dent, and it would obviously be an advantage to
her friends if he could be persuaded to leave the country now Adam was
ill. Admitting this, he thought her warning sincere. On the whole, he
liked Francisca Sarmiento and believed she did not want him to be hurt.
If Adam did not get much better and he had to look after things, he would
certainly run some risk of a cunning attack by the president's enemies.

When the guests began to leave, Kit went to his room and after some
hours of broken sleep was told that Adam wanted him. He found Alvarez in
the room and Adam lying, with a flushed face and wet forehead, in a big
cane chair. When Kit came in Adam gave him a friendly smile and turned
to Alvarez.

"If I'd taken that drink at a wineshop, I'd have deserved all I got," he
said. "I allowed I was safe at the presidio."

"It is a stain on my hospitality for which somebody shall pay."

"That's all right," said Adam; "you're not accountable. Looks as if the
other fellow was too smart for both of us; but I had a feeling I'd better
stick to _tinto_ and _siphon_. You can generally taste anything
suspicious in that mixture and I've been doped before. But, as I'm an
American citizen and American influence is powerful, I didn't expect
they'd be bold enough to get after me."

Alvarez smiled. "Our climate is unhealthy, but if you had died and
suspicion was excited, your countrymen would have made the
president responsible. That would have been another embarrassment
and I have enough."

"Galdar's friends are a cunning lot," Adam replied. "Well, I think your
doctor has fixed me up for a time. What about your plans?"

"I had some talk with my supporters last night and we agreed to strike
when the _Rio Negro's_ cargo arrives. We need the guns and money to pay
my troops, and when we get them we will arrest the leading conspirators.
This will start the revolution, but it will fail if my blow is struck
before Galdar is ready."

"Yes," said Adam. "We can trust Mayne; he knows he's got to hustle. I've
fixed it for him to get the Spanish money at Havana and that will mean
losing a day or two, but the old _Rio Negro_ can hit up a pretty good
pace and Mayne won't spare his coal. I reckon we'll hear from him soon."

Adam stopped and Kit, seeing that it cost him an effort to talk, took
the president away. They met the doctor on the stairs and Kit waited at
the bottom until he came down. Senor Martin was a fat, dark-skinned,
Spanish Creole.