第1章

byRichardHardingDavisMygoingtoValenciawasentirelyanaccident。ButthemoreoftenIstatedthatfact，themoresatisfiedwaseveryoneatthecapitalthatIhadcomeonsomesecretmission。Eventhevenerablepoliticianwhoactedasourminister，thenightofmyarrival，afterdinner，saidconfidentially，"Now，Mr。Crosby，betweenourselves，what’sthegame？"

"What’swhatgame？"Iasked。

"YouknowwhatImean，"hereturned。"Whatareyouherefor？"

Butwhen，forthetenthtime，IrepeatedhowIcametobemaroonedinValenciaheshowedthathisfeelingswerehurt，andsaidstiffly:"Asyouplease。Supposewejointheladies。"

Andthenextdayhiswifereproachedmewith:"Ishouldthinkyoucouldtrustyourownminister。MyhusbandNEVERtalks——noteventome。"

"SoIsee，"Isaid。

Andthenherfeelingswerehurtalso，andshewentabouttellingpeopleIwasanagentoftheWalker—Keefecrowd。

MyonlyreasonforrepeatingherethatmygoingtoValenciawasanaccidentisthatitwasbecauseSchnitzeldisbelievedthatfact，andtodragthehideousfactsfrommefollowedmebacktoNewYork。

ThroughthatcircumstanceIcametoknowhim，andamabletotellhisstory。

ThesimpletruthwasthatIhadbeensentbytheStateDepartmenttoPanamato"go，look，see，"andstraightenoutacertainconflictofauthorityamongtheofficialsofthecanalzone。WhileIwastheretheyellow—feverbrokeout，andeveryself—respectingpowerclappedaquarantineontheIsthmus，withtheresultthatwhenI

triedtoreturntoNewYorknosteamerwouldtakemetoanyplacetowhichanywhitemanwouldcaretogo。ButIknewthatatValenciatherewasadirectlinetoNewYork，soItookatrampsteamerdownthecoasttoValencia。IwenttoValenciaonlybecausetomeeveryotherportintheworldwasclosed。Mypositionwasthatofthemanwhoexplainedtohiswifethathecamehomebecausetheotherplaceswereshut。

But，because，formerlyinValenciaIhadheldaminorpostinourlegation，andbecausetheStateDepartmentsoconstantlyconsultsourfirmonquestionsofinternationallaw，itwasbelievedI

revisitedValenciaonsomemysteriousandsecretmission。

Asamatteroffact，hadIgonetheretosellphonographsortostartasteamlaundry，Ishouldhavebeenasgreatlysuspected。

ForinValenciaeveneverycommercialsalesman，fromthemomenthegivesuphispassportonthesteameruntilthepolicepermithimtodepart，issuspected，shadowed，andbegirtwithspies。

IbelievethatduringmybriefvisitIenjoyedthedistinctionofoccupyingtheundividedattentionofthree:acommonorgardenGovernmentspy，fromwhomnoguiltymanescapes，aWalker—Keefespy，andthespyoftheNitrateCompany。ThespyoftheNitrateCompanyisgenerallyamanyoumeetatthelegationsandclubs。Heplaysbridgeandisdignifiedwiththetitleof"agent。"TheWalker—Keefespyisostensiblyatravellingsalesmanorhotelrunner。TheGovernmentspyisjustaspy——ascowling，importantlittlebeastinawhiteducksuitandadiamondring。Thelimitofhisintelligenceistofollowyouintoacigarstoreandnotewhatcigaryoubuy，andinwhatkindofmoneyyoupayforit。

Thereasonforitallwasthethree—corneredfightwhichthenwasbeingwagedbytheGovernment，theNitrateTrust，andtheWalker—

Keefecrowdforthepossessionofthenitratebeds。Valenciaissoneartotheequator，andsofarfromNewYork，thattherearefewwhostudiedtheintricatestoryofthatdisgracefulstruggle，which，Ihastentoadd，withthefearoflibelbeforemyeyes，Idonotintendtotellnow。

Briefly，itwasatriangularfightbetweenopponentseachofwhomwasinthewrong，andeachofwhom，togainhisend，bribed，blackmailed，androbbed，notonlyhisadversaries，butthoseofhisownside，theendinviewbeingthepossessionofthosegreatdepositsthatlieintherocksofValencia，bakedfromabovebythetropicsunandfrombelowbyvolcanicfires。Asoneoftheirengineers，onenightinthePlaza，saidtome:"Thosemineswereconceivedinhell，andstinktoheaven，andthereputationofeverymanofusthathastouchedthemsmellslikethemines。"

AtthetimeIwastherethesituationwas"acute。"InValenciathesituationalwaysisacute，butthistimeitlookedasthoughsomethingmighthappen。OnthedaybeforeIdepartedtheNitrateTrusthadcabledvehementlyforwar—ships，theMinisterofForeignAffairshadrefusedtoreceiveourminister，andatPortoBanosamobhadmadethetinsignoftheUnitedStatesconsulatelooklikeasieve。Ourministerurgedmetoremain。Tobebombardedbyone’sownwar—ships，heassuredme，wouldbeathrillingexperience。

ButIrepeatedthatmybusinesswaswithPanama，notValencia，andthatifinthismatterofhisrowIhadanyweightatWashington，asbetweenpreservingthenitratebedsforthetrust，andpreservingforhiscountryandvarioussweetheartsonebrown—

throated，clean—limbedbluejacket，Iwasforthebluejacket。

Accordingly，whenIsailedfromValenciatheageddiplomatwouldhavedescribedourrelationsasstrained。

