OR a few seconds Darrell sat motionless. Then, swift as a flash of light, amazement was swallowed up in suspicion. Had Carmen known all along of his identity? Was this new move part of a deep-laid scheme to draw him out?
He stared through the shadows, trying to see whether Carmen was watching him with any special intentness, but the momentary glow of the cigarette showed the fellow's eyes half closed, his whole pose languidly relaxed.
A sudden roll of the ship sent Darrell's chair skidding out into the moonlight toward the rail. He recovered his balance and his mental grip on himself at the same instant. Whatever Carmen's motive had been in making his extraordinary statement, there was only one thing left the secret-service agent. He must play the game with all the cunning that was in him; be ready to snatch at the slightest clews, and nail down the other's smallest slips. It was a game which fascinated him, and for which he had unusual aptitude. It would be surprising if he did not win.
“A secret-service agent!” he repeated, in astonishment. “But what on earth brings you to such a place as Magdalena Bay?”
His nerves were tingling now, and his whole being thrilled with the joy of mental combat. Moreover, he had suddenly realized that the plan he had started to put into execution a little while ago was succeeding better than he had ever dared to hope.
“Of course,” he went on swiftly, as Carmen seemed to hesitate, “don't tell us if you feel you shouldn't.”
The languid individual drew himself up a little in the long chair. “Naturally I shouldn't,” he drawled. “I've already told you so much, however, that I may as well go on, and make a thorough job of it. I'm down here to investigate the information which has come to the department that the Japanese government intends getting a hold on the peninsula by establishing a coaling station at Magdalena Bay. I need hardly point out to you what that would mean to the United States.”
“I don't suppose it would be a very good thing to have them so close.” Darrell's tone was masterly in its suggestion of utter ignorance of the finer points of the affair. “Still, just a coaling station doesn't seem bad.”
“But, my dear fellow, can't you see that it wouldn't stop there? Once they get their grip on this bay, which, by the bye, is one of the largest harbors in the world, they'd fortify it, equip it with immense stores of provisions, coal, arms, and ammunition; and in case of a war with this country, they'd have a refuge from which their fleets could swoop down on the canal, or ravage the Pacific coast long before we could get warships anywhere near the scene. It would be a constant menace, and it's vitally important that it should be nipped in the bud.”
“By Jove, yes!” Darrell agreed, with considerable force, as if seeing the enormity of the attempt for the first time. “But if they know all about it, why doesn't the government send word to the Japs to keep their hands off? What's the Monroe Doctrine for, anyhow—Darrell?”
“Please don't!” objected the languid young man quickly, “Keep on calling me Carmen, if you don't mind. My own name is a little too well known to be—er—quite safe just now. We don't actually know,” he went on, in his usual tired drawl. “Only well-authenticated rumors have reached Washington, and it is to obtain the proofs that I am here. There have been one or two attempts like this before, but Mexico had always been discreet, and wary of offending the United States. Unfortunately the present trouble has brought about a great change in public opinion, and stirred up a bitter hatred throughout the whole country for everything gringo. The chief has almost certain information of an agreement between Carranza and Japan”
He paused a moment to light a fresh cigarette from the glowing end of the old one. Darrell sat there, silent, suppressing any sign of the triumph which filled him. An instant before, the question which had been puzzling him for days had been answered. In a flash he had become sure—or almost sure—who Philip Carmen really was.
“in which the latter,” resumed Carmen, “promised to back Mexico in case the United States was forced to intervene to any greater extent in order to protect American citizens and their property. Japan would get Magdalena Bay, of course, in return. That's the situation, and I can assure you that it's serious enough to keep some pretty big men in Washington sitting up nights. Beside it the clash with Mexico alone sinks into insignificance.”
Darrell drew a long breath. “Great Scott!” he exclaimed. “I should say it was serious! Why, that means war with Japan and Mexico at once. How did you ever get wind of this, Carmen?”