The Cruise of the Thetis: A Tale of the Cuban Insurrection Read online

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  The Cruise of the ThetisA Tale of the Cuban Insurrection

  By Harry Collingwood________________________________________________________________________The Thetis is a fast motor-cruiser. The story takes us to Cuba, andwe visit various places in it (even Guantanamo!). There has been aninsurrection there and our heroes get themselves involved.

  The book used was very well printed, and so the transcription was easy,and we think it has been well-done.________________________________________________________________________THE CRUISE OF THE THETISA TALE OF THE CUBAN INSURRECTION

  BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD

  CHAPTER ONE.

  A FRIEND--AND A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER.

  "Hillo, Singleton, old chap, how are you?" exclaimed a young fellow ofabout eighteen years of age, as he laid his hand upon the shoulder of alad about his own age, who, on a certain fine July day in the year ofgrace 1894, was standing gazing into the window of a shop in Piccadilly.

  The speaker was a somewhat slightly-built youth, rather tall and slim,by no means ill-looking, of sallow complexion and a cast of featuresthat betrayed his foreign origin, although his English was faultless.The young man whom he had addressed was, on the other hand, a typicalEnglishman, tall, broad, with "athlete" written large all over him; fairof skin, with a thick crop of close-cut, ruddy-golden locks that curledcrisply on his well-shaped head, and a pair of clear, grey-blue eyesthat had a trick of seeming to look right into the very soul of anyonewith whom their owner happened to engage in conversation. Just now,however, there was a somewhat languid look in those same eyes that,coupled with an extreme pallor of complexion and gauntness of frame,seemed to tell a tale of ill health. The singularly handsome face,however, lighted up with an expression of delighted surprise as itsowner turned sharply round and answered heartily:

  "Why, Carlos, my dear old chap, this is indeed an unexpected pleasure!We were talking about you only last night--Letchmere, Woolaston,Poltimore, and I, all old Alleynians who had foregathered to dine at theHolborn. Where in the world have you sprung from?"

  "Plymouth last, where I arrived yesterday, _en route_ to London fromCuba," was the answer. "And you are the second old Alleynian whom Ihave already met. Lancaster--you remember him, of course--came up inthe same compartment with me all the way. He is an engineer now in thedockyard at Devonport, and was on his way to join his people, who areoff to Switzerland, I think he said."

  "Yes, of course I remember him," was the answer, "but I have not seenhim since we all left Dulwich together. And what are you doing overhere, now--if it is not an indiscreet question to ask; and how long doyou propose to stay?"

  The sallow-complexioned, foreign-looking youth glanced keenly about himbefore replying, looked at his watch, and then remarked:

  "Close upon half-past one--lunch-time; and this London air of yours hasgiven me a most voracious appetite. Suppose we go in somewhere and getsome lunch, to start with; afterwards we can take a stroll in the Park,and have a yarn together--that is to say, if you are not otherwiseengaged."

  "Right you are, my boy; that will suit me admirably, for I have no otherengagement, and, truth to tell, was feeling somewhat at a loss as to howto dispose of myself for the next hour or two. Here you are, let us gointo Prince's," answered Singleton. The two young men entered therestaurant, found a table, called a waiter, and ordered lunch; and whilethey are taking the meal the opportunity may be seized to make thereader somewhat better acquainted with them.

  There is not much that need be said by way of introduction to either ofthem. Carlos Montijo was the only son of Don Hermoso Montijo, a nativeof Cuba, and the most extensive and wealthy tobacco planter in theVuelta de Abajo district of that island. He was also intenselypatriotic, and was very strongly suspected by the Spanish rulers of Cubaof regarding with something more than mere passive sympathy the effortsthat had been made by the Cubans from time to time, ever since '68, tothrow off the Spanish yoke. He was a great admirer of England, Englishinstitutions, and the English form of government, which, despite all itsimperfections, he considered to be the most admirable form of governmentin existence. It was this predilection for things English that hadinduced him to send his son Carlos over to England, some nine yearsprior to the date of the opening of this story, to be educated atDulwich, first of all in the preparatory school and afterwards in theCollege. And it was during the latter period that Carlos Montijo becamethe especial chum of Jack Singleton, a lad of the same age as himself,and the only son of Edward Singleton, the senior partner in the eminentTyneside firm of Singleton, Murdock, and Company, shipbuilders andengineers. The two lads had left Dulwich at the same time, Carlos toreturn to Cuba to master the mysteries of tobacco-growing, and Singletonto learn all that was to be learnt of shipbuilding and engineering inhis father's establishment. A year ago, however, Singleton senior haddied, leaving his only son without a near relation in the world--Jack'smother having died during his infancy: and since then Jack, as thedominant partner in the firm, had been allowed to do pretty much as hepleased. Not that he took an unwise advantage of this freedom--very farfrom it: he clearly realised that, his father being dead, there was nowa more stringent necessity than ever for him to become master of everydetail of the business; and, far from taking things easy, he had beenworking so hard that of late his health had shown signs of giving way,and at the moment when we make his acquaintance he was in London for thepurpose of consulting a specialist.

