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A queer, dry fellow, but character and grit to his backbone." "I'd supposed he was younger," said Sherwen. "Anyway, he's comparatively new to the service. His rise is the more remarkable. At present, he's not only our quarantine representative, with full powers, but unofficially he acts, while on his roving commission, for the British, the Dutch, the French, and half the South American republics.
"Better lie down again." "It's true, right enough," said the Englishman. "Sir Willet's cochero saw the mob get him." "When? Where?" asked Fitzhugh Carroll. "Haven't got any details, but the Government admits it." "I don't care if the President and his whole cabinet swear to it," vociferated the Unspeakable Perk. "It's a fake. How can I get Puerto del Norte, Mr. Sherwen?"
"You can't get it at all for any such purpose. How do you know it's a fake?" "How do I know? Oh, dammit! I'M Luther Pruyn!" He snatched off his glasses and faced them. The little group stood petrified. Mr. Brewster was first to recover. "Crazy, poor chap!" he said. "Luther Pruyn was my classmate." "That's my father, Luther L." "Proofs," said Sherwen sharply. "In my coat pocket. In the room.
Caracuna City goes under quarantine to-night, and Puerto del Norte to-morrow, as soon as proper official notification can be given." "Then plague has actually been found?" "Determined by bacteriological test this morning." "How do you know?" "I was present at the finding." "Who did it? Dr. Pruyn?" The other nodded. Sherwen whistled. "Better make ready to move, Mr. Brewster," he advised.
One half a second later, it wasn't, as the last of the legation's stubborn bars yielded, the door burst open, and the four Americans tumbled out at the charge, Cluff yelling insanely, Carroll in deadly quiet, Sherwen alertly scanning the adversaries for identifiable faces, and Elder Brewster still imperiling his soul by the fervor of his language.
"What's that?" demanded the Unspeakable Perk, running out, coatless and goggleless. "There's been another riot, and Dr. Luther Pruyn is killed," explained Sherwen. "Who says so?" "Bulletin board La Liberdad just saw it," panted Galpy. "Nonsense! It's a bola" "The whole city is ringing with it. They say it was a plot to get him out of the way to stop quarantine.
"Ordinarily it's as safe as any city," said Sherwen. "Just now I can't be so certain." "I hate being watched over like a child!" pouted Miss Brewster. "And I love sight-seeing alone. The flowers along the Calvario Road were so lovely." "That's the road to the palace," remarked Carroll, looking at her closely. "And the butterflies are so marvelous," she continued cheerfully.
Around the corner, up the hill from where they were, streamed a rabble of boys, leaping and whooping, and after them a more compact crowd of men, shoeless, centering on a tall, broad, heavy- mustached fellow who bore on a short staff the Stars and Stripes. "Where on earth did he get that?" cried Sherwen. "Looted the Bazaar Americana," replied Perkins.
But he found that he had no audience, as Sherwen had followed the scientist out of the room. Before the afternoon was over, the American concessionnaire had come to realize that the situation was less assured than he had thought. Twice the British Minister had come, and there had been calls from the representatives of several other nationalities.
Sherwen says, goes," he said, almost choking on the words. "We've got to stand it." In the breast of Miss Polly Brewster was no response to this spirit. She was lawless with the lawlessness of unconquered youth and beauty. "Oh!" she breathed "If I had my pistol back, I'd shoot that BEAST myself!" The scientist turned his goggles hesitantly upon her.
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