Brandon of the Engineers

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."