“To Jack it all seemed like a horrible nightmare”
[58]
To Jack it all seemed like a horrible nightmare. Here he was a prisoner in the capital of a strange country. He had no knowledge of the language spoken by those with whom he had to deal, nor did he have friends or relatives within several thousand miles. His only hope in being delivered from his rather serious position lay in the possibility of calling Harry6 Ryder to Mexico City so that he could identify his drawings and explain how they came to be in the possession of some other person. But Jack was not altogether certain that this could be done, or if it could be done, whether his captors would be willing to take that much trouble to prove him innocent. At first he had taken the arrest more or less as a joke, but as he reviewed the various stories he had heard of the Mexican idea of justice,[60] he became very much worried. He knew the punishment meted7 out to a spy and he wondered whether that would be his end. With such thought parading through his brain, he had little chance for sleep that night. Indeed he heard a big clock beyond the barracks walls toll8 every hour from midnight until dawn.
At seven o’clock breakfast was brought to him by an uncouth9 looking private in a dirty white uniform. The meal consisted of tortillas, made of corn flour, and frijoles, which are black Mexican beans. There was not even a cup of water with which to wash it down. Though Jack had had very little to eat the day before, the sight of the mess brought by the soldier sickened him, and he put the tin plate aside untouched.
An hour later an officer with four privates came into the guardhouse and unlocked the door of Jack’s cell. The lad observed that each of the soldiers carried a shining rifle at port arms and the officer entered with sword drawn10. At this he became speechless with horror. Was this a firing squad11! Was he going to be executed without the formality of[61] trial? He was almost too weak to walk when the officer spoke5 to him in Spanish and motioned for him to come forth12. Silently the soldiers formed behind him and urged him forward out of the guardhouse and on to the parade grounds.
His heart-breaking suspense13 ended there, however, when he noted14 the direction in which the soldiers turned him. Instead of marching out into the center of the enclosure they headed directly for a building that looked very much like a large dwelling15. To the young American it appeared as if it might be the home of the commander of the barracks. He hoped it was, for in that case he could be certain of some form of trial at least, during which he could doubtlessly explain about the drawings.
The boy was ushered16 before the austere17 old General by the officer alone, the guard remaining on duty before the door. The commander was seated at a desk in the center of a well-lighted, cheerful-looking room, a uniformed orderly at his elbow. The other occupant of the room was the Secret Service man who had arrested him the day before. Both were poring[62] over the drawings of the lightning arrester which the detective had confiscated18, while on the corner of the officer’s desk was Jack’s traveling bag which had been forced open, possibly for the purpose of finding other evidence against him.
The detective and the officer looked up as the youth entered. Jack’s officer escort saluted19 and retired20 to the rear of the room, leaving the lad standing21 in the middle of the floor alone. The detective cleared his throat and spoke.
“I shall be what you call the interpreter. I spik Mexican, I spik also Inglis. Shall you be content?” he queried22.
“I will be contented23 if you will believe what I tell you,” said Jack rather curtly24. “It is ridiculous to arrest me as a spy. I am an American citizen and those drawings are not war plans or details of a ‘war machine,’ as you suggested yesterday. They are plans for an electrical appliance that is to be built by Mr. Harry Ryder, in order to give better light to Mexico City.”
The detective looked at him with doubt plainly written on his countenance25. Then he[63] turned and in rapid fire sentences imparted Jack’s story to the general. The officer also appeared to doubt the youth’s statement. He was silent for a few moments, however, while he pondered the situation; then through the interpreter he asked:
“Why does Mr. Ryder trust his valuable papers to you?”
“Because he didn’t care to trust your unreliable mail service,” said Jack vindictively26.
“Mexico is a great country. She has a dependability of mail service. You are a gringo who spies for the revolution. Do not tell me not. I saw you with my own eyes pass some secret something to a sympathizer in the plaza28 at Vera Cruz. Ah, but he are arrest already and your secret is now known.”
Jack was startled at first. Then as he recalled the whining29 beggar in the plaza he laughed heartily30.
“Why, he was only a beggar. I gave him a few coins. You are making a mountain out of a mole31 hill, Mr. Detective. Why not have[64] done with all the foolishness by summoning Mr. Ryder from Necaxa? He will prove that the drawings are his and that I am no spy.”
The General and the Secret Service man debated this suggestion for some time. Evidently they thought it a good idea, for the officer presently began to use the telephone at his elbow while the detective talked to Jack.
“We will call Se?or Ryder. General Rodriguez say the great electrical engineer is in Mexico City now. He spoke with him in the café last evening. He will come maybe, and then if you can prove, you must prove. If you don’t, you will be shot to-morrow.”
The commander ceased his telephoning after a few moments and spoke to the interpreter, who, turning to Jack, announced:
“Se?or Ryder is at the office of the Compania de Luz y Fuerza Montriz in Calle de Tetuan. He will be here quite soon.”
The General and the Secret Service agent spent the next fifteen minutes smoking numerous black paper cigarettes and talking quite excitedly to each other while Jack was left standing in the center of the room. The[65] waiting was ages long for the American. But finally there sounded the tooting of an automobile32 horn and roar of a motor from the parade ground outside and a moment later a tall fine-looking American, clad in linen33 trousers and soft shirt, entered the commander’s office.
Jack stepped forward instantly and held out his hand.
“Mr. Ryder,” he said, “I am John Strawbridge, Dr. Moorland’s messenger. I have been arrested and am being held as a spy because I happened to have your drawings in my wallet. You see it excited the curiosity of the customs inspector34 yesterday and the result is I am in the hands of the Mexican Secret Service to-day. I sincerely hope that you can get me out of this rather disagreeable position; otherwise I’ll furnish the target for a firing squad to-morrow morning.”
“Why, this is ridiculous,” said Mr. Ryder as he saw his drawings spread out before General Rodriguez. Then he began to talk in Spanish to the natives. A few moments conversation was all that was necessary to convince[66] the Secret Service agent and the officer that a serious mistake had been made, and each was profuse35 in his apologies to Jack Straw.
“It is a great regret that I arrest so honorable friend of Se?or Ryder,” said the detective with a sweeping36 bow. “I hope you will pardon, Se?or.”
And Jack showed the sort of stuff Americans are made of by stepping forward and warmly shaking hands with the Secret Service agent and the commander.
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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4
stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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5
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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meted
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| v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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9
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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10
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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12
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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13
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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14
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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15
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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16
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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18
confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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20
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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22
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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23
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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24
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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25
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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26
vindictively
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| adv.恶毒地；报复地 | |
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27
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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28
plaza
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| n.广场，市场 | |
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29
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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30
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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31
mole
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| n.胎块；痣；克分子 | |
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32
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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33
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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34
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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35
profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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36
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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