Ourshipwasaslowship，listedtotouchatmanyports，andasearlyasnoononthefollowingdaywestoppedforcargoatTrujillo。ItwasthereImetSchnitzel。

InPanamaIhadboughtamacawforalittlenieceofmine，andwhileweweretakingoncargoIwentashoretogetatincageinwhichtoputit，and，fordirection，calleduponourconsul。Fromaninnerroomheenteredexcitedly，smilingatmycard，andaskedhowhemightserveme。ItoldhimIhadaparrotbelowdecks，andwantedtobuyatincage。

"Exactly。Youwantatincage，"theconsulrepeatedsoothingly。

"TheStateDepartmentdoesn’tkeepmeawakenightscablingmewhatit’sgoingtodo，"hesaid，"butatleastIknowitdoesn’tsendathousand—dollar—a—minute，four—cylinderlawyerallthewaytothisfeverswamptobuyatincage。Now，honest，howcanIserveyou？"

Isawitwashopeless。Noonewouldbelievethetruth。Toofferittothisfriendlysoulwouldmerelyoffendhisfeelingsandhisintelligence。

So，withmuchmystery，Iaskedhimtodescribethe"situation，"andhedidsowiththeexactnessofonewhobelievesthatwithinanhoureverywordhespeakswillbecabledtotheWhiteHouse。

WhenIwasleavinghesaid:"Oh，there’sanewspapercorrespondentafteryou。Hewantsaninterview，Iguess。Hefollowedyoulastnightfromthecapitalbytrain。Youwanttowatchouthedon’tcatchyou。HisnameisJones。"IpromisedtobeonmyguardagainstamannamedJones，andtheconsulescortedmetotheship。

Ashewentdowntheaccommodationladder，Icalledovertherail:

"IncasetheySHOULDdeclarewar，cabletoCuracoa，andI’llcomeback。Anddon’tcableanythingindefinite，like’Situationcritical’or’Warimminent。’Understand？Cableme，’Comeback’or’Goahead。’Butwhateveryoucable，makeitCLEAR。"

Heshookhisheadviolentlyandwithhisgreen—linedumbrellapointedatmyelbow。Iturnedandfoundayoungmanhungrilylisteningtomywords。HewasleaningontherailwithhischinonhisarmsandthebrimofhisPanamahatdrawndowntoconcealhiseyes。

Onthepier—head，fromwhichwenowweredrawingrapidlyaway，theconsulmadeamegaphoneofhishands。

"That’sHIM，"hecalled。"That’sJones。"

Jonesraisedhishead，andIsawthatthetropicalheathadmadeJonesthirsty，orthatwithfriendshehadbeencelebratinghisdeparture。Hewinkedatme，and，apparentlywithpleasureathisowndiscernmentandwithpityforme，smiled。

"Oh，ofcourse！"hemurmured。Histonewasoneofheavyirony。

"Makeit’clear。’Makeitcleartothewholewharf。Shoutitoutso’severybodycanhearyou。You’re’clear’enough。"Hisdisgustwastoodeepforordinarywords。"Myuncle！"heexclaimed。

BythisIgatheredthathewasexpressinghiscontempt。

"Ibegyourpardon？"Isaid。

Wehadthedecktoourselves。Itsemptinesssuddenlyremindedmethatwehadtheship，also，toourselves。Irememberedthepurserhadtoldmethat，exceptforthosewhotravelledovernightfromporttoport，Iwashisonlypassenger。

WithdismayIpicturedmyselffortendaysadriftonthehighseas——

alonewithJones。

Withadramaticgesture，asonewouldsay，"Iamhere！"hepushedbackhisPanamahat。Withanunsteadyfingerhepointed，asitwasdrawndrippingacrossthedeck，atthesternhawser。

"Youseethatrope？"hedemanded。"SoonasthatropehitthewaterIknockedoffwork。S’longasyouwasinValencia——me，onthejob。

Now，YOUcan’tgoback，Ican’tgoback。Whyfurtherdissim’lation？WHOAMI？"

Hisconditionseemedtoprecludethepossibilityofhisknowingwhohewas，soItoldhim。

HesneeredasIhaveseenmensneeronlyinmelodrama。

"Oh，ofcourse，"hemuttered。"Oh，ofcourse。"

Helurchedtowardmeindignantly。

"Youknowperfec’lywellJonesisnotmyname。Youknowperfec’lywellwhoIam。"

"Mydearsir，"Isaid，"Idon’tknowanythingaboutyou，exceptthatyourareadamnednuisance。"

Heswayedfromme，painedandsurprised。Apparentlyhewasuponanoutbreakoftears。

"Proud，"hemurmured，"ANDhaughty。Proudandhaughtytothelast。"

Ineverhaveunderstoodwhyanintoxicatedmanfeelstheclimaxofinsultistohurlatyouyourname。Perhapsbecauseheknowsitistheonechargeyoucannotdeny。Butinvariablybeforeyouescape，asthoughassuredthewordswillcoveryourretreatwithshame，hethrowsatyouyourfulltitle。Jonesdidthis。

Slowlyandmercilesslyherepeated，"Mr。——George——Morgan——Crosby。

OfHarvard，"headded。"Proudandhaughtytothelast。"

Hethenembracedapassingsteward，anddemandedtobeinformedwhytheshiprolled。Heneverknewashiptorollasourshiprolled。

