...The Filibusters of Venezuela..!
÷ Or the Trials of a Spanish Oirl.
÷
~, By SEWARD W. HOPKINS.
+ Copyrighted 1900 by Robert Banner's Sons. ~.
CHAPTER III.
The Castle Falls.
We have already spoken of Pedro
Francisco, the wealthy planter, the lov-
er of Senorita Jacinta, and the confid-
ant and agent of Ferdinand Gomez.
Frdncisco was a man about thirty
Years of age, and had inherited from
his father, Spaniard of the type of Don
Juan Garza, not only the broad lands
that made him wealthy, but the fierce
and haughty spirit of the true Span-
iard, and the love of the pomp and dis-
play of royalty that Don Juan possess-
ed.
The hatred of the republican govern-
ment was as strong an emotion in the
heart of Francisco ~s his love for Ja-
.cinta Salvarez. He had thrown himself
into the conspiracy with fervor. The
~uccess of Philip of Aragon would
doubly reward him. With Salvarez in
power, he could not hope to win Jacin-
ta. If the republican power was crush-
ed, he would not only see his beloved
court and courtiers, royal glory and
military pomp, but he would have SaN
'varez in his power and Jacinta should
be his.
The plan of Gomez to begin the
war in the valley of the Coroni, and
his selection of Francisco as his chief
organizer there, was but another proof
of the boundless genius of the man.
All the cupidity of the Zambos had
been well worh:ed upon by Gomez and
Francisco, and they were organized,
re~dy for the revolt against the gov-
ernment having been promised a rich
bounty for their services.
These creatures were under the im-
mediate command of one Mattazudo,
a half-breed, but not a Zambo. Matta-
zudo was half white, that is, Spanish,
and half Indian. He was shrewd, un-
scrupulous an~l cruel as Gomez could
have wished him to be. Moreover, he
had unlimited sway over the Zambos.
Francisco was wonderfully well in-
formed of events of which General SaN
varez was entirely ignorant.
He had received full instructions
from Gomez and knew Just when and
where to meet the Turtle.
Ten miles down the Orinoco from the
mouth of the Coroni, the southern
bank of the river had a peculiar forma-
tion.
In the midst of miles of swamp and
lagoon, one high and dry ridge rose like
a great hog's back from the river to
the dry lands beyond the lagoons.
Gomez, who knew the geography and
topography of the country perfectly,
had selected from the very first that
hog's back as the point on which to
land his arms.
His orders, therefore, to Pedro Fran-
cisco were to assemble a large force--
as many of their adherents as could
be gathered without arousing the sus-
picion of General Salvarez--on the
hog-back to meet him and his fellow
conspirators from the Turtle.
It was therefore a strangely wild
and animated scene that was spread
out before Lola Garza when the Turtle
anchored off the hog-back, and the un-
loading of firearms began.
Preparations did not lag. Every man
was armed, and, having given orders
to the captain of the Turtle to take
the ship out farther into the stream
and await a message from him, Gomez
gave the order to march.
"Where shall we go first?" asked
Philip of Gomez.
"To the Castle of Salvarez," said
Gomez. "The army of the Republic--
that portion of it south of the Orinoco
~is commanded by Salvarez, who has
most of the men at his castle. They are
now at Bolivar watching the unloading
of the Agostura, and his castle will
be an easy prey."
At the castle of Salvarez two women
Were growing anxious. The prolonged
absence of Salvarez filled his wife and
daughter with alarm. Rumors had
reached the castle that the errand of
Salvarez to Bolivar would b~ worse
than useless, for the enemies that were
expected had already landed in an un-
expected way, and the Coronl flowed
between the friends and the enemies of
the republic.
Dana Maria and Jacinta heard these
rumors with alarm, for if the insur-
gents should cross the Coroni and at-
tack the castle, the pitiful handful of
thirty men left by Salvarez would not
be sufficient to protect it.
General Salvarez had an invention
of his own in use on two flat boats
Used to convey cattle or produce across
the river. These boats could be pulled
across the river from either side. Fran-
cisco understood them well, and al-
ready the strained eyes of Jacinta and
her mother saw a boat load of the en-
emy crossing the river.
The few men in the garrison began
firing, but frightened by the seemingly
endless throng that was coming to con-
quor them, threw down their arms
and fled.
