The Tomahawk., 1916-10-12

Whereupon ne presented letters
+ from the Mexican government showing
him to be it's agent in London. Ills
companion he introduced as Mr.. San
chez, Mexican consul at Hamburg
whereupon the three dropped into
Spanish and continued the conversa'
ton. Gard presented letters he had
found in the ships office and ad-
dressed to these gentlemen. He tocn
it that these letters were from the
Mexican consul at Odessa. They evil
IDENTIFY asked the men to whom they
were addressed to do what they could
toward expediting the transshipment
of the cargo.
I'VE have all arrangements made
Mckay volunteered. "The Esmiranga
will take our stuff aboard Immediate
ly and is sailing for Vera Cruz in six
days."
81 have had the very devil OF
time," said the special agent, introduce
ing the rasp of an occasional Russian
consonant into his Spanish as he had
heard it done for two months by the
man whose role was being thrust upon
him. Il want to run over to Warsaw
for a few days. Do you not think,
gentlemen, that I have earned this
brief vacatiOn?"
Whereupon Mckay and Sanchez
agreed to attend to all details, making
it necessary only that the supposed
Egeloff should be in Hamburg on the
day of sailing. So was Gard relieved
of the difficulty and danger Of sus-
tanned masquerade and SO was he able
again to get in touch with America
AS a matter of fact he hurried TO
Paris. There he found Coleman, whom
he had known before, in charge OF the
Paris branch of his own service.
Dress me up like white man.,
he told Coleman. LEAD me up To
something that human beings eat.
Take me out where I may try the
experim ent of attempting to be a gen.
tleman again. I am by no means sure
can do it. -Four days from now
talk to me about cipher messages,
but not until then"
NV
burg it was understood that he should
use the old confederate cipher for
any messages that he might be aDle
to send. This is simple and always
efficient cipher made up OF a. square
Of the letters of the alphabet. one
begins by writing the twenty-six let
ters in row, commencing with A.
The second line begins with B, placed
directly under the A Of the first line,
and followed by all the letters in
order. The third line begins with c,
the fourth with D, and 50 on until 4
is reached. Any amateur may build
I'D his square of letters in this way.
There must be a secret key WORD
which is known to the senders and
the receivers. The keyword is writ
ten cut repeatedly and the message
is written beneath it. Instead OF u.s.
Ing the letters of the message, the
letters Of the keyword are used. This
is the first puzz1ing translation. The
message as it then appears is taken TO
the square of letters. In writing 1t as
it is ultimately to be sent, it's letters
are found in the top line of the square
and also in the perpendicular line
that runs down it's side. The lines
of letters that radiate from these
margins, one horizontally and one per-
pendicularly, meet at some point with
in the square. The letter upon which
they meet is used in the message. NO
one in the world without his square
of letters and without the keyword
can read this message.
So the home government was IN
formed that Special Agent William H..
Gard might communicate with it's
ships by means Of the confederate
cipher and that the keyword, rather
strangely, was Russian whiskers.
The home government transmitted
this information to it's battleships ly'
ing off Mexico and their operators
were instructed to pick up any wire
less that might come to them out OF
the Atlantic.
Gard hurried back to Hamburg just
in time to sail on the Esmiranga. He
was not sure but that the big Rus
sian would communicate with the
Mexican representatives and ap-
preached the situation he had devel-
oped with no little misgiving. 1t ap-
peared that his conclusion that the
Russian had made getaway with
much swag was correct. He was warm
ly received by both Mckay and
Sanchez and the ship got away with
but one difficulty facing them. The
Mexican consul was returning to his
native land aboard it.
Gard realized that, as the conhden-
tial representative Of Huerta, he could
not with impunity have anything to
do with Sanchez, as that volatile Latin
would Immediately lead him into
much talk Of Mexican men and condi-
tions. Gard knew almost nothing
about Mexico City and could not even
sustain a casual conversation on that
subject.
It was because Of these considera-
lions that the apparently genial dis
position of the supposed purchaser or
--.,-;4;o,e ~ u-ar prOvad 0iSaDDOint-