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diff --git a/old/68944-0.txt b/old/68944-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 796bd42..0000000 --- a/old/68944-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8246 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Lost on the Orinoco, by Edward -Stratemeyer - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Lost on the Orinoco - American boys in Venezuela - -Author: Edward Stratemeyer - -Illustrator: A. B. Shute - -Release Date: September 9, 2022 [eBook #68944] - -Language: English - -Produced by: David Edwards, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was - produced from images made available by the HathiTrust - Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOST ON THE ORINOCO *** - - - - - -EDWARD STRATEMEYER’S BOOKS - - -Old Glory Series - -_Six Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1.25._ - - UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA. - A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA. - FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS. - UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES. - THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE. - UNDER MACARTHUR IN LUZON. - - -Bound to Succeed Series - -_Three Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1.00._ - - RICHARD DARE’S VENTURE. OLIVER BRIGHT’S SEARCH. - TO ALASKA FOR GOLD. - - -Ship and Shore Series - -_Three Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1.00._ - - THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE. TRUE TO HIMSELF. - REUBEN STONE’S DISCOVERY. - - -War and Adventure Stories - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1.25._ - - ON TO PEKIN. BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON. - - -Colonial Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1.25._ - - WITH WASHINGTON IN THE WEST; Or, A Soldier Boy’s Battles in the - Wilderness. - - MARCHING ON NIAGARA; Or, The Soldier Boy of the Old Frontier. - - -American Boys’ Biographical Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1.25._ - -AMERICAN BOYS’ LIFE OF WILLIAM McKINLEY. - -_Another volume in preparation._ - - -Pan-American Series - -_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1.00, net._ - -LOST ON THE ORINOCO. - - - - -[Illustration: Over it went, carrying the boys with it.] - - - - - Pan-American Series - - LOST ON THE ORINOCO - OR - AMERICAN BOYS IN VENEZUELA - - BY - EDWARD STRATEMEYER - - Author of “With Washington in the West,” “American Boys’ Life of - William McKinley,” “On to Pekin,” “Between Boer and Briton,” - “Old Glory Series,” “Ship and Shore Series,” - “Bound to Succeed Series,” etc. - - _ILLUSTRATED BY A. B. SHUTE_ - - BOSTON - LEE AND SHEPARD - 1902 - - - - - Published in March, 1902 - - COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY LEE AND SHEPARD - - _All rights reserved_ - - LOST ON THE ORINOCO - - Norwood Press - BERWICK & SMITH - Norwood, Mass. - U. S. A. - - - - -PREFACE - - -“Lost on the Orinoco” is a complete tale in itself, but forms the -first volume of the “Pan-American Series,” a line of books intended to -embrace sight seeing and adventures in different portions of the three -Americas, especially such portions as lie outside of the United States. - -The writing of this series has been in the author’s mind for several -years, for it seemed to him that here were many fields but little known -and yet well worthy the attention of young people, and especially young -men who in business matters may have to look beyond our own States for -their opportunities. The great Pan-American Exhibition at Buffalo, -N. Y. did much to open the eyes of many regarding Central and South -America, but this exposition, large as it was, did not tell a hundredth -part of the story. As one gentleman having a Venezuelan exhibit there -expressed it: “To show up Venezuela properly, we should have to bring -half of the Republic here.” And what is true of Venezuela is true of -all the other countries. - -In this story are related the sight seeing and adventures of five -wide-awake American lads who visit Venezuela in company with their -academy professor, a teacher who had in former years been a great -traveler and hunter. The party sail from New York to La Guayra, visit -Caracas, the capital, Macuto, the fashionable seaside resort, and -other points of interest near by; then journey westward to the Gulf -of Maracaibo and the immense lake of the same name; and at last find -themselves on the waters of the mighty Orinoco, the second largest -stream in South America, a body of water which maintains a width of -three miles at a distance of over 600 miles from the ocean. Coffee and -cocoa plantations are visited, as well as the wonderful gold and silver -mines and the great _llanos_, or prairies, and the boys find time -hanging anything but heavy on their hands. Occasionally they get into a -difficulty of more or less importance, but in the end all goes well. - -In the preparation of the historical portions of this book the very -latest American, British and Spanish authorities have been consulted. -Concerning the coffee, mining and other industries most of the -information has come from those directly interested in these branches. -This being so, it is hoped that the work will be found accurate and -reliable as well as interesting. - -Once more thanking the thousands who have read my previous books for -the interest they have shown, I place this volume in their hands -trusting it will fulfil their every expectation. - - EDWARD STRATEMEYER. - April 1, 1902. - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. THE BOYS TALK IT OVER 1 - - II. PREPARING FOR THE START 11 - - III. ON BOARD THE STEAMER 21 - - IV. VENEZUELA, PAST AND PRESENT 33 - - V. HOCKLEY MAKES A BOSOM FRIEND 42 - - VI. A PLAN THAT FAILED 54 - - VII. FROM CURAÇAO TO LA GUAYRA 63 - - VIII. ON A CLIFF AND UNDER 73 - - IX. HOCKLEY SHOWS HIS TRUE COLORS 81 - - X. ON MULE BACK INTO CARACAS 90 - - XI. THE PROFESSOR MEETS AN OLD FRIEND 100 - - XII. MARKEL AGAIN TO THE FRONT 109 - - XIII. A PLANTATION HOME IN VENEZUELA 119 - - XIV. A LOSS OF HONOR AND MONEY 131 - - XV. SOMETHING ABOUT COFFEE GROWING 143 - - XVI. DARRY’S WILD RIDE 151 - - XVII. A TALK ABOUT BEASTS AND SNAKES 159 - - XVIII. A BITTER DISCOVERY 168 - - XIX. BATHING AT MACUTO 177 - - XX. A SHORT VOYAGE WESTWARD 186 - - XXI. THE SQUALL ON LAKE MARACAIBO 196 - - XXII. PORT OF THE HAIR 205 - - XXIII. A STOP AT TRINIDAD 214 - - XXIV. UP THE RIVER TO BOLIVAR 224 - - XXV. SOMETHING ABOUT COCOA AND CHOCOLATE 234 - - XXVI. CAMPING ON THE UPPER ORINOCO 242 - - XXVII. BRINGING DOWN AN OCELOT 251 - - XXVIII. MONKEYS AND A CANOE 261 - - XXIX. LOST ON THE ORINOCO 270 - - XXX. IN THE DEPTHS OF THE JUNGLE 279 - - XXXI. HOCKLEY AND THE BOA-CONSTRICTOR 287 - - XXXII. A PEEP AT GOLD AND SILVER MINES 296 - - XXXIII. TOGETHER AGAIN--CONCLUSION 304 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - “Over it went, carrying the boys with it” (p. 297) _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - “Stay where you are!” 47 - - A big mass of dirt came down 80 - - “I’ve got it,” he muttered 142 - - “You have some baggage, that bag. I shall hold it.” 173 - - “I heard something, what was it?” 203 - - “Take it off, do!” 249 - - “Help! Save me!” screamed the unfortunate youth 291 - - - - -LOST ON THE ORINOCO - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE BOYS TALK IT OVER - - -“Hurrah, Mark, it’s settled at last.” - -“What is settled, Frank?” - -“We are to go to Venezuela and other places in South America. My father -just got the word from Professor Strong. I brought the letter along for -you to read.” - -“That’s certainly immense news,” remarked Mark Robertson, as he took -the letter which Frank Newton held out to him. “Does he say how soon he -will be able to start?” - -“Just as soon as he can settle up affairs at Lakeview Academy. I -suppose he’s got quite something to do there yet. But we can hurry him -along, can’t we?” - -“I don’t think you’ll hurry the professor much,” answered Mark, as he -began to read the communication which had been passed to him. “He’s -one of the kind that is slow but sure--not but that he can move quick -enough, when you least expect it.” - -“As for instance on the night we tried to hide all the schoolbooks in -the old boathouse,” responded Frank, with a twinkle in his eye. “He -caught us neatly, didn’t he?” - -“That’s what. Hullo! So Beans and Darry are going, too. I like that -first rate. Beans is all right, even if he is from Boston, and Darry -will furnish fun enough for a minstrel show.” - -“To be sure. I wouldn’t want to go if they weren’t along, and you. But -do you see what the professor says on the last page? He wants to take -Jake the Glum along too.” - -At this the face of Mark Robinson fell somewhat. “I wish he had left -Glummy out,” he said. “He knows the fellow is sour to the last degree -and a bully in the bargain.” - -“I guess the professor wants to reform him, Mark.” - -“He’ll have up-hill work doing it. Glummy has been at the academy two -years and I know him pretty thoroughly.” - -“Well, he’ll be the richest boy in the crowd. Perhaps that had -something to do with taking him along.” - -“No, the professor doesn’t think so much of money as that. Each person -in the crowd will have to pay his share of the expenses and his share -of the professor’s salary, and that’s all, outside of the incidentals.” - -“I wonder if the incidentals won’t be rather high.” - -“I fancy we can make them as high as we please--buying souvenirs and -things like that. You can be sure Glummy will try his best to cut a -wide swath if he gets the chance.” - -“Perhaps the professor will hold him in. But it’s great news, isn’t -it?” And in his enthusiasm Frank began to dance an impromptu jig on the -library floor. - -Frank Newton was a New York city youth, sixteen years of age, -tall, well-built and rather good looking. He was the only son of a -Wall Street banker, and if his parent was not a millionaire he was -exceedingly well to do. The lad resided in the fashionable part of -Madison Avenue when at home, which was not often, for his family were -fond of going abroad, and either took the boy with them or sent him to -boarding school. - -Directly opposite the home of the Newtons lived the Robertson family, -consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, Mark, and several smaller -children. Mr. Robertson was a dry goods importer who owned an interest -in several mills in England and Scotland, and he made trips across the -Atlantic semi-yearly. - -Although Mark Robertson was a year older than Frank Newton, the two -lads were warm friends and had gone to school together for years. Their -earlier education had been had in the city, but when Frank was eleven -and Mark twelve both had been packed off to Lakeview Academy, a small -but well conducted school nestling among the hills of New Hampshire. - -Five years of life at the academy had made the place seem like a second -home to the boys. The master, Professor Amos Strong, was a thorough -gentleman and scholar, and under his guidance the boys progressed -rapidly in all their studies. The professor had in his day been both a -traveler and hunter, and the stories he was wont to relate during off -hours were fascinating to the last degree. - -As might be expected, the boys, while at school, made many friends -and also an enemy or two, although as regards the latter, the enmity -was never very deep, for Professor Strong would not tolerate anything -underhanded or sneakish. - -Next to Mark, Frank’s dearest chum at the academy was Dartworth Crane, -a slightly built boy of fifteen, who was as full of fun as a boy can -well be. Dartworth, or “Darry” as he was always called for short, was -the son of a rich Chicago cattle dealer, and the boy’s earlier days had -been spent on a ranch in Montana. He loved to race on horseback and -hunt and fish, and the master sometimes had all he could do to hold the -sunny but impetuous lad within proper bounds. - -As Frank had another chum, so did Mark, in the person of Samuel -Winthrop, the son of a well-to-do widow who resided in the Back Bay -district of Boston. Samuel was a tall, studious looking individual, -with a high forehead and a thick mass of curly black hair. Because he -came from Boston, he had been nick-named “Beans,” and although he did -not relish the _sobriquet_ it was likely to stick to him for years to -come. - -Among the lads to join those at the academy two years before had been -Jacob Hockley, a thin, lank youth of Mark’s age, with a white freckled -face and hair strongly inclined to be red. Hockley was the only son -and heir of a millionaire lumber dealer of Pennsylvania. His manner -was peculiar, at times exceedingly “bossy” as the others declared, and -then again morose and sour, the latter mood having won for him the -nickname of “Glummy” or “Jake the Glum.” Hockley was given to spending -his money, of which he had more than was good for him, freely, but even -this had failed to make him any substantial friends. - -The enmity between Hockley on one side, and Frank and Mark on the -other, had arisen over the captaincy of the academy baseball team the -summer previous. Jake wished to be the captain of the team, and had -done his best to persuade or buy the boys over to vote for him. But -Frank had advocated Mark for the captaincy, and Mark had won, much to -the lank youth’s discomfiture. - -“You’ll never win a game with Mark Robertson as captain and with Frank -Newton on first-base,” had been Jake’s sour comment, but he was sadly -mistaken. That summer the team played nine games with the teams from -rival schools, and won seven of the contests. The winning made Jake -Hockley more down on Mark and Frank than ever, but as the others were -popular he had often to conceal his real feelings. - -On a windy night in June the cry of “fire!” had aroused every inmate -of Lakeview Academy from his bed, and had caused all to leave the -rambling building in a hurry. The conflagration had started in the -laundry, and from this room quickly communicated to the kitchen, dining -hall, and then the remainder of the stone and wood structure. In such -a high wind, the fire department from the village, two miles away, -could do little or nothing, and the efforts of the students, headed by -the several teachers, were likewise of no avail. Inside of three hours -everything was swept away and only a cellar full of blackened debris -marked the spot where the picturesque academy had once stood. - -Under such circumstances many a man would have been too stunned to act -immediately, but ere the stones of the building were cold, Professor -Strong was laying his plans with the insurance companies for the -erection of a new and better structure. The students were cared for at -some neighboring houses and then refitted with clothing and sent home. - -During the fall there had been much talk of a personally conducted -tour to South America during the coming year, the tour to be under the -guidance of Professor Strong, who had been South a number of times -before. Letters had been sent to the parents of various students, but -nothing definite had been done up to the time the fire occurred. - -Mark and Frank had planned for the trip South, and could not bear -to think of giving it up, and as soon as Professor Strong was in a -position to give them his attention, Frank had gotten his father to -write concerning it. Several letters passed, and at last Professor -Strong decided to leave the building and the management of the new -academy to his brother, who had just left the faculty of Harvard, and -go with the boys. - -While the trip was being talked of at the academy, previous to the -fire, Jake Hockley had announced his determination to go, but since -the boys had separated, nothing more had been heard from the lank -youth, and Mark and Frank were hoping he had given the plan up. The -announcement therefore, that he would make one of the party, put a -damper on their enthusiasm. - -“He’ll get us into some kind of trouble before we get back, you see if -he doesn’t,” was Frank’s comment. - -“I’ll make him keep his distance,” was Mark’s reply. “If he attempts to -go too far I’ll show him that I won’t stand any nonsense.” - -The party of six were to leave for Venezuela by way of New York city, -and a few days after the conversation just recorded Sam Winthrop came -down on the train from Boston, to remain with Mark until the arrival of -the professor. - -“Beans, by all that’s delightful!” cried Mark, as he wrung his friend’s -hand. “So glad you came a few days ahead.” - -“I wanted a chance to look around New York,” answered Sam Winthrop. -“I’ve never had a chance before, you know.” - -“You shall look around, all you please, and Frank and I will go with -you.” - -“Is Darry here yet?” - -“No, but Frank expects him to-morrow. Then we can all go around until -Professor Strong arrives. But say, what do you think about Glummy -going?” and Mark looked anxious. - -“Can’t say that I am overjoyed, Mark.” - -“I wish it was anybody but Hockley--and Frank wishes the same.” - -“Well, all arrangements have been made, so we’ll have to make the best -of it. But I heard one thing that doesn’t please me,” went on Sam. “I -got a letter from Dick Mason, and in it he said Glummy was talking of -the trip to some of his chums, and said he was going just to show Frank -and you a thing or two.” - -“Did he? I wonder what he meant?” - -“He didn’t mean anything very good, you can be sure of that, Mark.” - -“You are right. We’ll certainly have to keep our eyes open and watch -him,” concluded Mark, seriously. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -PREPARING FOR THE START - - -On the following morning Darry Crane came in, on the Limited Express -direct from Chicago. He sent a telegram ahead, to Frank, who went up to -the Grand Central depot to meet his chum. - -“Had a fine trip,” said Darry, “but, honest, I couldn’t get here fast -enough, I’ve been that anxious to see you. Heard from Beans yet? I’ll -wager he comes down with his grip loaded with beans, on account of the -long trip, you know. What, didn’t bring any beans? Must be a mistake -about that.” - -“I guess he was afraid you’d forget the pork,” answered Frank, with a -laugh. “But how have you been since you left school?” - -“First-class. Went West, you know, with my father and nearly rode a -pony to death on the Lone Star ranch. Oh, it was glorious to get over -the ground. Beats a stuffy old city all to bits. Hold on, I’ve got to -look after my trunk. Wouldn’t want to lose that, for it’s got the -whole outfit for the trip in it.” - -“Our man will have the trunk brought to our house,” answered Frank. -“You come with me, and I’ll take you down to Mark’s, where you’ll find -Beans. By the way, heard anything of Glummy?” - -“Did I? Well, I just guess, Frank. What do you think? He actually paid -me a visit--not very long, of course, but still he came to see me. Said -he was passing through Chicago on a trip to St. Louis, and felt that he -had to hunt up an old chum. I almost fainted when he said it. But he -acted quite decent, I must admit, not a bit airish or sour either.” - -“Did he say anything about this trip to South America?” - -“Not much, excepting that he would like to go if it went through. I -didn’t say much either, for I was thinking you and Mark wouldn’t like -to have him along. You don’t, do you?” - -“Not much, although I guess we can stand it if he lets us alone. We -needn’t have much to do with him.” - -Taking Darry’s valise from him, Frank led the way to the street and -hailed a passing auto-cab, and both were speedily taken to the home on -Madison Avenue. A few minutes later they hurried across the way and -joined Mark and Sam. - -In anticipation of the good times ahead, all four of the lads were in a -happy frame of mind, and the remainder of the day was spent by the New -Yorkers in showing the visitors around Central Park and other points -of interest. In the afternoon the four went downtown and crossed the -Brooklyn Bridge. Then they came back to the Battery and took the little -craft which plies hourly between that point and Bedloe’s Island, where -is located the Statue of Liberty, standing as a gigantic sentinel to -New York Bay. - -“How big it looks when one is close to it,” remarked Sam, when they -disembarked close to the base of the statue. “I thought climbing to the -top would be easy, but I fancy it’s going to be as tedious as climbing -to the top of Bunker Hill monument.” - -And so it proved, as they went up the dark and narrow circular steps -leading to the crown of the statue. They wished to go up into the -torch, but the way was blocked owing to repairs. - -Suddenly Mark, on looking around him, uttered an exclamation of -surprise. “Glummy Hockley! How did you get here?” - -His words caused the others to forget their sight seeing for the -moment, and they faced about, to find themselves confronted by the -freckled-faced youth, who had been gazing in the opposite direction. - -“I’ll thank you not to call me ‘Glummy,’” said Hockley, coolly, -although he too was taken by surprise. Then he turned to Darry. “How do -you do, Darry? When did you arrive?” - -Mark bit his lip and looked at Frank, who gave him a knowing look in -return. Clearly it had been an ill beginning to the conversation. -Somehow Mark felt as if he had not done just right. - -“Excuse me, Glum--I mean Hockley, I’ll try to remember your proper name -after this,” he stammered. - -“I don’t mind those things at school, but you must remember we are -not at school now,” went on Hockley, with something of an air of -importance. Then he smiled faintly at Sam. “How are you, Beans?” - -“Excuse me, but we are not at school now, and my name’s not ‘Beans,’” -was the dry response. - -There was a second of silence, and then Darry burst into a roar of -laughter, and Frank and Mark were compelled to follow, the whole thing -seemed so comical. Hockley grew red, but when Sam joined in the -merriment he felt compelled to smile himself, although he looked more -sour than ever directly afterward. - -“All right, Sam, I’ll try to remember,” he said with an effort, and -held out his hand. - -The two shook hands and then the lank youth shook hands with Darry. -After this there was nothing to do but for Frank and Mark to take -Hockley’s hand also, and this they did, although stiffly. - -But the ice was broken and soon all were talking as a crowd of boys -usually do. Hockley had brought a field glass with him and insisted on -all using it. - -“Bought it down in Maiden Lane this morning,” he remarked. “Got the -address of a first-class firm from a friend who knows all about such -things. It cost me sixty-five dollars, but I reckon it’s worth it. -Ain’t many better glasses around. I expect it will be just the thing in -Venezuela.” - -“No doubt,” said Darry, but felt somewhat disgusted over Hockley’s air -of importance. Nevertheless, the glass was a fine one, and everybody -enjoyed looking through it. Ships coming up the Lower Bay could be seen -at a long distance, and they could also see over Brooklyn and Long -Island, and over Jersey City and Newark to the Orange Mountains. - -“What are you fellows going to do to-night?” questioned Hockley, when -they were going down the stairs again. - -“We thought something of going to Manhattan Beach to see the -fireworks----” began Frank, and broke off short. - -“I was thinking of going to Coney Island,” went on the lank youth. -“Supposing we all go there? I’ll foot the bill.” - -“I shouldn’t care to go to Coney Island, and I don’t think Darry and -Sam will care either,” said Mark. - -“Let us all go to Manhattan,” broke in Sam. “I’ve often heard of the -fireworks.” He had not the heart to give Hockley too much of a cold -shoulder. - -So it was arranged, on the way back to the Battery, and then there was -nothing to do but ask the lank youth to dine with them. - -“We are bound to have Glummy on us, sooner or later,” whispered Mark -to Frank, while they were eating. “Perhaps it’s just as well to make -the best of it. It will be time enough to turn on him when he does -something which is openly offensive.” - -When it came time to settle the bill, the lank youth wished to pay for -everybody, but the others would not allow this. - -“Let everybody pay for himself,” said Darry. “Then there won’t be any -trouble.” - -“I can pay as well as not,” said Hockley, sourly. - -“So can any of us,” returned Mark, dryly; and there the subject dropped. - -The trip to Manhattan Beach and the fireworks were very enjoyable, and -before the evening came to an end everybody was in a much better humor, -although both Mark and Frank felt that they would have enjoyed the trip -more had Hockley not been present. - -Hockley was stopping at the Astor House, and left them near the -entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. He had wanted them to have a late -supper with him, and had even mentioned wine, but all had declined, -stating they were tired and wished to go to bed. - -“He must be getting to be a regular high-flyer if he uses much wine,” -remarked Frank when the four were on their way uptown. “What a fool he -is with his money. He thinks that covers everything.” - -“He’ll be foolish to take to drink,” returned Darry. “It has ruined -many a rich young fellow, and he ought to know it.” - -“I think Hockley would be all right if it wasn’t for the high opinion -he has of himself,” came from Sam. “But his patronizing way of talking -is what irritates. He considers nobody as important as himself. In one -way I think he’d be better off if he was poor.” - -“The family haven’t been rich very long--only eight or ten years, so -I’ve heard,” said Mark. “Poor Hockley isn’t used to it yet. It will be -a lesson to him to learn that there are lots of other rich folks in -this world who aren’t making any fuss and feathers about it.” - -In the morning came a message from Professor Strong, stating that he -had arrived, and was stopping at the Hotel Manhattan. He added that he -would see Mr. Robertson and Mr. Newton that morning, and would be at -the service of the boys directly after lunch. - -“Now we won’t lose much more time,” cried Frank. “I declare I wish we -were to sail for Venezuela to-day.” - -“I fancy the professor has a good many arrangements to make,” said -Sam. “It’s quite a trip we are contemplating, remember.” - -“Pooh! it’s not such a trip to Caracas,” returned Darry. “My father was -down there once--looking at a coffee plantation.” - -“A trip to Caracas wouldn’t be so much, Darry,” said Mark. “But -you must remember that we are going further,--to the great lake of -Maracaibo, and then around to the mouth of the Orinoco, and hundreds of -miles up that immense stream. They tell me that the upper end of the -Orinoco is as yet practically unexplored.” - -“Hurrah! we’ll become the Young Explorers!” cried Darry, -enthusiastically. “Say, I wonder if the professor will want us to go -armed?” - -“I don’t think so,” said Frank. “He’ll go armed, and as he is a crack -shot I guess that will do for the lot of us.” - -“Glummy showed me a pearl-handled pistol he had just bought,” put in -Sam. “He said it cost him sixteen dollars.” - -“He’d be sure to mention the price,” said Frank, with a sickly grin. -“I’d like to see him face some wild beast--I’ll wager he’d drop his -pistol and run for his life.” - -“Maybe somebody else would run, too,” came from Mark. “I don’t believe -it’s much fun to stand up in front of a big wild animal.” - -“Are there any such in Venezuela?” - -“I don’t know--we’ll have to ask the professor.” - - - - -CHAPTER III - -ON BOARD THE STEAMER - - -When the boys presented themselves at Professor Strong’s room at the -Hotel Manhattan they found that worthy man looking over a number of -purchases he had made while on his trip downtown. - -“Glad to see you, boys,” he said, as he shook one and another by the -hand. “I trust you are all feeling well.” - -“Haven’t been sick a minute this summer,” answered Darry, and the -others said about the same. - -“I see you have your firearms with you,” remarked Mark, as he gazed at -a rifle and a double-barreled shotgun standing in a corner. “We were -wondering if we were to go armed.” - -“I shouldn’t feel at home without my guns,” returned the professor with -a smile. “You see that comes from being a confirmed old hunter. I don’t -anticipate any use for them except when I go hunting. As for your going -armed, I have already arranged with your parents about that. I shall -take a shotgun for each, also a pistol, for use when we are in the -wilds of the upper Orinoco.” - -“Will you lead us on a regular hunt?” asked Darry, eagerly. - -“I will if you’ll promise to behave and not get into unnecessary -difficulties.” - -“We’ll promise,” came from all. - -“I have been making a number of purchases,” continued Professor Strong. -“But I must make a number more, and if you wish you can go along and -help me make the selections.” - -“Is Glummy--I mean is Jake Hockley coming up here?” questioned Mark. - -“I expected him to come with you. Isn’t he stopping with one of you?” - -“No, he’s stopping at the Astor House,” came from Frank. - -There was an awkward pause, which was very suggestive, and the -professor noted it. With his gun in hand he faced the four. - -“I’m afraid you do not care much to have Master Hockley along,” he -said, slowly. - -“Oh, I reckon we can get along,” answered Darry, after the others had -failed to speak. - -“It is unfortunate that you are not all the best of friends. But -Hockley asked me about the trip a long while ago and when it came to -the point I could not see how I could refuse him. Besides that, I was -thinking that perhaps the trip would do him good. I trust you will -treat him fairly.” - -“Of course we’ll do that,” said Mark, slowly. - -“I guess there won’t be any trouble,” said Frank, but deep in his heart -he feared otherwise. - -“Hockley has not had the benefits of much traveling,” continued the -professor. “And traveling broadens the mind. The trip will do us all -good.” - -They were soon on their way to Fourteenth Street, and then Broadway, -and at several stores the professor purchased the articles he had put -down on his list. The boys all helped to carry these back to the hotel. -On arriving they found Jake Hockley sitting in the reception room -awaiting them. - -The face of the lank youth fell when he saw that they had been out on -a tour without him. “I’d been up earlier if you had sent me word,” -he said to the professor. “I suppose I’ve got to get a lot of things -myself, haven’t I?” - -“You have your clothing, haven’t you?