Brandon of the Engineers

The Spaniard made a sign of comprehension. "Then we need not quarrel

about Kenwardine. In fact, the President does not want to arrest him; our

policy is to avoid complications and it would satisfy us if he could be

forced to leave the country and give up the coaling station."

"How will you force him?"

"He has been getting letters from Kingston; ordinary, friendly letters

from a gentleman whose business seems to be coaling ships. For all that,

there is more in them than meets the uninstructed eye."

"Have you read his replies?"

Don Sebastian shrugged. "What do you expect? They do not tell us much,

but it looks as if Señor Kenwardine means to visit Kingston soon."

"But it's in Jamaica; British territory."

"Just so," said the Spaniard, smiling. "Señor Kenwardine is a bold and

clever man. His going to Kingston would have thrown us off the scent if

we had not known as much as we do; but it would have been dangerous had

he tried to hide it and we had found it out. You see how luck favors us?"

"What is your plan?"

"We will follow Kenwardine. He will be more or less at our mercy on

British soil, and, if it seems needful, there is a charge you can bring

against him. He stole some army papers."

Dick started. "How did you hear of that?"

"Clever men are sometimes incautious, and he once spoke about it to his

daughter," Don Sebastian answered with a shrug. "Our antagonists are not

the only people who have capable spies."

The intrigue and trickery he had become entangled in inspired Dick with

disgust, but he admitted that one could not be fastidious in a fight with

a man like his antagonist.

"Very well," he said, frowning, "I'll go; but it must be understood that

when he's beaten you won't decide what's to be done with the man without

consulting me."

Don Sebastian bowed. "It is agreed. One can trust you to do nothing that

would injure your country. But we have some arrangements to make."

Shortly afterwards Dick left the wine-shop, and returning to the camp

went to see Stuyvesant.

"I want to go away in a few days, perhaps for a fortnight, but I'd like

it understood that I'd been sent down the coast in the launch," he said.

"As a matter of fact, I mean to start in her."

"Certainly. Arrange the thing as you like," Stuyvesant agreed. Then he

looked at Dick with a twinkle. "You deserve a lay-off and I hope you'll

enjoy it."

Dick thanked him and went back to his shack, where he found Jake on the

verandah.

"I may go with the launch, after all, but not to Coronal," he remarked.