"Perfec’lysatisfact’ryocean，butship——rollinglikeastone—

breaker。Takemesomeplaceintheshipwherethisshipdon’troll。"

Thestewardledhimaway。

Whenhehaddroppedthelocalpilotthecaptainbeckonedmetothebridge。

"IsawyoutalkingtoMr。Schnitzel，"hesaid。"He’salittleundertheweather。Hehastoolightaheadforliquors。"

Iagreedthathehadalighthead，andsaidIunderstoodhisnamewasJones。

"That’swhatIwantedtotellyou，"saidthecaptain。"HisnameisSchnitzel。HeusedtoworkfortheNitrateTrustinNewYork。

Thenhecamedownhereasanagent。He’sagoodboynottotellthingsto。Understand？SometimesIcarryhimunderonename，andthenextvoyageunderanother。Thepurserandhefixitupbetween’em。Itpleaseshim，anditdon’thurtanybodyelse，solongasI

tellthemaboutit。Idon’tknowwhohe’sworkingfornow，"hewenton，"butIknowhe’snotwiththeNitrateCompanyanymore。

Hesoldthemout。"

"Howcouldhe？"Iasked。"He’sonlyaboy。"

"HehadaberthastypewritertoSenatorBurnsides，presidentoftheNitrateTrust，sortofconfidentialstenographer，"saidthecaptain。"Wheneverthesenatordictatedanimportantletter，theysay，Schnitzelusedtomakeacarboncopy，andwhenhehadenoughofthemhesoldthemtotheWalker—Keefecrowd。Then，whenWalker—

KeefelosttheirsuitintheValenciaSupremeCourtIguessSchnitzelwentovertoPresidentAlvarez。Andagain，somefolkssayhe’sbackwiththeNitrateCompany。"

"Afterhesoldthemout？"

"Yes，butyouseehe’sworthmoretothemnow。HeknowsalltheWalker—KeefesecretsandAlvarez’ssecrets，too。"

Iexpressedmyopinionofeveryoneconcerned。

"Itshouldn’tsurpriseYOU，"complainedthecaptain。"Youknowthecountry。Everymaninitisoutforsomethingthatisn’this。Thepilotwantshisbit，thehealthdoctormustgethis，thecustomstakeallyourcigars，andifyoudon’tputupgoldforthecaptainoftheportandthealcaldeandthecommandantandtheharborpoliceandtheforemanofthecargadores，theywon’tmovealighter，andthey’llholduptheship’spapers。Well，anAmericancomesdownhere，honestandstraightandwillingtoworkforhiswages。Butprettyquickhefindseveryoneisgettinghissqueezebuthim，sohetriestogetsomeofitbackbyrobbingthenativesthatrobbedhim。Thenherobstheotherforeigners，anditain’tlongbeforehe’scheatingthepeopleathomewhosenthimhere。

Thereisn’tamaninthisnitraterowthatisn’trobbingthecrowdhe’swith，andthatwouldn’tchangesidesformoney。Schnitzel’snoworsethanthepresidentnorthecanteencontractor。"

Hewavedhishandattheglaringcoast—line，atthesteamingswampsandthehot，nakedmountains。

"It’sthecountrythatdoesit，"hesaid。"It’sintheair。Youcansmellitassoonasyoudropanchor，likeyousmelltheslaughter—houseatPunta—Arenas。"

"HowdoYOUmanagetokeephonest，"Iasked，smiling。

"Idon’ttakeanychances，"exclaimedthecaptainseriously。"WhenI’mintheirdamnedportIdon’tgoashore。"

IdidnotagainseeSchnitzeluntil，withhaggardeyesandsuspiciouslywethair，hejoinedthecaptain，doctor，purser，andmyselfatbreakfast。InthephrasesoftheTenderloin，hetolduscheerfullythathehadbeengrandlyintoxicated，andtorecoverdrankmixturesofrawegg，vinegar，andredpepper，thesightofwhichtookawayeveryappetitesavehisown。Whentothishehadaddedabottleofbeer，hedeclaredhimselfanewman。Thenewmanfollowedmetothedeck，andwiththetruculentbearingofonewhoexpectstoberepelled，heaskedif，thedaybefore，hehadnotmadeafoolofhimself。

Isuggestedhehadbeensomewhatconfidential。Atonceherecoveredhisposeandpatronizedme。

"Don’tyoubelieveit，"hesaid。"That’sallpartofmygame。

’Confidenceforconfidence’isthewayIworkit。That’showI

learnthings。Itellamansomethingontheinside，andhesays:

’Here’saniceyoungfellow。Nothingstandoffishabouthim，’andhetellsmesomethingheshouldn’t。LikeasnotwhatItoldhimwasn’ttrue。See？"

Iassuredhimheinterestedmegreatly。

"Youfind，then，inyourlineofbusiness，"Iasked，"thatapparentfranknessisadvisable？Asarule，"Iexplained，"secrecyiswhata——apersoninyourline——a——"

TosavehisfeelingsIhesitatedattheword。

"Aspy，"hesaid。Hisfacebeamedwithfatuouscomplacency。

"ButifIhadnotknownyouwereaspy，"Iasked，"wouldnotthathavebeenbetterforyou？"

"Indealingwithapartylikeyou，Mr。Crosby，"Schnitzelbegansententiously，"Iuseadifferentmethod。You’reonasecretmissionyourself，andyougetyourinformationaboutthenitraterowoneway，andIgetitanother。Idealwithyoujustlikeweweredrummersinthesamelineofgoods。Wearerivalsinbusiness，butoutsideofbusinesshoursperfectgentleman。"

