I IIII I II IIII I
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! ..The Filibusters of Venezuela.. !
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~:~**, Or the Trials of a Spanish Girl. i
.• By SEWARD W. HOPKINS.
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4,
Copyrighted 1900 by Robert Bonner's Sons. •
the crimson testimony of the conflict
between Right and Wrong, between
Passion and Patriotism, .between Heav-
en and Hell. For the hand of God is in
the battle, and when the swords of the
defenders of Right are weak. He
brings a powerful sustenance to the
waning strength, or sends some mes-
sage of His power to stay the course
of the powers of Evil.
One day General Salvarez was sitting
on his shady porch, smoking his after-
dinner cigar. When three horsemen,
covered with dust, and bearing other
evidence of a long and hurried journey,
came up the shell road leading to the
castle and saluted the commander.
General' Salvarez rose in some sur-
prise to meet them, for he recognized
their uniforms as velonging to the gen-
eral staff at Caracas.
"From the President," said one, leap-
ing from his horse and placing a pack-
et in the general's hand.
Salvarez replied graciously, and took
the packet.
"'How far have you come in the sad-
dle?" he asked. "Not from Caracas,
surely, else how did you cross the Ori-
noco ?"
'%Ve came from Caracas, neverthe-
less," said the officer, "but our horses
came only from Bolivar. We rode to
the Orinoco, and at the village of Can-
do left our horses, hired some fisher-
men half-breeds to row us over, ob-
tained fresh horses at Bolivar, and
hurried on."
"Your message must be important,"
said the general.
He called an officer, and, having or-
dered the best entertainment for the
three riders that the castle afforded.
sat down to read his message. As he
read, his brow grew dark with anger:
"Gen. Jose Salvarez." the message
ran--- "We are in receipt of cable dis-
patches from our consul in New York
city, conveying the startling news that
a hand of conspirators sailed from tha/~
port on the 6th of this month. June.
in steamer Agostura, bound for Ciudad
Bolivar, carrying a cargo of firearms
and ammunition, invoiced as agri-
cultural implements, and consigned
to Pedro Francisco, the friend
of Spain in your valley. The
startling information is furnished
by the consul that the chief
conspirators a~e Don Juan Garza, who
was driven out of Venezuela some
years ago for conspiring against the
government, and Ferdinand Gomez, a
most unscrupulous adventurer. The ob-
ject of this expedition is to organize
an army in remote regions, seize prop-
erty and march on Caracas. overthrow-
ing this government and replacing it
with a monarchy. The information is
also furnished that the conspirators
are accompanied by a mysterious per-
son who wears the royal purple and
the arms of the house of Aragon. He is
addressed as king by his associates,
and is probably the one chosen to be
monarch of Venezuela in case of a
successful invasion or uprising. You
will accordingly take prompt and ef-
fective measures to give these invader.~
a warm reception and prevent the land-
ing of these arms. You will also need
to keep your own force well in hand,
for it is certain that a Yew men would
not undertake this task unless they
were assured of prompt support by the
natives.
"If necessary, sink the ship wlth all
on board, but I would prefer to have
this Pretender, who is known as Phil-
ip of Aragon, seized alive, that his
identity may be ascertained.
"The Agostura may never come to
port. for we shall have gunboats
watching for her in the usual path of
steamers, and also at the mouth of the
Orinoco. Should she succeed in passing,
she will be due at Bolivar about the
18th.
"The consul further states that Don
Juan Garza, who ~eems to be the most
powerful among the conspirators, is
accompanied by his daughter, a beau-
tiful girl, who is to be married against
her will to this Philip of Aragon,
when he becomes King of Venezuela.
This is put here to explain to you the
fact that two young American gentle-
men, one of whom is engaged to be
married to Don Juan's daughter, will
arrive at Bolivar on the Steamer Cal-
lao, bearing letters of introduction
from the consul. As these young men
are earnest in their efforts to defeat
the purposes of Garza and his asso-
ciates, show them the courtesies due
citizens of our great and friendly
neighbor, the United States.
"CRESPO. President."
When General Salvarez had read this
through, the clouds cleared away from
his brow, and he lighted another cigar
and strolled leisurely away to meet his
subordinate officers, and to communi-
cate the news to them.
General Salvarez felt that he had no
cause to feel alarmed or disturbed over
the news he had received from Caracas.
In the first place, the Agostura, allow-
ing that she reached the Cludad Boli-
var, at all, would not arrive for four
days to come. But Salvarez did not
for a moment believe that the shtp
of the adventures would ascend the
Orinoco, for it would hardly be possible
that she could pass the gunboats at
the delta, even though she had suc-
ceeded In eluding those farther north.
Therefore, there was ample time for
Salvarez to act, and no reason to de-
part front the usual dignified delibera-
tion and coolness.
His first thought was to plauee a spy
on the heels of the wealthy Pedro
Francisco, to dog his footsteps. But, he
CHAPTER I.
The President's Message.
There is no fairer spot in all Vene-
=uela than the valley of Coroni, and
there is no brighter luxuriance in the
valley of the Coroni than that of the
great plantation of General Jose SaN
varez, which lies on the left bank of
t'he Coroni about twenty miles from
the point of coniluence of that river
with the great Orinoco. Here are raised
~--offes, second to none, not even the
:famous product of Maraca!be; sugar-
cane, bananas, cotton, indigo, cocoa-
routs, corn and wheav.
Along the river was a thick growth,
where, among many other things,
~could be found caoutchouc, the tonka-
:~ean and gutta-percha,
Besides being the proud owner of
twelve thousand acres of thi3 magnifi-
cent and wealth producing territory.
,General Salvarez was the commanding
general of all the troops of the Repub-
:lic of Venezuela south of the Orinoco.
There were, in all, not more than a
"t'housand, and were scattered over
miles of territory; but under the im-
mediate command of General Salverez,
.quartered in the comfortahle fortress
which formed part of Castle Salvarez,
was a regiment consisting of two hun-
