Bidwell's Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison: Fifteen Years in Solitude
here's the word indorse misspelled. Surely the clerks in the London
banks know how to spell!"
Here was a thunderbolt, indeed, that pierced poor Mr. Gregory Morrison
through and through, but he showed no sign. He coolly remarked that he
did not care to have his bills sold on the exchange, but would go and
see the people of the London and Rio and River Plate Banks, as they
probably would want exchange and would doubtless let him have what money
he required. Meyers said very sharply, "Have you letters to those
banks?" "I have," said Mac, at the same time producing two, one to each
bank, and each bearing the stamp of their respective banks.
That he had these letters was a happy thing, and no one under forty
days' time could say for a fact that they were not genuine. The dramatic
production of these letters lulled the fast gathering suspicions, and
would have called a halt had they purposed any serious action, for the
reason that during the forty days it would take to communicate with
London the credits could not be proved to be forgeries. That such
letters existed at all was due entirely to the foresight which had
provided to meet just such a contingency.
We all were for a brief few seconds utterly dumfounded, but quickly
aroused ourselves to the necessity of instant action to protect our
comrade. We saw that we must at once give over all thought of trying to
do any more business in Rio, and set all our inventions and energy at
work to save the L10,000 and to smuggle our companion safely out of Rio.
But how?
CHAPTER XVII.
ONCE MORE WE SAIL THE SEAS OVER.
Here in our country we know nothing of the annoyances and humbuggery of
the passport system, but now, as in 1872, every person desiring to leave
Brazil must be provided with a passport--if a foreigner, from his own
Government; if a native, one from the government of Brazil. When ready
to leave the country he must take his passport to police headquarters
and get it vised, at the same time notifying the police of the steamer
he proposes to sail on. Leaving the passport with the agent from whom he
buys his ticket, the latter, after ascertaining from the police that the
intending passenger is not wanted by the authorities, transmits the
passport to the purser of the steamer, who, in turn, hands it to the
passenger after the vessel is at sea.
It will be seen that these regulations make it difficult for a suspected
person to leave Brazil by the regular channels of communication, and
there are no back doors of escape in that country. Once in any seaport
town you must, if you leave at all, sail out of the harbor mouth, for in
the other direction, that is, inland, one is confronted by the mighty
tropical forests, the greater portion of which has never been looked
upon by the eye of man; and between all the seaports the same
impenetrable forest stretches.
So, straight out of the harbor between the Sugar Loaf and Fort Santa
Cruz Mac had to sail. How he should do so with safety was the problem we
had to solve. In this venture it would not do to have any blunders.
Without doubt the steamers would be watched for him, and instant arrest
and incarceration in the deadly tropical prison would be his lot if
discovered in the attempt to slip out of the country.
To complicate the matter here it was Monday, and no steamer to sail
until Wednesday, so there were forty-eight hours of frightful anxiety
ahead of us.
The Ebro, going to Europe, was in the harbor taking in cargo and coal.
The Chimborazo, going South, was not yet signaled, and we determined at
all hazards to get him off by the Ebro. We all had American passports,
and by the use of chemicals could alter the names and descriptions on
them at will.
Of course, the names in our passports were the same as we had in our
letters. George went to police headquarters, and giving a douceur to an
attendant, had the "vise" put on his passport at once. Then going to the
passenger agent he bought a ticket to Liverpool by the Ebro, and by
paying ten guineas extra had a stateroom assigned to him alone. After
this he took a boat and went out to the steamer, carrying with him two
bags of oranges and stowed them away under the bottom berths.
To make the escape a success it was decided prudent for George as Wilson
to get the agent well acquainted with his face and appearance, so if the
question was asked, "Who is this Wilson?" the police would see by the
description it was not the man they were looking for. For the next forty
hours George made the agent very tired. At one time he would want to
know if he could not get some reduction in the passenger rate, or if the
Ebro was seaworthy, or if there was any danger of her engines breaking
down, etc., until the agent got not only to know "Mr Wilson," but wished
him at the bottom of the sea.
When George started for the police office he left Mac and me alone in
the park.
It was absolutely essential that Mac should put in one more appearance
at the bank. It was an ordeal, but one he had to undergo. He even
dreaded to return to his hotel, but go he must; so, just before the bank
closed, he called in and casually informed the manager that he should
start the next morning for S. Romao, a town in the interior of Brazil,
to be absent a week. He was then to go to the Hotel d'Europe, pay his
bill, at the same time stating that he was to leave Rio by the 4 o'clock
train the next morning, for San Paulo. As Mac had two trunks and other
impedimenta befitting a man of his importance, it was necessary to take
a carriage to the station, which was nearly a mile distant. It would be
unsafe to go in a carriage belonging to the hotel; therefore, he was to
say that a friend would call for him. As it was still two hours to
sunset, I suggested that after he had arranged matters he should saunter
out, walk about the streets until dark, then return to the hotel and be
ready when George should call for him at 3 o'clock the next morning.