Inthefaceofthedisbeliefthathadmetmydenialsofanysecretmission，IfelttohaveSchnitzelalsodisbelievemewouldbetoogreatahumiliation。SoIremainedsilent。

"YoumakeyourreporttotheStateDepartment，"heexplained，"andImakemineto——mypeople。Whotheyaredoesn’tmatter。You’dliketoknow，andIdon’twanttohurtyourfeelings，but——that’sMYsecret。"

MyonlyfeelingswereadesiretokickSchnitzelheavily，butforSchnitzeltosuspectthatwasimpossible。Rather，hepicturedmeasshakenbyhisdisclosures。

Ashehungovertherailtheglareofthesunonthetumblingwaterlituphisfoolish，mongrelfeatures，exposedtheircunning，theirutterlackofanycharacter，andshowedbehindtheshiftyeyesthevacant，half—crookedmind。

Schnitzelwassmilingtohimselfwithasmileofcompleteself—

satisfaction。Inthelightofhislaterconduct，Igrewtounderstandthatsmile。Hehadanticipatedarebuff，andhehadbeenreceived，ashereadit，withconsideration。Theironyofmypolitenesshehadentirelymissed。Instead，hereadinwhatIsaidtheadmirationoftheamateurfortheprofessional。HesawwhathebelievedtobeahighagentoftheGovernmenttreatinghimasaworthyantagonist。InnootherwaycanIexplainhislaterheapinguponmehisconfidences。Itwasthevanityofachildtryingtoshowoff。

Intendays，inthelimitedareaofatwo—thousand—tonsteamer，onecouldnothelpbutlearnsomethingofthehistoryofsocommunicativeafellow—passengerasSchnitzel。HisparentswereGermanandstilllivedinGermany。ButhehimselfhadbeenbroughtupontheEastSide。AnunclewhokeptadelicatessenshopinAvenueAhadsenthimtothepublicschoolsandthentoa"businesscollege，"wherehehaddevelopedremarkableexpertnessasastenographer。Hereferredtohisskillinthisdifficultexercisewithpityingcontempt。Nevertheless，fromaroomnoisywithtype—

writersthisskillhadliftedhimintotheprivateofficeofthepresidentoftheNitrateTrust。There，asSchnitzelexpressedit，"Isaw’mine，’andItookit。"TotracebackthecriminalinstinctthatledSchnitzeltostealandselltheprivatelettersofhisemployerwasnotdifficult。InallofhisfewearlyyearsIfounditlyinglatent。Ofeverystoryhetoldofhimself，andhetalkedonlyofhimself，therewasnotonethatwasnottohisdiscredit。

Hehimselfneversawthis，northatallhetoldmeshowedhewaswithoutthemoralsense，andwithaninstinctiveenjoymentofwhatwasdeceitful，mean，andunderhand。That，asIreadit，washischaracter。

Inappearancehewassmooth—shaven，withlonglocksthathungbehindwide，protrudingears。Hehadtheunhealthyskinofbadblood，andhiseyes，asthoughthedaylighthurtthem，constantlyopenedandshut。HewaslikehundredsofyoungmenthatyouseeloiteringonupperBroadwayandmakingpredatoryraidsalongtheRialto。Hadyoupassedhiminthatneighborhoodyouwouldhavesethimdownasawire—tapper，aracingtout，awould—beactor。

AsIworkeditout，Schnitzelwasaspybecauseitgavehimanimportancehehadnotbeenabletoobtainbyanyothereffort。Asachildandasaclerk，itwaseasytoseethatamonghisassociatesSchnitzelmustalwayshavebeenthebutt。Untilsuddenly，byonedirtyaction，hehadplacedhimselfoutsidetheirclass。Asheexpressedit:"WheneverIwalkthroughtheofficenow，whereallthestenographerssit，yououghttoseethoseslobslookafterme。Whentheygotothepresident’sdoor，theygottoknock，likeIusedto，butnow，whentheoldmanseesmecomingtomakemyreportafteroneofthesetripshecallsout，’Comerightin，Mr。Schnitzel。’AndlikeasnotIgoinwithmyhatonandofferhimacigar。An’theyseemedoit，too！"

Tome，thatspeechseemedtogiveSchnitzel’sviewofthevaluesofhislife。Hisvanitydemandedhebepointedat，ifevenwithcontempt。Butthecontemptneverreachedhim——heonlyknewthatatlastpeopletooknoteofhim。Theynolongerlaughedathim，theywereafraidofhim。Inhishearthebelievedthattheyregardedhimasonewhowalkedinthedarkplacesofworldpolitics，whopossessedanevilknowledgeofgreatmenasevilashimself，asonewhobyblackmailheldpublicministersathismercy。

Thisviewofhimselfwastheonethathetriedtogiveme。I

probablywasthefirstdecentmanwhoeverhadtreatedhimcivilly，andtoimpressmewithhisknowledgehespreadthatknowledgebeforeme。Itwassale，shocking，degrading。

AtfirstItookcomfortinthethoughtthatSchnitzelwasaliar。

Later，Ibegantowonderifallofitwerealie，andfinally，inawayIcouldnotdoubt，itwasprovedtomethattheworsthechargedwastrue。

ThenightIfirstbegantobelievehimwasthenightwetouchedatCristobal，thelastportinValencia。Inthemostlight—heartedmannerhehadbeenaccusingallconcernedinthenitratefightwitheverycrimeknowninWallStreetandinthedarkreachesoftheCongoRiver。

