Boy Scouts in the Philippines; Or, The Key to the Treaty Box

by G. Harvey Ralphson

  CHAPTER XIX.

  BOY SCOUTS UNEARTH PLOT.

  The door was opened instantly, and a man in the uniform of a lieutenantin the United States Navy, stepped forth. He was pale and haggard, andthere was a bandage about his head, but his eyes were clear and bright.Even in his emaciated condition his resemblance to the man crouching inhis chair was striking.

  There was a silence in the cabin for an instant as the man steppedforth. Surprise was depicted on every face except those of Ned andCaptain Curtis.

  "You see I was right," Ned said.

  "You are Lieutenant Carstens?" asked the Captain.

  "I am," was the slow reply, "and I ask that the traitor cowering in thechair be placed under arrest."

  "That has already been done," the Captain said. "How long have you beenconfined in the cabin?"

  "Several days," was the reply, "ever since the first day out, and eachday seemed an eternity of years, for I knew that a treasonable schemewas afoot. If you will open that steel box," he added, "you will findthe proof of my words."

  "So they tried to corrupt you, did they?" asked Ned, applying the key tothe box.

  "Indeed they did," was the reply, "and failing, they determined to takemy life. Why they delayed doing so is more than I can understand."

  "Perhaps it may be well to use the key held by this man Keene, who hasbeen personating me for so many days," Lieutenant Carstens said.

  "I know nothing about the box or its contents!" Keene shouted. "It wasgiven to me by the senator's son, and now I command you to restore it tohim as I received it, unopened."

  Captain Curtis raised his hand and three men sprang upon Keene, whostruggled violently for a moment and then dropped back, inert and almostlifeless. A search of his pockets revealed a key which was the exactduplicate of the one in the possession of Ned, and with this the steelbox was opened.

  Captain Curtis took a sheaf of papers from it and handed them to Ned.

  "See if your guess had any merit," he said, with a laugh.

  "Here," Ned began, separating the papers one by one, "is a treaty signedby many native chiefs. Under its provisions, a thousand islands in thePhilippine group would have been in open revolt within a week."

  "This is all news to me!" gasped the senator's son, pale and frightened.

  "And yet you claimed the box!" Ned said.

  "But only as a piece of property placed in my possession as a sacredcharge," the young man answered. "I didn't know what it contained. Thisman Keene, who has been posing as Lieutenant Carstens, alone knew whatwas in the box."

  "That is false!" shouted Keene, "for you wrote the treaty, and witnessedthe signing of it. It was all done in the interest of that giganticcorporation of which your very honorable father is the head!"

  "Are you ready to tell the truth at last?" asked the Captain.

  "Yes," answered Keene, "I'll tell all I know about it. I was poor and indisgrace in army circles, and this senator offered me more than I couldrefuse. That is all there is to it. I'll tell the truth, fast enough."

  "You're a fool!" shouted the senator's son. "Who will believe what yousay? As you said a moment ago, you are in disgrace in army circles now,having been cashiered for cheating at cards. No officer would take yourword, or your oath, for that matter."

  "And he," Keene faltered, pointing a shaking finger at the young man,"was sent out here to pay me the price of my treachery and to see that Idelivered the goods!"

  "It is false!" the young man replied. "All a lie! Wait until you hearfrom Washington! Then you'll see who is a traitor!"

  "And this," Ned went on, holding up another paper, "is the order whichfollowed Lieutenant Rowe to Captain Godwin's headquarters. Why they keptit, I do not know, but keep it they did."

  "Read it," commanded the Captain.

  "It orders Lieutenant Rowe," the boy summarized, "to arrest Tag, CaptainGodwin's servant, and half a dozen other Filipinos at Godwin'sheadquarters and place them in irons. It informs Lieutenant Rowe that hemust remain at Godwin's quarters until further instructions are sent tohim."

  "That paper," Keene said, "was retained to prove to the native chiefswhat difficulties we, their friends, were encountering in trying toassist them in building up a confederacy of their own."

  "It seems to me that there is nothing more to say about this matter,"Ned said. "We boys came to the Philippines to assist the government inunearthing this plot and bringing the leaders to punishment, and thereseems to be nothing more to be done."

  "But I don't quite understand it yet," Captain Curtis said. "How did youknow that this box contained the treaty? How did you know that Keene waspersonating Lieutenant Carstens?"

