Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-04-30


( ~ spelling it out, he found 1t to be his
first official order-thus runningS
Proceed immediately with your vessel
| to mouth of Rio Ruiz: transport beef
and provisions to barracks at Alforan.
Mariner. General
| Small glory, to be sure, in this, his
! country's first call. But it had called,
( and JOY surged in the admirals breast
| He drew his cutlass belt to another
! buckle hole, reused his doing crew, and
/ in a quarter of an hour "El Nac1onaI
was lacking swiftly down coast in a
/ stiff landward breeze.
| The Rio Ruiz is small river, empty
| ing into the sea ten miles below Cora
| lilo. That portion of the coast is wild
and solitary. Through a gorge in the
Cordilleras rushes the Rio Ruiz, cold and
bubbling, to glide, at last with breadth
! and leisure, through an alluvtal morass
| into the sea.
In two hours "El Nacionar entered
the rivers mouth. The banks were
crowded with disposition of formidable
trees. The sumptuous underground OF
the tropics overlooked the land, and
drowned itself in the fallow waters. ST.
lently the sloop entered there, and met
a deeper silence Brilliant with greens
and OChres and floral scarlets, the UNI
brageOus mouth of the Rio Ruiz fur
nished no.sOund of movement save of the
sea going water as ii purled against the
PROV Of the vessel. Small chance there
seemed of wrestling beef or provisions
from that empty solitude.
The admiral decided to cast anchor.
md, at the chains rattle, the forest was
stimulated to instant and resOunding up
roar. The mouth of the Rio Ruiz had
| only been taking a morning nap. Par
rots and balloons screeched and barked
and a booming marked the awakening
of animal life; a dark blue bulk was
visible for an instant as a startled tapir
[ fought his way through the vines.
The navy, under orders. hung in the
mouth of the little river for hours The
crew served the dinner of sharks fin
| soup, plaintains. crab gumbo and sour
/ wine. The admiral, with a three foot
! telescope. closely scanned the impervious
foliage fifty yards away.
! It was nearly sunset when rever-
berating "hauo-o-o!" came from the for
est to their left 1t was answered; and
three men, mounted upon mules, crashed
through the tropic jungle to within n
dozen yards Of the rivers bank. There
they dismounted and one, unbuckling
his belt. struck each mule a violent blow
with his sword scabbard, so that they,
With fling Of heels. dashed back again
into the forest.
Those were strange looking men to be
conveying beef and provisions One wa s
a large and exceedingly active man. Of
Q
est Spanish type, with curling, gray
bespriukled. dark hair. blue sparkling
eyes, and the pronounced air Of a cabal-
1 lero gr3nde. The other two were small
! brown faced men. wearing white military
uniforms. high riding boots and swords.
I The clothes OF all were drenChed be-
spattered and rent by the thicket Some
( stress Of circumstance must have driven
them. diable quatre. through food, mire
and jungle.
"O-he! Senior Almirante" called the
large man. Send to Us your boat
The dory was lowered and Felipe. with
one Of the Caribs. rOwed toward the left
bank.
The large man stood near the waters
brink. waist deep In the curling vines.
As he gazed upon the scarecrow figure
I in the stern Of the dory a spriChtly In
teTest heamed upon his mobile face.
Months II waCeless and thankless serv-
i0e had dimmed the admir3ls splendor
His red trousers were patched and
ragged. Most Of the bright buttons aud
The visor Of his cap was form. and de-
( pended almost to his eyes. The ad-
miral's feet were bare.
/ Dear Admiral cried the large man
and his voice was like a blast from a
I horn. Il kiss your hands. l knew we
could build upon your fidelity You had
! hur disparch-frOm General Martinez A
: little nearer with your boat, dear Ad-
/ miral. Upon these devils Of shifting
vines we stand with the smallest Sc
/ curity"
| Felipe regarded him with stolid face.
| Provisions and beef for the barracks
| at Alforan," he quoted
/ NO fault OF the butchers, Almirante
! MO, that the beef awaits you not. But
YOU are come in time to save the cattle
/ Get Us aboard your vessel senior. at once
You first, cabaleros-a priesal Come
; back for me- The boat Is too small"
I The dOry conveyed the two officers to
the sloop, and returned for the large
Have YOU so gross thing as food
good Admirsll" he cried, when aboard
| And. perhaps. coffee? Beef and pro
| visions! Nomhre de dos, q little lon gel
/ and we could have eaten one OF thost
mules that you. Colonel Rafael saluteC
| so fee,ingly with your sword scabbart
! at parting Let us have food and theI
| we will sail - for the barracks at Alfor
/ an--nO?"
The Carihs prepared a meal, 10 which
the three passengers to ell Nacioual'
| set themselves with furnished delight
| About sunset, as was its custom. tn
/ breeze veered and swept back from tn
| mountains. cool and steady. bringing
| taste OF the stagnant laCoOns and man
| grove swamps that guttered tho low
| lands. The msinsail OF the sloop wa
| holsted and swelled to II, and at tina
moment they heard shouts and a wax
DEOlNnUlLlB
| OF the shore.
THE butchers, my dear Admiral" sale
| the large man, smiling. too late for tn
| slaughter"
Further than his orders to his crew
the Admiral was saying nothing. Th
topsail and jib were spread. and tn
| sloop glided out Of the estuary TIL
large man and hts companions had DO
| slowed themselves with what c0mfor
| they could about the bare deck. Belize
I - fu In hafr nd haI
their departure from shat critical shore
and now that the hazard was so far re
duced their thoughts were loosed to tn
consideration Of further deliverance. Blu
when they saw the sloop turn and H.
up coast again they relaxed, satisfied
with the course the admiral had taken
The large man sat at ease, hi
spirited blue eyes engaged in the con
temptation Of the navy's commander
He was trying to estimate this sombr
and fantastic lad, whose impene
trable stolldity puzzled him. Himself
a fugitive, his life sought, and chafine
under the smart of defeat and fail
ure It was characteristic Of him t
transfer ntly his Interest to tn
study of q thing new to him. II wa
like him too, to have conceived am
risked all upon this last desperate
and madcap scheme-this message t.
poor, crazed fanatico cruising abou
with his grotesque uniform and hi
forcical title. But his companion
had been at their wits end; escape hat
seemed Incredible; and now he wa
b B[8S called ed cr S and precious
The brief, tropic twilight seemed t
slide swiftly into the pearly splendor o
n moonlit night. And now the lights o
Coralio appeared, distributed against tn
dorkeninr shore TO their right. Tn
admiral stood, silent, at the tlller; tn
Caribs, like black panthers, held tn
sheets. leaping noiselessly at his shor
commands The three passengers wer