  During the progress of luncheon there had been, as was to be expected, abrisk crossfire of question and answer between the two young men, in thecourse of which Montijo had learned, among other things, that his friendJack had been ordered by the specialist to leave business very severelyalone for some time to come, and, if possible, to treat himself to atleast six months' complete change of air, scene, and occupation.

  "It fortunately so happens," said Jack, "that my position in the firmwill enable me to do this very well, since Murdock, the other partner,is, and has been since my father's death, the actual manager of thebusiness; and as he has been with us for nearly thirty years he knowsall that there is to know about it, and needs no assistance from me.Also, I have at last completed the submarine which has been my petproject for almost as long as I can remember, and now all that I need isthe opportunity to try her: indeed, but for Oxley's strict injunctionsto me to cut business altogether, I should certainly spend my holiday inputting the boat to a complete series of very much more thorough andexhaustive tests than have thus far been possible. As it is, I reallyam at an almost complete loss how to spend my six months' holiday."

  "Do you mean to say that you have no plans whatever?" demanded Montijo,as he and his friend rose from the table to leave the restaurant.

  "None but those of the most vague and hazy description possible,"answered Singleton. "Oxley's orders are `change of scene, no work, anda life in the open air'; I am therefore endeavouring to weigh therespective merits of a cruise in my old tub the _Lalage_, and big-gameshooting somewhere in Central Africa. But neither of them seems toappeal to me very strongly; the cutter is old and slow, while as for theshooting project, I really don't seem to have the necessary energy forsuch an undertaking, in the present state of my health."

  "Look here, Jack," observed Montijo eagerly, as he slid his hand withinhis friend's arm and the pair wheeled westward toward Hyde Park, "Ibelieve I have the very scheme to suit you, and I will expound it to youpresently, when we get into the Park and can talk freely without therisk of being overheard. Meanwhile, what was it that you were sayingjust now about a submarine? I re
member, of course, that you were alwaysthinking and talking about submarines while we were at Dulwich, and alsothat you once made a model which you tested in the pond, and which divedso effectually that, unless you subsequently recovered her, she must beat the bottom of the pond still."

  "Ay," answered Jack with a laugh; "I remember that ill-fated model. No,I never recovered her, but she nevertheless served her purpose; for hermishap gave me my first really useful idea in connection with the designof a submarine boat. And at last I have completed a working model whichthus far has answered exceedingly well. She is only a small affair, youknow, five feet in diameter by twenty-five feet long, but she is bigenough to accommodate two men--or even three, at a pinch. I have beenas deep as ten fathoms in her, and have no doubt she could descend totwice that depth; while she has an underwater speed of twenty knots,which she can maintain for five hours."

  "By Jove, that's splendid--very much better than anything that anyoneelse has done, thus far!" exclaimed Montijo admiringly. "You ought tomake your fortune with a boat of that sort. And you are pining for anopportunity to subject her to a thoroughly practical test? Well, myscheme, which I will explain in full when we get into the Park, willenable you to do that."

  "Is that so?" commented Jack. "Then that alone would very stronglypredispose me in favour of it. But why make such a secret of it, oldchap? Is it of such a character that a passer-by, catching a few wordsof it, would be likely to hand us over to the nearest policeman as acouple of conspirators?"

  "Well, no; it is scarcely so bad as that," answered Montijo, laughing:"but it is of such a nature that I would prefer not to speak of it, ifyou don't mind, until we are somewhere in the Park where we can conversefreely without the fear of being overheard. You see, the Pater and Iare pretty well-known to--and not too well liked by--the Spanishauthorities in Cuba, and it is by no means certain that they may notthink it quite worth their while to have us watched over here;therefore--"

  "Yes, of course, I understand," returned Jack; "therefore for thepresent `mum's the word', eh?"

  Montijo nodded, and the two lads strode along, conversing upon varioustopics, until they reached Hyde Park Corner, and swung in through thePark gates, and so on to the grass.

