useful intelligence, and they were few.
We let it be known that the daughter of the executed General Molinos was with us and at last came upon one of his supporters who recognised her. Till then, avoiding large villages, we had fallen
in with foresters and field workers who would not talk and were useless. This fellow had been a corporal in the palace guard – one of the few who had vanished into the hills after the capture
of General Molinos – and rejoiced to see that Teresa was alive. He told us that all the provincial police had been warned to look out for a party, two on foot and one on a horse, who were to
be instantly arrested and searched. One was believed to be a Russian who must be interrogated until he died. That was cheerful. It was, of course, inevitable that any foreigner in arms should be
reported as Russian. That suited Heredia, whether he believed it or not, and ensured a further supply of American arms.
‘Are you Russian?’ the ex-corporal asked me.
‘As much as you.’
‘I thought so, for it is known that all Russians wear fur hats.’
The rumour was enough to send us during the night as far from the village as we could reasonably get, aiming vaguely at the north-western frontier which gave us some hope of escape if we were
caught. Our friend replenished our supplies, including a fat chipmunk for Donna. We found that she had killed a hen being short of meat, for which we paid generously and would not allow her to
share in spite of her mild protests. Pepe interpreted her remarks as: (a) reproach; I intended this for you; (b) a louder, sharp bark: ‘You’re a bunch of shits’; (c) with downcast
brown eyes: ‘Well, I know I am only a dog.’
It did not seem a time for discipline, so while Pepe was portioning out the bird with his back to us, I secreted a wing from my plate. She had the sense to make no remarks and vanished with it
out of hearing.
Chapter Six
We could get no certain information of where the main body of the Retadores was. If Heredia had heard of us at all, we must also have been a puzzle to him. Since he did not
know that we had the Punchao, Teresa’s escape from her family home must have appeared to him merely a wild attempt to join the insurgents. As for me, I was nothing more than an enigmatic
nuisance who should be promptly expelled from the country as soon as captured, for he wanted no complications with the British. I doubt if Pepe was even missed.
Hector? Well, he would be embarrassed by my disappearance but would no doubt devise some archaeological explanation for it. Much later I heard that he had invented an appointment with a
historical society in Panama whom he described as useless people who had got their dates wrong and, like all romantic amateurs, leaped upon impossible theories. As nobody knew my writing, except
for my signature on permits, Hector forged a note from me explaining that I had received reliable news that the Punchao was being offered for sale in Mexico. I could imagine that Carlota had asked
emphatically why the devil I had not said so before.
Meanwhile we were pretty well hidden in a cave which was wide enough to provide quarters for Teresa’s horse and opened into a passage for us. Pepe volunteered to return to Ramales and get
the latest news. He left Donna behind for she was his only connection with us. Pepe was away most of the day singing the praises of Heredia in the local café, and between silences and
enthusiasm had managed to sort out the supporters of both parties. He had left with a party of Heredistas for their favourite taverna but had learned no more than that a strong force of Retadores
was up against the frontier and that the government was trying to pin them there and destroy them.
Teresa changed her clothes and reappeared as a woman. We decided that she should ride the horse with Donna at heel as protection, keeping her distance from us until after dark. The change of sex
seemed to me premature for we knew
We let it be known that the daughter of the executed General Molinos was with us and at last came upon one of his supporters who recognised her. Till then, avoiding large villages, we had fallen
in with foresters and field workers who would not talk and were useless. This fellow had been a corporal in the palace guard – one of the few who had vanished into the hills after the capture
of General Molinos – and rejoiced to see that Teresa was alive. He told us that all the provincial police had been warned to look out for a party, two on foot and one on a horse, who were to
be instantly arrested and searched. One was believed to be a Russian who must be interrogated until he died. That was cheerful. It was, of course, inevitable that any foreigner in arms should be
reported as Russian. That suited Heredia, whether he believed it or not, and ensured a further supply of American arms.
‘Are you Russian?’ the ex-corporal asked me.
‘As much as you.’
‘I thought so, for it is known that all Russians wear fur hats.’
The rumour was enough to send us during the night as far from the village as we could reasonably get, aiming vaguely at the north-western frontier which gave us some hope of escape if we were
caught. Our friend replenished our supplies, including a fat chipmunk for Donna. We found that she had killed a hen being short of meat, for which we paid generously and would not allow her to
share in spite of her mild protests. Pepe interpreted her remarks as: (a) reproach; I intended this for you; (b) a louder, sharp bark: ‘You’re a bunch of shits’; (c) with downcast
brown eyes: ‘Well, I know I am only a dog.’
It did not seem a time for discipline, so while Pepe was portioning out the bird with his back to us, I secreted a wing from my plate. She had the sense to make no remarks and vanished with it
out of hearing.
Chapter Six
We could get no certain information of where the main body of the Retadores was. If Heredia had heard of us at all, we must also have been a puzzle to him. Since he did not
know that we had the Punchao, Teresa’s escape from her family home must have appeared to him merely a wild attempt to join the insurgents. As for me, I was nothing more than an enigmatic
nuisance who should be promptly expelled from the country as soon as captured, for he wanted no complications with the British. I doubt if Pepe was even missed.
Hector? Well, he would be embarrassed by my disappearance but would no doubt devise some archaeological explanation for it. Much later I heard that he had invented an appointment with a
historical society in Panama whom he described as useless people who had got their dates wrong and, like all romantic amateurs, leaped upon impossible theories. As nobody knew my writing, except
for my signature on permits, Hector forged a note from me explaining that I had received reliable news that the Punchao was being offered for sale in Mexico. I could imagine that Carlota had asked
emphatically why the devil I had not said so before.
Meanwhile we were pretty well hidden in a cave which was wide enough to provide quarters for Teresa’s horse and opened into a passage for us. Pepe volunteered to return to Ramales and get
the latest news. He left Donna behind for she was his only connection with us. Pepe was away most of the day singing the praises of Heredia in the local café, and between silences and
enthusiasm had managed to sort out the supporters of both parties. He had left with a party of Heredistas for their favourite taverna but had learned no more than that a strong force of Retadores
was up against the frontier and that the government was trying to pin them there and destroy them.
Teresa changed her clothes and reappeared as a woman. We decided that she should ride the horse with Donna at heel as protection, keeping her distance from us until after dark. The change of sex
seemed to me premature for we knew
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