--I mean the list I sent to you?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Then you are all right, for I have the other things.” - -From the professor the boys learned that the steamer for La Guayra, the -nearest seaport to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, would sail three -days later. - -“There is a sailing every ten days,” said Professor Strong. “The -steamers are not as large as those which cross the Atlantic but they -are almost as comfortable, and I have seen to it that we shall have -the best of the staterooms. The trip will take just a week, unless we -encounter a severe storm which drives us back.” - -“I don’t want to meet a storm,” said Hockley. - -“Afraid of getting seasick,” came from Frank. - -“Not exactly,” snapped the lank youth. “Perhaps you’ll get seasick -yourself.” - -“Does this steamer belong to the only line running to Venezuela?” asked -Sam. - -“This is the only regular passenger line. There are other lines, -carrying all sorts of freight, which run at irregular intervals, and -then there are sailing vessels which often stop there in going up or -down the coast.” - -The three days to follow passed swiftly, for at the last moment the -professor and the boys found plenty of things to do. On the day when -the steamer was to sail, Sam’s mother came down from Boston to see her -son off, and the parents of Mark and Frank were also on hand, so that -there was quite a family gathering. The baggage was already aboard, a -trunk and a traveling case for each, as well as a leather bag for the -guns and ammunition. - -At last came the familiar cry, “All ashore that’s going!” and the last -farewells were said. A few minutes later the gang-plank was withdrawn -and the lines unloosened. As the big steamer began to move, something -like a lump arose in Frank’s throat. - -“We’re off!” he whispered to Mark. “Guess it’s going to be a long time -before we get back.” - -Mark did not answer, for he was busy waving his handkerchief to his -folks. Frank turned to Sam and saw that the tears were standing in the -latter’s eyes, for Sam had caught sight of his mother in the act of -wiping her eyes. Even Darry and Hockley were unusually sober. - -In quarter of an hour, however, the strain was over, and then the boys -gave themselves up to the contemplation of the scene before them. -Swiftly the steamer was plying her way between the ferry-boats and -craft that crowded the stream. Soon the Battery was passed and the -Statue of Liberty, and the tall buildings of the great metropolis began -to fade away in the blue haze of the distance. The course was through -the Narrows to the Lower Bay and then straight past Sandy Hook Light -into the broad and sparkling Atlantic. - -“Take a good look at the light and the highlands below,” said the -professor, as he sat beside the boys at the rail. “That’s the last bit -of United States territory you’ll see for a long while to come--unless -you catch sight of Porto Rico, which is doubtful.” - -“Won’t we stand in to shore when we round Cape Hatteras?” asked Hockley. - -“We shall not have to round Cape Hatteras, Hockley. Instead of hugging -the eastern shore of the United States the steamer will sail almost due -South for the Mona Passage on the west of Porto Rico. This will bring -us into the Caribbean Sea, and then we shall sail somewhat westward -for a brief stop at Curaçao, a Dutch island north of the coast of -Venezuela. It is not a large place, but one of considerable importance. -The submarine cable from Cuba to Venezuela has a station there.” - -“I’m going to study the map of Venezuela,” said Mark. “I know something -about it already, but not nearly as much as I’d like to.” - -“To-morrow I’ll show you a large map of the country, which I have -brought along,” answered Professor Strong. “And I’ll give you a little -talk on the history of the people. But to-day you had better spend your -time in making yourselves at home on the ship.” - -“I’m going to look at the engine room,” said Frank, who was interested -in machinery, and down he went, accompanied by Darry. It was a -beautiful sight, to see the triple expansion engines working so swiftly -and yet so noiselessly, but it was frightfully hot below decks, and -they did not remain as long as they had anticipated. - -They were now out of sight of land, and the long swells of the Atlantic -caused the steamer to roll not a little. They found Sam huddled in a -corner of the deck, looking as pale as a sheet. - -“Hullo, what’s up?” queried Frank, although he knew perfectly well. - -“Nothing’s up,” was the reply, given with an effort. “But I guess there -will be something up soon,” and then Sam rushed off to his stateroom, -and that was the last seen of him for that day. - -Mark was also slightly seasick, and thought best to lie down. Hockley -was strolling the deck in deep contempt of those who had been taken ill. - -“I can’t see why anybody should get sick,” he sneered. “I’m sure -there’s nothing to get sick about.” - -“Don’t crow, Glum--I mean Jake,” said Frank. “Your turn may come next.” - -“Me? I won’t get sick.” - -“Don’t be too sure.” - -“I’ll bet you five dollars I don’t get sick,” insisted the lank youth. - -“We’re not betting to-day,” put in Darry. “I hope you don’t get sick, -but--I wouldn’t be too sure about it.” And he and Frank walked away. - -“What an awful blower he is,” said Frank, when they were out of -hearing. “As if a person could help being sick if the beastly thing got -around to him. I must confess I don’t feel very well myself.” - -“Nor I,” answered Darry, more soberly than ever. - -Dinner was served in the dining saloon at six o’clock, as elaborate a -repast as at any leading hotel. But though the first-class passengers -numbered forty only a dozen came to the table. Of the boys only Frank -and Hockley were present, and it must be confessed that Frank’s -appetite was very poor. Hockley appeared to be in the best of spirits -and ate heartily. - -“This is usually the case,” said the professor, after having seen to it -that the others were as comfortable as circumstances permitted. “But it -won’t last, and that is a comfort. Hockley, if I were you, I would not -eat too heartily.” - -“Oh, it won’t hurt me,” was the off-hand answer. “The salt air just -suits me. I never felt better in my life.” - -“I am glad to hear it, and trust it keeps on doing you good.” - -Frank and Mark had a stateroom together and so had Sam and Darry. -Hockley had stipulated that he have a stateroom to himself, and this -had been provided. The professor occupied a room with a Dutch merchant -bound for Curaçao, a jolly, good-natured gentleman, who was soon on -good terms with all of the party. - -There was but little sleep for any of the boys during the earlier part -of the night, for a stiff breeze was blowing and the steamer rolled -worse than ever. But by three o’clock in the morning the wind went -down and the sea seemed to grow easier, and all fell into a light -slumber, from which Mark was the first to awaken. - -“I feel better, although pretty weak,” he said, with an attempt at a -smile. “How is it with you, Frank?” - -“Oh, I didn’t catch it very badly.” - -“Did Glummy get sick?” - -“No.” - -“He’s in luck. How he will crow over us.” - -“If he starts to crow we’ll shut him up,” answered Frank, firmly. - -They were soon dressed and into the stateroom occupied by Sam and Darry. - -“Thanks, I’m myself again,” said Darry. “And why shouldn’t I be? I’m so -clean inside I feel fairly polished. I can tell you, there’s nothing -like a good dose of _mal de mer_, as the French call it, to turn one -inside out.” - -“And how are you, Beans?” asked Mark. - -“I think I’m all here, but I’m not sure,” came from Sam. “But isn’t it -a shame we should all be sick and Hockley should escape?” - -“Oh, he’s so thick-skinned the disease can’t strike through,” returned -Frank. - -He had scarcely uttered the words when Darry, who had stepped out into -the gangway between the staterooms came back with a peculiar smile on -his face. - -“He’s got ’em,” he said. - -“He? Who? What has he got?” asked the others in a breath. - -“Glummy. He’s seasick, and he’s in his room doing more groaning than a -Scotch bagpipe. Come and listen. But don’t make any noise.” - -Silently the quartet tiptoed their way out of the stateroom and to -the door of the apartment occupied by Hockley. For a second there was -silence. Then came a turning of a body on a berth and a prolonged groan -of misery. - -“Oh, why did I come out here,” came from Hockley. “Oh dear, my head! -Everything’s going round and round! Oh, if only this old tub would stop -rolling for a minute--just a minute!” And then came another series of -groans, followed by sounds which suggested that poor Hockley was about -as sick as a boy can well be. - -“Let’s give him a cheer, just to brace him up,” suggested Frank, in a -whisper. - -“Just the thing,” came from Darry. “My, but won’t it make him boiling -mad!” - -But Mark interposed. “No, don’t do it, fellows, he feels bad enough -already. Come on and leave him alone,” and this advice was followed and -they went on deck. Here they met the professor, who wanted to know if -they had seen Hockley. - -“No, sir, but we heard him,” said Sam. “He’s in a bad way, and perhaps -he’d like to see you.” - -At this Professor Strong’s face became a study. Clearly he knew what -was in the boys’ minds, but he did not betray it. Yet he had to -smile when he was by himself. He went to see Hockley, and he did not -re-appear on deck until two hours later. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -VENEZUELA, PAST AND PRESENT - - -“Supposing we now look at that map of Venezuela and learn a little -about the history of the country,” said Professor Strong, immediately -after the lunch hour and when all was quiet on board the steamer. -“We can get in a corner of the cabin, and I don’t think anybody will -disturb us.” - -Ordinarily the boys would not have taken to anything in the shape of a -lecture, but they were anxious to know something more of the locality -they were to visit, and so all readily agreed to follow Professor -Strong to the nook he had selected. Hockley was still absent, and the -others asked no questions concerning him. The professor hung up his map -and sat on a chair before it, and the lads drew up camp chairs in a -semi-circle before him. - -“As you will see by the map, Venezuela lies on the north coast of South -America,” began Professor Strong. “It is bounded on the north by the -Caribbean Sea, on the east by British Guiana, on the south by Brazil -and on the west by Colombia. It is irregular in shape, and its greatest -length is from south-east to north-west, about twelve hundred miles, or -by comparison, about the distance from Maine to Minnesota or California -to Kansas.” - -“Phew! that’s larger than I thought,” came from Frank, in an undertone. - -“Many of the South American republics are larger than most people -realize,” went on the professor. “Venezuela has an estimated area of -nearly 598,000 miles--to give it in round figures. That is as large as -all of the New England States and half a dozen other States combined. -The country has over a thousand rivers, large and small, over two -hundred of which flow into the Caribbean Sea, and four hundred helping -to swell the size of the mighty Orinoco, which, as you already know, -is the second largest river in South America,--the largest being the -Amazon of Brazil. The Orinoco is a worthy rival of our own Mississippi, -and I am afraid you will find it just as muddy and full of snags and -bars.” - -“Never mind, we’ll get through somehow,” put in Darry, and his dry way -of saying it made even the professor laugh. - -“Besides the rivers, there are a number of lakes and bays. Of the -former, the largest is Lake Maracaibo, with an area of 2,100 square -miles.” - -“That must be the Maracaibo coffee district,” suggested Mark. - -“To a large extent it is, for the lake is surrounded by coffee and -cocoa plantations. In the interior is another body of water, Lake -Valencia, which possesses the peculiarity of being elevated nearly -1,700 feet above the ocean level. All told, the country is well watered -and consequently vegetation is abundant.” - -“But I thought it was filled up with mountains?” came from Sam. - -“A large part of the country is mountainous, as you can see by the map, -but there are also immense plains, commonly called _llanos_. The great -Andes chain strikes Venezuela on the west and here divides into two -sections, one running northward toward the Caribbean Sea and the other -to the north-eastward. Some parts of these chains are very high, and -at a point about a hundred miles south of Lake Maracaibo there are two -peaks which are each over 15,000 feet high and are perpetually covered -with snow.” - -“I guess we won’t climb them,” observed Sam. - -“I hardly think so myself, Samuel, although we may get a good view -of them from a distance, when we visit Lake Maracaibo. Besides these -chains of mountains there are others to the southward, and here the -wilderness is so complete that it has not yet been thoroughly explored. -It is a land full of mountain torrents, and one of these, after flowing -through many plains and valleys, unites the Orinoco with the Amazon, -although the watercourse is not fit for navigation by even fair sized -boats.” - -“What about the people?” asked Mark, after a long pause, during which -all of them examined the map more closely, and the professor pointed -out La Guayra, Caracas, and a dozen or more other places of importance. - -“The people are of Spanish, Indian and mixed blood, with a fair -sprinkling of Americans and Europeans. There has been no accurate -census taken for a number of years, but the population is put down as -over two and three quarters millions and of this number about three -hundred thousand are Indians.” - -“Are those Indians like our own?” questioned Darry. - -“A great deal like the Indians of the old south-west, excepting -that they are much more peaceful. You can travel almost anywhere in -Venezuela, and if you mind your own business it is rarely that an -Indian or a negro will molest you. And now let me ask if any of you -know what the name Venezuela means?” - -“I don’t,” said Frank, and the others shook their heads. - -“The name Venezuela means Little Venice. The north shore was discovered -by Columbus in 1498. One year later a Castilian knight named Ojeda came -westward, accompanied by Amerigo Vespucci, and the pair with their four -ships sailed from the mouth of the Orinoco to the Isthmus of Panama. -They also explored part of Lake Maracaibo, and when Vespucci saw the -natives floating around in their canoes it reminded him of Venice in -Italy, with its canals and gondolas, and he named the country Little -Venice, or Venezuela. When Vespucci got home he wrote an elaborate -account of his voyage, and this so pleased those in authority they -immediately called the entire country America, in his honor, and -America it has been ever since.” - -“Yes, but it ought to be called Columbia,” put in Frank, as the -professor paused. - -“Perhaps you are right, Newton, but it’s too late to change it now. -The Spaniards made the first settlement in Venezuela in 1520, and -the country remained true to Spain until 1811. Ojeda was first made -governor of all the north coast of South America, which soon took the -name of the Spanish Main. Pearls were found in the Gulf of Paria, and -the Spaniards at Santo Domingo rushed into South America and treated -the innocent natives with the utmost cruelty. This brought on a fierce -war lasting over forty years. This was in the times of Charles V, -and he once sold the entire country to the Velsers of Augsburg, who -treated the poor natives even worse than they had been treated by -the Spaniards. In the end, between the fighting and the earthquakes -which followed, the natives were either killed off or driven into the -interior. Then came another Castilian knight, who in 1567 founded the -city of Caracas, so called after the Indians who used to live there.” - -“I have often read stories of the Spanish Main,” said Mark. “They must -have been bloody times.” - -“They were, for piracy and general lawlessness were on every hand. The -Spaniards ruled the people with a rod of iron, and everything that the -country produced in the way of wealth went into the pockets of the -rulers. At last the natives could stand it no longer, and a revolution -took place, under the leadership of Simon Bolivar, and a ten years’ war -followed, and the Spanish soldiery was forced to leave the country. - -“At first Venezuela, with New Granada, (now Colombia) and Ecuador -formed the Republic of Colombia. Simon Bolivar, often called the -George Washington of South America, was the President of the Republic. -At Bolivar’s death Venezuela became independent, and has remained -independent ever since. Slavery was abolished there in 1854.” - -“They were ahead of us in that,” observed Frank. - -“So they were, and the credit is due to Jose Gregorio Monagas, who -suffered a martyr’s death in consequence. The freeing of the slaves -threw the country into another revolution, and matters were not settled -until 1870, when Antonio Guzman Blanco came into power and ruled until -1889. After this followed another series of outbreaks, one political -leader trying to push another out of office, and this has hurt trade -a good deal. At present General Castro is President of Venezuela, but -there is no telling how long his enemies will allow him to retain that -office.” - -“I hope we don’t get mixed up in any of their revolutions,” said Sam. - -“I shouldn’t mind it,” put in Darry. “Anything for excitement, you -know.” - -“Venezuela has been divided into many different states and territories -at different times,” continued Professor Strong. “In 1854 there were -thirteen provinces which were soon after increased to twenty-one. In -1863 the Federalists conquered the Unionists, and the provinces were -re-named states and reduced to seven. But this could not last, for -fewer states meant fewer office holders, so the number was increased -to twenty states, three territories and one federal district. What the -present government will do toward making divisions there is no telling.” - -“I should think they would get tired of this continual fighting,” said -Darry. - -“The peons, or common people, do get very tired of it, but they -cannot stop the ambitions of the political leaders, who have the -entire soldiery under their thumb. These leaders have seen so much of -fighting, and heard of so much fighting in their sister republics, that -it seems to get in their blood and they can’t settle down for more than -a few years at a time. But as outsiders come in, with capital, and -develop the country, I think conditions will change, and soon South -America will be as stable as North America or Europe.” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -HOCKLEY MAKES A BOSOM FRIEND - - -“Now I feel as if I knew a little more than I did before,” observed -Frank to Mark, after the professor’s talk had come to an end and the -teacher had gone to put away his map. “It’s a pretty big country, isn’t -it?” - -“It is, Frank, and at the best I suppose we can see only a small -portion of it. But it would be queer if we got mixed up in any of their -fighting, wouldn’t it?” - -“Do you really think we shall?” - -“I don’t know. But just before we left New York I saw a long article -in one of the newspapers about affairs in Venezuela, Colombia and on -the Isthmus. It seems that the Presidents of the two Republics are -unfriendly, and as a consequence the President of Venezuela has given -aid to the rebels in Colombia, while the President of Colombia is doing -what he can to foment trouble in Venezuela. Besides that Nicaragua and -Ecuador are in the mix-up. The papers said that fighting has been -going on in some places for years and that thousands of lives have been -lost, especially in the vicinity of the Isthmus.” - -“It’s a wonder the professor didn’t speak of this.” - -“Oh, I guess he didn’t want to scare us. Perhaps the soldiery doesn’t -interfere with foreigners, if, as he says, the foreigners mind their -own business.” - -The day was all that one could wish and the boys enjoyed it fully, for -the seasickness of the day before had done each good. Mark and his -chums wondered how Hockley was faring, and at last Sam went to the -professor to inquire. - -“He is a very sick young man,” said Professor Strong. “His over-eating -has much to do with it. But I hope to see him better in the morning.” - -“Do you think he would like to see any of us?” asked Sam. “We’ll go -willingly if you think best.” - -“No, he said he wished to see no one but myself, Winthrop. You will do -best to let him alone, and when he comes out I wouldn’t say anything -about the affair,” concluded the professor. - -To while away the time the boys went over the steamer from end to end, -and an obliging under-officer explained the engines, the steering gear -and other things of interest to them. So the time passed swiftly -enough until it was again the hour to retire. - -Hockley appeared about ten o’clock on the following morning, thinner -than ever and with big rings under his eyes. He declined to eat any -breakfast and was content to sit by himself in a corner on deck. - -“I suppose you fellows think I was seasick,” he said, as Sam and Darry -passed close to him. “But if you do, you are mistaken. I ate something -that didn’t agree with me and that threw me into a regular fit of -biliousness. I get them every six months or so, you know.” - -“I didn’t know,” returned Darry, who had never seen Hockley sick in his -life. “But I’m glad you are over it,” he went on, kindly. - -“I suppose Frank and Mark are laughing in their sleeves at me,” went on -the lank youth, with a scowl. - -“I don’t believe they are thinking of it,” answered Sam. “We’ve been -inspecting the ship from top to bottom and stem to stern, and that has -kept us busy. You ought to go around, it’s really very interesting.” - -“Pooh! I’ve been through ’em loads of times--on the regular Atlantic -liners,--twice as big as this,” grumbled Hockley. - -A few words more followed, and Sam and Darry passed on. “He’s all right -again,” observed Darry. “And his seasickness didn’t cure him of his -bragging either.” - -The steamer was now getting well down toward the Mona Passage, and -on the day following land was sighted in the distance, a series of -somewhat barren rocks. A heavy wind was blowing. - -“Now we are going to pass through the monkey,” said Darry, after a talk -with the professor. - -“Pass through the monkey?” repeated Frank. “Is this another of your -little jokes, Darry?” - -“Not at all. Mona means monkey, so the professor told me.” - -“Will we stop?” - -“No, we won’t go anywhere near land. The next steamer stops, I believe, -but not this one.” - -“I wouldn’t mind spending some time in Porto Rico and Cuba,” put in -Mark. “There must have been great excitement during the war with Spain.” - -“Perhaps we’ll stop there on our way home,” said Sam. “I should like to -visit Havana.” - -The Mona Passage, or Strait, passed, the course of the steamer was -changed to the south-westward. They were now in the Caribbean Sea, but -the waters looked very much as they had on the bosom of the Atlantic. -The wind increased until the blow promised to be an unusually severe -one. - -“My, but this wind is a corker!” ejaculated Frank, as he and Mark -tried in vain to walk the open deck. “Perhaps we are going to have a -hurricane.” - -“You boys had better come inside,” said Professor Strong as he hurried -up. “It’s not safe to be here. A sudden lurch of the steamer might hurl -you overboard.” - -“All right, we’ll come in,” said Mark. - -He had scarcely spoken when an extra puff of wind came along, banging -the loose things in the open cabin right and left. The wind took -Frank’s cap from his head and sent it spinning aft. - -“My cap!” cried the youth and started after it. - -“Be careful of yourself!” came from the professor, but the fury of the -wind drowned out his voice completely. - -Bound to save his cap Frank followed it to the rail. As he stooped to -pick it up the steamer gave a sudden roll to the opposite side and he -was thrown headlong. At the same moment the spray came flying on -board, nearly blinding him. - -[Illustration: “Stay where you are!”] - -“He’ll go overboard if he isn’t careful!” ejaculated Mark, and ran -after his chum. - -“You be careful yourself,” came from Professor Strong, as he too rushed -to the rescue. - -Before either could reach Frank the youth had turned over and was -trying to raise himself to his feet. But now the steamer rolled once -more and in a flash Frank was thrown almost on top of the rail. He -caught the netting below with one hand but his legs went over the side. - -“Oh!” burst out Mark, and could say no more, for his heart was in his -throat. He thought Frank would be washed away in a moment more. The -spray still continued to fly all over the deck and at times his chum -could scarcely be seen. - -“Stay where you are,” called out Professor Strong, to Mark. Then he -turned and in