of their final success, that he declared it now was time that General
Rojas should share in their confidence.

"To a man placed as he is," he argued, "hope is everything; hope is
health, life. He must know that his message has reached the outside.
He must feel that some one is working toward him. He is the entombed
miner, and, to keep heart in him, we must let him hear the picks of
the rescuing party."

"Fine!" cried Roddy, "I am for that, too. I'll get my friend Vicenti,
the prison doctor, to show you over the fortress to-morrow. And we'll
try to think of some way to give Rojas warning."

They at once departed for the cafe of the _Dos Hermanos_, where the
gay youth of Porto Cabello were wont to congregate, and where they
found the doctor. During the evening he had been lucky at baccarat,
and had been investing his winnings in sweet champagne. He was in a
genial mood. He would be delighted to escort the friend of Senor Roddy
over the fortress, or to any other of the historical places of
interest for which Porto Cabello was celebrated.

"Where Alvarez punishes traitors," exclaimed Roddy in a loud tone, "is
what we most desire to see. And," he added, scowling darkly through
the smoke-laden cafe, "if we could see others who are still at liberty
in the same place we would be better pleased."

The remark, although directed at no one in particular, caused a
sensation, and led several of those who had been for two years in
exile to hurriedly finish their chocolate ices and seek their homes.

After making an appointment for the morrow with Doctor Vicenti, and
when they were safe in their own _patio_, Peter protested mildly.

"Your devotion to Alvarez," he said, "is too sudden. You overdo it.
Besides, it's making an expert liar of you. Don't get the habit."

"As the son of the man who is trying to destroy Alvarez," declared
Roddy, "my position is extremely delicate. And next week it will be
more so. McKildrick got a cable to-day saying that Sam Caldwell is
arriving here by the next boat. His starting for Porto Cabello the
very moment Vega arrives here means trouble for Alvarez, and that the
trouble is coming soon. For, wherever you find Sam Caldwell, there you
will find plotting, bribery, and all uncleanliness. And if I'm to help
Rojas out of prison I must have nothing to do with Sam. Alvarez
recognizes no neutrals. The man who is not with him is against him. So
I must be the friend of Alvarez and of his creatures. For p