s.

Garcia Padilla and the Government agents found this proceeding even more
dangerous than the former. Caesar offered twenty dollars to anybody that
would give information of any electoral sharp practices which could be
proved. The week of the election he and his friends did not rest.

At one of the polls in Carrascal, where Caesar had a majority, the tile
bearing the house-number had been changed by night. The real voters had
to wait to cast their votes in one place, and meanwhile the urn was
being filled with ballots for the Government candidate at another place.

In the hamlet of Val de San Gil, another trick was tried; the polling
place was established in a hay-loft to which one went up by a ladder.
While the villagers were waiting for the ladder to be set up, the urn
was being filled. When the ladder was put into place and the voters went
up one by one, they found that they had all voted already. As the ladder
was narrow, they had to go up singly, and it was not likely they would
have ventured to protest. Besides, there were a number of ruffians in
the place, armed with sticks and pistols, who were ready to club or to
shoot any one protesting.

In spite of all, Caesar had the election won, always supposing that the
Government did not carry things to the limit; but at the last moment he
learned that more Civil Guards were going to come to Castro, and that
the Government agents had orders to prevent Moncada's victory by any
method.

In the evening on Saturday, Caesar was told that the commissioner was
in a tavern, with others of the police, giving out ballots for illegal
voters. Caesar went there alone, and entered the tavern.

The commissioner, on seeing him, grew confused.

"I know what you are doing," said Caesar. "Be careful, because it may
cost you a term in prison."

"You are the one that may have to pay by going to prison," replied the
inspector.

"Just try to arrest me, you poor fool, and I'll shoot your head off!"

The police inspector jumped up from the table where he was seated, and,
as he went out, he let one of the ballots fall. Caesar looked over the
men who were with the police inspector; one of them was "Sparkler." Some
days before he had come to Moncada's headquarters to offer to work for
him, and he was the director of the contaminating persons sent to Castro
by the Government.

A CLANDESTINE MEETING

When he returned to the headquarters, they told him there was a meeting
in "Furibis