Chapter XXV: The March of Triumph

Johnny and Curlie found no time for talk in the morning. They gulped down cups of hot, black coffee, then dressed as best they might for the triumphal procession that was to accompany them down the mountain. The newly chosen native chief had decided that the passing of the 'Rope of Gold' from their midst should be made a memorable occasion.

Three hundred natives, resplendent in bright colored skirts and loin cloths, awaited them. Heading the procession were ten native drummers. The doctor had given his word that for this one day no drummer would be molested by native police or Marines.

Behind the drummers were the ten strongest natives of the tribe. Superb figures they were, too! These were to bear on their shoulders the 'Rope of Gold'.

"It," said Johnny, striving in vain to control his emotions, "why, it--it's like some picture taken from the Bible. The High Priests and the Ark of the Covenant, you know. Makes a fellow feel sort of solemn, doesn't it?"

"Yes," said Curlie quietly, "it does."

The two boys took their appointed place behind the bearers of the golden treasure, then the long march to Terre Plaisance began.

At the very end of the procession, stumping stubbornly along under the urge of native drivers, were Curlie's three donkeys. On their backs in hampers rode the mysterious mechanical giant who the night before had fought so valiant a battle.

So all through that long, hot tropical day they marched until, just as the sun sank low, they caught the gleam of white chateau and knew that their journey was near its end.

At nine o'clock that night they were assembled in the garden of the beautiful old chateau. They were all there, the entire cast in this little drama of a strange tropical world. Curlie and Johnny, Doris, Dot and Dorn were all there dressed in their best; so, too, was the little doctor and even Johnny's aged Professor, and the Marine King.

The bronze natives had gone back to their cave, laden with such food as the whites could provide. Old Pompee, Mona and Nieta hovered in the background.

At this time all eyes were turned to Curlie, for, after all, had it not been his mechanical genius that had saved the 'Rope of Gold'? And how much did they know concerning that unusual mechanical giant who had saved the day for them? Little enough, I assure you.

"Well," said Curlie, hesitatingly, "there really isn't much that I can tell. I got the idea first from a thing I saw in Chicago. The advertisement said that a mechanical man would wash clothes, sweep the floor, light the lamps and all that.

"The man I found there was a joke. He had legs and arms of sheet steel. His face was painted on steel. He couldn't move a muscle, so to speak. But the things the operator did interested me. Simply by blowing whistles of different pitch into a telephone he could make his mechanical man start and stop a washing machine, a vacuum sweeper, and a lot of other electrical appliances. Then, one day in New York, while I was waiting for the boat to sail for Haiti, I came upon old Mike himself. Some foreign fellow had brought him over from Europe. Hoped to make a lot of money with him in vaudeville. The thing had been a flop. The fellow was broke. I had some money I had made on rubber in South America, so I bought old Mike and brought him along. Glad I did. Thought he would be a lot of fun."

"He was more than that," said Johnny quietly. "He saved our lives, without a doubt."

"I tried substituting drums for whistles," Curlie went on, "but it wouldn't work. Remember when you and Pompee saw the ghost of the black king and his telescope bearer walking on the wall?" he asked turning to Dorn.

Dorn nodded.

"That was Mike and yours truly. I was trying him out."

"That," said Doris, "explains the donkey tracks we saw up there."

"Exactly. And you can't imagine what a time I had getting the donkeys to carry all that load up those steps," Curlie laughed. "But I did it. And Mike did his bit, wonderfully well even then. Mike is a marvel!"

"You have seen him perform," he said turning to Johnny, "but these other people," he reached for a telephone receiver at his side, "haven't had the pleasure."

With that he blew a shrill note into the telephone. At once there sounded from a dark corner the clank-clank of metal striking on stone.

"Look!" said Doris, leaning eagerly forward. "He's coming, the man of iron."

It was true. The giant towered before them.

"Pluto really did him very little harm," said Curlie. "His machete severed two wires, that's all. There's a lot to him. Part is telephone switchboard equipment. Radio, of course, enters in and all sorts of wheels. But all and all he's rather complete.

"See, I blow again into the receiver. This whistle is of a lower pitch. Now he begins to blink his eyes. And now," again a whistle, "he waves his arms.

"He bows, he cracks his teeth, he strikes out. In fact," he said finally, "there is nothing he cannot do, providing one works out the mechanical appliances for making him do it.

"It's too bad," he said with a note of regret, "that I couldn't supply him with a set of brains."

When Mike had furnished his share of the evening's entertainment and had frightened the black servants out of a year's growth in the bargain, he was marched back to his place in a dark corner and it was time to talk of other things.

"To-morrow the 'Rope of Gold' sails for America," said Johnny.

"Yes," said the Professor. "I was able to get in touch with the _Torentia_. She will touch at Cape Haitian. That saves you a tiresome journey to Port au Prince and insures the 'Rope of Gold' a safe passage to America.

"And to-morrow," he added, a note of great gladness creeping into his tone, "we begin the task of building up the waste places. In due time the old French aqueduct will be the new American one and thousands will benefit by the pluck and daring of two American boys."

"Two boys and one giant," laughed Johnny.

Late the next afternoon a boy and a girl stood on the deck of the _Torentia_, bound for America. The shoreline of Haiti was fast fading from their sight. America loomed far ahead. Already they were dreaming. Doris was seeing red, yellow, orange, pink and blue dresses without number. Johnny was dreaming of other far lands and strange adventures.

As for Curlie and Dot, who remained behind, they were seated beneath a great, wind-twisted cocoanut tree watching the ship grow small in the distance. Did they too dream? Beyond doubt they did; for Haiti is the land of sunlight and dreams.

So ends the story of the 'Rope of Gold'. Johnny Thompson's wanderings were not yet over, as you will see if you find time to read our next book, entitled, "The Arrow of Fire."

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Transcriber's note:

--Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text
is public domain in the country of publication.

--Obvious typographical errors were corrected without note.

--Non-standard spellings and dialect were not unchanged.