a moment more was at the rail and holding both Frank and -himself. Following the advice given, Mark held fast to a nearby window. - -By this time a couple of deck hands were hurrying to the scene, one -with a long line. One end of the line was fastened to the companionway -rail and the other run out to where the professor and Frank remained. -The boy was all out of breath and could do but little toward helping -himself. But Professor Strong’s grip was a good one, and it did not -relax until one of the deck hands helped the lad to a place along the -rope. The deck hand went ahead and the professor brought up the rear, -with Frank between them. In a moment more they were at the companionway -and Frank fairly tumbled below, with the others following him. - -“Gracious, but that was a close shave!” panted the boy, when able to -speak. “I hadn’t any idea the steamer would roll so much.” - -“After this when it blows heavily you must remain in the cabin,” -said Professor Strong, rather severely. “And if your cap wants to go -overboard--” - -“I’ll let it go,” finished Frank. “I won’t do anything like that again -for a train load of caps, you can depend on that.” - -The storm increased, and by nightfall it was raining heavily. The boys -had expected a good deal of thunder and lightning, but it did not come, -and by sunrise wind and rain were a thing of the past and the steamer -was pursuing her course as smoothly as ever. - -On board the ship were half a dozen passengers bound for Curaçao, -including Herr Dombrich, the merchant who occupied a portion of -Professor Strong’s stateroom. One of the number going ashore at the -little island was a man from Baltimore, a fellow with Dutch blood in -his veins, who had formerly been in the saloon business, and who was -far from trustworthy. His name was Dan Markel, and, strange as it may -seem, he had formed a fairly close acquaintanceship with Jake Hockley. - -“I wish I had the money you have,” said Dan Markel to Hockley, one -afternoon, as the two were sitting alone near the bow of the steamer. -“There are lots of openings in Curaçao for a fellow with a little -capital. The Dutchmen down there don’t know how to do business. With -five hundred dollars I could make ten thousand in less than a year.” - -“Haven’t you got five hundred dollars?” asked Hockley, with interest. - -“Not now. I had a good deal more than that, but I was burnt out, and -there was a flaw in my insurance papers, so I couldn’t get my money -from the company.” Dan Markel told the falsehood without a blush. - -“But what do you expect to do in Curaçao without money--strike some -sort of job?” - -“I’ve got a rich friend, who has a plantation in the interior. I think -he will give me a place. But I’d rather establish myself in the town. -He wrote to me that there was a good opening for a tobacco shop. If I -could get somebody to advance me five hundred dollars I’d be willing to -pay back a thousand for it at the end of six months.” - -Now Hockley was carrying five hundred dollars with him, which an -indulgent father had given to him for “extras,” as he expressed it, for -Professor Strong was to pay all regular bills. The money was in gold, -for gold is a standard no matter where you travel. Hockley thought of -this gold, and of how he would like it to be a thousand instead of five -hundred dollars. - -“I’ve got five hundred dollars with me,” he said, in his bragging way. -“My father gave it to me to have a good time on.” - -“Then you must be rich,” was the answer from the man from Baltimore. - -“Dad’s a millionaire,” said Hockley, trying to put on an air of -superiority. “Made every cent of it himself, too.” - -“I suppose you’ve got to pay your way with the money.” - -“No, old Strong pays the bills.” - -“Then you’re in luck. I suppose you don’t want to put that money out at -a hundred per cent. interest,” went on Dan Market, shrewdly. “It would -be as safe as in a bank, my word on it.” - -“I want to use the money, that’s the trouble. I intend to have a good -time in Venezuela.” - -“You ought to have it, on that money. I wish I had your chance. Caracas -is a dandy city for sport, if you know the ropes.” - -“Then you have been there?” - -“Yes, four years ago,” answered Markel, and this was another falsehood, -for he had never been near South America in his life. He had spent -his time in drifting from one city in the United States to another, -invariably leaving a trail of debts behind him. - -“And you know the people?” - -“Yes, some of the very best of them. And I can show you the best of the -cock fighting and the bull fighting, too, if you want to see them.” - -“That’s what I want,” answered Hockley, his eyes brightening. “No old -slow poke of a trip for me. I suppose Professor Strong expects to make -us toe the mark everywhere we go, but I don’t intend to stand it. I -came for a good time, and if I can’t get it with the rest of the party -I’m going to go it on my own hook.” - -“To be sure--that’s just what I’d do.” Dan Markel slapped Hockley on -the back. “Hang me if you ain’t a young man after my own heart. For two -pins I’d go down to Caracas with you, just to show you around.” - -“I wish you would!” cried Hockley. - -“The trouble is while I can spare the time I can’t spare the money. I’d -take you up in a minute if it wasn’t for that.” - -“Never mind the money--I’ll foot the bill,” answered Hockley, never -dreaming of how his offer would result. “I’d like to have a companion -who had been around and who knew where the real sport lay. You come -with me, and you can return to Curaçao after our crowd leaves Caracas.” - -A talk of half an hour followed. Markel pretended to be unwilling to -accept the generous offer at first, but at length agreed to go with -Hockley and remain with him so long as the Strong party stopped at -Caracas. He was to show Hockley all the “fancy sports” of the town and -introduce him to a number of swells and “high rollers.” On the strength -of the compact he borrowed fifty dollars on the spot, giving his I. O. U. -in exchange, a bit of paper not worth the ink used in drawing it up. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -A PLAN THAT FAILED - - -“Hockley has found a new friend,” observed Mark to Sam that afternoon. -“A man a number of years older than himself, too.” - -“So I’ve noticed, Mark. I must say I don’t quite fancy the appearance -of the stranger.” - -“Nor I. He looks rakish and dissipated. I wonder where he is bound?” - -“I heard him speaking about getting off at Curaçao. If that’s the case -we won’t have him with us after to-morrow.” - -“Do we stop at the island to-morrow?” - -“Yes, we’ll be there before noon, so the professor says.” - -Just then Darry appeared and joined them. He had been in the cabin, and -Hockley had introduced Dan Markel to him. - -“Mr. Markel is a great talker, but I don’t take stock in much he says,” -said Darry. “Hockley evidently thinks him just all right. He was going -to stop at Curaçao but has changed his mind and is going right through -to Caracas. He says he knows Caracas like a book.” - -“Perhaps he intends to take Hockley around,” suggested Sam. - -“It was my impression we were all to go around with the professor,” -came from Mark. - -“That was the plan,” said Darry. “He’d have a good deal of bother if he -allowed everyone to run off where he pleased. I don’t believe Hockley -liked it much because I didn’t seem to care for his new friend.” - -“Let him think as he pleases--we haven’t got to put ourselves out for -his benefit,” said Mark; and there the subject was dropped for the time -being. - -In the meantime Frank had met Hockley and Dan Markel coming out of -the stateroom the latter occupied. Markel had asked the lank youth -to come below and take a drink with him, and Hockley had accepted, -and a first drink had been followed by two more, which put Hockley in -rather an “elevated” state of mind, even though he was used to drinking -moderately when at home. - -“My very best friend, Frank,” he called out. “Mr. Dan Markel. Mr. -Markel, this is one of our party, Frank Newton, of New York city.” - -“Happy to know you,” responded Market, giving Frank’s hand a warm -shake. “It’s a real pleasure to make friends on such a lonely trip as -this.” - -“I haven’t found it particularly lonely,” said Frank, stiffly. He was -not favorably impressed by the appearance of the man from Baltimore. - -“That’s because you have so many friends with you, my boy. With me it -was different. I didn’t know a soul until Mr. Hockley and myself struck -up an acquaintanceship.” - -“But now it’s all right, eh?” put in Hockley, gripping Markel’s -shoulder in a brotherly way. - -“To be sure it’s all right,” was the quick answer. “We’ll stick -together and have a good time. Perhaps young Newton will join us?” - -“Thank you, but I shall stick to my chums,” answered Frank, coolly, and -walked off, leaving Markel staring after him. - -“The little beggar!” muttered Hockley, when Frank was out of hearing. -“I’d like to wring his neck for him.” - -“Why, what’s the trouble?” - -“Oh, nothing in particular, but somehow he and the rest of the crowd -seem to be down on me, and they are making it as unpleasant as they can -at every opportunity.” - -“You don’t say! It’s a wonder Professor Strong permits it.” - -“They take good care to be decent when he’s around, and of course I’m -no tale bearer, to go to him. But I would like to fix young Newton.” - -“Is he worse than the others?” - -“Sometimes I think he is. Anyway, if I got square on him it might teach -the others a lesson.” - -Frank joined his chums and told what had taken place. At the next -meal Markel was introduced to the others, but all ignored him, and -even Professor Strong showed that he did not like the idea of Hockley -picking up such an acquaintance. - -The fact that he had been snubbed made Dan Markel angry, and feeling -that Hockley was now his friend and would back him up, he let out a -stream of abuse, in the privacy of his stateroom, with the lank youth -taking it in and nodding vigorously. - -“You are right, that little cub is the worst,” said Markel, referring -to Frank. “He needs taming down. I wish I had him under my care for a -week or two, I’d show him how to behave.” - -“I’ve been thinking of an idea,” retorted Hockley, slowly. “It would be -a grand scheme if we could put it through.” - -“What is it?” - -“We are going to land at Curaçao to-morrow. I wish I could arrange it -so one of the other fellows would be left behind to paddle his own -canoe. It would take some of the importance out of him.” - -“Well, that might be arranged,” returned Markel, rubbing his chin -reflectively. “Perhaps we might fix it so that all of them were left -there stranded.” - -“How long will the steamer stay there?” - -“Six hours, so I heard the captain tell one of the other passengers.” - -“The trouble is we’ll all have to go ashore with the professor, if they -let us go ashore at all.” - -“Well, we’ll try to think up some scheme,” said the man from Baltimore; -and then the subject was changed. - -Curaçao is the largest and most important of the Dutch West Indian -Islands, with a population of about 25,000 souls. The island is largely -of a phosphate nature, and the government derives a handsome income -from the sale of this product. To the east of Curaçao is Bonaire, -another Dutch possession, and to the west Aruba, all of which are -likely to become a part of United States territory in the near future. -The islands are of considerable importance, and trade not alone in -phosphate of lime but also in salt, beans, dyewoods and fruits. - -Early in the morning the dim outlines of Curaçao could be seen and -about ten o’clock the steamer glided into the bay of St. Anna, upon -which Willemstad, the capital city is located. The harbor is a -commodious one, and ships displaying the flags of many nations were on -every hand. - -“What a pretty town!” exclaimed Mark, as he surveyed the distant -shore with a glass. “I declare it looks like some of these old Dutch -paintings.” - -“This island is famous in history,” said Professor Strong, who stood -by. “It was discovered by the Spaniards in 1527. About a hundred years -after that the Dutch took it and held it for nearly two hundred years. -Then the English came over and wrested it from the Dutch, but had to -give it back eight years later, in 1815. The pirates and buccaneers -used to find these islands excellent stopping places, and many a -political refugee has ended his days on them.” - -“Is the capital very large?” - -“About fifteen thousand inhabitants.” - -“How about going ashore and taking a look around?” questioned Darry. -“I’d like first rate to stretch my legs on land once more.” - -“Oh, yes, do let us go ashore?” pleaded Frank. “The steamer is going to -stay five or six hours, and that will give us loads of time for looking -around.” - -“I will see what can be done when we anchor,” said the professor. “They -may be very strict here--I do not know.” - -Soon the big steamer was close up to the wharf where she was to -discharge part of her cargo and passengers. One of the first parties to -leave was Herr Dombrich, who shook hands cordially with the professor. - -“It has been von great bleasure to sail mit you,” said the Dutch -merchant. “I vos hobe ve meet again, not so?” - -“I’m thinking of taking the boys ashore,” said the professor. “They -would like to see the city.” - -“Yes, yes, surely you must do dot,” was the reply. “I vould go mit you, -but I must on pisiness go to de udder side of de island. Goot py!” and -in a moment Herr Dombrich was ashore and lost in a crowd. Then Mark -caught a glimpse of him as he was driven away in an old-fashioned Dutch -carriage which had been waiting for him. - -An interview was had with some custom house and other officials, and -the party obtained permission to go ashore and roam around the place -until the steamer should set sail for La Guayra. In the meantime Dan -Markel had already disappeared up one of the long docks. - -The man from Baltimore was in a quandary. He had borrowed fifty dollars -from Hockley, and he was strongly inclined to hide until the steamer -should sail and then use the money to suit himself. But he realized -that his capital, which now represented a total of eighty dollars, -would not last forever, and a brief look around Willemstad convinced -him that it was not at all the city he had anticipated. - -“I’d starve to death here, after the money was gone,” he reasoned. -“I’ll wager these Dutchmen are regular misers. The best thing I can do -is to go to Caracas with that crowd and then squeeze that young fool -out of another fifty, or maybe a couple of hundred.” - -He had come ashore after another talk with Hockley, in which he had -promised to lay some plan whereby one or another of the boys might be -left behind. He had been told by the captain of the steamer that the -vessel would sail at five o’clock sharp. If he could only manage to -keep somebody ashore until ten or fifteen minutes after that hour the -deed would be done. - -The day was hot and, as was usual with him, Markel was dry, and he -entered the first wine shop he discovered. Here he imbibed freely, with -the consequence that when he arose to go his mind was far from being as -free as it had been. - -“I guess I’ll go and see a little more of the town on my own hook -before I try to make any arrangements,” he muttered to himself, and -strolled on until another drinking place presented itself. Here he met -another American, and the pair threw dice for drinks for over an hour. -Then the man from Baltimore dozed off in a chair, and did not awaken -until a number of hours later. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -FROM CURAÇAO TO LA GUAYRA - - -Leaving the steamer, our friends proceeded to the main thoroughfare of -Willemstad, a quaint old street, scrupulously clean--a characteristic -of every Dutch town--and with buildings that looked as if they had been -moved over from Amsterdam. Not far off was the home of the governor -of the island, a mansion with walls of immense thickness. The place -fronted the bay and near by was something of a fortress with a few -ancient cannon. Here a number of Dutch soldiers were on duty. - -“I will see if I cannot get carriages, and then we can drive around,” -said Professor Strong, and this was done, and soon they were moving -along slowly, for no Dutch hackman ever thinks of driving fast. Besides -it was now the noon hour, and the hackmen would rather have taken their -midday nap than earn a couple of dollars. The boys soon discovered -that in the tropics to do anything, or to have anything done for you, -between the hours of eleven to three is extremely difficult. Merchants -close their places of business and everybody smokes and dreams or goes -to sleep. - -“I see a lot of negroes,” observed Mark, as they moved along. - -“The population is mostly of colored blood,” answered the professor. -“The colored people are all free, yet the few Dutchmen that are here -are virtually their masters. The negroes work in the phosphate mines, -and their task is harder than that of a Pennsylvania coal miner ten -times over. If we had time we might visit one of the phosphate works, -but I hate to risk it.” - -“For such a small place there are lots of ships here,” put in Sam. - -“That is true and I think the reason is because this is a free port of -entry. The ships bring in all sorts of things, and some say a good deal -of the stuff is afterwards smuggled into Venezuela and Colombia.” - -They drove on, past the quaint shops and other buildings, but in an -opposite direction to that taken by Dan Markel. During the drive -Hockley had little or nothing to say. He was worried over the -non-appearance of the man from Baltimore, and looked for him eagerly -at every corner and cross road. - -“He’s made a mess of it,” he thought. “We’ll be driving back soon and -that will be the end of it.” And then he thought of the fifty dollars -and began to suspect Markel, and something like a chill passed over him. - -“If he cheated me I’ll fix him, see if I don’t!” he told himself. Yet -he felt that he was helpless and could do nothing, for the loan had -been a fair one. - -“There is a curious story connected with the Island of Curaçao,” said -the professor, as they passed along through the suburbs of the capital. -“It is said that in years gone by some of the old Spanish pirates -filled a cave in the interior with gold and then sprinkled a trail of -salt from the cave to the sea. Some time after that the pirates were -captured and all made to walk the plank. One of them, in an endeavor -to save his life, told of the treasure and of the trail that had been -left. Those who had captured the pirates immediately sailed for the -island, but before they could reach here a fearful hurricane came up, -washing the land from end to end and entirely destroying the trail of -salt, so that the treasure has not been unearthed to this day.” - -For the greater part the road was hard, dusty and unshaded. But in -spots were beautiful groves of plantains and oranges, while cocoanut -palms were by no means lacking. The houses everywhere were low, broad, -and with walls of great thickness, and in between them were scattered -the huts of the poorer class, built of palm thatch and often covered -with vines. - -On the return they passed an old Dutch saw-mill, where a stout Dutchman -was directing the labors of a dozen coal-black natives. The natives -droned a tune as they moved the heavy logs into the mill. They appeared -to be only half awake, and the master threatened them continually in an -endeavor to make them move faster. - -“They are not killing themselves with work,” observed Sam. - -“They never work as fast in the tropics as they do in the temperate -zone of our own country,” answered Professor Strong. “The heat is -against it. Even the most active of men are apt to become easy-going -after they have been here a number of years.” - -The drive took longer than anticipated and when they again reached -the docks the steamer was ready to sail. They were soon on board, and -a little later St. Anna harbor was left behind and the journey to -Venezuela was resumed. - -“What’s up?” asked Mark, of Hockley, when he saw the lank youth -walking through the cabins looking in one direction and another. “Lost -anything?” - -“No,” was the curt answer, and then with a peculiar look in his eyes, -Hockley continued: “Have you seen anything of Mr. Markel since we came -on board?” - -“I have not. He got off at Willemstad.” - -“I know it. But he was going through to La Guayra and Caracas.” - -“Well, I haven’t seen him,” answered Mark, and moved on. - -Hockley continued his search for over an hour and then went to the -purser, and from that individual learned that Markel had taken no -stateroom for the coming night nor had he paid passage money to be -carried to La Guayra. - -“That settles it,” muttered Hockley to himself, as he walked off. “He -has given me the slip and I am out my fifty dollars. What a fool I was -to trust him! And I thought he was such a fine fellow!” And he gripped -his fists in useless rage. He fancied that he had seen the last of the -man from Baltimore, but he was mistaken. - -That night the boys went to bed full of expectations for the morrow, -for the run from Curaçao to La Guayra, the nearest seaport to Caracas, -is but a short one. - -“My, but it’s getting hot!” observed Frank, while undressing. “It’s -more than I bargained for.” - -“You must remember we are only twelve degrees north of the equator,” -answered Mark. “Wait till we strike the Orinoco, then I guess you’ll do -some sweating. That stream is only about seven or eight degrees above -the line.” - -Nevertheless the boys passed a fairly comfortable night and did not -arise until it was time for breakfast. Then they went on deck to watch -for the first sight of land. - -“Hurrah! There’s land!” was Darry’s cry, some hours later. He held a -glass in his hand. “My, what a mountain!” - -One after another looked through the glass, and at a great distance -made out a gigantic cliff overhanging the sea. As the steamer came -closer they made out the wall more plainly, and saw the lazy clouds -drifting by its top and between its clefts. At the foot of the gigantic -cliff was a narrow patch of sand with here and there a few tropical -trees and bushes. Upon the sand the breakers rushed with a low, booming -sound, and in spots they covered the rocks with a milklike foam. - -“I don’t see anything of a town,” said Frank. - -“We have got to round yonder point before you can see it,” answered an -under-officer standing near. “It’s not much of a place, and it’s tucked -away right under the mountain.” - -An hour later they rounded the point that had been mentioned and at -a distance made out La Guayra, which is located on a narrow strip of -land between the great cliff and the sea. They could see but little -outside of several long and narrow streets running parallel with the -mountain. At one end of the town was a small hill, with several long, -low government buildings and a church or two. - -“When I was here before, one had to be taken ashore in a small boat,” -said Professor Strong. “The ocean ran with great swiftness along the -beach. But now they have a breakwater and some first-class docks and -there is little trouble.” - -“The town seems to be hemmed in,” said Sam. “How do they get anywhere -excepting by boat?” - -“There is a road over the mountain and a railroad track, too. But it’s -up-hill climbing from beginning to end.” - -“What’s that thing on yonder hillside?” asked Mark, pointing to a -somewhat dilapidated building, one side of which was set up on long -sticks. - -“That is the old bull fighting ring. In days gone by they used to have -very fierce fights there and much money used to be wagered on the -contests. But the folks are beginning to become civilized now and the -bull fighting doesn’t amount to much.” - -As soon as the passengers had landed from the steamer they found -themselves in the hands of the custom-house officials, who proceeded to -collect all they thought was due. In the meantime, while the professor -was busy paying the duties, Mark and the others strolled through the -little park fronting the pier. - -“This isn’t so bad,” said Frank, as he gazed at the fountain and the -heroic statue of General Guzman Blanco. “Wonder what that big building -behind us is.” - -It proved to be the custom house, an ancient building looking for all -the world like a fort. There was a heavy wall, with an arched gateway -and a great staircase leading to the rooms in the upper part of the -building. The walls were of huge stones and were five to six feet in -thickness. - -“Whoever built this, built it to last,” said Sam. “I don’t think -anything less than an earthquake could bring it down.” - -“I suppose they have used it for a fort for years,” said Darry, and -he hit the truth exactly. “When there is a rebellion in a country the -custom house is always more or less of a point of interest.” - -They were soon joined by Professor Strong, who conducted them to a -modest looking hotel not many squares away. - -“We will remain here over night and take the train for Caracas in the -morning,” said the professor. “I want you to see what a triumph of -engineering skill this road is, and you can’t see that in the darkness.” - -“Phew! what a smell!” came from Hockley, as he turned up his nose. “La -Guayra isn’t very clean.” - -“You are right, Hockley, although the town is much better than it used -to be. When I was here years ago the streets were literally covered -with filth and there was a good deal of sickness. You see, it is really -nothing but a seaport. Only those who have to work here will stay.” - -Their rooms were not of the best, and during the night Frank got up -several times, declaring that his bed was inhabited. All were outside -by dawn and saw the sun rise over the rolling sea. Then a breakfast -of rolls, coffee and fish was had and they proceeded to the railroad -station--to take the most exciting railroad ride that they had ever -experienced. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -ON A CLIFF AND UNDER - - -“Hurrah for a railroad ride over the mountains!” cried Darry, as they -proceeded to the station. “Wonder how long it will be?” - -“Twenty-four miles, so the professor said,” responded Sam. “He said -Caracas is only six miles away and the mule path isn’t over nine miles -long. But the lowest part of the mountain is nearly a mile high and the -train has to do a lot of twisted traveling to get over it.” - -“Wonder they wouldn’t tunnel the mountain,” suggested Frank. - -“That’s what they are talking of doing,” put in Hockley, who felt just -then like being sociable. “Somebody has got a franchise, but it’s going -to take millions of dollars.” - -The professor had been looking after tickets. He soon returned and when -the train came along they all got in the first-class compartment, which -was not much better than a very ordinary car at home. The car sat so -close to the rails that the tops of the wheels had to be bridged over, -interfering somewhat with the seating capacity. - -Soon came a long whistle, the conductor waved his hand and the train -moved away, through the town and in full view of the ocean. The speed -was fair, but nothing to what the boys were used to at home, yet this -was not to be wondered at, for they were climbing steadily along the -face of the mountain. Up and up they went until Frank, who sat at a -window overlooking the water hundreds of feet below, could not help but -shudder. - -“If we should drop off here, there wouldn’t be anything left of us,” he -said to Sam. - -“I guess we won’t drop off,” was the reply. “But say, it does make a -fellow dizzy to look down, doesn’t it?” - -The professor sat with them and pointed out several places of interest -as they sped onward. “You see the tracks follow the mule road in many -places. The path is about nine miles long and in former days it was the -only means of communication between Caracas and the sea, outside of an -old Indian trail further to our right.” - -They soon dashed into a tunnel and out again, and then began another -climb along the mountain side. As they reached a higher elevation they -noticed that the air was cooler. - -“We are coming to another tunnel,” said Mark, as they swung around a -sharp curve. - -“Yes, and we’re running swifter than before,” put in Sam. - -The next instant found them in the tunnel, rushing past great masses of -black rocks. Nothing but smoky lamps lit up the car and Mark was gazing -at one of these, when of a sudden the train came to such a short stop -that everybody was pitched forward. - -“We’ve struck something,” cried Darry, as he scrambled up from the -floor, to which he had been hurled. - -“Is anybody hurt?” came anxiously from Professor Strong, as soon as the -shock was over and the car came to a standstill. - -“I pinched my hand on the seat,” answered Mark. “But it doesn’t amount -to anything.” - -The passengers were climbing out of the train, to learn the cause of -the sudden stoppage. They found the train hands gathering about the -engine and with them was a track-walker who had given them the signal -to stop. - -“There has been a cave-in ahead, he says,” said Professor Strong, after -listening to the track-walker. “If the train hadn’t stopped we might -all have been killed.” - -The track-walker talked excitedly, in Spanish and in broken English, -and some of the party went ahead to inspect the cave-in. A large mass -of rocks had fallen and it was easy to see that the track would not be -cleared for several hours. - -“Now what’s to do?” grumbled Hockley. “I’m sure I don’t want to stay -boxed up in this tunnel till they clear that stuff away.” - -“I don’t see what else we can do,” answered Sam, “unless we walk all -the way back to La Guayra.” - -“How far are we from Caracas?” asked Mark, of one of the passengers. - -“About three miles,” was the answer. - -“Can’t we walk to that place?” asked Mark, of Professor Strong. “We -have nothing but our little shoulder valises to carry.” - -“I think we can walk it,” said the professor. “I will ask how the track -ahead is.” - -He did so and was informed that, so far as the track-walker knew, it -was all clear. Accordingly they started out, the professor and Mark -leading the way and the others following close behind. - -They were in the shadow of the mountain so that the fierce rays of -the sun did not reach them. They had left the tallest portion of the -mountain behind, so the way was now all more or less down grade. - -“I move we get off the railroad track and rest,” said Hockley, after -half a mile had been covered. “We’re in no especial hurry to get to -Caracas.” - -The professor and the others were willing, and leaving the track they -found shelter along a hillside covered with tropical trees and bushes. -As they stepped away from the railroad they heard a humming sound and -saw a handcar approaching, filled with men and tools, bound for the -scene of the cave-in. - -“They must have telegraphed for those fellows,” said Darry. “They will -get the road into shape again in short order.” - -It was very pleasant to lie under the trees in the shade, and Frank -was so sleepy that he soon dropped into a doze. Mark walked around -inspecting the surroundings, and to get a better outlook climbed a -small cliff which arose not far away. - -From the elevation of the cliff Mark could get a good view of the -valley stretching out in the direction of Caracas and could even see -some of the white buildings in the distance. Then the youth walked -along the cliff to where there was a turn, around a series of rough -rocks. - -There had been a heavy dew on the mountain the night before and in the -shady spots this had not yet dried off. As he made the turn his foot -trod in some moisture and slipped, and down he went on his knee. He -tried to save himself by clutching at some vines but these gave way and -over the cliff he plunged on to some loose rocks below. - -Fortunately for Mark, the fall was not a deep one or some bones might -have been broken. The loose stones and earth gave way beneath his -weight and allowed him to slide swiftly under the cliff into a long -and narrow hollow. Here he went with a splash into some water up to -his knees and some of the dirt and stones came after him, sending the -moisture all over him. - -Mark was so surprised at the turn of affairs that for the moment he -stood perfectly still, panting for breath. It was dark around him, the -only light coming from the opening above, which was fully a dozen feet -over his head. In front of him was the rocky cliff raising itself in -a curve over his head. Behind him was the wall of dirt. The split, if -such it may be called, extended a dozen feet in one direction and out -of sight in the other. - -“Now I’m in a pickle and no mistake,” he muttered, dismally. “How in -the world am I going to get out of this hole?” - -The question could not be answered at once and Mark waited until he -had got back some of his breath. Then he started to move off in the -direction in which the split led. - -He soon found that he was on an uncertain footing, for he had -progressed less than a dozen feet when he began to sink into the pasty -ooze of which the bottom of the opening was composed. The water was -above his knees here and growing deeper. - -“No use trying in that direction,” he told himself. “If there was an -opening the water wouldn’t stand there like that. It’s a regular pocket -and if I’m not careful I’ll plaster myself so fast that I’ll never get -out.” - -He thought to cry for help but then realized that his friends were a -good distance off and that even if they heard him they would not know -exactly how to reach the opening. - -“I must help myself,” he murmured. “Surely I ought to be able to climb -that wall of dirt somehow. Wonder if my pocketknife won’t help me?” - -He brought forth the knife and dug the blade into the soil among the -stones. But it would not hold and merely brought down more of the -wall at his feet. Then, without warning a big mass of dirt came down, -hurling him to the bottom of the pocket and covering him completely. - -[Illustration: A big mass of dirt came down.] - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -HOCKLEY SHOWS HIS TRUE COLORS - - -Professor Strong had been studying a guide book which he carried. -Presently he closed the volume, put it into his pocket, and leaped to -his feet. - -“Come, boys, I think we had better be on our way.” - -“I’m ready,” answered Darry, and aroused Frank. - -Hockley was close at hand, throwing stones at some birds in a -neighboring tree. Now he stopped and walked over to the railroad track. - -“Where is Mark?” - -Several asked the question at the same time, and all looked around for -their companion. - -“I saw him walking towards yonder cliff last,” said Sam. “But that was -some time ago.” - -“Hullo, Mark!” cried Frank. “Where are you?” - -No answer came back, and the cry was repeated by Darry and Sam. Then -the professor shouted, with all the strength of his lungs. Still there -was no reply. - -“This is very strange,” observed the professor, with a serious look on -his face. “I trust he hasn’t gotten into any trouble. You are sure you -saw him going toward the cliff, Winthrop?” - -“Yes, sir, directly after Frank went to sleep.” - -“I’ll go over and take a look around.” - -“Let me go with you, please,” said Frank, and he followed and so did -Sam and Darry. Hockley sat down on the railroad embankment to await -their return. - -Sam pointed out the spot where he had last seen Mark and it did not -take the crowd long to reach that vicinity. All looked around anxiously. - -“He isn’t here, that’s sure,” said Professor Strong. “It’s a mystery -what became of him.” - -“Perhaps he fell over into the bushes below,” suggested Darry. - -At this Frank, who loved Mark as a brother, gave a shiver and crawled -to the edge. But there was nothing below but dirt and tropical vines, -the latter overrun with big spiders. - -“Mark! Mark!” he shouted, and again the others joined in the cry. - -“Hark! I heard something!” exclaimed Sam, who had walked nearest to the -rough rocks where Mark had first slipped. “Listen.” - -All did so, with bated breath. A low groan reached their ears, sounding -as if it had come from the bowels of the earth. - -“It’s Mark! He’s surely had a fall!” gasped Frank. He raised his voice: -“Mark! Mark! Where are you?” - -“Here, under the cliff,” was the faint answer, and another groan -followed. - -“Under the cliff?” repeated Professor Strong. He crawled to the edge -and looked around as Frank had done. “I see no opening, do you?” - -“No, sir.” - -“The cries come from further up the cliff, in that direction,” said -Sam, whose ears seemed to be more acute than the rest. “Listen! I think -he must be in some hole over yonder.” - -The professor hurried toward the rough rocks and was soon climbing -around them. But he was more careful than Mark had been and made the -turn in safety. He now found himself on another portion of the cliff -and Mark’s groans came from directly beneath him. - -“Mark!” he called out. “Are you below there?” - -“I am,” was the answer. - -“Are you much hurt?” - -“My ankle got a bad twist and I was almost smothered by some dirt -covering me.” - -The professor said no more just then but tried to look over the edge of -the cliff into the hollow. In this, however, he was unsuccessful. - -But Professor Strong was not a man to be daunted easily. When out on -hunting expeditions he had at various times, gotten into positions of -extreme peril, and he was used to taking risks. Measuring the distance -to the dirt hill in front of the cliff, he took a leap and landed in -safety. He was careful not to go too close to the hole so there was no -caving-in as there had been when Mark descended. - -“Now, then, I’ll see if I can help you out,” said the professor, when -he caught sight of the youth resting on top of the dirt that had last -fallen. - -“Be careful, or you’ll slide down, too,” answered Mark. “That bank is -awfully treacherous.” - -Leaving the vicinity of the opening Professor Strong began to hunt for -something by which Mark might be hauled up. But nothing was at hand. - -“Have you found him?” came from Frank. - -“Yes. He is at the bottom of a deep opening. I will have to haul him -out if I can find anything to do it with.” - -“If only we had a rope,” came from Darry. - -Each looked around in perplexity. - -“Might try some of the vines by twisting them together,” suggested -Frank. - -“The vines growing around here are not strong enough,” called back the -professor. - -At that moment came a slight rumble from the railroad and at a distance -another handcar hove into sight, containing several laborers with their -tools. - -“Hi! stop that handcar!” called out Frank to Hockley, who had arisen to -watch the car pass. - -“What for?” demanded the lank youth. - -“The professor wants a rope.” - -“Stop the car yourself,” muttered Hockley. Nevertheless, when the car -came near, he waved his hand for the men to stop working the handles -which kept it in motion. - -“What do you want?” asked one of the men, in a Spanish patois, after -the handcar had been brought to a standstill. - -“We want a rope,” said Hockley, without understanding the man. - -The man shrugged his shoulders and so did his companions. Then Hockley -pointed to a rope which laid coiled up on the car. At this the native -smiled, then looked perplexed. - -By this time Professor Strong was hurrying in the direction. He could -speak the language fairly well and soon made them understand that -somebody was in a hole and had to be hauled out. Then he held a silver -piece out and the native, who was a sort of foreman, took it instantly. -The handcar was taken from the tracks and all the workmen followed the -professor to the hill in front of the cliff. - -When Mark was brought up and placed on the grass, it was found that his -ankle was so swollen that walking was out of the question. He was wet -and dirty from head to foot and the others did what they could toward -cleaning him off. The handcar men could not remain and hurried away as -soon as they could get back their rope. - -“I don’t know what you’re going to do with me,” said Mark, ruefully. -“I’d walk if I could but I can’t and that’s all there is to it.” - -“Does the ankle still hurt when you are resting?” asked the professor -kindly. - -“No, only when I try to stand on it.” - -“Then rest where you are and I will see what can be done toward getting -a horse or some other animal to carry you.” - -Professor Strong started off toward the mountain road between La Guayra -and Caracas, and the others gathered about Mark, bathing his ankle with -water from a nearby pool and doing all they could otherwise to make him -comfortable. - -“It was a foolish thing to do, attempting to crawl around that cliff,” -observed Hockley, as he sat by watching proceedings, without offering -any aid. “You’ve got us all into a muss. Goodness only knows when we’ll -get to Caracas now.” - -“You needn’t wait for us if you don’t wish to,” retorted Frank, stung -by the lank youth’s harshness. “You can go ahead--I’m sure we shan’t -miss you.” - -“Don’t you talk to me like that, Frank Newton. I won’t stand it!” -blurted out Hockley, his face reddening. - -“I just will talk to you like that, Jake Hockley. Mark didn’t get his -ankle sprained for fun, and you know it.” - -“Oh, let him alone, Frank,” put in Mark. “It isn’t worth quarreling -about.” - -“I suppose you fellows will be getting into trouble right straight -along,” continued Hockley, who seemed to have one of his streaks of ill -temper. “I shan’t put up with it, I’ll tell you that.” - -“You’ll get into trouble in another minute, if you don’t quit,” cried -Frank. “The best thing you can do is to go on to Caracas and leave us -alone.” - -“That’s all you fellows want--to get clear of me,” growled the lank -youth. “But you can’t do it. My father’s paying my way, and I’m going -to do as I please, and I’m not going to allow Professor Strong to -consult you and not me in everything either,” he went on, bitterly. - -As he finished speaking he started to move from one side of the little -crowd to the other. He passed close to Mark and as he did so his foot -hit the swollen ankle and made the youth on the ground cry out with -pain. - -“Oh, Hockley, what did you do that for?” - -“I--er--I didn’t mean to do it,” answered the lank youth, surlily. - -“You did mean to do it, you mean bully!” ejaculated Frank, who had -seen the movement perfectly. And in a sudden rage he ran up and shoved -Hockley backward into some brushwood. “If you try it again, I’ll fight -you, small as I am.” - -It took the lank youth a few seconds to recover and then his face was -redder than ever. Without a word he darted for Frank and struck him -heavily in the shoulder. Then he struck out again, but Frank dodged the -blow. A moment more and the two had clinched and were rolling over and -over on the ground. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -ON MULE BACK INTO CARACAS - - -“A fight! A fight!” came from Sam. - -“Give it to him, Frank, don’t let him get the best of you,” put in -Darry. - -“Stop them,” ordered Mark, trying to rise and then falling back with a -groan of pain. “Stop them, I say. Glummy is too big for Frank.” - -“You let us alone,” growled the bully. “This is our fight and we’ll -settle it between us. He struck me first.” - -While he was talking he was doing his best to get on top of Frank. But -the latter, though small, proved that he was powerful and Hockley held -him down with difficulty. The lank youth now hit out again and Frank -was struck in the nose and the blood began to flow from that organ. - -“Let me up!” came from the smaller youth. And then he too struck out, -landing on Hockley’s chin. Then he jerked the lank youth by the arm -and Hockley rolled over on the grass, and in a moment Frank was on top. - -“Get off!” howled the bully, in a terrible rage over being thus brought -to earth. “Get off, or I’ll hammer the life out of you!” - -“You’ve got to spell able first,” retorted Frank and struck him in the -cheek. “There’s one for stepping on Mark’s ankle and there’s another to -teach you manners.” He struck out heavily. Then Hockley pulled him over -and they laid side by side panting and striking and each endeavoring to -rise. - -Suddenly Frank saw his chance and struck the bully directly in the -mouth. The blow was delivered with all the force possible and it -loosened one of Hockley’s teeth and made it bleed. - -“Hurrah! Good for Frank!” cried Sam. “That’s the sort.” - -“Hi! hi! what does this mean, boys?” The call came from the brushwood -close at hand. “Stop that fighting instantly!” - -The voice was that of Professor Strong, and both Frank and Hockley -lost no time in leaping to their feet. They stepped apart and it must -be confessed that Frank looked at the instructor rather shamefacedly. -Hockley was defiant. - -“What have you boys been fighting about?” demanded Professor Strong, as -he came up and gazed at one and the other sternly. - -“Newton started it,” answered Hockley. “He tackled me without any -reason for it.” - -“That isn’t true,” cried Frank. “He kicked Mark’s sore ankle and that -made me mad, and I told him what a brute he was, and shoved him back -out of the way. Then he struck me in the shoulder.” - -“It isn’t so, he hit me first,” said Hockley, surlily. - -“What Frank says is true,” put in Darry. “He did kick Mark’s lame -ankle, and that was a shame.” - -“How about this?” questioned the professor, of Mark. - -“He struck my ankle when he was walking past, sir. He said it was an -accident, but----” - -“It wasn’t,” broke in Frank. “I saw him do it on purpose.” - -“Hockley’s been aching for a quarrel ever since he started,” came from -Sam. - -“The whole crowd is down on me,” growled the lank youth. “They want -to run things to suit themselves and leave me out in the cold. My -father pays my way and I don’t see why I should play second fiddle to -anybody.” - -“You will not be asked to play second fiddle, as you term it, Hockley,” -said the professor. “But at the same time I will allow no fighting. We -are here to see the sights, and I expect you all to behave like young -gentlemen. If you did not kick Mark in the ankle on purpose you should -at least have been more careful of your steps, for a sprained ankle -is nothing to fool with. I see your mouth is bleeding. You had better -bathe it in yonder pool. And Newton, you go to the next pool and bathe -your nose, and remember, this is the first and last fighting to be done -on this trip.” - -Glad to get off thus easily the two boys walked away as directed and -each did what he could to stop the flow of blood. Sam and Darry wanted -to go after Frank but the professor stopped them. - -“I want you two to help me with Mark,” said Professor Strong. “I have -found a native with several mules. He was carrying cane cuttings to -Caracas, but I have hired him to drop his loads for the present and -carry us instead. If you will join hands and catch Mark under the knees -I will take him under the arms, and we can carry him to the road.” - -They soon had the crippled youth up and the professor pointed out the -direction in which the road over the mountain lay. The path to the -point was thickly overgrown with brush and they had literally to force -their way along. It was rough and more than once Mark felt like crying -out but showed his grit by shutting his teeth and keeping silent. - -Frank soon followed the three and Hockley did the same. The bully -presently ranged up beside the smaller youth. - -“Just you wait, I’ll get square yet,” he said, in a low tone. - -“I’m not afraid of you,” retorted Frank, who was satisfied that he had -fully “kept up his end of the log,” as the saying is. - -“The next time we come to blows I’ll not be so easy on you,” went on -Hockley. He was very angry to think that the smaller boy had not been -afraid of him. - -“Perhaps I won’t be so easy either, Hockley,” was Frank’s answer, and -then he ran on, to aid the others in getting Mark to the mule path. - -Down on the path they found the native, a little, dried-up old -Venezuelan, who had seven mules in his charge. The patient little -beasts were scarcely higher than Darry’s shoulder. Four had been -unloaded but the others stood in the road with loads of sugarcane -cuttings so large that only their eyes and noses could be seen. - -“Gracious what loads!” murmured Darry, as he gazed at the mules. - -“These mules will carry about all you can put on them,” said the -professor, with a smile. “I have seen one mule carrying three men, and -trotting along at that.” - -The mules to be used by our friends were soon ready, and then Mark was -placed on the back of the one the native said was the best. Presently -all were “aboard,” as Darry expressed it, and the native led the -procession in the direction of Caracas. - -They could already see the outskirts of the city, which is located -on the southern slope of the La Silla Mountain. To every side were -mountain peaks, with here and there a small valley with streams of -water of more or less importance. On the sides of the mule path were -plantains and palms, and further out the sugar and coffee plantations, -with their queer little huts and houses of pink, blue, and white. - -“How large a place is Caracas?” questioned Sam, as they moved along as -rapidly as Mark’s condition permitted. - -“There has been no accurate census taken for years, but the population -is probably 75,000 souls. You see the laboring classes--called peons -here--object to being enumerated for fear it may mean military service, -and so they hide when the census man comes around. The whole valley in -which the city lies numbers probably 150,000 souls.” - -“The houses look a good deal alike to me,” observed Sam, as they made -their way down one of the highways leading directly to the Plaza -Bolivar, a park in the center of Caracas. “They all have mud and -plaster walls, red-tiled roofs, windows with bars over them and no -chimneys.” - -“Yes, I noticed the absence of chimneys,” put in Frank, whose nose had -now stopped bleeding. “Wonder what they do when they want fire in a -house?” - -“They never want fire,” answered Professor Strong. “It is too warm for -a fire. That is why they don’t have glass to the windows.” - -“But they must cook.” - -“They do, but they use charcoal and burn it in a little contrivance -something like a tinsmith’s stove. You’ll see plenty of them before you -leave for home.” - -“They seem to paint their houses all colors,” muttered Hockley, who now -that Frank had spoken felt he too must say something. “There is a blue -and a white, and there is a red, and here is a brown, and over yonder -an orange.” - -“Yes they use any color they please,” answered the professor. “It is -sometimes the only way of telling one’s house from that of a neighbor. -They may look ugly to you from the outside, but you’ll find many of -them quite handsome and very comfortable within.” - -They had now entered the city proper and the sights and sounds around -them interested the boys so much that they forgot to talk. Natives were -hurrying by with huge bundles on their heads or balanced over their -shoulders, little children with hardly any clothes were playing in the -roadway, and the street was almost filled with pedlers and others on -mule back. At one spot they encountered a native driving several cows. - -“He’s delivering his milk,” said the professor. “He finds out how much -a customer wants and then milks one of his cows to that extent.” - -“Then the milk ought to be fresh and rich,” said Mark, who had found -the ride surprisingly comfortable despite the awkward appearance of his -steed. - -“It is fresh enough, but not particularly rich, for the cows roam where -they please and rarely get enough to eat.” - -“I should think a fellow would get all mixed up in a city where the -houses are so much alike,” said Sam. - -“You won’t get mixed after you get the run of the place, Winthrop. -Remember that all the streets start from the cathedral at the Plaza -Bolivar. The four streets there are called Avenue North, East, South, -and West, and then follow Second Street North, Second Street East, and -so on.” - -A few minutes more of riding brought them to the hotel at which they -were to remain during their stop in Caracas. The professor went inside -and announced their arrival and then the boys and he assisted Mark to -alight. They passed through a large iron gateway into a beautiful -square filled with flowers, where a fountain was playing. Then a -servant came to lead them to their rooms, which were all on the ground -floor, and in a few minutes more they could truly say they were at home -in Caracas. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE PROFESSOR MEETS AN OLD FRIEND - - -“How does the ankle feel?” asked Frank, on the morning following the -arrival at the hotel. - -“Somewhat sore, but I can stand on it,” answered Mark. “I guess it will -be all right again in a day or two;” and it was, although Mark was -careful of the member for some time longer. - -Under the guidance of the professor the boys made several tours of the -city. They first visited the Capitol building, but a short distance -from their hotel. The Capitol is but one story high, but it occupies an -entire square, and is by far the finest building in Venezuela. In the -center is a large court, where a fountain plays constantly and where -grow the most beautiful of tropical flowers. Here are a number of rich -marble statues. - -Opening up from the court are the various official offices--the Senate -and Chamber of Deputies, Interior and War Departments, Supreme Court, -and others. At one end is a large hall, two hundred feet long, with -inlaid flooring, where public receptions are held. Here can also be -found the portraits of various notables of Venezuelan history. - -“This is Simon Bolivar, the Washington of South America,” said the -professor, as they stopped in front of a massive portrait at the end -of the gallery. “He was born in this city in 1783, of wealthy parents -of rank, and was sent to Spain to be educated. He became a lawyer -and traveled extensively. While visiting the United States he became -infused with the spirit of liberty, and returning home joined the -patriots who were trying to throw off the yoke of Spain. He fought -in a number of battles and then went to England to ask for aid from -that country. But England would grant him nothing, and to escape the -wrath of Spain he had to flee to Curaçao. But he was not disheartened, -and soon after returned to South America. He began to raise troops of -volunteers, and fought many more battles, in nearly all of which he -was victorious. At last in 1813, he entered Caracas as a conqueror, -was hailed as a liberator, and made absolute dictator in civil and -military affairs. More battles followed, and Bolivar had to flee again, -this time to Hayti. But he was undaunted, and coming back whipped the -Spaniards once more and helped to unite New Granada and Venezuela into -the Republic of Colombia. After that he went to Peru and aided the -Peruvians in establishing their freedom and a part of the country was -named Bolivia in his honor. He died in 1842.” - -“Certainly a great man,” said Darry. “What a lot of excitement he must -have passed through!” - -“He certainly did. At first he was but little appreciated, but as time -goes by the people realize what a truly great man he was.” - -“There is a statue of him in Central Park, New York,” put in Frank. “I -have seen it a number of times, and so has Mark.” - -“You will find statues of Bolivar all over South America and also in -Central America and Mexico. When the folks here realized what he had -done for them, they went wild, and his ashes were brought here with -great pomp and ceremony. He is undoubtedly the foremost figure in South -American history for three hundred years.” - -Professor Strong had received a pass to the Senate Chamber, and they -took a brief look at this somewhat bare apartment, with its stiff -chairs, and its absence of regular desks. - -“Does the President get much?” asked Hockley, as they came to a halt -out in the court where the fountain was playing. - -“I believe his salary is $12,000 a year. Besides this he gets his house -and servants free, also his livery, the same as our own President. But -you must remember that the President here is a good deal of a dictator -and can use the money of the government pretty much as he pleases. -Sometimes a president draws money to suit himself, and then comes a -revolution. This is not alone true of Venezuela, but it is true of many -other South American republics.” - -Before leaving the Capitol building they looked in at the Treasury -Department, and Frank asked about the money of the country. - -“I’ve got some of their silver, but I must say I can’t tell what it -is,” he said. - -“Well, this is a bolivar,” said the professor, taking a silver piece -somewhat smaller than our quarter from his pocket. “This bolivar is -worth twenty cents. The next smaller coin is a real, worth ten cents. -Then comes a medio, five cents, a quartillo, two-and-a-half cents, and -a centavo, which explains itself.” - -“But isn’t there anything larger than a bolivar?” asked Darry. - -“Yes, there are two and two-and-a-half bolivars, and a peso fuerte, -which is worth one dollar. After that come the gold coins, worth four -dollars and twenty dollars. I will show you all of them when we get -back to the hotel.” - -Leaving the Capitol, they crossed the square to a beautiful building of -white marble. This is the Central University, the leading institution -of learning of the Republic. - -“This is not a large college as such institutions are counted in our -country,” said the professor. “There are, I was told, about thirty -professors and the students number about 400. But the course of study -is very thorough, and embraces literature, art, law, medicine, science, -engineering and theology. Here is also located the National Library of -forty-five thousand volumes, many of which are rare and valuable. We -will walk through, for I am inclined to think there is a professor here -with whom I am well acquainted.” - -They walked through the library building first, with its long shelves -of books and its cabinets of rare folios, and then into the college -proper. Here the professor hailed a passing student and asked -concerning his friend. - -“_Si, señor_, he is here,” said the student, in Spanish. “He teaches -our class in engineering. Would you like to see him?” - -“I would indeed,” answered Professor Strong. “He and I were college -students together.” - -“Then follow me to the class room. He is at his desk. The session has -not yet begun.” - -Passing through a long and high corridor, they came to one of the -class-rooms and entered. At a tall desk at one end sat a man of -forty-five, working out a problem on a sheet of paper. He was evidently -a Spaniard but one who had seen a great deal of the world. - -“How are you, Morano,” said the professor, stepping up and touching him -on the arm. - -The professor in engineering started up and stared for a moment. Then -his face broke out into a warm smile, and he caught Professor Strong in -both arms after the fashion of many foreigners. - -“Strong, my own very dear friend, Amos Strong!” he cried, in a rich -Spanish accent. “Where in the world have you come from, and when did -you arrive? It is wonderful! I am so glad! You are yourself, but you -look older. And these boys? Some of your sons perhaps?” And he took the -professor’s hands and shook them over and over again. - -“I am glad to see you, Morano,” was the professor’s equally warm reply. -“It is fully fifteen years since we parted, in Paris, after a tour of -the Old World. I tried to see you when I was here before, but you were -down in Peru, helping to build a railroad bridge.” - -“Yes, that is so, I remember now. I could not stand it to teach--it is -so hard, so steady, so confining. Outside it is different. One gets the -air, one can walk about, and one is more happy. Then these are your -sons? What are their names?” - -“No, they are not my sons. I am not married.” - -“Indeed! A happy bachelor. So am I. Then they are----?” - -“They are my pupils. I have brought them to South America to show them -something of the country.” The professor brought each one forward and -mentioned his name. “Boys, this is Professor Enrique Morano, a very -dear friend of mine, who once attended Yale with me, and who afterward -made a tour of Europe with me and several other students.” - -“I am charmed to meet so many from the dear United States,” said -Professor Morano, as he shook hands all around. “It is a great country -and I am sorry I could not remain in it longer. But my respected -father--peace to his ashes!--wished me to return.” - -“Then your father is dead?” asked Professor Strong. - -“Yes, he died but four months ago. He took a trip to Nicaragua, and the -journey was too hard for him. He left me utterly alone. But I should -not bother you with my family afflictions. You are of course stopping -in Caracas.” - -“Yes,” and Professor Strong mentioned the hotel. - -“You must come to my home--it is just outside of the city, on the road -to Valencia. I am alone there with the servants and I will be pleased -to have company, and doubly pleased that it is you. You must make the -home your own.” - -“We shall be pleased to call,” said Professor Strong. - -“Why cannot you go there this evening, after the session is over here?” -urged Enrique Morano. “We must talk of old times, must we not? Your -pupils can inspect the coffee plantation which my late father purchased -just before he died. It is now mine, but I must confess I know not -what to do with it. I am no planter. I am but a civil engineer and--a -hunter, like yourself,” and the Spanish teacher laughed. - -“We will go, and gladly,” answered Amos Strong. “I wish the boys to -examine a coffee plantation thoroughly.” - -“Will you be at the hotel at five o’clock? If so I will send my -carriage for you.” - -So it was arranged, and in a moment more they left the class room, for -while the conversation was going on the place had been filling with -pupils, many of whom stared curiously at the strangers. - -“A nice man,” was Darry’s comment when they were outside. He turned to -the professor: “I don’t wonder you took to him for a college friend.” - -“There is no better man than Henry Morano,” was Amos Strong’s reply. “I -liked him from the first. He is a splendid scholar and an equally good -hunter in the bargain. You can rest assured of a good time when you are -in his company. We are very fortunate in meeting him.” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -MARKEL AGAIN TO THE FRONT - - -“We will now go over to the City Hall,” said Professor Strong, when -they found themselves in the Plaza once more. “It is a spot full of -interest, especially for all people of South America, for it was to -them the Cradle of Liberty, the same as our Independence Hall at -Philadelphia.” - -The building was but a step away, an ancient looking affair, with thick -adobe walls and small slits of windows. The rooms are, many of them, -small and uncomfortable, and the decorations tawdry to a degree. - -“Independence was proclaimed here on July 5th, 1811,” said Professor -Strong, as they entered a council chamber located at one corner. “Here -the very best representatives of the country assembled to throw off -the yoke of Spain. Yonder is a faded picture depicting the event, and -the important looking document on the wall opposite is the declaration -itself. The paper was drawn up by Francisco Miranda, an able leader, -especially civilly, although he was not so successful in the battle -field as Simon Bolivar. Miranda was a great friend to La Fayette, and -when La Fayette sailed to America Miranda went with him and served -all through the Revolutionary War under Washington. This planted in -his breast the same seed of liberty that was planted in the breast of -Bolivar.” - -“That shows how far-reaching was the influence of our Revolution,” -remarked Sam. “We threw that tea overboard to some purpose, didn’t we?” - -“What is this thing?” asked Hockley, pointing to a faded banner hanging -close at hand. - -“That is a relic of Pizarro at the time he went to conquer Peru. He -carried that banner all through his trail of fire and blood, doing it -in the name of the church, but with a cruelty only equaled by the worst -of savages. This is not the whole of the banner. It was cut in half and -the other portion is in the National Museum at Bogota.” - -An hour was spent at the City Hall viewing other objects of interest, -including the great city marriage register and the various portraits on -the walls. Then they walked past the Municipal Theater and on to the -new market place, a neat building with cement floor, where the stalls -were divided by lattice-work. - -“There is another market place,” said Professor Strong, “and at present -business is divided between the two. At the other place there are no -stalls, but the traders simply lay their stuff in a heap on the ground -and sit beside it.” - -“How nice the vegetables and fruits look!” exclaimed Frank. “I never -saw anything fresher.” - -“They have fresh vegetables the year around here, for they will grow at -any time the seed is put in the ground. They are all picked at night or -early in the morning and brought to the market on mule or donkey back. -You can see for yourself that they have all the ordinary vegetables -with which we are acquainted. They also have others, like for instance -that yucca, and the arrowroot, bread-fruit, and many kinds of bananas -and delicious pineapples.” - -“There is an alligator pear,” said Mark. “I’ve seen them on some -high-toned fruit stands in New York.” - -“The native name is aguacate. Did you notice the size of the -muskmelons? They are just as sweet as they look, and those big, long -whitish peas will melt like butter in your mouth.” - -It was now growing hot, and they were glad enough to leave the market -place and go back to the hotel. As they rambled around they had met -many natives going to or coming from business, some faultlessly dressed -in white duck suits and broad Panama hats. Many of the hats were -exceedingly fine in texture. - -“I once owned one that I used at times for six years,” said the -professor, speaking of the hats. “I could jam it in anywhere and it -always came forth looking as good as ever. But it cost me thirty-five -dollars.” - -“Phew! that’s rather steep,” cried Darry. “But I’ve heard of such big -prices before.” - -The boys had found the service at the hotel of the best. The servants -were numerous and did everything with a gravity which at times was to -them almost comical. They were very attentive to all details, and the -guests were not permitted to do a single thing for themselves. - -“My gracious, I think they would eat for me if I asked them,” said -Darry. “Never saw such waiters in my life. That fellow pushed my chair -around for me, held the glass of water, handed the bill of fare and -didn’t give me a chance to lay it down, and held the butter pat while -I buttered my bread. It goes ahead of anything I ever experienced -before.” - -“Reckon they’re laying back for tips,” growled Hockley. “I’ve heard -that all these foreign fellows think they can sponge on the Yankees -every time.” - -“You won’t have to tip them,” answered Professor Strong, dryly. “I will -attend to that when I settle our bills.” - -“Oh, I don’t mind tipping them,” answered the lank youth, hastily. “I -always give the waiters something at home.” - -After lunch the whole party took it easy in the court by the fountain, -where there were numerous easy chairs and hammocks. Mark and Frank fell -asleep, and soon after Darry and Sam followed. But Hockley was restless -and at last got up to walk around. - -He had just entered the office of the hotel when the clerk came toward -him holding up an envelope. - -“A message for Mistair Jacob Hockley,” he said. - -“That’s my name,” returned Hockley, and took the message wondering whom -it was from and what it contained. - -It was a cablegram, sent from Curaçao, and was signed “Daniel Markel.” -It read as follows: - - “Unexpectedly delayed. Coming to-morrow. Meet me at Hotel Ziroda.” - -“So he was delayed and is coming to-morrow,” muttered Hockley, as he -gazed at the cablegram. “Hullo, it’s dated yesterday. In that case -he’ll be at the Hotel Ziroda to-day. I’d like to know what he has to -say for himself.” - -Stuffing the message in his pocket he went up to the clerk and asked -that individual where the Hotel Ziroda was located. Receiving the -information he started to go back to where he had left the professor, -then suddenly changed his mind. - -“He may refuse me if I ask him about going,” he mused. “I’d better go -and say nothing.” And off he started, bent on seeing Dan Markel and -learning what the man from Baltimore had to say for himself. - -The Hotel Ziroda was an ancient hostelry, square in shape, with a small -arched doorway leading to the inevitable court inside. It had seen -better days and was far from prosperous. A greasy landlord sat in a -wicker chair, half asleep, and with a lighted cigar hanging from his -teeth. - -“Hullo, are you the proprietor?” asked Hockley, touching him on the -arm. - -“What do you want?” asked the man, in Spanish, as he tried to rouse up. - -“I say, are you the proprietor?” - -“_Si, señor._” - -“Is there a man here by the name of Markel--Daniel Markel? He came from -Willemstad yesterday?” - -“_Si, señor._ Markel, _señor_, he ees here. Come, I show you.” - -With a profound sigh the hotel man arose and conducted Hockley through -the dirty court to a room in one corner of the building. He knocked and -a voice inside called out: “Who’s there?” - -“It’s me,” answered Hockley, without regard to grammar. - -“Me, who?” - -“Hockley. I just got your cablegram.” - -“Oh!” Markel leaped from the bed upon which he had been lying and -opened the door. “Glad to see you. Come in,” and Hockley went in, and -the hotel proprietor left the pair to themselves. - -The room was large and scantily furnished, with a bed, washstand, table -and one chair. On the table stood Markel’s valise, a bottle of liquor -and a glass, and a box of cigars. The room was half full of smoke and -smelt far from pleasant. - -“Never so sorry in all my life,” said the man from Baltimore, as he -drew up the chair for Hockley to sit down while he sank on the edge of -the bed. “I suppose you thought I had given you the go by.” He glanced -keenly at the lank youth to see the effect of his words. - -“I--I didn’t know what to think,” stammered Hockley. - -“When I found the steamer gone I was fairly wild, Hockley, indeed I -was. I said to myself, ‘He’ll think I’m a thief sure, for I’ve a cool -half hundred of his money.’ I wanted to send you word, but I was so -upset I forgot about the cable until afterwards. Here, have a drink and -I’ll tell you all about it.” - -He handed Hockley the bottle and the glass, and the youth had not the -courage to resist. He took a small drink of the fiery stuff, which -fairly burnt his throat as he swallowed it. - -“Well, how did it happen?” he questioned. - -“It was a funny thing. I went ashore to transact a little business with -an old Dutch importer who used to do business with a firm that can -oysters in Baltimore. Well, while I was in the place two natives came -in and another native followed. First thing I knew one of the first -natives had picked the other’s pocket. The man who was robbed accused -the third native of the crime. There was a big row and they were going -to carry off the innocent man to jail when I stepped up and told the -old Dutchman how it was and what I had seen. A policeman was called, -and as a consequence I had to go to the station house and remain there -all night as a witness to the affair. I tried my best to get away and -to send you word, but I couldn’t do a thing with those sleepy Dutch -officials. They left me to my misery and there I had to remain until -ten o’clock the next morning. Then the case came up and what do you -think? Nobody made any charge and everybody was dismissed: Disgusted? -Well, of course I was, but what could I do?” - -“It was enough to make anybody mad,” was Hockley’s comment. - -“I threatened to sue the city for false imprisonment, but they only -laughed at me. So then I hunted up a vessel bound for La Guayra and -finally sent the cablegram--and here I am. How have you been?” - -“Oh, I’m well enough.” - -“Seen anything of the city?” - -“Yes, the professor has piloted us to one place and another. But it’s -mighty slow looking at old buildings and documents and pictures, I -didn’t come for that. I came for a good time.” - -“Right you are, and a good time you shall have, so long as we are -together. I promised to show you the ins and outs of Caracas and I’m -going to do it,” concluded Dan Markel as he slapped Hockley on the -back. “We’ll paint the town red, eh?” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -A PLANTATION HOME IN VENEZUELA - - -“Guess I’ve been asleep, and guess the others have been asleep, too.” - -It was Frank who uttered the words as he roused up and rubbed his -eyes. Mark was still sleeping and Darry and Sam had just stirred like -himself. The professor was dozing with a guide book resting on his -lap. Everything around the hotel was quiet, only the dripping of the -fountain breaking the stillness. - -“It’s a sleepy man’s land during midday,” remarked Darry, as he arose -slowly to his feet. “The air takes all the ambition out of a fellow. I -don’t wonder that no business is transacted excepting during the early -morning and late in the afternoon.” - -The boys walked around the hotel and then into the street beyond. A -few natives were moving about, but that was all. The sun, striking the -pavement, made the place like a furnace, and they were glad to retreat -once more to the shelter of the court. - -“Where is Hockley?” asked Professor Strong, as he, too, roused up. - -“I don’t know,” answered Darry, and the others said the same. - -“Perhaps he is taking a look around on his own account,” suggested -Mark. “He said something about wanting to see the lumber yards, so that -he could write to his father and tell him how they handled lumber down -here.” - -“They handle it here very much as they do everywhere else in South -America,” answered the professor. “Some is carried on wagons, but a -great deal is transported on the backs of mules.” - -“How can a mule carry a long stick of timber?” asked Frank. “If he -carried it sideways it would more than block the street.” - -“They use two or more mules and it is wonderful how they balance the -loads. Then, too, the natives carry a great lot of things on their -shoulders and heads.” - -“What are the real natives?” asked Darry. “I’ve seen all sorts of -people here--white, black, red, and mixed.” - -“The real natives are the Indians, Crane,” returned the professor, with -a smile. “They lived here long before the days of Columbus, just as -they inhabited our own country. Next to the Indians come the Spaniards -who were the first settlers. The Spaniards introduced the negroes, who -came from Africa and from the West Indies as slaves. The intermixture -of these races have produced the mestizoes, who are of Spanish and -Indian blood, the mulattoes, of negro and creole blood, and the zambos, -of negro and Indian blood. These people are also intermixed, so that it -is sometimes impossible to tell what a person is.” - -“Like the man in New York who came up to be naturalized,” said Mark. -“His father was an Englishman and his mother a Frenchwoman. His -grandfather had been born in Germany and his grandmother in Italy. He -had emigrated to Canada and there married a Canadian Indian woman. Then -he had moved down to New York, and his oldest daughter had married an -Irishman. If they have any children it will be hard to tell what they -will be.” And there was a general laugh at this sally. - -“They’ll be Americans,” said Frank. “Uncle Sam’s flag is wide and broad -enough to cover them all, if they care to come under the folds of Old -Glory.” - -At last came the hour when Enrique Morano’s carriage could be expected -and soon a fine turnout hove into sight, drawn by a team of white -horses. - -“That’s as fine a carriage as any in Central Park,” said Frank. - -“It is probably of United States manufacture,” answered the professor. -“We export a great number of vehicles to South America.” - -“Evidently they appreciate good horseflesh,” put in Mark. “Here come a -couple of horsemen now. The town is beginning to wake up.” - -The horsemen dashed by in a spirited manner, clad in white with broad -sashes at their waists, and wearing sweeping hats which flapped -gracefully in the warm wind. In the rear rode an attendant, carrying a -small hamper filled with refreshments. - -As Hockley was not at hand, the professor asked the driver of the -carriage to wait a little, while he took a look around the square. But -the youth was nowhere to be seen and Professor Strong came back looking -somewhat worried. - -“He knew when we were to leave,” he said. “I can’t understand this.” - -“Oh, Hockley takes his time about everything,” put in Sam. “He said he -was down here for pleasure, and that he was going to suit himself.” - -“He has no right to keep the whole party waiting,” answered the -professor briefly. He said no more, but his eyes showed that his mind -was busy. - -“Hockley will get a lecture when he shows up,” whispered Frank to Darry. - -“He’ll get only what he deserves, Darry. Isn’t that so, Beans?” - -“To be sure,” came from Sam. “He howled about us delaying him at the -railroad cliff; now he’s doing the same thing himself.” - -Quarter of an hour went by and the boys wondered if the professor would -make them give up the trip if Hockley did not return. Then came a -messenger with a note for Professor Strong. The note was from Hockley -and ran as follows: - - “DEAR PROFESSOR STRONG: Have just met some old friends of my father, - and they wish me to spend the evening with them as they are bound - for Philadelphia to-morrow. Please excuse me from going to that - plantation with you. Will be at the hotel when you get back.” - -“Hockley has met some friends and wishes to stay with them a few -hours,” said the professor. “We will go without him.” - -“I’m just as well satisfied,” murmured Mark, but in a low voice, so -that Professor Strong did not hear him. - -They were soon seated in the carriage, the negro driver touched up the -pair, and away they rolled, down the smooth street, around a corner of -the public square and on toward the road leading to Valencia, which is -located on the lake of the same name, and on the line of a railroad -between the two points. - -“When I was here before, the railroad ran no further than Victory, a -two days’ drive in a carriage,” said the professor, when Caracas was -left behind and they found themselves climbing over the hills on a road -lined with beautiful tropical trees. “Now one can go straight through -to Valencia and also part of the way around the lake. There is also a -railroad from Valencia to Puerto Cabello, on the seacoast, west of La -Guayra, and a steamer runs every ten days between the two seaports.” - -“I don’t see much but coffee plantations around here,” observed Mark. - -“Coffee and cocoa is the great industry in this valley, for Caracas -affords an easy market for shipments. Caracas chocolate, made from the -cocoa bean, is known everywhere, and so is Maracaibo coffee.” - -“Hockley was saying that Mocha coffee came from here,” put in Frank. -“But I said it came from Arabia.” - -“So it does come from Arabia. But there is a kind of coffee grown here -which is a good deal like Mocha in flavor and is often sold as such.” - -“I’d like to know something about coffee raising,” put in Darry. “We -drink so much of the stuff that I think we ought to know about it.” - -“I will explain when we get to Professor Morano’s plantation.” - -An hour’s drive from Caracas brought them to the entrance of the -plantation and they passed through a wide gateway along a broad and -well kept path lined with giant palms. Between the palms were urns of -flowers, all blooming in red, yellow and blue. Trailing vines were -also in evidence, and they covered the stone wall which separated the -plantation from the highway. - -The plantation house proved to be an old and substantial affair, -one story in height, and occupying the space of a small city block. -The outside was decorated with stucco work painted in pale blue and -yellow. There was the usual archway in front, over which was erected a -lattice-work covered with trailing plants. - -The civil engineer, for such Enrique Morano really was, was already -there to receive them, in spotless white, even to the tie with a -diamond which he wore. - -“Welcome, three times welcome to all of you!” he cried, gaily, as he -ran forward and assisted Professor Strong to alight. “You have given me -a great pleasure by coming, and while you stay you must make yourselves -perfectly at home.” - -“Thank you, we will, Morano,” answered the professor. - -They were soon inside the building, which was built, like so many -others, in the form of a hollow square. The patio was a garden of -flowers, with a single giant palm in the center. There was a broad -veranda running entirely around the house, with two steps at either -side of the passage leading to the outside. The flooring of the veranda -was of two kinds of wood, laid in fancy designs. - -“Come into the parlor,” said Enrique Morano, and led the way into an -apartment facing the highway beyond. It was a room at least twenty feet -square, with a polished floor partly covered with rugs. The furniture -was of hardwoods, elaborately carved but without any fixed coverings. - -“Not so very different from a summer parlor at home,” whispered Frank, -when they were left alone for a moment. - -“They don’t cover the furniture on account of the bugs and insects,” -said the professor. - -Opening up from the parlor was a library and smoking room. Enrique -Morano had furnished this to suit himself, and it was very much in the -style of a rich college man at Princeton or Yale. There was a case of -books and files of the latest papers and magazines, and also a case -containing cigars, cigarettes, smoking tobacco and pipes. - -“A regular den!” cried Professor Strong, his face brightening. “And -just as you had it in the olden days.” - -“It reminds me of good old times,” answered Enrique Morano. “Those -college days! I shall never forget them, nor the many friends I made in -the United States.” - -He asked them to sit down, while he offered the professor a cigar. -The boys were glad enough to look over the files of native papers and -Spanish magazines, although they could read but little. There were _El -Diario de Caracas_, the leading daily of the capital, _El Pregonero_, -another daily, and a magazine with some reproductions of pictures from -American and foreign weeklies. - -“What funny advertisements,” said Mark, as he spelt one and another -out. “Here is a store that has for sale American sewing machines of the -latest fashions, and another that sells clothing that will make a man -look like a President.” - -While Professor Strong and his old friend were smoking and conversing -the boys were told to roam through the house at will, and this they -did. Next to the library they found a dining hall, long and broad, with -a table in the center which was so heavy none of the boys could budge -it. Here the tableware was of solid silver and of the finest cut glass. - -Passing from the dining hall, they entered a narrow corridor, with -bed chambers on either side. Here the windows were covered with -bamboo or venetian blinds. All of the beds stood in the center of -the apartments, never against a wall. There were handsome dressing -cabinets, also of massive wood in fancy designs. Between the bedrooms -was a large bathroom, where the bath was nothing less than a small -swimming pool, the top being on a level with the floor. - -“Hurrah! a fellow can take a regular swim here!” cried Frank. “No -wonder these folks look so clean. I’d want to bathe in that all the -time.” - -Beyond the bedrooms was the kitchen, in which the most of the food for -the table was prepared. Attached to the kitchen was a small room of -rough stone, in which were located half a dozen tiny charcoal stoves -for cooking. - -The servants attached to the place were as interesting as the house -itself. A little negro boy went around with them. He had learned to -say, “Yes, mistair,” and “No, mistair,” and he repeated these over and -over again, each time bowing profoundly and rolling his eyes in a truly -comical fashion. The boy’s name was Bulo, and our friends took to him -from the start. - -“Pretty big house,” said Mark, as they stopped near the kitchen, where -a dozen girls were at work, some preparing dinner and some shining -tableware, all under the directions of a tall Spanish housekeeper. - -“Yes, mistair,” said Bulo, and bowed to the ground. - -“How many servants?” questioned Darry. - -“No, mistair,” replied the little colored youth, and bowed again. - -“I said, how many servants?” repeated Darry. - -“Yes, mistair, no mistair,” returned Bulo, and bowed half a dozen -times, then as the boys laughed he laughed too, showing two rows of -pure white ivories. - -“You’re all right, Bulo,” said Mark, after the merriment was over. -“Here’s a souvenir for you,” and he handed the colored boy a medio, -which, as mentioned before, is worth five cents. - -“Yes, mistair, yes, mistair,” said Bulo, with glistening eyes. And as -he stuffed the coin in his shirt, he bowed half a dozen times again, -and then, considering himself dismissed ran off, singing at the top of -his voice. