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33 - Prisoner of Morro by Upton Sinclair · Prisoner of Morro

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty three, the mystery of the unexploded shell. Mingled
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  Speaker 1: with evident fright and alarm. There was upon the face
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  Speaker 1: of each a look of incredulity at rashness of the cadet.
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  Speaker 1: Had his adventures and narrow escape turned his brain? And
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  Speaker 1: were they now at the mercy of a maniac? Was
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  Speaker 1: in the minds of all. They had not long to wait.
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  Speaker 1: The fuse burned rapidly and spluttered to the end, And
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  Speaker 1: as they all involuntarily ducked their heads at the impending explosion,
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  Speaker 1: a peculiar thing happened. When the fire from the fuse
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  Speaker 1: reached the shell. There was a sharp clicking sound, and
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  Speaker 1: those who were looking at the shell saw it suddenly
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  Speaker 1: open like a book, and from its hollow interior fell
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  Speaker 1: a roll of paper upon the table. This cliff seized
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  Speaker 1: and waved over his head in triumph. Hurrah, he cried,
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  Speaker 1: It is as I suspected, secret despatches from the enemy
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  Speaker 1: that are worth all they have cost. The officers were
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  Speaker 1: struck dumb with amazement, and stood and stared at the
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  Speaker 1: smiling young man as though they could not believe their eyes.
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  Speaker 1: But after a time they crowded around him and examined
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  Speaker 1: the shell curiously, and then the papers that Cliff held
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  Speaker 1: in his hand. The papers were evidently written in Spanish,
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  Speaker 1: and though the American officers could not read them, they
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  Speaker 1: now had conceived sufficient confidence in Cliff to believe that
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  Speaker 1: they were indeed of importance. The shell, whose quest had
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  Speaker 1: caused Cliff so much peril and danger, was a curious affair.
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  Speaker 1: It had been cunningly contrived for the purpose it had
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  Speaker 1: so admirably fulfilled. Though very much in appearance like the
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  Speaker 1: old fashioned round shells, it was in two parts, ingeniously hinged,
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  Speaker 1: so that when closed it required a very close scrutiny
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  Speaker 1: to detect the scene. It was hollow and consequently light
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  Speaker 1: in weight. This fact had first arrested cliffs attention, and
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  Speaker 1: had set his thoughts to work upon the mystery that
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  Speaker 1: was connected with it. In the opening where the fuse
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  Speaker 1: was inserted, there was concealed mechanism so arranged that it
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  Speaker 1: might not be detected or opened with the finger, but
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  Speaker 1: would readily give way to the force of a slight
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  Speaker 1: explosion in that small cavity if it should fall into
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  Speaker 1: strange hands unfamiliar with its design. It was meant to
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  Speaker 1: defy all efforts at opening it. Cliff was the recipient
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  Speaker 1: of many expressions of praise from the American officers upon
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  Speaker 1: his ingenuity in fathoming the secret that was so cunningly devised,
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  Speaker 1: and they questioned him at length. That is indeed wonderful,
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  Speaker 1: said the superior officer, But how did you ever guess
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  Speaker 1: the purpose for which it was intended or the method
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  Speaker 1: of opening it? Cliff then explained the circumstances connected with
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  Speaker 1: its appearance at his feet among the trees where he
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  Speaker 1: was awaiting the Cuban courier. I thought it was strange
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  Speaker 1: that a ship being pursued should fire a shell at
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  Speaker 1: the land instead of at its enemy, he said, And
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  Speaker 1: when I picked it up, I was struck with its peculiarities.
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  Speaker 1: But my examination was interrupted by the arrival of the
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  Speaker 1: Spanish soldiers. We were kept busy for a while pursuing them,
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  Speaker 1: and did not have much time to pursue this mystery.
