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"If you are so afraid of offending General Yozarro, you can easily disavow the act of your officer, though he deserves all praise for what he did." "Be assured that I shall disavow his crime in the strongest terms, and, if General Yozarro demands it, the Captain shall be severely punished." "The other day, when you were talking with him and me, you were hot for war against Atlamalco."
Martella, the new recruit, so to speak, seeing there was nothing just then for him to do, sat down at the bow of the boat and smoked his cigarette, while Captain Guzman kept company with Major Starland at the stern. "Two years ago, when there was war between Atlamalco and Zalapata," explained the native officer, "we captured a party of raiders in the mountains and shot them all excepting one.
Although she was always in the company of others, it was not on account of any misgiving or fear on her part. Very rarely or never was a wheeled vehicle seen either in Zalapata or Atlamalco, and the connecting roads were naturally no more than simple trails; but all of these were so clearly marked that there was no cause for even a stranger losing his way.
She descried a catboat leaning far over and skimming up stream toward Atlamalco, and a canoe, in which were two natives, was observed, as one of the occupants swung his paddle like an American Indian and drove the tiny craft toward the northern shore. But as her vision roved up and down the river, she failed to see that for which she longed above everything else.
There were young women fitting for the missionary field in India and China; the daughters of eminent financiers in England, Germany, France and Spain, those whose parents' influence was felt in distant climes, including several from the revolution-pestered republics of South America. Manuela Estacardo was the only child of the deceased sister of President Pedro Yozarro, Dictator of Atlamalco.
He had learned that General Yozarro was a widower though as in the case of Bambos that would have made little difference in his wayward promptings and he decided that it would be well to shorten the visit of Miss Starland or to bear her company, so long as she stayed in Atlamalco.
"What is his reason for the command?" It was essentially a feminine question, but the soldier did not hesitate with the reply: "War impends between Zalapata and Atlamalco; we are expecting at almost any hour an attack upon Castillo Descanso; the Señorita observes the armed force that has been placed here by General Yozarro; he cannot allow the Señoritas the danger of falling into the hands of the perfidious General Bambos and his barbarians."
"Where is that?" "A mile from the river among the mountains; the air there is cooler than at Atlamalco, and General Yozarro spends much of the hot season at Castillo Descanso, or 'Castle of Rest. Señorita Estacardo is his niece; he is a widower; he loves your sister and he hopes by his kindness and attention to win her for his wife, and to do this, he sees he must keep you and her apart as long as he can."
Thinking he might appear again the two watched the spot for the following half hour, during which he was not seen again. Then, looking in the direction of Atlamalco they were unable to detect any trace of the finger of smoke which had faded out and which they thought might come to view again. "General Yozarro may have sailed further up the river," suggested the Señorita.
Had not Miss Starland identified his voice unmistakably, she could not have believed what her ears had told her. That one revelation, however, did its work. She was resolved to leave Atlamalco on the first opportunity and never to set foot within the Republic again. She had come to look upon this man with a mortal horror, for, under the mask of chivalry, he carried the blackest of hearts.
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