  "This man Keene," Ned laughed, "played his hand awkwardly. Through spiesin the offices at Manila, doubtless, he learned that the treachery ofthe Filipinos at Godwin's island had been discovered. He knew that thegovernment would look there first, and determined to block theinvestigation until he could accomplish what he had set out to do andget his blood money."

  Keene frowned up from his chair at the boy, but said nothing. Thesenator's son smiled weakly and kept his eyes on the floor.

  "Go on!" the Captain said, greatly interested.

  "Lieutenant Rowe was detailed to investigate the matter, and ordered tothe Godwin island. If the isle has another name I have never learned ofthe fact."

  "It is called Penalty Island," smiled the Captain, "because the man sentthere is supposed to be given the detail for some oversight of duty.However, in the case of Captain Godwin, I do not think this holds good."

  "After the Lieutenant left for Penalty Island, then," Ned went on,"Keene discovered what was going on and feared that Tag and his fellows,if arrested, would snitch, as the boys have it. Then the messenger wassent after Rowe with more definite instructions. That is, he was givenmore positive instructions and sent out in haste. On the way to PenaltyIsland the instructions were stolen and another paper substituted.

  "While the original order required Rowe to arrest Tag and his fellowconspirators, the false one required the Lieutenant to return at once toManila. This would indeed have blocked the investigation and given Keeneand his confederates time in which to complete their work of organizingthe tribes.

  "But the messenger knew what the papers he had been given contained, andwhen they were read by the Lieutenant--exactly opposite to theinstructions given him--there was a pretty row. He informed Rowe of thesubstitution and advised him not to obey the orders delivered.

  "Tag and his men, clustered about the windows and porch of the nipa hut,heard what was going on and decided to get rid of Lieutenant Rowe andhis party by assassination. This plan was not carried out because thisyoung man Clem, whom we know only as the senator's son, arrived with aparty of Americans and Filipinos.

  "This man Keene might have been with the party, but I'm not sure ofthat. I don't know the date when he left Manila, or when he took chargeof the _Clara_ as Lieutenant Carstens."

  "I was not there!" Keene gritted out.

  "Oh, yes, you were!" insisted the senator's son. "You were in command ofthe _Clara_ at that time, with Lieutenant Carstens locked up in hiscabin."

  "That is a falsehood," Keene said, turning to Ned. "I was there atPenalty Island, but I was not at that time in command of the _Clara_."

  "And only for me," Clem went on, "the Lieutenant and his men would havebeen shot instead of being taken prisoners."

  Keene settled back into his chair without replying to this.

  "Why did you go to Yokohama?" asked Ned.

  "So you recognized me?" growled Keene. "You knew me when you saw me inthe tea house? Well, I went there to kill Brown!"

  The assertion was made so savagely, so recklessly, that the listenersgazed at the speaker in wonder.

  "Brown," continued Keene, "was blackmailing me. He was at Penalty Islandand was threatening to reveal what he knew unless I gave him a large sumof money. He went to Japan and I followed and caused him to be killed."

  "And then you went back to Mani
la and went aboard the _Clara_?" askedNed.

  "Yes; and came down to witness the signing of the treaty."

  "Where did you get the guns?" asked Ned.

  Captain Curtis gave a quick start at the question.

  "The guns?" he asked. "What guns?"

  "The guns which were unloaded here to-night," was the reply, "and turnedover to the chiefs. If you will look through Keene's pockets again youwill find drafts in payment for them."

  "Where did you get the guns?" demanded the Captain.

  "Stole them from the government!" was the reply. "We caused them to beloaded on board at Manila, before Carstens went aboard. He never knewthey were in the hold. We were to pick up a lot of tinned provisions onthe China coast--left there by a wrecked supply boat--and carry them tonatives supposed to be on the verge of starvation. I took Carstens'place just before we reached the place where the tinned goods were. WhatI want to know is this," he added. "How did you learn so much about whatwe were doing, and intended to do?"

  "This young man," pointing to Clem, "had a battle with one of the men atthe nipa hut," was the reply. "He was not so strong as his opponent, andwas dragged about the floor. If you will look at his heels you will seethree large nails protruding from the right one. I saw them when hefirst came out of the cabin, when he lifted his shoe to strike a matchfor his cigarette.