"But，Iknowhim，Mr。Schnitzel，"Isaidsternly。"Heisincapableofit。Iwenttocollegewithhim。"

"Idon’tcarewhetherhe’sarah—rahboyornot，"saidSchnitzel，"Iknowthat’swhathedidwhenhewasuptheOrinocoafterorchids，andifthetribehadevercaughthimthey’dhavecrucifiedhim。AndIknowthis，too:hemadefortythousanddollarsoutoftheNitrateCompanyonaten—thousand—dollarjob。AndIknowit，becausehebeefedtomeaboutithimself，becauseitwasn’tbigenough。"

Wewerepassingthelimestoneislandattheentrancetotheharbor，where，intheprisonfortress，withitsmuzzle—loadinggunspointingdrunkenlyatthesky，areburiedthepoliticalprisonersofValencia。

"Now，there，"saidSchnitzel，pointing，"thatshowsyouwhattheNitrateTrustcando。JudgeRojasisinthere。HegavethefirstdecisioninfavoroftheWalker—Keefepeople，andformakingthatdecisionWilliamT。Scott，theNitratemanager，madeAlvarezputRojasinthere。He’sseventyyearsold，andhe’sbeentherefiveyears。Thecelltheykeephiminisbelowthesea—level，andthesalt—waterleaksthroughthewall。I’veseenit。That’swhatWilliamT。Scottdid，an’upinNewYorkpeoplethink’Billy’Scottisafineman。IseenhimattheHorseShowsittinginabox，bowingtoeverybody，withhiswifesittingbesidehim，allhungoutwithpearls。An’thatwasonlyamonthafterI’dseenRojasinthatsewerwhereScottputhim。"

"Schnitzel，"Ilaughed，"youcertainlyareamagnificentliar。"

Schnitzelshowednoresentment。

"Goashoreandlookforyourself，"hemuttered。"Don’tbelieveme。

AskRojas。Askthefirstmanyoumeet。"Heshivered，andshruggedhisshoulders。"Itellyou，thewallsaredamp，likesweat。"

TheGovernmenthadtelegraphedthecommandanttocomeonboardand，asheexpressedit，"offermethehospitalityoftheport，"whichmeantthatIhadtotakehimtothesmoking—roomandgivehimchampagne。WhattheGovernmentreallywantedwastofindoutwhetherIwasstillonboard，andifitwerefinallyridofme。

IaskedtheofficialconcerningJudgeRojas。

"Oh，yes，"hesaidreadily。"Heisstillincomunicado。"

Withoutbelievingitwouldleadtoanything，Isuggested:

"ItwasfoolishofhimtogiveoffencetoMr。Scott？"

Thecommandantnoddedvivaciously。

"Mr。Scottisverypowerfulman，"heassented。"WeallverymuchloveMr。Scott。Thepresident，heloveMr。Scott，too，butthejudgeswerenotsympathetictoMr。Scott，soMr。Scottaskedourpresidenttogivethemawarning，andSenorRojas——heisthewarning。"

"Whenwillhegetout？"Iasked。

Thecommandanthelduptheglassinthesunlightfromtheopenair—

port，andgazedadmiringlyatthebubbles。

"Whocantell，"hesaid。"AnydaywhenMr。Scottwishes。Maybe，never。SenorRojasisanoldman。Old，andhehasmuchrheumatics。Maybe，hewillnevercomeouttoseeourbelovedcountryanymore。"

Aswelefttheharborwepassedsoclosethatonecouldthrowastoneagainstthewallofthefortress。Thesunwasjustsinkingandtheairbecamesuddenlychilled。Aroundthelittleislandoflimestonethewavessweptthroughthesea—weedandblackmaniguauptotherustybarsofthecells。Isawthebarefootedsoldierssmokingupontheslopingramparts，thecommoncriminalsinalongstumblinglinebearingkegsofwater，threestorm—beatenpalmsrisinglikegallows，andthegreenandyellowflagofValenciacrawlingdownthestaff。Somewhereentombedinthatblotchedandmildewedmasonryanoldmanofseventyyearswasshiveringandhugginghimselffromthedampandcold。Amanwhospokefivelanguages，ajust，bravegentleman。Tomeitwasnonewstory。I

knewofthehorrorsofCristobalprison；ofpoliticalrivalschainedtocriminalsloathsomewithdisease，ofmenwhohadraisedtheflagofrevolutiondriventosuicide。ButneverhadIsupposedthatmyownpeoplecouldreachfromthecityofNewYorkandcastafellow—manintothatcellaroffeverandmadness。

AsIwatchedtheyellowwallsinkintothesea，IbecameconsciousthatSchnitzelwasnearme，asbefore，leaningontherail，withhischinsunkonhisarms。Hisfacewasturnedtowardthefortress，andforthefirsttimesinceIhadknownhimitwassetandserious。Andwhen，amomentlater，hepassedmewithoutrecognition，Isawthathiseyeswerefilledwithfear。

WhenwetouchedatCuracoaIsentacabletomysister，announcingthedateofmyarrival，andthencontinuedontotheHotelVenezuela。AlmostimmediatelySchnitzeljoinedme。Witheasycarelessnesshesaid:"Iwasinthecableofficejustnow，sendingoffawire，andthatoperatortoldmehecan’tmakeheadortailofthethirdwordinyourcable。"

"Thatisstrange，"Icommented，"becauseit’saFrenchword，andheisFrench。That’swhyIwroteitinFrench。"

