It was jungle country they flew over, luxuriant, unhealthily rank trees in near solid masses. Lianas and grotesque aerial roots tied these into a solid carpet.

Confident of his motors, Doc flew low enough that they could see tiny parakeets and pairs of yellow-headed parrots feeding off chichem berries that grew in abundance.

Some hours later they were over the border of Hidalgo. It was a typical country of the southern republics. Wedged in between two mighty mountains, traversed in its own right by a half dozen smaller but even more rugged ranges, it was a perfect spot for those whose minds run to revolutions and banditry.

In such localities governments are unstable not so much because of their own lack of equilibrium, but more because of the opportunities offered others, to gather in revolt.

Half of the little valleys of Hidalgo were lost even to the bandits and revolutionists who were most familiar with the terrain. The interior was inhabited by fierce tribes, remnants of once powerful nations, each still a power in its own right, and often engaging in conflict with its neighbors. Woe betide the defenseless white man who found himself wandering about in the wilder part of Hidalgo.

The warlike tribes, the utter inaccessibility of some of the rocky fastnesses, probably explained the large unexplored area Renny had noted on the best maps of Hidalgo.

The capital city itself was a concoction of little, crooked streets, balconied-and-barred houses, ramshackle mud huts, and myriads of colored tile roofs, with the inevitable park for parading in the center of town.

In this case the park was also occupied by the presidential palace and administration buildings. They were imposing structures which showed past governments had been free with the taxpayers' money.

There was a small, shallow lake to the north of town.

On this Doc Savage landed his plane.

Chapter 9. DOC'S WHISTLE

Doc gave some necessary instructions at once. The work fell to Ham, whose understanding of law made him eminently capable.

"Ham, you pay the local secretary of state a visit and check up our rights in this land grant of mine," Doc directed.

"Maybe somebody had better go along to see he don't steal some hams, or something," Monk couldn't resist putting in.

Ham bristled instantly.

"Why should I want a ham when I associate with a crowd of them all the time?" he demanded.

"Monk, you'd better accompany Ham as bodyguard," Doc suggested. "You two love each other so!"

As a matter of fact, despite the mutual ribbing they were always handing each other, Monk and Ham made a good team of quick thinking and brawn, and they got along perfectly, regardless of the fact that to hear them talk, one would think violence was always impending.

Ham shaved and changed to a natty suit of white flannels before departing. He was sartorial perfection in his white shoes, panama, and innocent-looking black sword cane.

Monk, more to aggravate Ham than anything else, didn't even wash his homely face. He cocked a battered hat over one eye, and with pants seemingly on the point of dropping off his tapering hips, he swaggered behind Ham.

It was later afternoon when they were ushered into the presence of Don Rubio Gorro, Secretary of State of Hidalgo.

Don Rubio was rather short, well knit. His face was entirely too handsome for a man's. His complexion was olive, his lips thin, his nose straight and a bit too sharp. His eyes were dark and limpid as a senorita's.

Don Rubio had ears exactly like those artists put on pictures of the devil. They were very pointed.

Extreme politeness characterized the welcome Don Rubio gave Ham, after the Latin fashion. Monk remained in the background. He didn't think Don Rubio was so hot, taking snap judgment.

And Don Rubio lived up to Monk's impression as soon as Ham made his business known.

"But my dear Senor Brooks," said Don Rubio smugly, "our official records contain nothing concerning any concession giving any one named Clark Savage, Jr., even an acre of Hidalgo land, much less some hundreds of square miles. 1 am very sorry, but that is the fact."

Ham executed a twirl with his cane. "Was the present government in power twenty years ago?"

"No. This government came into being two years ago."

"The gang before you probably made the concession grant." Don Rubio flushed slightly at the subtle inference he was one of a gang.

"In that case!" he said snappishly, "we have nothing to do with it. You're just out of luck."

"You mean we have no rights to this land?"

"You most certainly have not!"

HAM'S cane suddenly leveled at a spot directly between Don Rubio Gorro's devil-like ears. "You've got another guess coming, my friend!"

Don Rubio began: "There is nothing that — "

"Oh, yes, there is!" Ham poked his cane for emphasis. "When this government came into power, it was recognized by the United States only on condition that the new regime respect property rights of American citizens in Hidalgo! That right?"

"Well — "

"You bet it's right! And do you know what will happen if you don't live up to that agreement? The U.S. government will sever relations and class you as a plain crowd of bandits. You couldn't obtain credit to buy arms and machinery and other things you need to keep your political opponents in check. Your export trade would be hurt. You would — But you know all that would happen as well as I do. In six months your government would be out, and a new one in.

"That's what it would mean if you refuse to respect American property. And if this land concession isn't American property, I'm a string on Nero's fiddle."

Don Rubio's swarthy face was flushed a smudgy purple, even to his pointed ears. His hands trembled with rage — and worry. He knew all Ham was telling him was true. Uncle Sam was not somebody to be fooled with. He seized desperately at a straw.

"We cannot recognize your right because there is no record in our archives!" he said wildly.

Ham slapped Doc's papers on the desk. "These are record enough. Somebody has destroyed the others. I'll tell you something else — there are some people who will go to any length to keep us away from this land. They've made attacks on us — no doubt they destroyed the papers."

As he made that statement, Ham watched Don Rubio intently. He felt there was something behind Don Rubio's attitude, had felt that from the first. Ham believed Don Rubio was either one of the gang trying to keep Doc from his heritage, or had been hired by the gang. And Don Rubio's agitation tended to corroborate Ham's suspicion.

"It's going to be just too bad for whoever is causing the trouble!" Ham stated. "We'll get them in the end."

Various emotions played on Don Rubio's too-handsome, swarthy face. He was scared, worried. But gradually a desperate determination came uppermost He clipped his lips together, shot out his jaw, and offered his final word.

"There is nothing more to be said! You have no claim to that land. That's final!"

Ham twiddled his cane and smiled ominously. "It will take me just about one hour to get a radio message to Washington," he promised grimly. "Then, my friend, you'll see more diplomatic lightning strike around you than you ever saw before!"

Leaving the government building, Ham and Monk ascertained the location of the radio station and set a course for it. Darkness had arrived while they were talking to Don Rubio. The city, quiet during the heat of the afternoon when they had entered, was awakening. Carriages occupied by staid Castjiians, the blue blood of these southern republics, clattered over the rough streets. Here and there was an American car.

"You talked kinda tough to that Don Rubio gink, didn't you?" Monk suggested. "1 thought you was always supposed to be polite to these Spaniards. Maybe if you'd handled him with gloves on, you'd have got somewhere."