The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-07-16
CHAPTER I

CHAPTER
Arriving at Cabeza de Negro was
like coming home. Neither Curt nor
Lee had ever visited the one-time
small fishing port in the old days,
but that was the way it hit them
now as it rose up out of the sea.
Once it had been only collection
of manaca shacks on stills, cut off
from inland by fever-ridden
marshes. An unhealthy spot for
white men. Today all that was
changed-or fast changing.
They were up at dawn for the
early docking and to watch the long,
low blur on the horizon which slowly
became the TERRA Libre coastline.
Lee caught her breath as that blur
took shape. Her memories Of it
were precious.
True, she'd been happy since, and
now she had the boys. But no happi-
ness, not even the children, could
ever erase from her mind those first
years here with Curt. Hard work
ing days for him, in job for which
he was born, romance and beauty
in the tropic setting for her.
Unconsciously she Struggled closer
under Curtis arm as they stood at
the rail staring landward. Uncon-
sciously, too, Curt was scowling, but
Lee did not see this.
Meanwhile, Buddy and Chuck
were clamoring and tugging I'M
noticed at the ends of their split
leash-they couldn't be allowed free
run of the deck.
"Anuvver dog WAGE, Daddy"
begged Chuck in the fuzzy tones of
four-year old.
He didn't yet have Buddy's clarity
of speech, for Buddy was all of six
and quite a man.
Curt obligingly called, Zone, two,
three, CO." and the children scam
pered down the deck on all fours,
barking and pulling their leashes
taut.
This play brought Curt and Lee to
the vessels stern where their eyes
caught the fiat black smudge in the
distance. A lean, low gray vessel
was cutting in toward the coast far
Their to the north.
Headed for Soledad," Curt NUT
tered, and the frown returned to his
forehead.
Lee clutched his arm.
cts a destroyer! One of ours,
jeff Must be. And it's racing! Do
you suppose there wasn't any
word on the bulletin board :"
Curt patted her hand and smiled
down at her.
Don't be getting any IDEAS" he
said, and was Immediately con-
scious he'd taken a second or so
too long in replying. There's no
revolution here. Uncle Sans just
paying a courtesy call. We're doing
more of that than we used to
throughout the Caribbean"
"But it's speedingl See how the
smoke lays fiat from the funnels!"
That's caused by the wind from
around Punta Cauca, honey. Our
smoke would look the same If we
were N that position"
Once more, as he stood against
his mind the string of events leading
up to their presence here on the
Pisces-as he'd done so many times
these past several nights, lying
awake IN the dark.
He started with the proposition it
self.
He and Lee had been dawdling
over late breakfast, while the chill
dren played on the lawn within
range of the open windows. He had
the morning paper folded to handy
size and propped against the coffee
urn, and was sunk in a rowing re-
porter's column purporting to give
the progress of bomb-proofng the
Panama Canal.
It took Lee several efforts to
break through to him. It was the
final Jeff Curtis!" that did it, and
he looked up to discover she'd been
running over the morning mail.
There was a storm signal in her
eyes and she was tapping the Muck-
les of one hand with a long, fiat
envelope.
"Who do 1 know In Cristobal?" he
said easily. "Why, no one, I guess.
There's old Jim Bragg over on the
Pacific side. Letter? Gimme"
"Some day, my fine lad" she be-
gan promisingly, when you bury
yourself in the paper-oh, what's the
use?"
She gave up and handed him the
letter. He ripped it open, slid out
the several sheets of enclosure.
"Only mailed from Cristobal." He
read aloud the letterhead: Com
pania Agricola Tropical, San Alejo,
TERRA Libre. Port, Cabeza de Ne
gro. Cable, CAT Huh. Who do
YOU suppose they are? Cabeza's that
little fishing village down the coast
from Soledad, but I never heard OF
San Alejo." He glanced at the end OF
the letter. Signed, 'Apolonio Mon.
taya. President and General Man.
aeer.' Never heard of him."
He ran his eye down the first page
and looked UP to exclaim:
"Why, honey, it's new banana
outfit! Opening up twenty thousand
hectares between the rivers Masica
and Negro. But that stuff's all
swampland! You remember, Lee
that big stretch of swamp across
the Negro, dotted with few spots
of jungle?"
"And the mosquitoes!"