  "Ah, now at last I can speak freely!" remarked Montijo with a sigh ofrelief. "First of all, Singleton," he continued, "you must understandthat what I am about to say will be spoken in the strictest confidence;and, whether you should agree to my proposal or not, I must ask you topledge your honour as a gentleman that you will not repeat a single wordof what I say to anyone--anyone, mind you--without first obtaining myconsent, or that of my Pater."

  "All right, Carlos, my boy," answered Singleton, cheerily; "I promiseand vow all that you ask. There is nobody on the face of this earth ofours who can keep a secret better than I can, as you ought to know bythis time."

  "Yes, I do know it, perfectly well," agreed Montijo. "Well," hecontinued, "the fact is that the Pater and I have at last begun tointerest ourselves actively in Cuban politics. We Cubans, as youperhaps know, have been trying, ever since '68, to induce the Spaniardsto govern us mildly and justly, but thus far all our efforts have beenfruitless: we are still being ground down and tyrannised over until thelives of many of us have become a burden; neither the property, theliberty, nor the life of any Cuban is safe to-day, unless he is well-known to be a supporter of the Spanish Government. After more than aquarter of a century of patient but ineffectual effort, therefore, ithas been determined to take up arms, strike a blow for liberty, andnever rest until Cuba is free from the hated Spanish yoke.

  "It is in connection with this movement that the Pater and I are now inEngland. It is now nearly a year since Senor Marti--the man who aboveall others has been conspicuous in his efforts on behalf of Cuba--gothold of the Pater and succeeded in convincing him that it is the duty ofevery Cuban to do his utmost to free his country from the grasp of thetyrant; and one of the first-fruits of this was the giving of an orderby the Pater--through a friend--for the construction of a fast steam-yacht, to be used as may be required in the service of the country, butprimarily for the purpose of smuggling arms, ammunition, and necessariesof all kinds into the island. Now, by a singular coincidence, thisfriend and agent of the Pater chose your firm as that which should buildthe yacht; and now we, having been advised that she is ready fordelivery--"

  "What!" exclaimed Singleton, "you surely don't mean to say that Number78 is your boat?"

  "Yes," answered Montijo quietly; "that is the number by which she is atpresent known, I believe."

  "Then, Carlos, my dear boy, accept my most hearty congratulations!"exclaimed Singleton. "Our naval constructor has let himself go, andfairly outdone himself over that craft. It was a difficult task thatyou gave him to do when you asked for a boat of not less than threehundred tons on eight feet draught of water, and with a sea speed oftwenty-two knots; but he has done it, and the result is that you have,in Number 78, the prettiest little boat that ever swam. Why, man, shehas already done twenty-four knots over the measured mile, on her fulldraught of water, and in a fairly heavy sea; and she is the verysweetest sea boat that it is possible to imagine. Of course we couldnot have done it had we not boldly adopted the new-fashioned turbineprinciple for her engines; but they work to perfection, and even whenshe is running at full speed one can scarcely feel a tremor in her."

  "I am delighted to receive so excellent an account of her," answeredMontijo, "and so will the Pater be when I tell him--or, rather, when youtell him; for, Singleton, I want you to promise that you will dine withus to-night, and make the Pater's acquaintance. He is the very dearestold chap that you ever met--your own father, of course, excepted--and hewill be enchanted to make your acquaintance. He already knows you wellenough by name to speak of you as `Jack'."

  "I will do so with pleasure," answered Singleton heartily. "I have noother engagement, and after one has been to a theatre or a concert everynight for a week--as I have--one begins to wish for a change. And whileI don't wish to flatter you, Carlos, my boy, if your father is anythinglike you he is a jolly good sort, and I shall be glad to know him. Butwe have run somewhat off the track, haven't we? I understood that youhave some sort of proposal to make."

  "Yes," answered Montijo, "I have. Let me see--what were we talkingabout? Oh, yes, the yacht! Well, now that she is built, we are insomething of a difficulty concerning her--a difficulty that did notsuggest itself to any of us until quite recently. That difficulty isthe difficulty of ownership. She has been built for the service ofCuba, but somebody must be her acknowledged owner; and if she isadmitted to be the property of the Pater, of Marti, or, in fact, of anyCuban, she will at once become an object of suspicion to the SpanishGovernment, and her movements will be so jealously watched that it willbecome difficult, almost to the verge of impossibility, for her torender any of those services for which she is specially intended. Yousee that, Jack, don't you?"

  "Certainly," answered Singleton, "that is obvious to the meanestintellect, as somebody once remarked. But how do you propose to getover the difficulty?"

  "There is only one way that the Pater and I can see out of it," answeredMontijo, "and that is to get somebody who is not likely to incur Spanishsuspicion to accept the nominal ownership of the yacht, under thepretence of using her simply for his own pleasure."