Withtheairofonewhonailsanotherinafalsehood，Schnitzelexclaimed:

"Then，howdidyousupposeyoursisterwasgoingtoreadit？It’sacipher，that’swhatitis。Oh，no，YOU’REnotonasecretmission！Notatall！"

Itwasmostundignifiedofme，butinfiveminutesIexcusedmyself，andsenttotheStateDepartmentthefollowingwords:

"Rosesred，violetsblue，sendsnow。"

LaterattheStateDepartmenttheonlypersonwhodidnoteventuallypardonmyjestwastheclerkwhohadsatupuntilthreeinthemorningwithmycable，tryingtofitittoanyknowncode。

ImmediatelyaftermyreturntotheHotelVenezuelaSchnitzelexcusedhimself，andhalfanhourlaterreturnedintriumphwiththecableoperatorandorderedlunchforboth。Theyimbibedmuchsweetchampagne。

Whenweagainweresafeatsea，Isaid:"Schnitzel，howmuchdidyoupaythatFrenchmantoletyoureadmysecondcable？"

Schnitzel’sreplywaspromptandcomplacent。

"Onehundreddollarsgold。Itwasworthit。DoyouwanttoknowhowIdopeditout？"

Ievenchallengedhimtodoso。"’Rosesred’——wardeclared；

’violetsblue’——outlookbad，orblue；’sendsnow’——sendsquadron，becausethewhitesquadroniswhitelikesnow。See？Itwastooeasy。"

"Schnitzel，"Icried，"youarewonderful！"

Schnitzelyawnedinmyface。

"Oh，youdon’thavetohitthesolesofmyfeetwithanight—sticktokeepmeawake，"hesaid。

AfterIhadbeenaweekatsea，IfoundthateitherIhadtobelievethatinallthingsSchnitzelwasaliar，orthatthemenoftheNitrateTrustwereinallthingsevil。IwasconvincedthatinsteadofthepeopleofValenciarobbingthem，theywererobbingboththepeopleofValenciaandthepeopleoftheUnitedStates。

TogotowarontheiraccountwastodegradeourGovernment。I

explainedtoSchnitzelitwasnotbecomingthattheUnitedStatesnavyshouldbemadethecat’s—pawofacorruptcorporation。I

askedhispermissiontorepeattotheauthoritiesatWashingtoncertainofthestatementshehadmade。

Schnitzelwasgreatlypleased。

"You’rewelcometotell’emanythingI’vesaid，"heassented。

"And，"headded，"mostofit’strue，too。"

Iwrotedowncertainchargeshehadmade，andaddedwhatIhadalwaysknownofthenitratefight。Itwasaterriblearraignment。

IntheeveningIreadmynotestoSchnitzel，who，inacornerofthesmoking—room，sat，frowningimportantly，checkingoffeachstatement，andwhereImadeanerrorofadateoraname，severelycorrectingme。

SeveraltimesIaskedhim，"Areyousurethiswon’tgetyouintotroublewithyour’people’？Youseemtoaccuseeverybodyoneachside。"

Schnitzel’seyesinstantlyclosedwithsuspicion。

"Don’tyouworryaboutmeandmypeople，"hereturnedsulkily。

"That’sMYsecret，andyouwon’tfinditout，neither。Imaybeascrookedastherestofthem，butI’mnotgivingawaymyemployer。"

IsupposeIlookedpuzzled。

"Imeannotasecondtime，"headdedhastily。"Iknowwhatyou’rethinkingof，andIgotfivethousanddollarsforit。ButnowI

meantostickbythementhatpaymywages。"

"Butyou’vetoldmeenoughabouteachofthethreetoputanyoneoftheminjail。"

"Ofcourse，Ihave，"criedSchnitzeltriumphantly。

"IfI’dletdownonanyonecrowdyou’dknowIwasworkingforthatcrowd，soI’vetouched’emallup。OnlywhatItoldyouaboutmycrowd——isn’ttrue。"

ThereportwefinallydrewupwassosensationalthatIwasofamindtothrowitoverboard。ItaccusedmembersoftheCabinet，ofourSenate，diplomats，businessmenofnationalinterest，judgesoftheValenciacourts，privatesecretaries，clerks，hiredbullies，andfilibusters。Menthetrustcouldnotbribeithadblackmailed。

Thoseitcouldnotcorrupt，andtheywerepitifullyfew，itcrushedwithsomedisgracefulcharge。

Lookingovermynotes，Isaid:

"Youseemtohavemadeeverychargeexceptmurder。"

"How’dIcometoleavethatout？"Schnitzelansweredflippantly。

"WhataboutColeman，theforemanatBahia，andthatGermancontractor，Ebhardt，andoldSmedburg？Theytalkedtoomuch，andtheydiedofyellow—fever，maybe，andmaybewhathappenedtothemwastheyateknockoutdropsintheirsoup。"

Idisbelievedhim，buttherecameasuddennastydoubt。

"Curtis，whomanagedthecompany’splantatBarcelona，diedofyellow—fever，"Isaid，andwasburiedthesameday。"

ForsometimeSchnitzelglowereduncertainlyatthebulkhead。

"Didyouknowhim？"heasked。

"WhenIwasinthelegationIknewhimwell，"Isaid。

"SodidI，"saidSchnitzel。"Hewasn’tmurdered。Hemurderedhimself。Hewaswrongtenthousanddollarsinhisaccounts。Hegotworryingaboutitandwefoundhimoutsidetheclearingwithaholeinhishead。Heleftanotesayinghecouldn’tbearthedisgrace。AsifthecompanywouldholdalittlegraftingagainstasgoodamanasCurtis！"

