_Blind Alleys_
For a moment he stood there staring, wondering if it could be only a dream that he had held her in his arms, that he had brought her up here, that she had lain upon this white bed which now mocked him with its emptiness. Then he took a step into the room, where he saw still the imprint of her head upon the pillow. He turned at this and ran into the hall, shouting her name. He was down the stairs in three bounds. The couch where he had left Sorez was also empty. The guard at the front door would not believe when told; but the proof lay in the absence of the guard in the rear. This door opened upon a small garden surrounded by a low wall. A gate led from this into a narrow street in the rear. If they were gone far they must have left in a carriage, for neither of them was strong enough to walk.
With a feeling of more bitter hatred than he had ever felt against any man, he realized that Sorez must have been in part shamming. That he was weak and exhausted there could be no doubt; but it was equally clear now that he was by no means so weak as he had led Wilson to believe. Not even Stubbs could have drawn Wilson from the house, had he suspected Sorez of being able to move from that couch within twelve hours.
Wilson blamed himself for stupidity, for carelessness, for almost criminal negligence in thus leaving the girl. And yet one might as soon reckon on the dead coming to life, as for this denouement. It was clear that he was dealing with no ordinary man, but he should have known this after the display of nerve he had witnessed as Sorez had climbed the stairs in his own house. He was a man with an iron will, with the ability to focus whatever energy remained within him upon a single objective. Through this Wilson gained a ray of hope; even if he found it impossible to locate him before, he knew that Sorez would press on to the lake of Guadiva. No power, no force less than death would serve to prevent him. Sooner or later Wilson would meet his man there. The present pity of it was that with the information he possessed, the secret of the parchment, he might possibly have prevented this journey and saved the girl much hardship.
So his brain reasoned, but back of this was the throbbing ache that would not listen to reason. He wanted her again within his arms; he wanted again to look into her dark eyes, to feel again the warmth of her breath against his neck. He wanted, too, the sense of protecting and caring for her. He had meant to do so much; to find a comfortable lodging place for her until he could take her back; to forage food and clothing for her. A hundred things unsaid whirled about in his brain; a hundred plans unfulfilled mocked him; a hundred needs unsatisfied.
For a few precious moments he had held her in his arms,--a few moments when he craved years, and then he had lost her. Perhaps there was still a chance. His own head was too confused to form a plan at present. He determined to return to the palace and seek Stubbs.
With the aid of two of Otaballo"s lieutenants he was able to locate Stubbs, who was a.s.sisting the General in an attempt to bring the mercenaries into some sort of order. These men finally worn out, he had succeeded in enticing into one of the big rooms where he had calmly turned the lock upon them. Wilson greeted Stubbs with the single exclamation:
"They"ve gone again."
"What--the girl?"
"Gone," groaned Wilson. "But within the hour. I want you to help me find them."
"Like huntin" fer a loose dory in th" dark, ain"t it?"
"Yes, but you"d hunt even for your dory, wouldn"t you?"
"Right, m" boy, an" I ain"t suggestin" thet yer change yer course, only--these seas are uncharted fer me. But how"d she git outern yer hands once yer had her?"
"Oh, I was a fool, Stubbs. I thought she would sleep until night, and so came over here to let you know where I was. That would have been all right if I hadn"t stayed, but the Queen came and--she told you about Danbury?"
"Yes," nodded Stubbs, "an" I can"t figger out whether it"s right er wrong. At any rate, he"s taken care of fer a couple weeks. I found out she told the truth, and that the boat has gone. But about the girl--have you an idea where this pirate has taken her?"
"No more than you have."
"He isn"t a stranger here, is he? Prob"ly has friends, eh?"
"That"s so. I know he has. I saw some of his letters."
"Know who they are?"
Wilson shook his head.
"I suppose we might find that out from the General--he must know him, for the man was a surgeon or something in the armies here."
Two hours pa.s.sed before they were able to reach the General, and then they had but a word with him. The girl had done his bidding and was now crowned Queen of Carlina. Every loyal citizen of Bogova was out, anxious to cheer himself hoa.r.s.e before his neighbor. From the outlying districts the natives were pouring into the city as fast as they heard of the termination of hostilities. Otaballo had his hands full with prospect of more to do every hour.
"Everyone in Bogova knows Sorez," he answered. "If he had been in the city for the last year I should know more of his possible whereabouts than I do. He was a surgeon in the Republican armies here, but he took no active interest in the Republic. How little his arrest proves. In fact, I think he stands in disfavor, owing to the trouble with the hill men, which they think started with him. I"ve even heard him accused of having stolen the image. But I don"t believe that or I"d arrest him myself. As it is, I"d like to have a talk with him. I can"t suggest where he is, but I"ll give you a couple of men who know him and know the city to help you."
"Good!" exclaimed Wilson.
"In the meanwhile," he said, turning to Stubbs, "I"m depending on you to keep those men in order. If they only had their pay----"
"They"ll get it as soon as we can reach Danbury. It was you who sent him away, General."
There was a note of resentment in Stubbs" voice. He had not at all approved of this act.
"I know, I know. But--I saved his life by it. As soon as things settle down a bit it will be safer for him. In the meanwhile, if we could get those men out of the city. To be frank, I"m afraid of them. Arlano might reach them and he could buy them with a few pieces of gold."
"I"m not denying that," said Stubbs, "unless ye can give them _more_ gold. As fer myself, I can"t promise ye nothin". I"ve finished my cruise with the captain an" done my best. If he was here, I"d stick by him still, but he ain"t, an" I"ve gut other things in hand. Every mother"s son of the crew will git their pay fer their work so far, but further, I dunno. They done what they promised--took the city fer ye.
Now if ye doesn"t watch "em I reckon they"ll take it fer themselves.
As much as they can git in their pockets, anyhow."
"I don"t like that," answered the General, darkly. "If you"ll look after them----"
"I wash my hands of them from now on," broke in Stubbs. "Havin" other duties."
"Other duties here?" asked Otaballo, instantly suspicious.
"The findin" of this gent Sorez bein" one of "em," answered Stubbs.
"An" I guess we better be about it."
"It is for the sake of the girl," explained Wilson. "The one you saw me bringing from the dungeon. Sorez kidnapped her from America, and now he has taken her again."
The General"s face brightened.
"Ah, that is it!"
He summoned a lieutenant and held a brief whispered conversation with him.
"Gentlemen," he concluded, turning to Wilson, "Lieutenant Ordaz--he will give you what a.s.sistance you need."
"An" th" same," said Stubbs, in a whisper to Wilson as soon as they were upon the street again, "we"ll proceed to lose. I didn"t like th"
look in Oteerballo"s eye when he give us this "ere travellin" mate."
It was an easy enough task for Stubbs. At the end of three or four blocks he instructed Wilson to detach himself and go back to the last public house they had pa.s.sed and there wait for him. This Wilson did, and in less than ten minutes Stubbs appeared alone.
"Sorry ter part comp"ny with the gent, but with him we wuz more likely ter find Oteerballo than Sorez. "Nother thing, we has gotter do some plannin" "fore we begins work. "Cause if I ain"t mistaken, we has a long chase ahead. In th" fust place, how much gold is yer carryin"?"
"Gold? Not a dollar."
"I thought "bout thet amount. Next place, is yer papers safe?"
Wilson felt of his pocket where they were tightly pinned in.
"Couldn"t lose those without losing my coat."
"Might lose yer coat in this here city. Next, how "bout weapins?"
Wilson drew out the revolver which he had managed to keep through all the confusion. In addition to that he had some fifty cartridges loose in his pocket.
"Good!" commented Stubbs. Then he took an inventory of his own resources.