Torchy take him
away somewhere and find out what it's all about."

"Sure!" says I. "This way, Seenor."

"Perdone," says he. "Say-nohr."

"Got you," says I, "only I may not follow you very far. About all the
Spanish I had I used up this noon orderin' an omelet, but maybe we can
get somewhere if we're both patient. Here we are, in my nice cozy corner
with all the rest of the day before us. Have a chair, Say-nohr."

He's a perky, high-colored old boy, and to judge by the restless black
eyes, a real live wire. He looks me over sort of doubtful, stroking the
zippy little chin tuft as he does it, but he ends by shruggin' his
shoulders resigned.

"I come," says he, "in quest of Senor Captain Yohness."

"Yohness?" says I, tryin' to look thoughtful. "No such party around here
that I know of."

"It must be," says he. "That I have ascertained."

"Oh, well!" says I. "Suppose we admit that much as a starter. What about
him? What's he done?"

"Ah!" says the Senor Don Pedro, spreadin' out his hands eloquent. "But
that is a long tale."

It was, too. I expect that was what had got him in wrong with Old
Hickory. However, he tackles it once more, using the full-arm movement
and sprinklin' in Spanish liberal whenever he got stuck. Course, this
fallin' back on his native tongue must have been a relief to him, but it
didn't help me out much. Some I could guess at, and when I couldn't I'd
get him to repeat it until I worked up a hunch. Then we'd take a fresh
start. It's surprisin', too, how well we got along after we had the
system doped out.

And accordin' to the Hon. Pete this Cap. Yohness party is an American
who hails from New York. Don't sound reasonable, I admit, with a
monicker like that, but I let the old boy spin along. Yohness had gone
to Cuba years ago, way back before the Spanish-American war. I take it
he was part of a filibusterin' outfit that was runnin' in guns and
ammunition for the Cubans to use against the Spaniards. In fact, he
mentions Dynamite Johnny O'Brien as the leader of the crowd. I think
that was the name. Listens like it might have been, anyway.

Well, he says this Senor Yohness is some reckless cut-up himself, for he
not only runs the blockade of Spanish warships and lands his stuff, but
then has the nerve to stick around the island and even take a little
trip into Havana. Seems that was some stunt, too, for if he'd been
caught at it he'd have found a swift finish against the nearest wall.

Cour