Schnitzelcoughedandpretendeditwashiscigarette。

"Youseeyoudon’tputinnothingagainsthim，"headdedsavagely。

ItwasthefirsttimeIhadseenSchnitzelshowemotion，andIwasmovedtopreach。

"Whydon’tyouquit？"Isaid。"YouhadanA—1jobasastenographer。Whydon’tyougobacktoit？"

"Maybe，someday。Butit’sgreatbeingyourownboss。IfIwasastenographer，Iwouldn’tbehelpingyousendinareporttotheStateDepartment，wouldI？No，thisjobisallright。Theysendyouaftersomethingbig，andyouhavethedevilofatimegettingit，butwhenyougetit，youfeellikeyouhadpickedahundred—to—

oneshot。"

Thetalkorthedrinkhadelatedhim。Hisfish—likeeyesbulgedandshone。Hecastaquicklookabouthim。Exceptforourselves，thesmoking—roomwasempty。Frombelowcamethesteadythroboftheengines，andfromoutsidethewhisperofthewavesandofthewindthroughthecordage。Abarefootedsailorpatteredbytothebridge。Schnitzelbenttowardme，andwithhishandpointedtohisthroat。

"I’vegotpapersonmethat’sworthamilliontoacertainparty，"

hewhispered。"Youunderstand，mynotesincipher。"

Hescowledwithintensemystery。

"Ikeep’eminanoiled—silkbag，tiedaroundmyneckwithastring。Andhere，"headdedhastily，pattinghiship，asthoughtoforestallanyattackImightmakeuponhisperson，"Icarrymyautomatic。Itshootsninebulletsinfiveseconds。Theygottobequicktocatchme。"

"Well，ifyouhaveeitherofthosethingsonyou，"Isaidtestily，"Idon’twanttoknowit。HowoftenhaveItoldyounottotalkanddrinkatthesametime？"

"Ah，goon，"laughedSchnitzel。"That’sanoldgag，warningafellownottotalksoastoMAKEhimtalk。Idothatmyself。"

ThatSchnitzelhadimportantpaperstiedtohisneckInomorebelievethanthatheworeashirtofchainarmor，buttopleasehimIpretendedtobegreatlyconcerned。

"Nowthatwe’regettingintoNewYork，"Isaid，"youmustbeverycareful。Amanwhocarriessuchimportantdocumentsonhispersonmightbemurderedforthem。Ithinkyououghttodisguiseyourself。"

ApictureofmybagbeingcarriedashorebySchnitzelintheuniformofaship’sstewardratherpleasedme。

"Goon，you’rekidding！"saidSchnitzel。HewasdrawnbetweenbelievingIwasdeeplyimpressedandwithfearthatIwasmockinghim。

"Onthecontrary，"Iprotested，"Idon’tfeelquitesafemyself。

SeeingmewithyoutheymaythinkIhavepapersaroundMYneck。"

"Theywouldn’tlookatyou，"Schnitzelreassuredme。"Theyknowyou’rejustanamateur。But，asyousay，withme，it’sdifferent。

IGOTtobecareful。Now，youmightn’tbelieveit，butInevergonearmyunclenornoneofmyfriendsthatlivewhereIusedtohangout。IfIdid，theotherspieswouldgetonmytrack。Isuppose，"

hewentongrandly，"InevergooutinNewYorkbutthatatleasttwospiesaretrailingme。ButIknowhowtothrowthemoff。I

live’waydowntowninalittlehotelyouneverheardof。YounevercatchmediningatSherry’snortheWaldorf。Andyounevermetmeoutsocially，didyou，now？"

IconfessedIhadnot。

"Andthen，Ialwaysliveunderanassumedname。"

"Like’Jones’？"Isuggested。

"Well，sometimes’Jones’，"headmitted。

"Tome，"Isaid，"’Jones’lacksimagination。It’sthesortofnameyougivewhenyou’rearrestedforexceedingthespeedlimit。Whydon’tyoucallyourselfMachiavelli？"

"Goon，I’mnodago，"saidSchnitzel，"anddon’tyougooffthinking’Jones’istheonlydisguiseIuse。ButI’mnottellin’

whatitis，amI？Oh，no。"

"Schnitzel，"Iasked，"haveyoueverbeentoldthatyouwouldmakeagreatdetective？"

"Cutitout，"saidSchnitzel。"You’vebeenreadingthosefairystories。There’snoflycopsnorPinkscoulddotheworkIdo。

They’repikerscomparedtome。Theychasepetty—larcenycasesandkickindoors。Iwouldn’tstooptowhattheydo。It’sbeingmixedupthewayIamwiththeproblemsoftwogovernmentsthatcatchesme。"Headdedmagnanimously，"Youseesomethingofthatyourself。"

WelefttheshipatBrooklyn，andwithregretIpreparedtobidSchnitzelfarewell。SeldomhadImetalittlebeastsooffensive，buthisvanity，hislies，hismoralblindness，madeonepityhim。

Andintendaysinthesmoking—roomtogetherwehadhadmanyfriendlydrinksandmanyfriendlylaughs。HewasgoingtoahotelonlowerBroadway，andasmycab，onmywayuptown，passedthedoor，Iofferedhimalift。Heappearedtoconsidertheadvisabilityofthis，andthen，withmuchby—playofglancingoverhisshoulder，divedintothefrontseatanddrewdowntheblinds。