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -A LOSS OF HONOR AND MONEY - - -We will now go back to Dan Markel and Hockley, and see how the lank -youth fared at the hands of the man from Baltimore. - -The proposition of Markel to “paint the town red,” appealed to Hockley, -but he looked glum when he heard the words. - -“Yes, I’d like to go with you,” he said. “But I can’t.” - -“Can’t? And why not, my dear boy?” - -“I’ve got to stay around with the professor and the rest. We’re to -visit a coffee plantation this afternoon.” - -“Oh, that’s dead slow.” - -“I know it is, and I don’t want to go, but I don’t see how I’m to get -out of it.” - -Dan Markel lit a fresh cigar and handed the box to his visitor. “We -must think of some scheme,” he said, slowly. “Ah, I have it. Write a -note saying that you have met some old friends and won’t be back.” - -“But he’ll want to know about the friends to-morrow.” - -“Will he? Then state they are about to sail--anything to smooth it -over. He can’t expect you to tie fast to his coat-tails all the time, -you know. You’re too big for that.” - -“To be sure I’m too big,” blustered Hockley, lighting one of the cigars -and making an attempt to enjoy it. “Let me have some paper and I’ll -send the note.” - -Paper was produced and also a pencil, and soon the note was finished -and given to one of the boys outside to deliver. Of course the message -was a complete falsehood, yet it did not appear to trouble Hockley’s -conscience. - -“Now what shall we do first?” asked the youth, after Markel had taken -another drink from the bottle. - -“When are the others going to start for that plantation?” - -“They are starting about now,” answered Hockley, after consulting his -watch. - -“What time have you?” - -“Half-past five.” - -“Ain’t you slow?” - -“I don’t think so. This watch is a first-class timepiece, and it ought -to be, for it cost my dad a hundred and twenty-five dollars.” - -“Is that so?” Dan Markel’s eyes glistened. “Mine is a poor thing -alongside of that. It only cost twenty-five dollars.” He arose and -stretched himself. “Let us go and have something to eat first, and then -I’ll show you some sights worth seeing.” - -They entered the dining room, and Markel ordered an elaborate repast -with wine. It was a long time before it was served and then it was not -nearly as good as what Hockley had had at the other hotel. - -“Guess they’ve been changing cooks here,” observed Markel, when he saw -that the youth did not relish the food. “Had splendid feed when I was -here before. The very freshest of everything. I’ll have to find another -place by to-morrow.” - -“Come over to where we are,” suggested Hockley. - -“Thanks, perhaps I will.” - -It was dark by the time the repast was finished. Markel made a pretense -of paying the bill but allowed his young friend to settle. - -“Say, but you are pretty well fixed,” he said, as he eyed Hockley’s -roll of bills. “I wish I could say as much for myself.” - -“I’ve only got about a hundred dollars here,” answered the lank youth, -carelessly. “But I can get the other when I want it.” - -“Did you have to put it in the professor’s care?” - -“No, he wanted it, but I told him I could take care of it. I left it in -my valise.” - -“But somebody may go through your valise.” - -“I don’t think so. Besides, the money is under a false bottom in the -valise. You can’t open it unless you touch a spring on the side.” - -“I see. That’s a handy thing. Well, let us be going, or it will be time -to return before we’ve seen anything at all.” - -“I don’t care when I get back, Markel. I can tell the professor that my -friends kept me all night.” - -“Of course you can. Say, would you like to see a real out-and-out cock -fight? There is going to be one to-night, in the rear of the Horn of -Gold saloon. The hotel keeper was telling me about it. He put up five -bolivars on one of the birds. All the best sports in town will be -there.” - -“All right, let’s go--unless there’s a bull fight on somewhere,” -answered Hockley. - -“No bull fight to-night, Hockley. But that cock fight will be a cooler, -I can assure you. One of the birds belongs to a Spanish millionaire, -and the other to one of the native generals in the army. We will strike -some high-toned people at the fight sure.” - -The prospect of going to a place where he would meet the “dead game” -sports of Caracas pleased Hockley, and he already fancied how he would -“blow” about the affair when he got back among his old cronies at home. -“I’ll meet the bon-tons,” he said to himself. “It’s a good deal better -than going to see a dried-up old coffee plantation.” - -They were soon on the way, down one broad street and then into a side -road which was little better than an alleyway. At the end of the road -stood a ramshackle building dimly lit. Over the door hung a gilded horn -of plenty, giving to the resort its name, Horn of Gold. - -Entering the drinking room they found a crowd of thirty or forty -assembled, of various nationalities, some black and some white, with -two or three of Indian blood. At the rear a negro was strumming a -guitar and another was singing at the top of his lungs, in order to -make himself heard. But the clanking of glasses and the loud talking -all but drowned out the music, if such it can be called. - -To a youth of good habits the surroundings would have been disgusting -to the last degree. But Hockley took them in as “part of the game,” -and said nothing. Yet the thick tobacco smoke made him dizzy, and he -dropped his own cigar when Markel was not looking. - -Hockley was at a disadvantage, since he could not speak a word of the -language. He listened attentively for some English, but none was spoken. - -“Sit down here while I learn the particulars of this fight,” said the -man from Baltimore, and motioned him to a seat in a corner, near the -guitar player. Then Markel went off, not to re-appear for ten minutes. - -“It’s all right--I’ve got two tickets, but I had to pay six bolivars -for them,” said the man, on returning. “Come this way.” - -They passed through a dark passageway and into a small enclosure -without a roof. There were several rows of benches around a boarded-up -ring in the center. Half a dozen smoky lamps lit up this fighting pit, -as it was termed. - -“One bird is called the King and the other Favorita,” said Markel. “The -odds are on the King. I’m going to lay a few bolivars on him.” - -“Do the same for me,” said Hockley and passed over some silver coins. -He was so dizzy from smoking and drinking that he could scarcely -remember what the coins were worth. - -Markel made the bets, and soon the place began to fill with the sports -who had come to see the fight. None of those who came in were the least -bit “high-toned” in appearance, much to Hockley’s chagrin, nor did he -behold a single military uniform, although he had expected to see a -number. - -“Must be an off night,” said Markel. “Here, have another cigar. I see -you have finished the other.” - -He insisted upon Hockley smoking, and by the time the cocks were -brought in to fight the youth was so dizzy he could scarcely see. The -place was filled with smoke, the crowd talked, laughed, cheered and -hissed, and oaths were by no means lacking. In the midst of it all -the birds fought until one was so badly wounded that it died shortly -afterwards and the other was almost equally mutilated. And yet some -people call such cruelty sport! It is not sport at all, simply an -exhibition of brutality, the same as bull baiting and prize fighting. - -“What did you say? Is it over?” asked Hockley, trying to rouse himself -from a sudden sickening stupor into which he had fallen. - -“Yes, it’s over and our bird wasn’t in it,” replied Markel. “What did -you think of it?” - -“I couldn’t see much, on account of the poor lights and the tobacco -smoke.” - -“Yes, the light was beastly. But it was a gamey fight, I can tell you -that. Come on.” - -“I didn’t see many of the fashionables,” was Hockley’s comment. - -“No. I was told there is a ball on somewhere to-night and they must -have gone there. Let us go into the saloon and have a drink.” - -There was a crowd in the dark passageway and Hockley found himself -pushed first to one side and then another. Markel was beside him, and -the hands of the man from Baltimore went into first one pocket of the -youth’s clothes and then another. - -As soon as they had reached the drinking place Dan Markel insisted -upon treating his companion liberally. Then he settled the score and -went out to order a carriage to take them to the hotel. - -In such a condition that he could scarcely walk, poor, deluded Hockley -was assisted to the turnout and Markel climbed in beside him. It was -now after midnight. - -“Say!” cried Hockley, suddenly. “My watch is gone!” - -“Your watch?” ejaculated the man from Baltimore, in well assumed -surprise. “Are you certain?” - -“Course I’m certain--it’s gone--best gold watch,” muttered Hockley, -feeling into his various pockets with difficulty. - -“Perhaps you dropped it in the carriage,” went on Markel, pretending to -make a search. “It don’t seem to be here.” - -“Some of those rascals at the cock fight robbed me,” groaned Hockley. -He dove into his vest pockets. “Say! my money’s gone too!” - -“You don’t say!” cried Markel. “That is bad and no mistake. You must -have run afoul of a regular thief. Is there anybody you suspect?” - -“Can’t say as there is. There was a nigger got pretty close to me just -after the fight ended.” - -“Then he must be the man. Shall we go back?” - -“If he robbed me it ain’t likely he’s around now,” groaned Hockley. He -gave a deep yawn. “Hang the luck anyway! Say, I feel awfully tired, I -do.” - -His eyes closed and although he tried to keep awake in a few minutes he -was fast asleep. Dan Markel eyed him curiously. - -“He was easier game than I thought of striking,” said the man from -Baltimore to himself. “A gold watch and about a hundred dollars in -cash. That’s not so bad. Wonder what I had best do with him?” - -The carriage rolled on, and as it covered the distance to the Hotel -Ziroda, Dan Markel revolved the situation in his mind. As the turnout -came to a stop a peculiar light flashed in the rascal’s dark eyes. - -“Might as well go the whole thing while I am at it,” he said to -himself. “I won’t be able to hoodwink that professor as I have this -young fellow. If I can get the rest of the money I can clear out, and -they’ll never be able to find me.” - -He and the carriage driver assisted Hockley to the ground, and then -one of the hotel helpers came forward and helped Markel get the youth -to the room which the man from Baltimore occupied. No questions -were asked, for such occurrences were not uncommon among those who -patronized the Hotel Ziroda. - -“He will stay with me to-night,” said Markel. “I will foot the bill -whatever it is.” - -Laying Hockley on the bed, Markel allowed him to sleep there, while he -himself took a nap in a chair by the window. The youth lay in a stupor, -snoring loudly, and was still snoring when Markel roused up at six -o’clock. - -“My friend wishes you to send around to his hotel for his traveling -bag,” said the man from Baltimore to the clerk in the office. “Here -is his card. If Professor Strong is there, tell him that Mr. Hockley -wishes to get a souvenir from the bag to give to his friend who is to -sail to-day.” - -A messenger was sent off, and while he was gone Dan Markel walked -around anxiously. He was half afraid Professor Strong would accompany -the messenger on the return, in which case it would perhaps be best for -him to leave by a back way and without notice to anybody. - -The messenger was gone fully half an hour, but when he returned he was -alone, much to Markel’s relief. He had Hockley’s valise and turned it -over to the man from Baltimore without question. - -When Markel re-entered the bed chamber the poor fellow was stirring -uneasily. But he did not awaken and the rascal easily obtained from his -pocket the key to the traveling bag. Then the bag was opened and Markel -began a search for the hidden spring. - -At last it was found, and the false bottom flew up, revealing a pocket -containing a flat pocketbook. Hastily opening the wallet Markel saw -that it was filled with bank bills and gold to the amount of several -hundred dollars. - -“I’ve got it!” he muttered, his eyes glistening. He closed the bag, -locked it, and placed the wallet in his own clothing. For a moment he -hesitated, then kicked the bag under the bed and hurried to the door. -As he passed out Hockley gave a long-drawn sigh, turned over and went -to sleep again. - -Once in the corridor, Dan Markel paused and looked around. Nobody was -in sight, and watching his chance, he made his way to a side entrance -of the hotel and from there into the street. Then he hurried on, down -the square, and out of sight. - -[Illustration: “I’ve got it,” he muttered.] - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -SOMETHING ABOUT COFFEE GROWING - - -“I feel like a new boy,” remarked Mark, on the morning following the -arrival at Enrique Morano’s plantation. “I slept like a top last night.” - -“So did I,” answered Frank. “That bed just suited me. Wonder if anybody -is stirring yet?” - -“They must be. I just heard Bulo singing. What a sweet voice that -darkey has.” - -The boys were soon dressed and out in the courtyard, where the -professor and the others presently joined them. - -“We will have a regular American breakfast,” said Enrique Morano. -“Usually my countrymen have nothing but a cup of coffee and a roll on -rising, but I dropped that habit when I stopped in the United States.” - -“I noticed the coffee and rolls at the hotel,” said Darry. “They are -not very substantial.” - -Breakfast was soon served, of cantelopes, tapioca, fish, rice cakes, -rolls, and coffee and to it all did full justice. The cantelopes were -particularly fine and fairly melted in the boys’ mouths. - -“I must go to the University in an hour,” said Señor Morano. “But I -have arranged for Greva, my head steward, to take you all over the -place and explain whatever you desire to know. Greva speaks very good -English. I will be with you again at four this afternoon, and then, if -you wish, I will take you off on a horseback ride into the country.” - -“We were thinking of getting back to Caracas this afternoon,” said -Professor Strong. - -“No, no, you must not think of it, my dear Strong!” cried the civil -engineer. “I will not listen. You must remain to-night at least. I have -so much I wish to talk about to you.” - -“Oh, let us stay!” whispered Darry. “I’m just aching for a good -horseback ride.” - -“Yes, let us stay!” chimed in the others, and the professor could not -resist the appeal. - -“But what of Hockley?” he said. “He will be wondering what became of -us.” - -“Send him a letter to come out,” suggested Mark. And this was done, the -letter being carried to the city by Enrique Morano himself. - -Immediately after Enrique Morano had departed, the steward, Juan -Greva, who had been already introduced, came forward, and conducted -them from the house to the nursery attached to the place. - -“This is where we first grow our coffee plants,” he said, in a strong -Spanish accent. “We sow the seeds in the ground and let the plant come -up until it is about a foot high before we transplant it to the field.” - -“And how long does it take for them to grow as high as that?” asked Sam. - -“About a year and a half. Then they are set out in the field, which is -first ploughed thoroughly and planted with banana trees to shade the -plants. Later on we plant bucuara trees instead of the bananas, as they -are more hardy. If the coffee plants were not shaded like that they -might dry up.” - -“Do they bear at once?” questioned Darry. - -“Oh, no, far from it. They sometimes bear a little the fourth or fifth -year, but give nothing like a regular crop until the seventh or eighth -year.” - -“Gracious, what a time to wait!” murmured Frank. - -“That is true, Newton,” said the professor. “But after a plantation is -once started it will last fifty years or more.” - -“One plantation here has lasted seventy-five years,” said Juan Greva. -“It yields 1,200 quintals of coffee a season, and the plantation is -worth $60,000 of United States money.” - -“How much is a quintal?” came from Frank. - -“One hundred and twenty-five pounds,” answered the professor. “1,200 -quintals would be how much, Newton?” - -“150,000 pounds, sir,” answered Frank, after a short mental calculation. - -“Correct. Now, Robertson, at $15 per hundred pounds, what is such a -crop worth?” - -“The crop is worth $22,500,” answered Mark, after another pause. - -“Gracious, there must be money in raising coffee!” exclaimed Sam. - -“Do they get fifteen cents a pound for this?” questioned Darry. - -“The market price at present is about sixteen cents,” answered Juan -Greva. “It runs from ten cents to twenty-two cents.” - -“You must remember, boys, that what is received for the coffee is not -pure gain. The plants have to be cared for constantly and there is much -to do before the bean is ready for the market. All such labor has to -be paid for.” - -From the nursery they walked to the coffee grove itself, a long and -broad field, laid out into squares, with ditches of water flowing -between. The plants were set out in rows, with many banana and bucuara -trees between. - -“The coffee plants blossom in September,” said the steward, as they -walked through the field. “The blossoms are something like orange -blossoms, which your ladies love to use at weddings. Then comes the -berry, which is something like a red cherry and is picked in April and -May. The picking is a great time and men, women and children take part, -each with a basket on his or her back. A good picker can pick berries -enough in one day to make forty to fifty pounds of coffee.” - -Going into one of the storehouses, the steward brought out some of the -half-dried berries and broke them open. Inside rested the seed, two -coffee beans with the flat sides together and covered with a sticky -pulp. - -“Don’t look much like the beans we get,” said Frank. - -“These beans have to be dried and the pulp must be taken off,” said the -professor. - -“How do they get the pulp off?” asked Mark. - -“The berry is first crushed and then the mass is put through a machine -which separates the pulp from the seeds. Then the seeds, or beans, are -washed twice and dried, and come out as white as anyone would wish.” - -“But our coffee isn’t white,” said Frank. “It’s green--that is, before -it is roasted.” - -“The whiteness is all on the skin of the bean, which must be taken off -before the coffee is ready for market. Did you notice that large stone -flooring on the other side of this field? That is the drying floor.” -The professor turned to the steward. “How long do you dry your coffee -here?” - -“From six weeks to two months,” answered Juan Greva. “The weather makes -the time short or long. Each day the coffee is spread out with rakes -and at night it is gathered in heaps and covered with heavy cloth.” - -“What a lot of work for a cup of coffee!” murmured Mark. - -“The work does not stop there,” said the steward with a smile. “When -the coffee is dry it goes into a machine which takes off the shell and -then into another machine which blows it perfectly clean. After that it -goes to the sorting room, where the girls separate the good beans from -the bad and grade the good into five grades.” - -“And then what?” came from Sam. - -“Then the coffee is placed in bags and sewed up--that is, the coffee -which goes to the United States and England. When you get it, it is -roasted and ground.” - -“And then we take it and boil it, and strain it, and put milk and sugar -to it, and drink it down, and that’s the end of it,” broke in Darry. -“What a lot to do just for one cup of coffee! I never dreamed of such -work before.” - -“There is something else that is done with coffee, though not here,” -said Professor Strong. “In Brazil they often paint coffee black for the -South African market, and in other places coffee is polished so that it -shines like silver. Every country has its peculiar taste and the dealer -must do his best to suit that taste or lose the trade.” - -After walking through the coffee grove, they turned back to the -warehouses, and Juan Greva explained the various tools at hand for -caring for the plants. “The coffee bush is a hardy one, but must be -carefully watched if we wish to get the best results,” he said. “It -must have enough water but not too much, and we must be careful of -grubs and worms.” - -It was now growing warm, and the whole party was glad enough to retire -to the shelter of a palm grove behind the warehouses. On two sides of -the grove were long rows of fruit trees with bushes of various kinds of -berries growing between. They sat down and a servant presently appeared -with a pitcher of iced lemonade and a platter of little cakes covered -with honey. - -“This looks like a land of plenty,” said Mark, leaning back on a bench -and taking a deep breath. “How fresh and green everything is! It seems -to me a man ought to be able to make a living without half trying.” - -“The trouble down here has been the constant revolutions,” answered the -professor. “Nothing has been safe, and nobody felt like settling down -to steady work. But that will pass away in time, and then South America -will take a leap forward that will astonish those living in the North.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -DARRY’S WILD RIDE - - -Promptly at four o’clock Enrique Morano returned from the University. -He found our friends taking it easy in the patio, in hammocks which -Juan Greva had had strung there, under the giant palm. - -“That is right, take it comfortably,” he said, with a smile. “I am glad -to see it. It is so hard to get the Yankees to rest a little. They want -constantly to be on the go--to do something--to keep their brain at -work. Here, in this warm climate, it would kill a man to keep at such a -pace.” - -“It does make one lazy,” returned Darry, as he sat up. “But you won’t -find me lazy when I get in the saddle.” - -“Then you love to ride?” - -“He’s crazy for a horse,” put in Mark. “You see, his father is a big -cattle dealer from Chicago, and Darry has been out on the ranches more -than once. I believe you once helped to break a bronco, didn’t you, -Darry?