  "During this struggle his right hand was injured a bit, cut so that theblood ran from the wound. Now, after getting the prisoners to the canoe,he opened the treaty box in order to place therein the originalinstructions given to the messenger. If you will look at the paper youwill observe a slight smear of blood.

  "When he opened the box he took from it a very rough draft of the treatyand threw it away, after burning it about half up. I found what was leftof it, bearing his mark, the bloody smear, and so learned what was inthe box--beyond all reasonable doubt. He lost his key there, and I foundit. The other key was in the possession of Keene, as you know."

  "But why did you go to Yokohama?" asked Keene.

  "I followed Brown there. At least I followed you and him to Manila.There you both disappeared, and I was told that Brown had gone toYokohama. Do you remember of having trouble with him in a saloon atManila, and threatening him? Well, I found that out, and I found outthat you had been having trouble with him ever since returning to thecity.

  "It was easy to get his description, and so I followed him to Yokohama,believing that I could get his confession. He fled to Japan because ofhis fear of you, I take it?"

  "He went to Japan because I promised to meet him there and give him alarge sum of money," was the sullen reply. "I went there to kill him!"

  "And then you got the _Clara_, and circulated about the islands in herlaunch, and conferred with the native chiefs. I frightened you away froma couple of the conferences, as you know. You were betraying yourcountry, and trying to place the crime on the hands of LieutenantCarstens!"

  "I should have succeeded, and got away with a fortune only for you!"growled the fellow. "Well," he added, "it is all in the game. I lost outand you won out. Good luck to you!"

  They were too late to stop the sudden lifting of the hand to the mouth,and when they lifted him from the floor of the cabin he was dead. Thesenator's son stood over the body for a moment and turned to CaptainCurtis.

  "You know all about it now," he said. "If I am under arrest, take me toManila. I can get bail there."

  The guns were reloaded on the _Clara_, the ammunition on the _Martha_,and the ships sailed at once for Manila, with half a dozen native chiefswho had come to receive the arms locked up in the cabin formerlyoccupied by Lieutenant Carstens. The removal of the arms and the captureof the leaders brought the conspiracy to a close and the matter washushed up. Tag and his companions were arrested and punished.

  The young man who claimed to be the son of a senator pleaded guilty toreceiving stolen arms, stolen from the government, and was sentenced toa long term in a federal prison. When it was all over, after Major JohnRoss had condescendingly admitted the great value of Ned's services,after the government had paid the boy a large sum for his work, the fivelads, Ned, Frank, Jack, Jimmie and Pat, arranged to spend a month amongthe islands in the _Manhattan_.

  "Bounding from isle to isle!" Jack cried. "Lying in the boat when youdon't know whether the sea is the sky or the sky is the sea, both beingso blue!"

  "Well," Jimmie said, "I'll go along to see that you don't get capturedagain."

  "I'd like to know whatever became of that man French," Ned said,laughing.

  "Oh, he ducked," Frank said. "I heard Captain Curtis asking about himlast night. He was just a paid thief, and jumped his parole."

  "And we'll take Pat along," Jack said, "to leave signs in grass and sendup smoke signals of distress. How did you get the two columns toworking, Pat?" he added.

  "The natives are lazy and didn't like to work, so I offered to bring thewood for them and build a fire. Well, I built two fires, as you know,and they suspected something and tied me up again."

  "You're a handy Irishman, all right!" laughed Jack. "What have you donewith the Filipino Boy Scout? I saw him with you last night!".

  "He's going back to Washington," was the reply. "We may meet him overthere."

  On the following morning the boys would have been away in the_Manhattan_, but that night Captain Curtis visited them and left asealed envelope with Ned.

  "You are to open that at Portland, Oregon," he said.

  Ned did not look altogether pleased when he read the papers contained inthe sealed envelope.

  "There's going to be trouble up in the Northwest," he said, "and we'regoing there on government service. And we're going to have aeroplanes!Think of it!"

  There was a shout, and Ned was almost buried under a collection of legsand arms.

  "Whoop--ee!" cried Jack. "Me for the aeroplanes!"

  THE END.

  The story of the Boy Scouts' adventures in the Northwest will be foundin the next book of the series, "Boy Scouts in the Northwest, or,Fighting Forest Fires." Chicago, M. A. Donohue & Co.. publishers.

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