  "Phew!" whistled Singleton. "That may be all right for the otherfellow, but how will it be for you? For that scheme to worksatisfactorily you must not only find a man who will throw himself heartand soul into your cause, but also one whose honesty is proof againstthe temptation to appropriate to himself a yacht which will cost not farshort of forty thousand pounds. For you must remember that unless theyacht's papers are absolutely in order, and her apparent ownershipunimpeachable, it will be no good at all; she must be, so far at leastas all documentary evidence goes, the indisputable property of thesupposititious man of whom we have been speaking: and, that being thecase, there will be nothing but his own inhere
nt honesty to prevent himfrom taking absolute possession of her and doing exactly as he pleaseswith her, even to selling her, should he be so minded. Now, where areyou going to find a man whom you can trust to that extent?"

  "I don't know, I'm sure," answered Montijo; "at least, I didn't until Imet you, Jack. But if you are willing to be the man--"

  "Oh, nonsense, my dear fellow," interrupted Jack, "that won't do at all,you know!"

  "Why not?" asked Montijo. "Is it because you don't care to interfere inCuban affairs? I thought that perhaps, as you are obliged to take alongish holiday, with change of scene and interests, an outdoor life,and so on, you would rather enjoy the excitement--"

  "Enjoy it?" echoed Singleton. "My dear fellow, `enjoy' is not the word,I should simply revel in it; all the more because my sympathies arewholly with the Cubans, while I--or rather my firm, have an old grudgeagainst the Spaniards, who once played us a very dirty trick, of which,however, I need say nothing just now. No, it is not that; it is--"

  "Well, what is it?" demanded Montijo, seeing that Jack pausedhesitatingly.

  "So near as I can put it," answered Jack, "it is this. Your fatherdoesn't know me from Adam; and you only know as much as you learned ofme during the time that we were together at Dulwich. How then can youpossibly tell that I should behave on the square with you? How can youtell that, after having been put into legal possession of the yacht, Ishould not order you and your father ashore and forbid you both to everset foot upon her decks again?"

  Montijo laughed joyously. "Never mind how I know it, Jack," heanswered. "I do know it, and that is enough. And if that is not asufficiently convincing argument for you, here is another. You willadmit that, in order to avoid the difficulty which I have pointed out,we must trust somebody, mustn't we? Very well. Now I say that there isno man in all the world whom I would so implicitly trust as yourself;therefore I ask you, as a very great favour, to come into this affairwith us. It will just nicely fill up your six months' holiday--for thewhole affair will be over in six months, or less--and give you such ajolly, exciting time as you may never again meet with during the rest ofyour life. Now, what do you say to that?"

  "I say that your Pater must be consulted before the matter is allowed togo any further," answered Jack. "You can mention it to him between nowand to-night, if you like, and if the idea is agreeable to him we candiscuss it after dinner. And that reminds me that you have not yetmentioned the place or the hour of meeting."

  "We are staying at the Cecil, and we dine at seven sharp," answeredMontijo. "But don't go yet, old chap, unless I am boring you. Am I?"

  "Do you remember my once punching your head at Dulwich for some triflingmisdemeanour?" asked Jack laughingly, as he linked his arm in that ofMontijo. "Very well, then. If you talk like that you will compel me todo it again. Do you know, Carlos, this scheme of yours is rapidlyexercising a subtle and singularly powerful fascination over me? andeven if your father should hesitate to entrust his boat to me, I feelvery like asking him to let me take a hand in the game, just for the funof the thing. And what a splendid opportunity it would afford fortesting the powers of my submarine! Oh, by Jove, I think I must go, oneway or another!"

  The two young men wandered about the Park for nearly an hour longer,discussing the matter eagerly, and even going so far as to make certaintentative plans; and then they separated and went their respective ways,with the understanding that they were to meet again at the Cecil.

  Jack was putting up at Morley's Hotel, in Trafalgar Square, and hisnearest way back to it was, of course, down Piccadilly; but as he passedout through the Park gate he suddenly bethought himself of certainpurchases that he wished to make at the Army and Navy Stores, and heaccordingly crossed the road and entered the Green Park, with theintention of passing through it and Saint James's Park, and so intoVictoria Street by way of Queen Anne's Gate and the side streets leadingtherefrom. He had got about halfway across Green Park when he becameaware of quick footsteps approaching him from behind, and the nextmoment he was overtaken and accosted by a rather handsome man,irreproachably attired in frock-coat, glossy top-hat, and other garmentsto match. The stranger was evidently a foreigner--perhaps a Spaniard,Jack thought, although he spoke English with scarcely a trace of accent.Raising his hat, he said:

  "Pardon me, sir, but may I venture to enquire whether the gentleman fromwhom you parted a few minutes ago happens to be named Montijo?"

