THE MAN IN THE ROOM.
Don shivered, but said nothing.
He felt positive that he was right—that somebody was moving around the
room—yet so far he had not heard a sound.
"Can it be the landlord?" he asked himself. "If it is, what is he doing
here?"
The bed in which the boy rested was turned in such a fashion that he
could see but a small portion of the apartment in his present position.
As noiselessly as he could, he shifted about until the entire room was
within his range of vision.
He was just in time to behold a shadow cross the doorsill and glide into
the next apartment, where Robert Menden, old Jacob and Danny were
sleeping.
Then a slight puff of air came in at one of the windows, extinguishing
the smoky lamp and leaving all in total darkness.
"Wake up, all of you!" cried Don, at the top of his lungs. "Somebody is
here who doesn't belong here!"
At his cry one after another leaped up.
"What's thet?" demanded old Jacob.
"Somebody just entered your room."
"There he goes—out of the window!" ejaculated Robert Menden, and ran
toward the spot, only to stumble over a chair and stub his toe so
severely that he set up a howl of pain.
Old Jacob turned quickly enough to see the man's head as he swung from
the window-sill to the ground below, a distance of less than twelve
feet. In the darkness he saw the fellow, a native, rush away at top
speed.
"Stop, ye villain!" he roared. "Stop, or I'll fire!" Then he ran to his
bed to get his revolver, which had been placed under his pillow, but by
the time he reached the window again the midnight marauder had
disappeared into a wood opposite the inn.
"He must have entered the rooms for the purpose of robbing us," said
Dick. "Let us light the lamp and see if anything is missing."
A match was struck and the lamp turned up as high as possible, and then
they began an examination of their clothing and bundles. Only one set of
trouser-pockets had been cleaned out—those belonging to Bob, who had
lost a good knife, a bunch of keys and a couple of dollars in Spanish
small change. Nothing else had been disturbed.
"Don scared him off," said Dick. "Otherwise he would have gone through
every pocket and package in the two rooms," and the others agreed with
him.
"I'd like to catch the rascal," grumbled Bob. "That knife was a prize
one and I don't want to lose it—nor the money neither."
"We would have a job tracking that thief in this storm," answered Robert
Menden. "Let us be thankful the matter is no worse, and be more on our
guard in the future."
The noise in the rooms had awakened the landlord of the inn and he now
knocked on the door, demanding what was the matter. He drew down the
corners of his mouth when told.
"The Porto Rico brigands, señors," he said. "Be glad they no knife you!"
and he shivered.
"Perhaps," said old Jacob, laconically. "But maybe you are in with
them," he muttered to himself, as he turned away. The gamecock episode
still hung in his mind, and certainly the landlord's general appearance
was much against him.
For the balance of the night one or another of the party was awake, and
it was decided that in the future they should take turns on the watch,
just as had been done on the yacht.
In the morning they had breakfast very early, having contracted for this
beforehand. Had they not done so, nobody at the inn would have stirred
before eight o'clock, and breakfast would not have been on the table
until nine or ten. To many living in Porto Rico time seems to be of
little value. Almost all of the business is done between ten and twelve
o'clock in the morning, and after that the shopkeeper locks up his place
and takes a nap until four or five o'clock, opening up again in the
evening, which is really the busiest part of the whole twenty-four
hours.
The storm had cleared off and now the atmosphere was sultry and
oppressive, the evaporations from the forests going up like clouds of
steam.
"Phew! this is going to be a corker!" exclaimed Dick, as he mopped the
perspiration from his brow. They had covered less than two miles, and
yet he felt completely dragged out.
"We'll take a rest when we come to a suitable spot," announced Robert
Menden. "But we must push on all we can before twelve o'clock. Nobody
will want to move a step between that time and four, mark my words."
Menden had scarcely spoken when a large flock of birds arose directly in
front of them. The young hunters could not resist the temptation to take
a shot at the creatures, and one after another fired their weapons,
bringing down seven of the birds.
"Good enough!" cried Robert Menden. "I see that all of you can shoot,
and I am glad of it, for there is no telling what will turn up before
this treasure-hunt is over."
"Before I leave Porto Rico I want a little chance to hunt and fish,"
said Dick. "It wouldn't be a real summer outing without that."
"I'm out fer dat money dis trip," put in Danny. "Say, I hopes yer git
about a million dollars, so I do!" and he shook his head
enthusiastically.
"Don't speak of it quite so loudly, Danny," cautioned the Englishman.
"This is a secret search, you know."
"Yes, dat's so—I forgot," answered the Irish lad. "I'll be as mum as an
oyster after dis."
Coming to a bit of high ground overlooking one of the numerous valleys
of upper Porto Rico, they sat down on several flat rocks to rest.
Robert Menden calculated that they were within a few miles of Caguas,
and announced that the next night might be spent there.
"And then we must pick up some reliable native guide to take us to the
great caves," he added.
The scenery from where they sat was truly grand. Hills and valleys were
clothed in every variety of tropical growth, from the tallest of royal
palms to the heavy grass—grass the like of which none of the boys had
ever seen. Far in the distance were the great mountains, ranging along
for miles, their sharp ridges clearly defined against the blue sky.
Smaller ridges came down toward them, the lower ones more smooth on
their tops, and covered with great patches of grass, where fed cattle
and sheep innumerable.
"It's certainly a charming island, so far as looks go," murmured
Leander. "But I believe this atmosphere would make the most active man
in the world lazy sooner or later."
"It's a good climate for invalids," said Robert Menden. "Some day Porto
Rico is bound to become a great winter resort for Americans and others."
"I want to get to the top of yonder mountains before I leave," put in
Leander. "If we—Great Scott! Look out!"
He leaped up in terror; and small wonder, for from under the flat rock a
serpent, all of seven feet long, had glided. Now it raised its head and
showed its cruel fangs, as if to strike at one or another of the
startled party.