"We are lost!" cried Dana Maria.
"Deserted by the few we had, what
can we do? Even the servants have left
Us. We cannot escape!"
"The secret passage!" exclaimed
Jacinta. "There is not a man unfaith-
ful to my father who knows it. Come;
We can escape them there!"
"Of what use is it?" asked Dana Ma-
ria. "We can, it is true, leave the cas-
tle by the secret passage, but what
Shall we do then?"
"Time enough to think of that when
We are safe," said Jacinta. "Come."
They ran to their rooms, hastily
Packed up a few articles, seized their
JeWels, and entering a room on the
ground floor, left it again, disappear-
ing completely and leaving no trace of
the manner in which they went.
An hour later the followers of Philip
and Gomez had all crossed the Coroni,
and the standard of the new king,
Philip of Aragon, floated from the
flagstaff of the castle of Salvarez.
CHAPTER IV.
The Secret Passage.
There was one person in the retinue
of Philip of Aragon whose joy at the
successful capture of the castle of Sal-
varez was not entirely without alloy.
This was Pedro Francisco.
He knew that Senorita Jacinta was
not with her father at Bolivar. He had
dwelt upon the pleasure with which
he would make her his prisoner, to win
release only by making her captivity
lifelong--by becoming his wife.
His chagrin, therefore, when the cas-
tle was found to be unoccupied was
very great.
Ite knew nothing about the secret
passage. Neither did Gomez, or any
one else in the royalist army.
Meanwhile the returning battalions
of Salvarez heard the flying rumors.
Salvarez, who was slowly riding
ahead, accompanied by Medworth and
Tempest, was startled at seeing three
horsemen coming at full gallop toward
him.
The general spurred forward to
meet them.
"What is it? You have news?" he
said.
"The castle! The castle!" cried one.
"The Spaniard!" cried another. "The
people have gone over."
"We are lost!" exclaimed the third.
General Salvarez turned pale.
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
"You cry 'the castle!' Has anything
gone wrong at the castle? Has the en-
emy come? My wife and daughter--
where are they?"
"AH is lost, I tell you?" was the re-
ply. "The whole country has risen in
revolt. An armed force, consisting of
hundreds of men, under Francisco and
the half-breed Mattazudo, attacked the
castle. We fought bravely. VCe killed
over a hundred, but they were too
many for us."
"Silence!" roared General Salvarez.
"Fear has turned you into garrulous
old women. You say the castle is tak-
en? Where, then, are my wife and
daughter "
"Alas!'We do not know. They either
escaped or were captured."
"Likely," said Tempest, speaking in
English to Arthur. "The ladies are
either free or in captivity, alive or
dead. No denying that fellow's brilliant
intellect."
"Hush!" said Medworth.
Salvarez turned toward them, with a
pale, but stern face.
"'My young friends," he said, "the
worst has befallen us. We have been
outwitted--tricked--in the most skill-
ful way. While we were in Bolivar, the
enemy has entered at another point
and now occupy my castle, and have
no doubt captured or killed my wife
and daughter. There is hard work be-
fore me. The castle must be retaken.
~ orward!"
He spurred his horse forward. The
news spread among the men. They
pressed on close behind him. At tl~e
rear came the lumbering artillery--
the guns he had taken to Bolivar to
prevent the landing of ~che enemy.
After a wearisome march they came
in sight of the castle, and from its
staff floated a peculiar gag.
"It not that the flag of Spain?" asked
Medworth.
"No," replied Tempest, whose ven-
turesome life at sea had made him
familiar with the flags of all nations
and the languages of most. "It is the
flag of no known country. It is modeled
closely after that of Spain, but is not
quite like it. A flag no doubt designed
and chosen as the standard of the royal
party in Venezuela."
The column was now halted.
Salvarez called several of his officers
to him.
As was perfectly natural and proper,
Medworth and Tempest were not ad-
mitted to this council of war. They
slipped from their horses and walked
away toward the Coroni. Some of the
soldiers of Salvarez looked at them,
but none tried to stop them from
going.
It was Medworth's idea to get below
the bank of the river, which at this
point was high, and, thus screened
from observation, creep toward the
castle and endeavor to obtain some in-
formation of the actual situation there.
