"Stop!" said Montez to his chauffeur. "Mr. Haynes is signaling you,"
continued Mr. Hippen. "I think he wants to say something to you."
Don Luis turned, and beheld the president and the general manager of the A.G.& N.M. Railroad hastening toward the gate.
"Drive down to the gate and await the gentlemen there," was Don Luis"s next order.
Mr. Hippen, too, started down the roadway, seeing which Dr. Tisco reached his side and went with him.
There was a general meeting of the different parties at the gate.
"I signaled you, Don Luis, to inquire if Ellsworth and myself might go on your drive with you?" explained Mr. Haynes.
"Gentlemen, I am truly sorry," began Don Luis Montez, in his most honeyed tones, "but the truth is that I desire to have a private conference with Senores Reade and Hazelton."
"Then we won"t ask to accompany you, this time." said Mr. Haynes, laughing.
"We would be glad to take you, but our business conversation would then be delayed," Don Luis explained. "However, if you wish--"
"I don"t want to spoil your talk," laughed Mr. Haynes. "But I have this to say to Reade and Hazelton. We gentlemen have been discussing the new management of the mine, and we are united in feeling that we want these young men to remain here and manage our new property for us. In fact, with such a valuable mining property on our hands we wouldn"t feel in the least easy with any one else in charge."
"Here is a telegram that came for you, Mr. Haynes," said Mr. Hippen, quietly, handing over the sheet. "Of course, Reade and Hazelton are not going to sign with any one else."
"Pardon me," said Mr. Haynes, and let his glance fall on the telegram.
Any one noting the railway president"s face at that moment would have noted a quick, though suppressed, change there.
"Don Luis," went on Mr. Haynes, quickly, "I fear that I really shall have to interrupt your drive for a little while. I have just received news that I shall want to discuss with you."
"Why, your news refers to nothing more than a wreck on your Arizona railway system, doesn"t it?" inquired Don Luis, who was eager to get away and attend, as speedily as possible, to the impending a.s.sa.s.sination of the young engineers.
"You will oblige me by coming back to the house, won"t you, Don Luis?" insisted Mr. Haynes, who seemed, somehow, a changed man within the last minute.
"Certainly," agreed the Mexican courteously, and the chauffeur turned the car.
As they walked along, Mr. Haynes managed to whisper a few words in Mr. Ellsworth"s ear.
"I have sent Ellsworth to call all our a.s.sociates together," explained Mr. Haynes, as he joined Don Luis and the young engineers on the porch. Something in the changed atmosphere of the place made Don Luis Montez feel decidedly uneasy.
The Americans responded quickly to Mr. Ellsworth"s rounding up.
Each of them, as he came forward, looked unusually grave. Mr.
Haynes waited until he saw all of his a.s.sociates around him.
Then he began:
"Don Luis, in my recent absence a telegram came for me. Mr. Hippen, though a director of our railway, is not familiar with the telegraph code that we use in our inner office. This telegram, sir"--unfolding it--"is from my private secretary, a most careful and trustworthy man of affairs. I feel certain, Don Luis, that he would not have sent this telegram unless he had had the strongest reasons. Now, in our office code a wire relating to a wreck of Train Thirteen--there"s no such train on our schedule--means always just one thing. The significance of this telegram is, "Don"t on any account put through the impending deal.""
If Don Luis Montez felt any inward start he controlled his facial expression wonderfully.
"Senor Haynes," he replied, "I don"t understand the meaning of your code message. You have no deal here to put through. You have made and closed the only deal here about which I have the honor to know anything."
"But my secretary doesn"t yet know the state of affairs here,"
continued Mr. Haynes, gravely, "and he doesn"t know that we have yet bought the _El Sombrero_ Mine. Therefore, his despatch can"t refer to anything else. My private secretary is certainly warning me not to buy _El Sombrero_ Mine until we have further information."
"But you have bought it," cried Don Luis, in a voice pitched rather higher than usual. "You have bought it and have the deed to all this property. The money has been paid, and is now mine, subject to my order."
"Don Luis," continued the American railway president, "I ask you, before all my a.s.sociates, to consider the matter still open until I can receive further particulars from my private secretary.
If there is any good and sound reason why we should not have bought this mine--"
"But you have bought it, paid for it, and the money is mine!"
cried Don Luis Montez. "There is no more to be said about it."
"Sir," went on Mr. Haynes, gravely, "there is but one question of fact that can affect the sale. Suppose--I hate to say it, but suppose that the mine is not a rich one, not worth any such price as we paid for it, and that you sold it to us, knowing--"
"The mine is a rich one--one of the richest in Mexico," insisted Montez, "and you have secured a very great bargain."
"I trust and hope that all that is true," continued Mr. Haynes.
"Yet, if such should not be the case, and if we have bought a property under conditions that would make it certain swindle had been perpetrated--"
"Senor!" warned Don Lids, taking a step forward, a deadly light in his eyes. "Be Careful!"
"I am only stating a supposition," resumed Mr. Haynes, coolly.
"Don Luis, I believe I have stated enough of that supposition to make it all clear. If that supposition is true, then you would have to buy the mine back from us again."
"Would I?" sneered the Mexican.
"Yes, Don Luis, or we could bring the matter about in another way. I know the name of the bank in Mexico City to which you have transferred the funds received from us. Our attorneys, acting through Mexican lawyers, can tie that money up and keep it in the bank until the question has been decided as to whether--"
"Be careful, senor!" again warned Don Luis.
"Sir," demanded Mr. Haynes, bluntly, "is the mine a valuable one, or is it a swindle?"
"You should not ask me," Montez retorted, bitterly. "You have your own engineers on the ground--engineers whom you trust.
Ask them! They will tell you."
"Thank you," a.s.sented Mr. Haynes, bowing. Then, turning to Tom, the American railway president went on:
"Reade, tell me the truth about this matter in a word. Have we been defrauded in any way?"
"You have not, Mr. Haynes," Tom answered steadily. "You have now in your possession a property that is worth far more than has been paid for it."
"You agree with that statement, do you, Hazelton?" asked Mr. Haynes.
"I do, sir," Harry nodded.
Dr. Tisco, standing in the background, had all he could do to keep himself from dancing a few jig-steps.
"Decidedly, these young Americans are champion liars!" he thought to himself. "They can readily outlie Don Luis or myself. Now, if Don Luis still insists on having these gifted young engineers killed I am afraid I shall look upon him as being a man without honor."
"You have heard your own engineers, senores," broke in Don Luis.