Part 6 (1/2)

Then I spelled out, in short and long flashes, the following words:

Good So Far.

Then came from the sea the terse acknowledgment: O.K.

”That ought to hold Norris,” said Robert.

”Yes, till tomorrow night,” I returned. ”If we don't signal them again tomorrow night, Norris will be piling up here hand over foot.”

Carlos had been very quiet, taken up with watching our procedure. That mode of communication was far from unknown to him, but it seemed to him marvelous that white folk should use it. But the wonder of it all was that we could spell out any words we pleased in that way.

”An' if you tell your frien's to come, they weel come?” he asked.

”Yes,” I answered, ”they will come, in a hurry.”

That somehow seemed to please Carlos; and he became pensive. We had put out the fire and were already on our way back through the black forest.

When we came again to the open s.p.a.ce, we stopped for near half an hour, in the hope that we might again have a sight of the mysterious light over at the old ruin.

While we squatted on the ground, watching, my mind was taken up with the problem of how to discover where little Marie Cambon was hid; and would our little handful of men be sufficient to storm the place? I put the questions to Carlos.

”No--No!” declared Carlos, ”the voodoos are too many, and they watch ver' careful, as you have find out.”

He referred to our being fired on.

”Wait till tomorrow, then maybe I fin' out sometheeng,” he said.

Carlos and his sister made us a pallet in the arbor at the back.

CHAPTER VI

WE BREAK UP THE VOODOO CEREMONIAL

Carlos was gone when Robert and I awoke. Melie told us he had gone off early on our business, and had left word that we were to lay close, till he returned.

Our excursion over to that old ruin of a palace, we were to learn, had been a bit rash. In fact, before the morning was gone, the woman who had given me the fetish came over to report that black men had been about, with inquiries as to the movements of the two white boys.

Carlos turned up at noon. He had been angling among some of the lesser voodoo devotees. There was no news of any white child being held for sacrifice; but there had been pa.s.sed word of a big voodoo ceremonial to take place either this night or the next. The place was some ten miles back in the hills.

”Some of the voodoos near here have gone from their home',” he said, ”an' some more make ready to go.”

The news was disturbing. I had no doubt that a big voodoo ceremonial could mean nothing less than that there was to be the offering of the ”goat without horns.” And here, too, was the big voodoo doings to follow close upon the arrival of Duran with little Marie Cambon.

And what was to do? Call our friends from the _Pearl_? Manifestly, we could not bring so many whites into the region without attracting attention. Duran would be forewarned, and so our purpose defeated. We two must continue to go it alone, trust to luck and our own devices. And there was our new ally, Carlos Brill.

”We must go and see what's going on,” I said to Carlos, ”and if it's ten miles, we must start soon.”

”Oh, if we go before dark,” returned Carlos, ”and some one see white boys, they--”

”We have a cure for that,” I interrupted. ”You'll see, we'll fool them.”