Carefully they crept up the river,
drawing nearer each moment to the
castle, now and then peeping over the
I~ank to take bearings.
The path was beset with difficulties.
At one place they came to a small
stream that flowed into the Coroni, and
to cross which they must find stones
or logs to make a stepping-way.
The road to the castle, along which
the troops of Saivarez were marching,
crossed this stream over a bridge a
quarter of a mile away, but Medworth
did not know that, and if he had, it is
not likely he would have left the shel-
ter of the river bank to go to it.
After a time they found themselves
near the castle.
At this point there was a deep, thick
growth of vines and low .trees along
the river, and they had a view of the
castle only in one place where the road [
was cut through down to the landingI
place of the general's flat boats. I
They hurried passed this, and found I
a secure place among some vines and
bushes on a low spot between the rlver
and the higher bank, about ten feet
from the water.
Here they halted, and if they spoke
at all, spoke only in whispers, while
they peered here and there to see if
there were any human beings near
them.
Suddenly Mdworth was startled at
seeing the thick vines on the side of
the bank move. A hand appeared--a
small, jewelled hand--and then a wom-
an's face.
Medworth clutched Tempest, and
they remained hidden, wondering what
sort of hiding place that was.
Two women--one young and pretty,
the other mature, but still handsome~
emerged cautiously from some secret
place, looked this way and that, and
moved slowly away up the river.
They had not gone beyond the sight
of the young Americans, when, with
a loud shout, a man rushed upon them
and seized the younger.
The Americans heard her scream
and knew that she needed protection.
All thoughts of their own safety fled,
and as they saw two others come to
the assistance of the first, they rushed
out.
"Are you not the wife and daughter
of General Salvarez?" asked Medworth.
Jacinta looked up into the handsome
face of the young American, and said:
"We are, senor, and this man is our
enemy."
It is, of course, apparent to the read-
er that Jacinta's assailant was Pedro
Francisco. He made a gesture as if te
draw his knife, but before he c~uld
use it', the sledge-hammer fist of Terns-
pest caught him square, and he went
cursing and howling to earth.
His two companions attempted to
help him, but Medworth, who was a
strong man himself, though not equal
to Tempest in strength, knocked one
of them down, and Tempest nearly
killed the other.
The Americans then, to end the af-
fair before others came, drew their re-
volvers, and Francisco and his com-
panions sneaked away, crestfallen
and swearing vengeance.
The Americans were overwhelmed
with thanks, and Jacinta's black eyes
wel,e devouring Medworth's face and
figure, while her tongue was uttering
soft words of gratitude for his timely
assistance.
"What a handsome man!" she was
saying to herself. "I wonder who he in.
I hope I shall meet him again."
"Senors," said Dana Maria, who had
no thought of the romance in the sit-
uation, but hungered for news' of her
husband, "do you know where General
Salvarez is now?"
"He is about a mile below, with his
soldiers," replied Medworth, who
spoke Spanish better than Tempest.
"We left him to hurry forward and
gain some knowledge of the situation.
We wilt escort you to him."
So they started back down the river,
Medworth helping Jacinta, and Tem-
pest having Dana Maria under his
care.
Jacinta smiled fascinatingly upon
Medworth, and asked him where he
came from.
"I came from New York with my
friend," he answered. "A beautiful girl
is in the hands of the men who have
captured your castle, and we have
come to rescue her."
Then Jacinta did not look so pleased.
"Is there any secret approach to the
castle?" asked Medworth.
"No," replied Jacinta, boldly; "there
is none."
When they had escorted the two la-
dies to that point where they could see
the faces of the approaching army, they
bade them adieu, and again receiving
thanks, turned back toward the castle.
"Quite an adventure," said Tempest.
"By Jove, though, that girl's a stun-
net! What eyes! But what are we go-
ing to do now?"
"Those women escaped from the cas-
tle by some secret way," said Med-
worth," and we saw them emerge ap-
parently from the very ground. It's my
belief that' there is a cave or some-
thing there, perhaps with a communi-
cation with the castle." * * *
(To be Continued )
EXAMININO-THE DOCTORS.
Partially Educated Physicians Menace
llcalth of the Public.
