Dick, however, reflected that he was taking much for granted and his
suppositions might well be wrong. It was unwise to attach too much
importance to a plausible theory. Then he could not expose Kenwardine
without involving Clare, and saw no means of separating them. Besides,
Kenwardine's position was strong. The officials were given to graft, and
he had, no doubt, made a skilful use of bribes. Warnings about him would
not be listened to, particularly as he was carrying on a thriving
business and paying large sums in wages in a country that depended on
foreign capital.
Then Dick got up with a frown. His head ached and he was tired after
working since sunrise in enervating heat. The puzzle could not be solved
now, and he must wait until he found out something more.
For the next two or three evenings he was kept busy at the dam, where
work was carried on after dark, and Jake, taking advantage of this, went
to Santa Brigida one night when he knew the locomotive would be coming
back up the line. Nothing of importance happened at Kenwardine's, where
he did not see Clare, and on his return he took a short cut through a
badly-lighted part of the town. There was perhaps some risk in this, but
Jake seldom avoided an adventure. Nothing unusual happened as he made his
way through the narrow streets, until he reached a corner where a noisy
group hung about the end house. As the men did not look sober, he took
the other side of the street, where the light of a lamp fell upon him.
His close-fitting white clothes distinguished him from the picturesque
untidiness of the rest, and when somebody shouted, "Un Gringo!" one or
two moved across as if to stop him. Jake walked on quickly, looking
straight in front without seeming to notice the others, in the hope of
getting past before they got in his way, but a man dressed like a
respectable citizen came round the corner and the peons ran off. Since
the appearance of a single stranger did not seem to account for this,
Jake wondered what had alarmed them, until he saw a rural guard in white
uniform behind the other. When the man came up the rurale stopped and
raised his hand as if he meant to salute, but let it fall again, and Jake
imagined that the first had given him a warning glance. He knew the thin,
dark-faced Spaniard, whom he had met at Kenwardine's.
The man touched Jake's shoulder and drew him away, and the lad thought it
strange that the rurale went on without asking a question.
"I don't know that the peons meant to make trouble, but I'm glad you came
along, Don Sebastian," he said.
"It is an honor to have been of some service, but it looks as if you were
as rash in other matters as you are at cards," the Spaniard answered.
"These dark calles are unsafe for foreigners."