly what he was talking about, and it weighed heavily on his conscience—the existence of which, I take it, he discovered about fifteen minutes after he learned that he was at death’s door. “He felt that Guanama was playing DOOK C©