Medical examinations in this state
are strict, but not severe, says the
Philadelphia Times. Certainly no per-
son should be allowed to take human
life into his hands unless he was able
to answer the few questions that are
asked, and yet those who fail consider
their fate a personal hardship. They
probably forget the interests of the
people they would practice upon, if al-
lowed to hang out their signs. Con-
sider for a moment that in many'other
states in this country young men en-
ter at once into the practice of medi-
cine from imperfectly managed schools
which turn them out in short order. If
put to the Pennsylvania test, they
could never practice medicine, but
with imperfect educations, with scant
training, and as a rule with little na-
tural aptitude for the work, they
physic the body and occasionally op-
erate upon it with knives and saws.
Considering the thousands of partially
educated doctors who are turned ~pon
the country every year, it is wonderful
that the longevity of the nation is in-
creasing. Still that may be explained
by the fact that most sensible people
nowadays are not taking medicine ex-
cept under compulsion, and many of
our best doctors are stronger in de-
mands about food, exercise and fresh
air than they are about their prescrip-
tmns` The wife of one of the most
successful and most noted physicians
in this country complained the other
day that she never got an opportunity
to give her children medicine, except
when the doctor was called out of
town.--Philadelphia Times.
Deep collar; of Irish or guipure lace
appear on many of the smart models.
The European War Cloud.
The sultan's getting ready to be ugly,
so they say;
He is buying cannon that he wants de-
livered right away;
He has all the correspondents in a
quiver; they declare
That the situation's grave, and that
there's trouble in the air,
But don't you get excited, don't fly off
the handle--
FOR
There won't be any war.
Ah, the world is waiting, hoping, for
the great and glorious day
When the sultan and the shameful
throne he's on shall pass away,
When the nations shall unfurl the
splendid flag of Progress where
The soiled old star and crescent's tat-
tered edges foul the air;
But the nations still are jealous, there- fore patience, patience---
FOR
There won't be any war.
--S. E. KISEI~
More off ~och°~ Theory.
As those who have made a study of
tuberculosis surmised, Prof. Koch was
by no means so emphatic in his dec-
laration that tuberculosis could not be
conveyed from cattle to mankind as
the first reports indicated. The basis
of his remarks was the fact that he
had failed nineteen times to convey
human tuberculosis to cattle. He
never has tried, and we believe that
no one else has trled~ to convey bovine
tuberculosis to man. All, then, that
Prof. Koch really seemed to prove was
that human tuberculosis was not
transmissible to cattle--a fact of no
great hygienic importance, compara-
tively speaking. These failures of his,
however, suggested to him the possi-
bility that the germ of bovind tuber-
losis were not identical, and that in-
ferentially, therefore, bovine tuber-
culosis from man to man has not been
experimentally proved, and rests on
foundations hardly more solid than
those which support the belief that
bovine tuberculosis can be conveyed
to man by meat and by milk, one is as
much entitled to belief until the neg-
ative is proved as the other. No one
doubts the transmissibillty of tuber-
culosis from man to man, and few can
therefore doubt the transmissibility of
tuberculosis from cattle to man.
A .S'~mmer Home for ~re.ride~t~.
Hotel men at Atlantic City have sug-
gested that it would be an excellent
plan for Congress to build at that place
a handsome cottage to serve as the
summer residence of the President.
There is no doubt that if Atlantic City
were made a kind of summer capital
the hotel men would be benefited con-
siderably. Real estate would be likely
to advance in value. There are many
men who would wish to build cottages
in the neighborhood of the presidential
cottage. But if Congress were to show
signs of willingness to take up this
question other towns and other states
would present their claims. There
would be almost as much rivalry as
there was when the location of the fed-
eral capital under consideration. New
York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and
other states have summer resorts
which would like to be the President's
summer headquarters. It is better to
let whoever may be President select
his own sumer home, and not attempt
to tie him down to one spot.
l~on a ,.~o~immi~] Coflfe~t.
A rather remarkable swimming con-
test took place across the Narrows
between Brooklyn
and Staten Island,
when two girls, one
nineteen and the
other eleven, swam
a distance more or
less accurately esti-
mated at four
miles. The young-:
er girl, Miss Elaine ~ :x_
Gelding, defeated -
Mlss May Behr by
nearly half a mlle.
On account of the ~,~,~