"ThishotelIamgoingtoisanold—fashionedtrap，"heexplained，"buttheclerkiswisetome，understand，andIdon’thavetosigntheregister。"

Aswedrewnearertothehotel，hesaid:"It’sapitywecan’tdineoutsomewheresandgotothetheatre，but——youknow？"

WithalmosttoomuchheartinessIhastilyagreeditwouldbeimprudent。

"Iunderstandperfectly，"Iassented。"Youareamarkedman。

Untilyougetthosepaperssafeinthehandsofyour’people，’youmustbeverycautious。"

"That’sright，"hesaid。Thenhesmiledcraftily。

"Iwonderifyou’reonyettowhichmypeopleare。"

IassuredhimthatIhadnoidea，butthatfromtheaviditywithwhichhehadabusedthemIguessedhewasworkingfortheWalker—

Keefecrowd。

Hebothsmiledandscowled。

"Don’tyouwishyouknew？"hesaid。"I’vetoldyoualotofinsidestories，Mr。Crosby，butI’llnevertellonmypalsagain。Notme！

That’sMYsecret。"

Atthedoorofthehotelhebademeahastygood—by，andforafewminutesIbelievedthatSchnitzelhadpassedoutofmylifeforever。Then，intakingaccountofmybelongings，Imissedmyfield—glasses。Irememberedthat，inordertoopenatrunkforthecustomsinspectors，IhadhandedthemtoSchnitzel，andthathehadhungthemoverhisshoulder。Inourhasteatpartingwebothhadforgottenthem。

Iwasonlyafewblocksfromthehotel，andItoldthemantoreturn。

IinquiredforMr。Schnitzel，andtheclerk，whoapparentlyknewhimbythatname，saidhewasinhisroom，numbereighty—two。

"Buthehasacallerwithhimnow，"headded。"Agentlemanwaswaitingforhim，and’sjustgoneup。"

IwroteonmycardwhyIhadcalled，andsoonafterithadbeenborneskywardtheclerksaid:"Iguesshe’llbeabletoseeyounow。That’sthepartythatwascallingonhim，there。"

Henoddedtowardamanwhocrossedtherotundaquickly。Hisfacewastwistedfromus，asthough，ashealmostrantowardthestreet，hewerereadingtheadvertisementsonthewall。

Hereachedthedoor，andwaslostinthegreattideofBroadway。

Icrossedtotheelevator，andasIstoodwaiting，itdescendedwithacrash，andtheboywhohadtakenmycardflunghimself，shrieking，intotherotunda。

"Thatman——stophim！"hecried。"Themanineighty—two——he’smurdered。"

Theclerkvaultedthedeskandsprangintothestreet，andI

draggedtheboybacktothewireropeandweshottothethirdstory。Theboyshrankback。Achambermaid，crouchingagainstthewall，herfacecolorless，loweredonehand，andpointedatanopendoor。

"Inthere，"shewhispered。

Inamean，commonroom，stretchedwherehehadbeenstruckbackuponthebed，Ifoundtheboywhohadelectedtomeddleinthe"problemsoftwogovernments。"

Intinyjets，fromthreewideknife—wounds，hisbloodflowedslowly。Hisstaringeyeswereliftedupinfearandinentreaty。

Iknewthathewasdying，andasIfeltmyimpotencetohelphim，I

askeenlyfeltagreatrageandahatredtowardthosewhohadstruckhim。

Ileanedoverhimuntilmyeyeswereonlyafewinchesfromhisface。

"Schnitzel！"Icried。"Whodidthis？Youcantrustme。Whodidthis？Quick！"

Isawthatherecognizedme，andthattherewassomethingwhich，withterribleeffort，hewastryingtomakemeunderstand。

Inthehallwastherushofmanypeople，running，exclaiming，thenoiseofbellsringing；fromanotherfloorthevoiceofawomanshriekedhysterically。

Atthesoundstheeyesoftheboygreweloquentwithentreaty，andwithamovementthatcalledfromeachwoundafreshoutburst，likeamanstrangling，heliftedhisfingerstohisthroat。

Voiceswerecallingforwater，towaitforthedoctor，towaitforthepolice。ButIthoughtIunderstood。

Stilldoubtinghim，stillunbelieving，ashamedofmyowncredulity，Itoreathiscollar，andmyfingerscloseduponapackageofoiledsilk。

Istooped，andwithmyteethrippeditopen，andholdingbeforehimtheslipsofpaperitcontained，torethemintotinyshreds。

Theeyessmiledatmewithcunning，withtriumph，withdeepcontent。

ItwassoliketheSchnitzelIhadknownthatIbelievedstillhemighthavestrengthenoughtohelpme。

"Whodidthis？"Ibegged。"I’llhanghimforit！Doyouhearme？"

Icried。

Seeinghimlyingthere，withthelifecutoutofhim，sweptmewithablindanger，withaneedtopunish。

"I’llseetheyhangforit。Tellme！"Icommanded。"Whodidthis？"

Theeyes，nowfilledwithweariness，lookedupandthelipsmovedfeebly。

"Myownpeople，"hewhispered。

InmyindignationIcouldhaveshakenthetruthfromhim。Ibentcloser。

"Then，byGod，"Iwhisperedback，"you’lltellmewhotheyare！"

Theeyesflashedsullenly。

"That’smysecret，"saidSchnitzel。

Theeyessetandthelipsclosed。

Amanatmysideleanedoverhim，anddrewthesheetacrosshisface。