  "Certainly," answered Jack; "there can be no possible objection to yourmaking such an enquiry, somewhat peculiar though it is. But whether Ianswer it or not must depend upon the reason which you may assign forasking the question. It is not usual, here in England, for totalstrangers to ask such personal questions as yours without being preparedto explain why they are asked."

  "Precisely!" assented the stranger suavely. "My reason for asking isthat I am particularly anxious to see Senor Montijo on very importantbusiness of a strictly private nature, and should your friend happen tobe the gentleman in question I was about to ask if you would have thevery great goodness to oblige me with his present address."

  "I see," said Jack. "What caused you to think that my friend mightpossibly be the individual you are so anxious to meet?"

  "Simply a strong general resemblance, nothing more," answered thestranger.

  "Then, my dear sir," said Jack, "since you saw my friend--for otherwiseyou could not have observed his strong general resemblance to the personwhom you are so anxious to meet--will you permit me to suggest thatobviously the proper thing for you to have done was to accost him whenthe opportunity presented itself to you, instead of following me.Before I answer your question I am afraid I must ask you to favour mewith your card, as a guarantee of your _bona fides_, you know."

  "Certainly," answered the stranger unhesitatingly, as he felt in thebreast pocket of his coat for his card-case. His search, however,proved ineffectual, or at least no card-case was produced; andpresently, with an air of great vexation, he exclaimed:

  "Alas! sir, I regret to say that I appear to have lost or mislaid mycard-case, for I certainly have not it with me. My name, however, is--Mackintosh," with just the slightest perceptible hesitation.

  "Mackintosh!" exclaimed Jack with enthusiasm; "surely not one of theMackintoshes of Inveraray?"

  "Certainly, my dear sir," answered the stranger effusively. "You haveno doubt heard of us, and know us to be eminently respectable?"

  "Never heard of you before," answered Jack, with a chuckle. "Good-morning, Mr Mackintosh!" And with a somewhat ironical bow he left thestranger gaping with astonishment.

  "Now, what is the meaning of this, and what does Mr--Mackintosh--ofInveraray--want with Carlos, I wonder?" mused the young man, as hestrode off across the Park. He considered the matter carefully for afew minutes, and presently snapped his fingers as he felt that he hadsolved the puzzle.

  "I don't believe he is in the least anxious to obtain Montijo'saddress," he mused, "otherwise he would have followed Carlos--not me!But I suspect that he has been quietly dogging Carlos, with a view todiscovering what friends he and his father make here in England; and,having seen Carlos and me together for some hours to-day, he wasdesirous of obtaining an opportunity to become acquainted with myfeatures and general appearance. Shouldn't wonder if he follows me upand tries to discover where I live--yes, there the beggar is, obviouslyfollowing me! Very well, I have no objection; on the contrary, the taskof dodging him will add a new zest to life. And I'll give him a goodrun for his money!"

  And therewith Jack, who had thus far been sauntering very quietly along,suddenly stepped out at his smartest pace, and was greatly amused toobserve the anxiety which the stranger evinced to keep up with him. Outthrough the gate by the corner of Stafford House grounds strode Jack,across the Mall, through the gate into Saint James's Park, and along thepath leading to the bridge, where he stopped, ostensibly to watch somechildren feeding the ducks, but really to see what the stranger woulddo. Then on again the moment that the la
tter also stopped, on past thedrinking fountain and through the gate, across Birdcage Walk, and sointo Queen Anne's Gate, a little way along York Street, then to the leftand through into Victoria Street, across the road, and into the mainentrance of the Army and Navy Stores. As he ran up the steps he glancedover his shoulder and saw his pursuer frantically striving to dodgebetween a 'bus and a hansom cab and still to keep his eyes on Jack, whopassed in through the heavy swing doors, through the grocery department,sharp round to the right through the accountant's office into theperfumery department, and so out into Victoria Street again, makingsure, as he passed out, that he had baffled his pursuer. Turning to theleft, Jack then walked a little way down the street towards VictoriaStation until he saw a Camden Town 'bus coming up, when he quietlycrossed the road, boarded the 'bus, and ten minutes later stepped off itagain as it pulled up at its stopping-place at the corner of TrafalgarSquare. Jack now looked carefully round once more, to make quite surethat he had thrown "Mr Mackintosh" off the scent, satisfied himselfthat the individual in question was nowhere in sight, and entered hishotel.