He spoke with malicious emphasis, for he believed that he understood his questioner’s motive in seeking to ascertain the status of the Camera Chap in the newspaper world. If he was convinced that Hawley was a man of prominence in his own country he would probably hesitate to go to extremes with him for fear of bringing upon himself the wrath of the American people. If, on the other hand, he was led to believe that the prisoner was a person of no great importance, the latter was likely to receive scant consideration from him. Realizing that here was an opportunity to settle old scores with his rival, Gale eagerly availed himself of it. “You can take it from me, Señor Presidente,” he declared, “that Hawley is nothing but a plain, ordinary camera man, and in the newspaper business camera men don’t rank very high. We reporters rather look down on them.” The president looked surprised. “Then it isn’t true that he gets an enormous salary, and that his brilliant exploits have made him so famous that even the President of the United States has been known to employ his services in diplomatic work?” As Portiforo asked the question he looked keenly at the reporter. “Certainly not,” the latter answered. “Who’s been filling you up with such trash as that? The President of the United States doesn’t employ newspaper men for diplomatic work,” he added, unaware of the good turn he was really doing the man he desired to injure. “There are lots of secret-service men who understand how to use a camera. If the president required any photographic work of a diplomatic nature, he’d employ one of them, of course.” Portiforo was considerably impressed by the logic of this argument. For a few seconds he puffed reflectively on his cigar. “Do you happen to know, Señor Gale, why Hawley came to Baracoa?” he inquired suddenly. “The real reason, I mean. Did anybody send him, or did he come here of his own accord?” It was on the tip of the reporter’s tongue to tell his questioner the truth about Hawley’s mission so far as he knew it, for he realized that such information was not likely to prejudice Portiforo in the prisoner’s favor. But fortunately for the cause for which his rival had made such sacrifices, he did not yield to this impulse. On second thought he decided that more was to be gained by supporting the accusation that the Camera Chap was an insurrecto spy. “Yes, I do happen to know why he came to Baracoa, Señor Presidente,” he answered. “He came here of his own accord to help the revolutionists. He made no secret of his purpose in New York. He boasted to several of the men on Park Row of his friendship for that rascal Rodriguez. He said that there was going to be a revolution in Baracoa and that he was going to help things along with his camera. You are aware, of course, that he and Rodriguez left New York together and arrived here on the same boat?”