After these arrangements we separated, George and I following to
ascertain if he was being watched or shadowed by detectives. When he
entered the hotel we remained in view of the entrance. It was not long
before he reappeared and walked leisurely along the street. A few
seconds after we saw another man come out, cross the street, and go in
the same direction. I followed him, and was soon satisfied that he was
keeping Mac in view. This sort of double hunt was kept up until dusk,
when Mac returned to his hotel, unconscious that a moment later his
"shadow" entered the place also. Here was a complication, indeed, though
it was no more than we had anticipated among the possibilities; still, I
had indulged in the hope that the bank would rely entirely upon the
passport system, and take no further steps for a day or two, which was
all the time required to carry out our plan. Though Mac had good nerve,
it was already somewhat shaken, and surely the situation would have
unnerved most men. Therefore, fearing that the certain knowledge of
imminent danger might still further confuse him and cause some false
move, we determined to keep our discovery to ourselves.
George next proceeded to an obscure part of the town, and stopping at a
small but respectable looking tavern, he engaged a room for the next
day, also a carriage, with an English-speaking driver, to be in
readiness at 3 o'clock the next morning. Promptly at the hour he was at
the livery stable, where he found the carriage ready, and was driven to
the Hotel d'Europe. Sending the driver up to the office on the second
floor, Mac soon appeared and informed him that he had promised to take
to the station a man who was stopping at the hotel. "He is going to S.
Romao by the same train," continued Mac, "and seems a good fellow, for I
had a long talk with him last night." Upon seeing signs of disapproval
in my face, he explained: "Well, you know, he said he could not get a
carriage at so early an hour in the morning, and I thought it could do
no harm to take him in, and he is waiting upstairs."
Here I joined them, and it would be difficult for the reader to imagine
the effect of this surprising communication upon our minds, for it was
clear enough that this was the very person who had been "shadowing" Mac
the day before, and had skillfully ingratiated himself into his new
friend's confidence. I could but admire his nerve in asking a
contemplated victim for a ride to the station. I said to Mac: "What in
the world can you be thinking of? Don't you see you are blocking our
whole plan? Go up and tell him your carriage is loaded down with
luggage, and express your regrets that you cannot accommodate him."
During this time the baggage was being placed in the carriage, and as
soon as Mac had dismissed his "passenger," who for some reason did not
show himself, we started rapidly for the station. On the way I requested
him to avoid making any new friends until he should find himself well
out at sea. I said:
"It might be fatal to attract the attention of any one, or to let any
one see you leave the train. Of course, this new acquaintance of yours
is only a countryman, but it is not possible to foresee what disaster
the least mistake or want of caution might originate. These cars are on
the English system, divided into compartments. You must go into the
station, stand near the ticket office until your new acquaintance comes,
then observe if he buys a first-class; if so, you take a second, and
vice versa. Pay no attention to him, and let him see you get into your
compartment, but keep an eye on his movements. In case he comes to get
in where you are, despite the different class of the tickets, tell him
the compartment is engaged. Everything depends on how you carry yourself
through the next twenty minutes. A single false step, a word too little
or too much, will surely prove fatal to all, for if anything happens to
you, we remain in Brazil."
In accordance with our pre-arranged plan, I stopped the carriage
opposite the station, it being still dark. Mac alighted, went straight
inside, and in a few minutes saw his "passenger" come puffing in, nearly
out of breath. Unquestionably supposing Mac's baggage to be already on
the train, he purchased a ticket, and after seeing his intended victim
enter a compartment, got into another himself just as the train began to
move. This was the vital moment for which Mac had been waiting, and,
quickly opening the door on the opposite side, he stepped off on that
side, hastily crossed to the other platform of the dimly lighted
station, and made his way unnoticed into the street. While this was
passing, I sat in the carriage, and it was not many minutes before I had
the satisfaction of seeing Mac coming back. But for the benefit of the
driver we then had a dialogue somewhat as follows:
"It is too bad. Our friends have not arrived. What shall we do?"
"Well, I suppose we must go back to the hotel and wait for the afternoon
train," I answered.
"But I have paid my bill there," said Mac, "and do not care to go back."
"Then," I replied, "meet me at the station, and I will look after the
luggage."
In case they recovered the trail, the information obtained from the
driver would cause confusion and delay sufficient, I hoped, to enable us
to get Mac out of Rio.
I then told the coachman to drive me into the city. It was not yet
daylight, but after a while I saw a sort of eating house and tavern
combined, and had the carriage halted there. Alighting, I entered and
said to the person in charge that I did not wish to disturb my friends
at so early an hour, and would pay him for taking care of my baggage, as
I wished to discharge the carriage. The offer was, of course, accepted,