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  Speaker 1: The officers smiled knowingly at this, for he had gathered
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  Speaker 1: enough from Cliff's previous narrative to know that the little
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  Speaker 1: band of sailors had done great feats that night. The
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  Speaker 1: shell not exploding, continued Cliff, led me to think that
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  Speaker 1: perhaps it was not intended to explode just then. And
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  Speaker 1: when I saw that the Spanish soldiers seemed to be
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  Speaker 1: hunting for something there, I jumped to the conclusion that
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  Speaker 1: it was this identical piece of steel they were after
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  Speaker 1: that explained their presence there and their peculiar behavior. And
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  Speaker 1: what could the Spaniards want with that shell if it
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  Speaker 1: did not contain something of value to them and of
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  Speaker 1: greater value to the American cause you reason well, exclaimed
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  Speaker 1: the officer, And so you decided to risk going back
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  Speaker 1: for it, and your ideas have come out triumphant through
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  Speaker 1: the test. But young men, don't try any more experiments
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  Speaker 1: like that when I'm around. They all laughed heartily at
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  Speaker 1: this sally, at which Cliff joined in. But it was
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  Speaker 1: decidedly a peculiar way to send dispatches, continued the officer.
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  Speaker 1: And it would seem as though it was uncertain and
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  Speaker 1: unnecessary as well. There seemed to me to be a
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  Speaker 1: good reason for it, Sir, said Cliff. I figured that
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  Speaker 1: that boat had been sent to deliver the despatches, with
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  Speaker 1: instructions that if they were pursued to fire the shell
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  Speaker 1: at a point agreed upon and then make their escape.
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  Speaker 1: They were pursued and did fire toward shore, and the
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  Speaker 1: soldiers in waiting evidently saw the flash and knew about
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  Speaker 1: where to hunt for it. I think, sir, that when
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  Speaker 1: these papers are examined, it would be found that they
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  Speaker 1: contained information that the Spanish army ashore wants the worst way.
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  Speaker 1: This proved to be the case. Cliff was given custody
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  Speaker 1: of the peculiar shell and the papers it had contained,
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  Speaker 1: and after a little delay, was taken in the boat
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  Speaker 1: to the Wilmington. Signals were exchanged between this vessel and
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  Speaker 1: the flagship, and in due time Cliff was rowed to
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  Speaker 1: the latter and ordered to report to the Rear Admiral.
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  Speaker 1: He turned the shell and its contents over to that
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  Speaker 1: officer with an explanation of all that had taken place.
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  Speaker 1: I see that you had good cause for desiring to
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  Speaker 1: go back to find this shell, said the Rear Admiral,
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  Speaker 1: when Cliff had finished. We have learned from the prisoner
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  Speaker 1: whom you secured after a struggle in your boat, that
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  Speaker 1: they had stolen your boat to facilitate the transfer of
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  Speaker 1: some papers. They were late in mis seeing the boat
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  Speaker 1: that fired this shell. Now that you have secured these
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  Speaker 1: papers I will call your knowledge of Spanish into requisition
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  Speaker 1: and allow you to transcribe these for me. And this
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  Speaker 1: Cliff did, And when he had completed the task, it
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  Speaker 1: was found that the most important work he had done
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  Speaker 1: that night night was in securing that shell and unraveling
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  Speaker 1: its mystery. As he issued from the Admiral's room, Cadet Wells,
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  Speaker 1: one of Cliff's best friends, approached him. Faraday, old fellow.
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  Speaker 1: He said, I've got news that will interest you. I'm listening.
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  Speaker 1: It's about that exception among Spaniards, the lieutenant who helped
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  Speaker 1: you and this steward escape. Ah, what of him, asked
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  Speaker 1: Cliff eagerly. You know he left us on a Spanish
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  Speaker 1: boat that brought you over under a flag of truce.
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  Speaker 1: Well we couldn't touch that boat then, of course. But
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  Speaker 1: yesterday she ventured too far out and the New York
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  Speaker 1: sunk her. We saved all her crewe and from one
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  Speaker 1: of them I learned what became of Hernandez. It seems
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  Speaker 1: he sought a lonely part of the boat while she
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  Speaker 1: was on the way from us to the shore, and
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  Speaker 1: knelt to prey. An officer of the boat saw him
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  Speaker 1: thus and withdrew a moment later, all hands were startled
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  Speaker 1: by a pistol shot. Hurrying below, they found Lieutenant Hernandez
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  Speaker 1: prone on the deck, a calm smile on his face,
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  Speaker 1: a bullet in his brain. Faraday was deeply affected, and thus,
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  Speaker 1: he said, gravely perished one of Spain's real heroes. This
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  Speaker 1: is the end of a Prisoner of Morrow by Upton Sinclair.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Tom West Tom's audiobooks dot com.