in spite of the fact that he had been able to get but a few hours’ sleep, jack was awake before six o’clock. the noise mr. ryder made in the adjoining room aroused him, and when he realized that the engineer was getting ready to start for the power plant, he dressed with all speed. but though they were up early, old tom why had been awake fully half an hour before them as a steaming breakfast testified.
the two did not linger long over their coffee, however, for they were too eager to reach the station before the day men arrived and tracked through the cement powder. indeed, they left the cottage still munching the last of their meal. the sun had been up two hours, but the mountains across the river were[101] so tall that its rays were only just getting down into the broad valley that held necaxa. jack’s first view of the place by daylight pleased him greatly. as mr. ryder had said, the country was wilderness, the only evidence of civilization being the tracks of the narrow gage railroad and the steel poles that carried the four black serpent-like transmission lines across the clearing and into the forest toward mexico city. necaxa was completely shut off from the rest of the world by mountains, the nearest community being a little nameless indian village down the river.
however, the lad had no time to gaze at the scenery just then, for in a few minutes the workmen would be on the way to the plant. jack and mr. ryder hurried to the side door they had used but three hours before, and in a few moments they were looking at their recent handiwork. from one machine to another they hurried, closely inspecting the dust on the floor, before sweeping it into the pail again. though they did not expect to find traces of a nocturnal visit by the mysterious trouble maker they were keenly alert for every[102] little clue. they inspected each appliance in the main room but all seemed to be in good order, nor did the cement powder reveal a single telltale mark. there remained only the small generators of the exciter sets to be inspected. jack hurried forward to brush up the dust about these machines, for the men were already entering the plant and he did not care to let them know of the trap.
and as he stooped over, his eyes caught the distinct outline of a foot close to the base of the generator! another and still another were discovered close by. he could scarcely credit his eyes. but mr. ryder, who was directly behind him, saw the imprints also.
“by george, we’ve a clue at last!” he exclaimed, leaning forward and examining the tracks. “they have been made by naked feet too! what do you think of that!”
“and i’ll be hanged if that isn’t the mark of a scar on the left heel!” he ejaculated, as he dropped to his hands and knees and scrutinized the tracks. “oh, our task is an easy one now! i’ll guarantee to have the meddler in the hands of the rurales by sundown with this[103] evidence to work on. but look how they have riddled the exciter!”
as jack bent closer he too could see the mark of a scar. the foot had removed the concrete dust completely except for a little ridge diagonally across the heel. this showed plainly that there had been a sharp indentation in the flesh at that point. and as the same mark showed in every other imprint of the left foot there was small room for doubt.
“well, it looks as if our trap had worked far better than we expected,” he said jubilantly, as they prepared to obliterate the track by sweeping up the dust.
“indeed it did,” replied mr. ryder. “here’s positive proof that the culprit is a peon, and with this telltale scar to help out it is only necessary to inspect every peon in the plant and pick out the guilty individual. we’ll have them lined up immediately.”
together they hurried out of the station and across to the quarters of the army officers. the captain in command of the post was on the front porch of his cottage washing his face in a tin basin when mr. ryder interrupted him.[104] the engineer spoke a few words in spanish and the officer hastily reached for a towel, at the same time calling loudly for an orderly. that individual arrived from behind the cottage as if produced by magic, and after listening to the captain’s brief orders saluted and hurried to the barracks building, from the door of which the soldiers were just emerging in various stages of attire.
he returned presently, to be followed five minutes later by a young officer in charge of a squad of ten soldiers. curt instructions were issued by the commander and the soldiers broke ranks immediately and went hurrying here and there about the plant, rounding up every peon in sight.
some of the native laborers protested violently against being hustled into line along the south wall of the station, for they were afraid that they were about to be shot, this being the spot where all the executions in necaxa were staged. but their protests were of no avail, for the soldiers took keen delight in hurrying them along with the sharp point of their bayonets or the flat stock of their guns.
[105]
in less than no time two score natives were facing the gray stone wall. they were a heterogeneous assortment of half-breeds and full-blooded indians with ragged garments and hair long and unkempt. none wore shoes or even sandals.
when every native had been located and the line was complete the soldiers withdrew a short distance and the captain then turning to mr. ryder, spoke nervously and with great concern:
“here are they, se?or, maybe now you find them sick mans, yes.”
“why did he say ‘those sick men?’” asked jack, somewhat puzzled.
“i told him there was a rumor abroad that one of the peons had leprosy and that we wanted to find him and put him in a pest house. though i know very little about the disease i understand it shows first on the face, palms of the hands or soles of the feet,” answered the engineer.
“but why did you tell him that?” demanded the lad.
“well, for the simple reason that i do not[106] care to let any one know what we have discovered. i think the less said about the scar the easier it will be for us to catch our man. if we keep it to ourselves he will never suspect that we set a trap for him. now for the search.”
mr. ryder, jack and the captain began a tour of inspection. each indian was commanded to lift first one foot and then the other, while jack and the engineer scrutinized them closely. the engineer in addition examined their hands and face as well, though not with as keen an eye as he watched the feet. the peons all submitted to the inspection meekly, but it was quite evident from the expression on their faces that they could not understand the whole proceedings. one by one they were passed and as mr. ryder neared the end of the line his brow wrinkled in a perplexed frown. finally when the last man was allowed to go he turned to the officer in charge of the squad and demanded:
“are these all the peons there are about the plant? there must be more!”
“no more are here, se?or. but maybe[107] those sick mans you look on is here in the night men. there are—ah—diez hombres,” said the officer excitedly.
“jack,” said the engineer, “that fellow may be right. it is possible that my man is on the night force or he may be a strange peon who gets into the plant somehow. i think the next move for us to make is to go down to the indian village and do some detective work there. most of the peons we hire live down there and it is more than likely that we will find the man with the scarred heel among them.”
“that sounds reasonable,” said jack, after considering the question. “why not go down there while the trail is hot?”
“all right,” said mr. ryder, “but let me warn you that we will have to travel through about five miles of country infested with rebels and, as you know, they do not look upon any of the white men from the plant with very great favor.”
“i am willing to take the chance,” said jack, laconically.
“very good, only be sure your gun is in working order and your cartridge belt is full.”