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then I will have to provide you with an animal of spirit,” said -Enrique Morano, with another smile. “Very well, you shall have such a -one.” - -“No, no, don’t give him a fiery, untamed steed, Morano,” interrupted -Professor Strong. “Remember I am responsible for his well-being while -we are in Venezuela.” - -“But I don’t want an old--plug,” said Darry, with a crestfallen look. -“If the horse is broken I’d like to ride him even if he has some ginger -in him. Father lets me ride what I please at home.” - -“Well, I’ll take a look at the horse first,” answered Professor Strong, -slowly. “As to ‘plugs,’ as you term them, I don’t think our host keeps -any such.” - -“Oh, I didn’t mean to insinuate that he did,” said Darry, hastily. - -They walked down to the long, low stable and the head hostler brought -forth a number of the horses. Enrique Morano pointed out a big bay. - -“That is the fellow,” he said. “I can ride him, but he may prove too -much for you.” - -“Let me try him,” pleaded Darry. - -The bay was saddled, and the youth leaped up, whip in hand. The horse -pranced about a bit but soon set off at an easy gait. The step is -called the _trote de paseo_, and is natural to the steeds in all upper -South America. - -“Why he’s easy,” sang out the boy, after riding up and down the horse -yard and out to the highway and back. “I am sure I won’t have a bit of -trouble with him.” - -“He rides with confidence and well,” observed Enrique Morano. “He ought -to have no trouble on the road.” - -The matter was talked over, and finally Darry was allowed to ride the -bay horse, which rejoiced in the name of _El Montero_--The Huntsman. -The others were quickly provided with steeds, and a little later they -left the plantation, Enrique Morano leading the way on a favorite black. - -For a long distance the road was level and they moved off in a close -bunch. Every one of the party had learned to ride years before, so -there was no delay on that score. Mark and Frank wanted to race, but -the professor would not hear of it. - -Presently they crossed a heavy stone bridge, bearing this inscription: - - THE ILLUSTRIOUS AMERICAN, - GENERAL ANTONIO GUZMAN BLANCO, - PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, - HAD THIS BRIDGE ERECTED FOR - THE PUBLIC GOOD. - -“What a funny inscription,” observed Sam, as he stopped to read it -aloud. - -“General Antonio Guzman Blanco doesn’t want himself forgotten,” laughed -Mark. “I have seen a dozen monuments with his name on them, and at -least two dozen of his portraits.” - -“He was a great man in his day,” said Enrique Morano, gravely. “A very -great man. He made many improvements, such as building schools and -libraries, making highways and waterworks, and bringing order out of -disorder. But it would have been better had he not advertised himself -quite so extensively.” - -“That’s just it,” said Frank, and added, under his breath to Darry: -“You’d think he was trying to advertise some special brand of Stomach -Bitters, wouldn’t you?” And Darry had to bite his lip to keep from -laughing outright. - -“There isn’t half left of President Guzman Blanco’s monuments that -there once was,” said Professor Strong. “After his downfall, and after -the people became convinced that he was negotiating with foreign powers -against their good, they took revenge by pulling down many of his -statues, destroying his portraits and renaming many of the streets and -parks christened in his honor. His fine plantation was ruined, and even -the State that bore his name was re-named Miranda.” - -Across the bridge the road ascended a slight hill and then passed -through an avenue of tropical trees beautiful beyond description. Birds -were numerous and their music added to the delight of the riders. - -“It’s like a bit of paradise!” said Sam, as he drew rein, with Mark -beside him. “Just look at that scenery. Did you ever behold anything so -beautiful? See yonder waterfall, how it glistens in the sunshine and -how gracefully the vines fall over the rocks beside it! What a spot for -a painter!” - -The others had also halted, all but Darry, who was secretly itching to -“let the bay out,” as he told himself. Now he saw his chance and away -he went, before either Professor Strong or Enrique Morano noticed him. -There was a turn a hundred yards ahead, and this gained, Darry whipped -up the bay and away they went up the hill and down the opposite side -at a break-neck speed, the boy urging the horse on at every step. - -“This is what I call riding! Whoop!” he called out. “Get up there, -Huntsman, get up, I say!” - -Soon he was out of sight and hearing of the others and still tearing -along at a gait which was truly astonishing. But the bay acted well and -he had small difficulty in keeping his seat. Indeed, he thought the -riding even easier than some he had experienced while in our own west. - -The downward slope of the hill left behind, Darry found himself -confronted by a fork of the road. There was small time to decide and -he took the branch to the south, as that looked more traveled than the -other. But he had hardly gone a hundred yards before he noticed that -the highway was somewhat cut up, as if some improvements were underway. - -A short distance further on he came across a gang of native workmen, -armed with picks, spades and shovels. They were digging a trench beside -the road and some of them shouted to him as he rode past, but he did -not understand a word they said. - -“Can’t stop me to-day, thank you!” he shouted back pleasantly, and -urged on his steed as before. - -The road now made another turn, among a mass of rocks and brushwood. -Here it crossed a narrow rocky stream, where the water ran swiftly. The -bridge was out of repair and the workmen were engaged in putting up a -permanent stone structure to take its place. - -“Go back! Go back!” shouted a foreman of the laborers, in Spanish. -“Go back!” And he rushed forward to stop Darry’s horse. But before he -could do so, the youth was past him and riding on the old bridge, which -sagged and trembled beneath the sudden weight. - -“Gracious, this won’t do,” thought the boy, and tried to get the horse -over the bridge with all possible speed. - -He had just reached the end when there came a loud explosion, as -terrifying as it was unexpected. The workmen were engaged in blasting -rocks which stood in the way of the new bridge and had just set off a -charge of dynamite. They had tried to warn him to go back, but he had -not understood them. - -As the explosion came horse and rider were lifted into the air for -several feet and before they landed again, each was struck by the -shattered stone, which flew in all directions. The bay came down on his -knees, throwing Darry over his head into the stream beneath the bridge. -Then with a wild plunge the frightened steed went on, leaving the boy -to his fate. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -A TALK ABOUT BEASTS AND SNAKES - - -“Darry has gone on ahead,” observed Mark, looking down the road. - -“He’s off for a ride now!” cried Sam. “My, see him go!” - -“He is foolish to ride so fast in this sun,” said the professor, half -angrily. “Darry, come back!” - -But the call did not reach the flying youth, and he was soon out of -sight. Scarcely had he disappeared when Enrique Morano gave a start. - -“We must stop him,” he ejaculated. “We must stop him before it is too -late.” - -“Too late?” came from the others in alarm. - -“Yes, too late. Below here are two roads and he may take the wrong one -and go to the old bridge, which is worn out and not safe.” - -“Come!” The word came from the professor and without ado he urged his -horse forward at twice the speed they had formerly employed. Enrique -Morano rode beside him and the boys brought up closely in the rear. - -About half the distance to the old bridge was covered when the noise of -the explosion reached their ears. Professor Strong gazed inquiringly at -his old college friend. - -“What can that mean, Morano?” - -“They are working on the new bridge and are blasting rocks there. I -trust the workmen warned the youth--if he took that road.” - -It was not long before they came upon the first of the workmen and the -civil engineer questioned them. - -“Yes, he came this way,” said Enrique Morano, to the professor. “One -man says he must have been right on the old bridge when the blast -occurred.” - -“Pray heaven he is safe!” murmured Professor Strong, his face paling -slightly. - -When they reached the old bridge they found the workmen running down to -the water’s edge. - -“He is here!” cried the foreman, to Morano. “His horse ran away and -threw him. The blast was too much for the beast.” - -“Where is the boy?” demanded the professor, and having the direction -pointed out to him, leaped to the rocks and ran forward to the edge of -the stream. - -Darry lay on his back, partly in and partly out of the water. His eyes -were closed and he was motionless. - -“Poor boy, he looks as if he were dead!” - -“No, no, don’t say that Darry is dead!” cried Frank, who had come up by -this time. “Perhaps he’s only unconscious.” - -No one replied to this, but all rushed boldly into the stream. Soon -they had raised the body up and carried it to a patch of grass under a -tree. The professor got down on his knees to make an examination. - -“He is alive!” he murmured, after a painful pause. “I believe he has -only been stunned.” - -As he finished speaking Darry gave a shudder and opened his eyes. - -“Whoa!” he murmured. “Whoa!” and then closed his eyes and gave a shiver. - -“You are safe now, my boy,” said the professor. “Take it easy. You are -safe.” - -At last Darry opened his eyes again and gave a gasp. - -“Wha--what does this mean?” he questioned, slowly, and then put his -hand to his side and gave a groan. - -“Don’t you remember the explosion?” asked Mark. “The horse must have -thrown you.” - -“Yes, yes, I remember now. Is the--the horse all right?” - -“Never mind the horse,” put in Enrique Morano. “I sincerely trust you -are not seriously injured.” - -“I’ve got a pain in my side, but I guess it won’t amount to much,” -answered Darry and attempted to sit up. But the effort was too much and -he sank back again. - -“Rest as you are,” said the professor, kindly. “We will get a carriage -to take you back to the plantation.” - -“To be sure. I will go for the carriage myself,” said Enrique Morano, -and leaping into the saddle again he dashed down the highway with the -best speed his steed could attain. - -While Enrique Morano was gone Professor Strong made an examination of -Darry. As a hunter and traveler he had had considerable experience in -caring for the wounded and he soon learned that no bones were broken. -The youth was simply bruised and in a few days would be as well as -ever. - -One of the workmen on the road had gone after the runaway horse and now -returned, leading the bay, which was covered with foam and dust. The -steed trembled with excitement and pranced around continuously. - -It was half an hour before Enrique Morano appeared, driving the largest -carriage of which his plantation boasted. Into this Darry was lifted -carefully and Professor Strong rode beside him, to save him as much as -possible from being jounced around. - -“I have sent a servant for a doctor,” said the civil engineer. “He will -probably be at the house as soon as ourselves,” and such proved to be a -fact. - -By nightfall Darry found himself lying on a cool and comfortable bed. -A bruise on his head was bound up in a white bandage and there was -another bandage over his hip. As the boy was naturally strong and -healthy the physician said that medicine for him would be unnecessary. - -“I’m glad he didn’t make me take a big dose of something nasty,” said -Darry to Frank. “Some doctors do that, you know, just to let you think -they are earning their fee,” and Frank had to smile at this, it was so -much like his chum’s way of looking at things. - -Under the circumstances it was impossible for the party to leave the -plantation, and after some talk Professor Strong decided to accept -Enrique Morano’s invitation to remain there until the following Monday. - -“That will give Hockley a chance to see the coffee plantation and learn -how coffee is raised,” said the professor. “I will go and bring him -while you boys remain with Crane.” - -“It’s queer Hockley hasn’t come along on his own account,” said Mark. -“His friends must be off by this time.” - -“I know of no steamer sailing to-day,” put in Enrique Morano, who stood -near. “His friends must be going on some sailing vessel.” - -“Have you a list of the sailings?” asked Professor Strong, quickly. - -“Yes, in the newspaper of yesterday. Here it is.” - -The professor took the paper and read the list with care. As Morano had -said there was no sailing of any steamer. The sailing vessels to leave -were two in number, one bound for Cape Town, South Africa and the other -bound for Rio Janeiro, Brazil. - -“I thought his friends were bound for Philadelphia,” mused Professor -Strong, and said no more. But his eyes took on a speculative look as -though he feared Hockley had not told the exact truth in the note which -had been sent. - -Dinner that evening was quite an elaborate affair and lasted fully an -hour. When it was over, Enrique Morano insisted upon going into town -with the professor. - -“I am certain you boys can amuse yourselves while we are gone,” he -said, to Mark and the others. “Make yourselves at home. There are books -and a piano, and in the corner are several portfolios of pictures to -look over.” - -“All right, I guess we’ll put in the time pleasantly enough,” was -Mark’s answer, and soon the two men were gone and the boys found -themselves alone, excepting for the servants that remained within call -to wait on them. - -The portfolios of pictures proved of great interest to all but Darry, -who soon fell into a sound sleep, from which the others did not awaken -him. In the collection of pictures were views of the great Cathedral -at Caracas, the numerous Public Buildings, the Botanical Gardens, the -wonderful railroad bridges around the mountains and over the valleys, -the harbors at La Guayra, the waterways leading to the mighty Orinoco, -and views of the great river itself, showing the canyons to be found in -certain localities and the fierce rapids. The latter views interested -them most of all. - -“I’m just aching to get on that river,” said Frank. “What fun we will -have, hunting, fishing and camping out! The cities are all well enough, -but one gets tired of them after awhile.” - -“We haven’t seen so very much of the cities yet,” put in Sam. - -“We’ve done up Caracas, and that’s the main city. And we stopped at La -Guayra, which is as important a seacoast town as they have.” - -“I’m with Frank on the river question,” said Mark. “I hope I get a shot -at some big game.” - -“The professor thinks there is no large game left in Venezuela,” said -Sam. “He said there were a number of animals of the cat variety like -the puma, ounce and ocelot.” - -“I’ve heard there were jaguars here--in the big forests.” - -“The professor said there might be some but they were becoming very -rare. You see, the people who have immense herds of cattle on the -_llanos_, or prairies, have to protect their stock and so they have -hunted the wild beasts pretty thoroughly.” - -“I know other things they have, which we may fall in with, and they are -just as bad as big game and maybe worse,” said Mark. - -“What are they?” asked Frank, with increased interest. - -“Alligators, rattlesnakes and boa-constrictors.” - -“Ugh!” came from Sam, with a shiver. “Deliver me from a -boa-constrictor. I saw one once in a menagerie. They fed it on live -rabbits and the sight was enough to make one sick.” - -“The professor says the rattlesnakes are more to be feared -than anything,” went on Mark. “He says the alligators and the -boa-constrictors generally keep their distance, but the snakes strike -you through the tall grass before you can realize what is up. I can -tell you what, we’ll have to keep our eyes open when we get down on the -hunting ground.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -A BITTER DISCOVERY - - -Hockley sat up on the bed and stared around him in stupid bewilderment. -For the moment he could realize nothing but that he had a bursting -headache and felt wretched all over. - -“It was the drinking and smoking that did it,” he thought and gave a -low groan. “Oh, my head!” - -For several minutes he sat almost motionless, trying to collect his -senses. Then he gazed around the room and at last realized that he was -in the apartment which Dan Markel had engaged. - -“Markel!” he called out. “Markel, where are you?” - -Receiving no answer, he dragged himself to his feet. He was all in a -tremble and soon sank down in a chair by the barred window. He saw that -the sun was up and that the street was alive with people. - -“It must be pretty late,” he muttered, and felt for his watch to note -the time. “Oh, I forgot. The watch was stolen, and so was my roll of -bills. This is a pretty how-do-you-do, anyway. What will the professor -say when he hears of it? But I don’t care--he ain’t my master, and I’m -going to do as I please.” He put his hand to his forehead. “Oh, how -everything spins!” - -There was a wash basin and some water handy and the lad bathed himself, -after which he felt slightly better. As he was re-arranging his collar -and tie he began to wonder what had become of his friend. - -“Perhaps he has gone to hunt up my watch and money,” he thought. -“Hope he gets them. Dad will be awful mad over that watch, I know. He -cautioned me to be careful of it when he gave it to me.” - -Hockley waited for quarter of an hour longer and then, out of patience, -rang for an attendant. - -“Where is Mr. Markel?” he asked. “See if you can find him.” - -“_Si, señor_,” said the servant, who understood a little English and -was kept to wait on Americans. - -After the man was gone Hockley sat down by the window again and gave -himself up to his reflections. They were far from pleasant. - -“That cock fight was a fizzle,” he muttered. “Markel must take me for -a fool to cart me off to such a place. I’ve a good mind to tell him so, -too, when he comes. If he can’t take me to better places than that I’ll -cut him.” - -Hockley’s head continued to ache, and the quarter of an hour he had to -wait ere the servant returned seemed an age to him. - -“Mr. Markel cannot be found, _señor_,” was the report. “I have searched -all over the place, but it is of no use.” - -“He isn’t in the dining room?” - -“No _señor_.” - -“Did you see him go out?” - -“I did not, _señor_.” - -“He didn’t leave any word at the office?” - -“He did not, _señor_.” - -“It’s mighty queer what has become of him. I’ll go out and look for him -myself.” - -Leaving the apartment Hockley strolled into the office and took a look -up and down the hot street and then into the wine-room. Of course he -saw nothing of the man from Baltimore, who was now miles away. Much -bewildered but still unsuspicious he went back to the office. - -“He must have gone away shortly after you sent for your bag,” said the -hotel keeper, who also spoke English. - -“After I sent for my bag?” repeated Hockley. “I sent for no bag.” - -“No?” The hotel keeper looked astonished. “He said you wished it, and -we sent a boy after it. He took it to your room.” - -“I haven’t seen the bag,” answered Hockley, and then his heart sank -suddenly within him, for he remembered telling Markel of the secret -compartment. What if the man from Baltimore had played him false? - -“The bag must be in your room,” went on the hotel man stoutly. “I saw -it carried in myself.” - -“I’ll go and look,” returned the lank youth and almost ran back to -the apartment. At first he failed to locate the valise but presently -discovered it under the bed and hauled it forth. - -“Robbed! Every cent gone!” The cry came straight from Hockley’s heart, -and trembling from head to foot he sank into a chair, the picture of -misery and despair. - -“You are robbed?” asked the hotel keeper, who had followed him to the -door. - -“Yes, robbed! That man has taken all of my money.” - -“But he was your friend!” ejaculated the other, in bewilderment. - -“He pretended to be my friend,” answered the youth, bitterly. “I met -him on the steamer from New York. He was a stranger up to that time.” - -“And an American! It is very sad, _señor_. What will you do? Put the -police on his track?” - -“I don’t know what to do. I’m strapped--I haven’t a dollar to my name.” - -At this the brow of the hotel keeper darkened. - -“Who then will pay your bill?” he asked sharply. - -“My bill?” - -“Yes, _señor_. I am a poor man, for the hotel business is not very good -this year. I cannot afford to lose what is coming to me.” - -“You’ll have to lose it!” cried Hockley, angrily. “I’ve been duped, -don’t you understand? Cleaned out. How can I pay you?” - -“But you are with another party, at the big hotel. They told me up -there of it.” - -“That’s true, but I’m not going to pay Markel’s bill, I can tell you -that,” snorted Hockley. - -“If you do not pay I shall tell the police it is a scheme to cheat me -out of my money,” was the sullen answer. “You have some baggage, that -bag, I shall hold it until I am paid. You shall not remove it.” - -[Illustration: “You have some baggage in that bag. I shall hold it.”] - -At this Hockley was horrified, feeling that he was getting deeper and -deeper into difficulty. - -“Haven’t you any pity on a fellow who has been cleaned out?” he pleaded. - -“I am a poor man--I must have my money,” returned the hotel keeper, -stoutly. - -“All right, you shall have it,” answered Hockley. “But you’ll have to -wait until I get back to the other hotel and get the cash.” - -“I will go with you,” answered the hotel keeper, who was unwilling to -trust the youth out of his sight. - -Valise in hand Hockley tramped back to the hotel at which our friends -were stopping. He fully expected to find Professor Strong and the -others awaiting him, and wondered what explanation he should make -concerning his plight. - -When he learned that all were at the plantation still he did not know -whether to be glad or sorry. He hunted out the hotel clerk and asked -concerning the professor and the others. - -“I would like to borrow a little money until they get back,” he said. -“Professor Strong will make it good when he settles up.” - -The money was at once forthcoming, and Hockley settled up with the -keeper of the Hotel Ziroda. He would not pay for Markel, and the hotel -man said he would keep whatever had been left behind until the bill was -settled. But the man from Baltimore had left little of value outside of -a newspaper containing some dirty linen. - -It was a very crestfallen youth who slipped into the dining room for -breakfast and one who was in a humor to eat but little. As he gulped -down a cup of coffee Hockley meditated on the situation. He wanted to -smooth matters over with Professor Strong but did not see his way clear -to doing it. - -“I suppose I’ll have to face the music in the end,” he thought, with a -long sigh. “Oh, what a downright fool I was, to be taken in so easily! -If the other fellows hear of it how they will laugh at me!” - -When Professor Strong arrived in the evening he saw at once that -something out of the ordinary had occurred. Hockley sat in his room, -his head tied up in a towel. - -“What is the matter, Hockley?” he asked. - -“I’ve had bad luck, sir,” whined the youth. “Awfully bad luck.” - -“Why, how is that?” - -“I fell in with that Dan Markel, sir--after I had left those friends -I mentioned in the note. Markel is a villain. He induced me to go off -with him last night, and then he drugged and robbed me.” - -“Is it possible! I did not like the looks of the man when first we met -on the steamer. But I thought we left him behind at Curaçao.” - -“He came on after us. He was a sly one, I can tell you, sir. You know -I said I wanted to see the lumber yards, so that I could write to my -father and tell him how business was carried on here. Well, he said he -knew all about them and would show me around. So I went with him after -my friends sailed and instead of showing me around he took me to some -kind of a hotel. I had some cocoa and it was drugged and after that I -didn’t know a thing until I woke up at the Hotel Ziroda and found my -watch and money gone. And what was worse the villain had sent for my -valise and robbed that too.” - -This mixture of truth and falsehood was told very adroitly, and -Professor Strong could not but believe the tale. He hurried to the -other hotel and interviewed the proprietor, and then notified the -police of what had occurred. An alarm was sent out and a hunt made for -Dan Markel, but the man from Baltimore could not be found. - -Professor Strong wished to know something about the friends Hockley had -met, but the youth pretended to be too sick to talk. He had been clever -enough to look over the sailings in the newspaper and said they had -gone on the _Desdemona_ to Rio Janeiro, and were going from that port -to Philadelphia. - -As the youth seemed too sick to journey to the plantation Professor -Strong remained with him all night, and Enrique Morano went back alone -to carry the news to the others. - -“Humph! we are having all sorts of excitement,” was Mark’s comment. -“First it was myself, then it was Darry, and now it’s Hockley. I wonder -what will happen next?” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -BATHING AT MACUTO - - -During the time that Darry was ill, the others took the railroad to -Valencia and stopped half a day in that ancient town, which is one -of the most picturesque in all of South America. They visited Lake -Valencia, lying far above sea level, and Enrique Morano took them to a -cathedral in the vicinity where can be seen a number of rare religious -paintings. On the way back a stop was made at Victoria, once the place -where Bolivar lived and where a great number of relics of the departed -great man are stored. - -Darry’s sickness did not last, and inside of five days he announced -that he would be able to go anywhere. “But I shan’t try to run away -again on a horse,” he added, with a rueful smile. - -The boys had endeavored to question Hockley about his experience with -Dan Markel, but could get no satisfaction. Once Hockley flew in a rage -at Sam over this. - -“It’s my business, not yours,” he growled. “I lost the money and the -watch. You only want to crow over me, but let me tell you, if you go -too far somebody will get a thrashing.” - -“I don’t want to crow at all, Hockley,” returned Sam. “I thought that -perhaps I might be able to help you--if this Markel ever shows himself -again.” - -“He won’t show himself--he’s too cute,” grumbled the other. “Now you -just keep quiet about it.” And there the subject was dropped, so far as -it reached the injured one. - -“He’s sore, no doubt of that,” said Frank to Sam, when told of the -conversation. “And I don’t blame him. Just the same, I’ll wager he went -off with Markel to have a good time.” - -“I think that too, Frank. Well, if he went too far, he’s had to pay for -it,” returned Sam. - -All told, the stay at the coffee plantation had been full of interest -and the boys thanked Enrique Morano over and over again for his -kindness to them. - -“If you ever come to New York we’ll do all we can for you,” said Mark, -heartily, and the others spoke in a similar strain. - -The next day found them back to Caracas and here they stopped but a -few hours before taking a train for La Guayra. Arriving at the seaport -arrangements were made for a side trip, so to speak, to the Gulf and -the Lake of Maracaibo, situated to the westward. But the vessel was not -to sail until two days later, so while waiting they took a little run -over to Macuto, located not far from La Guayra. - -“Macuto is the Bar Harbor, Asbury Park, and Coney Island of Venezuela,” -explained the professor, while the party was on the way, along a -highway skirting the ocean. “It is only six miles from the seaport, and -is a great resort for the folks in Caracas and La Guayra who wish to -escape the extreme heat of those towns. It gets a constant breeze from -the north and as a consequence is usually ten to fifteen degrees more -on the side of comfort.” - -On arriving at Macuto the boys were somewhat disappointed to find the -greater part of the beach highway given over to drinking places and -general stores, while the hotels were further up on the hills behind -the sand. - -“Can’t we go in bathing?” asked Sam. It was a sport he enjoyed -exceedingly. - -“Yes, there is a bathing spot, at the end of the highway,” answered the -professor, and thither they made their way. The bathing pavilion was -built in the shape of a castle, standing in the water at the end of a -long wharf. - -The boys were soon inside, and each paid his medio for a bathroom and -the use of a towel. They soon discovered that the men bathed in one -place and the women in another, and that but few suits were used. But -suits were to be had at an office in a corner of the building and they -procured these and all went in, including the professor, who was an -excellent swimmer. - -“Tell you what, this is something like!” cried Sam, enthusiastically, -as he splashed about and then scooped some water up over Frank’s head. -“Come on, I’ll race you!” - -“Done!” answered Frank, who was also a good swimmer, and in another -moment the two lads were off, while a crowd, composed largely of -natives, watched them. - -There was not much danger, as the bathing spot is enclosed by rows of -piling, over which the surf booms constantly. The water was warm and -clean. The race was to the stone wall which divides the men’s space -from that of the women’s and both reached the goal at the same time. - -“A tie!” shouted Mark. “Better call it off,” and they did and went in -for diving and plunging and “horse play” to their heart’s content. Even -Hockley seemed to thaw out over the fun and joined in as readily as -anybody. - -After the bath the entire party paid a visit to several of the leading -hotels, stopping at one for a shell-fish dinner which was as delicious -as any they had ever eaten. At the hotel was a native orchestra playing -operatic airs and popular songs. Seeing the Americans the leader -started his men to playing what was then the popular song in New York. -This pleased Mark and Frank, and when a collection was taken they did -not forget to contribute. - -“By Jove!” cried Hockley, as they were on the point of leaving the -hotel. “It’s him!” - -“Him? Who?” asked Mark, who stood beside the lank youth. - -“Dan Markel. He just went into that store over yonder!” - -“Then you had better tell the professor and have him arrested.” - -“I will.” - -Professor Strong was just settling their bill when Hockley acquainted -him with what he had seen. - -“To be sure, we must catch him,” he cried. “Lead the way.” - -Hockley set off on a run, with the professor beside him, and the others -bringing up the rear. Markel had entered a _bodega_, or grocery, which -were numerous in that particular vicinity. - -Markel was buying something in the shop when, on glancing up, he saw -Hockley rush in, followed by Professor Strong and the others. They -all made directly for the fellow, who found himself surrounded almost -before he realized it. - -“Give me my watch and that money,” ejaculated Hockley, in quick rage, -and caught the man from Baltimore by the sleeve. - -“Hullo, what’s the matter?” demanded the man, trying to put on a bold -front. - -“I’ll show you what’s the matter,” blustered Hockley. “Give me the -watch and money I say.” - -“You must be crazy. I haven’t anything belonging to you.” - -“And I say you have.” - -“Hockley says that you robbed him while he was in your company last -week,” put in Professor Strong. “I think you had better come with us to -the police station.” - -“The boy doesn’t tell the truth. He drank too much and got in a crowd, -and when he came out his money and watch were gone. I had nothing to do -with it.” - -“I say it’s not so,” ejaculated Hockley, growing red at being exposed. -“You sent for my valise and robbed that, too. I can prove you sent for -it by the proprietor of the Hotel Ziroda.” - -At this shot Dan Markel grew pale. He felt that he was cornered and -that a visit to the police station would do much to prove his guilt. -He had left the watch behind him, but he had Hockley’s money--or the -larger portion of it--on his person, and he did not know but that some -of the bills could be identified. - -“It--it’s all a mistake,” he faltered. - -“You come to the police station with us,” said Professor Strong, -quietly but sternly. - -Dan Markel looked around. There seemed no way of escape and his face -fell. - -“All right, I’ll go with you,” he said, although he had no such -intention. “But let me tell you that you are making a big mistake, and -that you’ll have a suit for damages on your hands.” - -“I’ll risk the suit,” returned the professor, grimly. - -All marched out of the _bodega_, much to the astonishment of the -proprietor, who had not understood a word of what was said. On the -corner they paused. - -“There ought to be a policeman somewhere----” began Professor Strong, -when without warning, Dan Markel tore himself loose and leaped into the -street. Several carriages were passing and in a twinkling he had darted -between these and was running for an alleyway not far distant. - -“He’s running away!” burst out Hockley. “Come on after him!” And he -started to follow, and so did the others. But the street was so crowded -that it took several seconds to gain the other side, and by that time -Markel was out of sight. - -“I saw where he went,” said Mark. “Into the alley way. Come on, -Hockley.” - -“I’m with you,” was the answer, and both boys hurried on as fast as the -condition of the thoroughfare would permit. - -Dan Markel was thoroughly alarmed, for he felt that if he was captured -Professor Strong would see to it that he was given a long term of -imprisonment. - -“They shan’t get me this trip,” he muttered to himself, and seeing -a doorway open close at hand, darted through this, into a large -warehouse. From the entrance he made his way among a number of boxes -and barrels to the rear. Beyond was another alleyway and he leaped -into this. With all the speed left to him he managed in a few minutes -to gain the boulevard where the carriages ran between Macuto and La -Guayra. A vehicle containing only a couple of passengers was passing -and he leaped into this. - -“I wish to get to La Guayra as soon as possible,” he said to the -driver. “An extra bolivar for you if you whip up your horses.” - -“_Si, señor_,” was the answer, and the driver cracked his whip. Away -went the turnout; and that was the last seen of Dan Markel for some -time to come. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -A SHORT VOYAGE WESTWARD - - -Two days later found our friends on board a steamer bound for the Gulf -of Maracaibo. The weather was all that could be desired, and for the -most part all were in excellent spirits, the single exception being -Hockley, who still mourned the loss of his money and timepiece. - -“It’s a shame we didn’t catch Dan Markel in Macuto,” said the lank -youth more than once. “I think we might have done it if the professor -hadn’t been so slow to act.” - -“We did all we could,” had been Mark’s answer. “But that Markel is a -mighty slick one, and we’ll have to get up bright and early to corner -him.” - -Although the others did not know it, Professor Strong had given Hockley -a severe lecture on the return to La Guayra, telling the youth of the -folly of associating with a man of Markel’s character, and of the -further foolishness of drinking and trying to be a so-called sport. - -“You will ruin both your health and your character by such actions,” -the professor had said. “A young man who will act in that fashion shows -a lack of common sense. I want no more of it.” And though Hockley had -felt strongly inclined to “talk back” he had not had the courage to do -so. - -The steamer sailing from La Guayra to the Gulf of Maracaibo made a stop -at Curaçao, so that little could be seen of the coast line between La -Guayra and Cape St. Roman, at the entrance to the gulf. The stop at -Willemstad was of short duration and nobody of the party went ashore. -Then the course was straight around the cape into the gulf, which is -nothing less than an inlet of the Caribbean Sea, seventy-five miles -deep and about twice as broad. - -The Gulf and the Lake of Maracaibo are connected by an irregular strait -twenty miles long and five to ten miles wide. The lake itself is a -hundred miles long and three quarters that in width. It is very deep, -so that large vessels can sail on it almost from end to end. But big -vessels cannot get in or out because the strait is shallow and filled -with shifting bars of sand. - -“What a picturesque spot,” was Sam’s comment, as the steamer made her -landing at Maracaibo, which is situated upon the strait. “And it looks -as if they did a big business here.” - -“Yes, a very large business is done here,” answered Professor Strong. -“They export millions of pounds of coffee and cocoa each year, besides -hides, cotton, and other articles of commerce.” - -They were soon ashore and took a trip on the street railways, which -stretch a dozen miles or more in various directions. On every side was -the greatest of activity, the wharves being as full of life as those at -New York city. There were electric lights and telephones the same as at -Caracas. - -“They are up-to-date, that’s sure,” said Mark. “Anybody who comes down -here expecting to find a howling wilderness will have his eyes opened.” - -“The country would progress even more rapidly were it not for many -things beyond human control,” returned the professor. “But the heat is -at times terrific and the fever lays many low, and then they have had -some awful earthquakes and tidal waves here.” - -After the ride the party visited various public buildings and public -parks, with their statues of Bolivar, Guzman Blanco and other -celebrities. - -“We are now in the State of Zulia,” said Professor Strong, “and not -over ninety miles from the eastern boundary of Colombia. This State -contains about 100,000 inhabitants, of which 30,000 live in this city. -A good deal of the trade you see here comes over the mountains from -Colombia on mule back. Several railroads are contemplated, and when -they are built Maracaibo will be one of the most important points for -shipping in the northern part of South America.” - -The party stopped for two days at Maracaibo, visiting several towns in -the vicinity, which, however, were of small importance. On the second -day Frank proposed that they hire one of the native boats for a short -sail on the lake. - -“Just so we can tell the folks at home that we sailed on Lake -Maracaibo,” he said. - -“Hurrah, just the thing!” cried Sam. “I’d like that first rate.” - -The others were equally enthusiastic, and soon a boat was procured, -something similar to a sloop, but with the sail running directly to the -masthead. A native was in charge who could speak a little English, and -he agreed to take them down the lake for a distance of a dozen miles -and bring them back early in the evening. - -With a basket filled with good things procured at their hotel, the -party embarked at one of the long, low piers, and soon the mainsail was -set and they were speeding away over the clear waters of the lake at a -rate of seven knots an hour. The craft was a staunch built affair and -minded her helm to perfection. - -“I see you know how to handle her,” said Mark, to the boatman, who -rejoiced in the name of Salvador. - -“_Si, señor,_” was the answer. “I been a boatman since a little baby so -big,” and Salvador smiled broadly. - -“What do you do with the boat, fish?” - -“Fish when weather good, _señor_. When weather no good carry cocoa and -t’ings, or go to sleep.” - -“Go to sleep is good,” laughed Frank. “That’s one thing everybody down -here seems able to do.” - -Mark and Frank had purchased some fishing tackle in the town and as -they sailed they threw out lines behind for trolling. Salvador showed -them how to bait up to the best advantage and soon Mark found he had a -bite. He hauled in without delay and brought on deck a bass weighing -all of a pound and a half. - -“First haul!” he shouted, highly pleased. - -“Here is another,” cried Frank, and brought in an equally big fish. All -examined the catches with care but saw little difference from the fish -caught nearer home. - -“Any electric eels here?” asked the professor of the boatman. - -“I have heard of a few but I never see them, _señor_.” - -“Electric eels?” repeated Hockley. “Do they come from Venezuela?” - -“Yes, we’ll find them in the Orinoco, Hockley,--big ones too. We will -have to be careful when we go fishing there, unless we want to get a -shock.” - -“Pooh! I’m not afraid of an eel,” returned the other. “I saw an -electric eel once, in an aquarium at Chicago, but he didn’t have much -electricity in him.” - -“Then he must have been almost exhausted. A strong healthy electric eel -can give a man as much of a shock as anybody wants, I can assure you.” - -Inside of two hours the boys had a string of ten good sized fish, and -then the professor told them they had better stop the sport as it -delayed the progress of the boat. So the lines were hauled in, after -which they progressed faster than ever. A stiff breeze was blowing and -the sky was cloudless. - -“We couldn’t have a nicer day for this trip,” said Darry, and all -agreed with him. - -Salvador knew of a beautiful grove on the shore of the lake, and to -this he directed their course. There was a little stretch of sand, -backed up by a grove of stately palms, and behind this some rocks and a -waterfall. - -“Oh, if only I had my camera,” sighed Sam. He had brought along a -photographic outfit but unfortunately had left it at the hotel. The -rocks and the waterfall looked very inviting, and they took their -dinner in sight of the place but under the palms, for the sun was hot -in spite of the breeze. - -After the meal some of the boys stretched out for a rest. Sam wished to -go swimming but at this the native boatman shook his head. - -“No go here,” said Salvador. “Go in water, maybe git bit by crab. Bad -crab here.” - -“Crabs?” said Sam. “I haven’t seen any.” - -“Me show you,” returned the boatman and led the way along the sand. -Procuring a sharp stick, he walked along until he came to a round hole -close to the water’s edge. He thrust the stick into the hole. Instantly -came a scattering of sand and an ugly looking brown crab came into -view, hissing viciously and with his eyes bulging from their sockets. -Sam sprang back to get out of harm’s way but the crab leaped into the -lake and sank from sight. - -“What an ugly beast!” - -“Him more ugly if you stick toe in his hole,” grinned Salvador. “Maybe -him bite toe off.” - -“I believe you,” and Sam gave a shudder. “A nice beach for swimming -truly!” - -“The land crabs of South America are all more or less dangerous,” said -Professor Strong, who had watched proceedings from a distance. “Some of -them are poisonous and all will give you a nasty bite if they get the -chance. You must never bathe unless you feel certain there is nothing -around to harm you.” - -It was not until half an hour later that they prepared to leave the -spot. Some clouds had come up and Salvador said he was afraid they -might be in for a blow before nightfall. - -“I wouldn’t mind a little wind, just for the excitement,” said Frank. - -“Yes, but we don’t want too much,” returned the professor. “They are -as liable to have squalls on Lake Maracaibo as they are on any of our -great lakes at home.” - -“Do you think we’ll get a squall?” cried Hockley, in something of alarm. - -“I trust not, Hockley. If it blows too heavily we’ll have to run in -shore somewhere until it is over.” - -They were soon aboard the boat, the mainsail was hoisted, and away they -ran, in the direction of the town. The wind was so fresh that the spray -flew in all directions so that it was impossible to find a dry spot. -Hockley grumbled at this, but there seemed no help for it. - -“As it is warm it won’t hurt you,” said Professor Strong. “As soon as -we reach the hotel I will see to it that all have dry clothing.” - -An hour later found them out of sight of land and bowling along as -swiftly as ever. The sky was now growing darker, the sun having gone -behind a heavy bank of clouds. Presently the wind died out completely, -leaving the sail flapping idly. - -“We’re getting a calm instead of a storm,” said Frank. “And just as we -were making such good time, too!” - -“It’s the calm before the storm, Newton,” answered Professor Strong. -“We’ll get more wind than we want in half an hour.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE SQUALL ON LAKE MARACAIBO - - -What Professor Strong said proved to be true. In less than half an hour -they saw the whitecaps forming on the lake behind them. The wind came -and went in fitful gusts, and then of a sudden came a blow that was -little short of a hurricane. - -“We’re going to catch it now!” shouted Mark. “Just hear how it -whistles!” - -“Hold fast, all of you!” came from Professor Strong. - -“We are holding fast,” answered Darry, who was clinging to the stern -sheets with might and main. - -The sail had long since been taken in and Salvador stood at his rudder, -doing his best to keep the craft up to the wind. But this was no easy -task for the wind was veering around rapidly. - -“Gracious, it’s down on us for keeps!” shouted Frank, a moment later. -“Look at that!” - -He bobbed his head forward and looking the other boys made out a low -wall of white foam moving on them with incredible swiftness. There was -a strange humming in the air and the sky became blacker than ever. - -In a twinkling the squall was on them in all its fury, sending the -sloop headlong into the foam. The boys could see nothing and held their -breath in awful suspense. Hockley fairly shivered with terror, but none -of the others noted this, being too busy caring for their own safety. - -As the sloop veered around, the boiling foam mounted to the forward -deck and Sam was caught as in the breakers of the ocean. He was -clinging to a low guard, unaware that the thing was partly rotted away. -Without warning came a cracking and before he realized it he was over -the side. - -Down and down, and still down went poor Sam, until he felt that he must -be going straight to the bottom of the lake. He was so bewildered that -for several seconds he scarcely knew what to do. He turned over and -over and clutched out wildly, reaching nothing but the water, which, at -this distance below the surface, was as calm as ever. - -At last the youth struck out for the surface. He wanted to breathe but -knew that if he opened his mouth and took in the water it might prove -fatal to him. His head began to grow dizzy and a strange pain shot -across his chest. Then he came up, opened his eyes and gave a gasp. - -“I went overboard,” was his thought. “Where can the sloop be?” - -He tried to call out, but his puny effort was drowned completely by -the wind, which whistled as fiercely as ever. On every side of him the -water boiled and foamed as before and he was thrown around like a cork, -often turning over and going beneath the surface. - -The next few minutes were to the boy little short of an age. He -strained his eyes for some sign of the sloop but could see absolutely -nothing of the vessel. He was alone on the broad bosom of Lake -Maracaibo! - -Alone! It was an awful thought and as it flashed over his mind he felt -his heart sink like a lump of lead in his bosom. Alone! Would they come -back for him, or would he be left there to drown? - -“They ought to come back,” he muttered. “They _must_ come back! Oh, God -spare me!” And the prayer was repeated over and over again. It gave -him strength, and he struck out as best he could, determined to keep -afloat as long as possible. - -All told the squall did not last over twenty minutes, but to poor Sam -it seemed an age. He made scant progress through the milklike foam, but -this did not matter, since he knew not in what direction he was heading. - -“I may be going away from the sloop and away from land too,” he thought -dismally. “But I’ve got to do something,” and he continued to swim. - -His strength was nearly gone when he bumped into something hard. Laying -hold of the object he found it was a spar, which, from its general -appearance, had been in the water for many months. He clasped the spar -tightly and this sustained him without further aid. - -The gusts of wind had been followed by a heavy downpour of rain and -this continued for all of half an hour. It was still dark and Sam could -not make out in what direction he was drifting. At last, however, he -saw a dim outline of land ahead and did his best to shove the spar in -that direction. His feet touched bottom, and more dead than alive he -dragged himself out of the lake and flung himself headlong in some -rank grass under a clump of wild plantains. - -When Sam sat up he found the storm going down and the setting sun -trying to break through the clouds. The rain had ceased and the bosom -of the lake, while still covered with whitecaps, was gradually resuming -its normal condition. - -“What an experience!” he murmured, as he looked out upon the water. -“Wonder if the sloop weathered it or went to the bottom? Oh, if only -all the rest are safe!” - -He arose to his feet but found himself so weak that he was glad enough -to rest again. He was on a bit of an island for behind him was a wide -ditch which separated the patch from the mainland. In the distance -was a hill backed up by a lofty mountain. Not a human being nor a -habitation of any sort was in sight. - -“I’m alone and no mistake,” he mused. “I wonder how I had best strike -out? Let me see, by the way the sun lies I must be on the eastern shore -of the lake and if that’s so I’m opposite to the strait where the -town is situated. I’m sure I can’t see how I’m going to get back to -Maracaibo.” - -Before Sam could make up his mind how to move darkness was upon -him--the darkness of the tropics, which descends without warning. At -this he sprang up in added alarm. - -“I can’t remain here all night,” he thought. “At least I don’t want to. -The place may be full of snakes and those uncanny land crabs. I must -get up on higher ground if nothing else.” - -He set out for the hill he had noticed, but before he had gone a -hundred yards, found himself in the mire surrounding the ditch. - -“This won’t do,” he muttered and started to go back, but only ended by -getting in deeper until he was up to his knees. He was now thoroughly -alarmed and came to a standstill almost in despair. - -Had it been light Sam might have seen that not far away was a firm -stretch of ground leading up to the hill. But he could not see this and -so deemed it best to get back to where he had first landed. - -Retracing his steps was not easy and once he fell, covering his arms -and breast with mud. When he did get back to the wild plantains he was -a sight to behold and it took him some time to regain his wind. - -“I’m a prisoner on this bit of marshland--that’s all there is to it,” -he mused, as he flung himself down near the edge of the lake. “I -suppose I’ve got to make the best of it until morning. But how am I -going to pass the night?” - -At the risk of stirring up some of the dreaded crabs, he waded into -the lake and washed himself of the mud. Then he wrung out his jacket -and hung it up to dry. Fortunately it was a hot night, so there was no -danger of catching cold. - -The squall had driven away a good many of the mosquitoes, which infest -Lake Maracaibo almost as numerously as they do Staten Island, but now -the little pests began to return and presently Sam found himself kept -busy by them and also by a species of gnats which are equally annoying. -To save himself from their bites he tied his wet handkerchief over his -head and neck. - -In planning for the trip Mark had mentioned how handy it would be for -each to take along a waterproof match-safe and Sam had provided himself -with one of these. Satisfied that he would have to remain where he was -for some hours at the least, he hunted around for some dry grass and -plantain leaves and proceeded to build himself a smudge fire. This -burnt slowly because of the dampness and the thick smoke soon put the -most of the gnats and mosquitoes to flight. - -The fire, dim as it was, gave an air of cheerfulness to the spot, and -Sam felt much better as he watched it glow up and then droop. He did -not let it go out, but kept piling on the grass, which he tore up in -clods with ease. This grass is of the wire variety, very strong, and -is much used by the natives in making baskets and various household -articles. - -[Illustration: “I heard something, what was it?”] - -It must have been close to midnight when Sam fell into a doze, being -so worn out he could scarcely hold up his head. He had piled the fire -as high as possible and his only danger was that the smoke might veer -around and choke him to death. - -How long he dozed he could not tell exactly, afterward, nor could he -tell what awoke him. But he opened his eyes with a start and was on his -feet almost before he was aware. - -“I heard something,” he told himself. “What was it?” - -He listened but only a faint breeze blowing through the grass and wild -plantains reached his ears. He strained his eyes, yet only the total -darkness met his gaze. - -Much alarmed Sam continued to stand on guard. He had cut himself the -stalk of a young plantain with his jack-knife and he held this in -his hands, at the same time keeping as close to the fire as possible, -knowing that all wild beasts dread anything burning. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -PORT OF THE HAIR - - -“Where is Sam?” - -Such was the question which came from Mark, after the worst of the blow -was over. - -“Samuel?” queried Professor Strong, quickly. “Isn’t he at the bow?” - -“No, sir.” - -“He must have gone overboard!” ejaculated Darry. “Sam! Sam! where are -you?” - -“He did go overboard,” panted Hockley, who had just been clearing his -mouth of lake water. “I saw him go.” - -“Then why didn’t you give the alarm?” demanded the professor -indignantly. “How long ago was this?” - -“Only half a minute, sir. I would have spoken before, but that last -wave almost drowned me.” - -“Sam! Sam!” called the others in concert, and listened attentively -for an answer. When none came they looked at each other in increasing -alarm. - -“Did you see the boy go overboard?” asked the professor of the native -boatman. - -Salvador shook his head. “See noddings,” he said. “I do best to keep -boat from turning up, _señor_.” - -“We must turn back for him,” went on Professor Strong. - -“Turn back, _señor_? Dat is dangerous,” and the native shook his head. - -“Perhaps, but we must go back, nevertheless. Here, I will help you -bring her around. Boys, watch for him, two to the right and two to the -left. We must find and save him.” - -“Yes! yes!” said Frank. “Poor Sam! What would his mother say if he was -drowned!” - -The sloop came around with difficulty and for the moment threatened to -swamp herself. As the water rolled up, Hockley gave a groan of terror. - -“Don’t, please don’t!” he whined. “We’ll all go to the bottom next. -Head her for land!” - -“Cling fast and you will be safe,” answered Professor Strong, who was -as cool as ever, although deeply concerned over Sam’s welfare. - -“But we’ll go down--I know we will,” pleaded the lank youth. - -“We are bound to save Sam, so shut up,” cried Mark, getting angry. -“Sam may be nothing to you but he is a good deal to us,” and thereupon -Hockley became silent, although he shivered with fear every time the -sloop made an extra heavy lurch. - -In the midst of the wind and rain it was hard to follow the back course -correctly and without knowing it they passed far to the westward of -where Sam had gone overboard. - -“I can’t see a thing,” remarked Mark, after a painful silence lasting -nearly quarter of an hour. - -“Nor I,” returned Frank. - -“It’s raining too hard to see much,” came from Darry. - -“It is gradually letting up,” said the professor. “And he must be -somewhere in this neighborhood.” - -They continued to cruise around until the sun went down, much to -Hockley’s disgust. - -“It’s no use,” said the lank youth. “He’s gone to the bottom and that’s -all there is to it.” - -“You ought to be ashamed of yourself to speak so, Jake Hockley!” -retorted Mark. “Haven’t you any heart?” - -“Of course I have, Mark Robertson, but I know a thing or two. If he -was afloat we’d have found him long ago.” - -“We will continue the search if it takes all night,” came from the -professor. “I cannot believe that poor Winthrop is drowned.” - -“Poor Beans” murmured Darry, and the tears started to his eyes. “Such a -good chap as he was!” And he felt almost like hurling Hockley overboard -because of his heartlessness. - -Upon questioning Salvador, the professor learned that there was a long -stretch of marshland not a great way off and that it was possible that -Sam had found his way in that direction. - -“It is a mile, _señor_. He would have to be a very good swimmer to -reach it,” said the boatman. - -“We’ll sail over to it anyway,” answered Professor Strong. “We must do -something.” - -The course of the sloop was changed and they moved slowly for the -marshland, beating against the wind. Darry was at the bow watching -eagerly for any sign of life which might appear. - -“I see something in the water, dead ahead,” he sang out presently and -all rushed forward to investigate. At first they felt sure it must be -Sam’s body but as they drew closer found it was nothing but a mass of -seaweed with some rubbish on top. - -“Too bad!” came from Hockley. “I thought the search was ended.” - -“I’m glad we didn’t find him drowned,” answered Frank. - -They were interrupted by a cry from the professor. “I see a light -ahead, low down as if on the water’s edge. It looks like a signal.” - -“It must be a signal,” said the native boatman. “No house dare--no -people live dare. All wet ground and mud, _señor_.” - -As they drew closer to the fire the professor let out a long and loud -cry: - -“Winthrop! Sam Winthrop! Is that you?” - -No answer came back and once again the boys felt a keen disappointment. -But the course of the sloop was not changed and soon they were so close -to the fire that they could see around it quite plainly. - -“Somebody is there,” ejaculated Mark. - -“Yes, and it’s either Sam or his ghost,” added Frank. “Hullo, Beans!” -he yelled, at the top of his lungs. - -The figure at the fire, which had been watching landward, with club -upraised, turned suddenly and peered into the darkness of the lake. - -“Who calls?” - -“Beans, true enough!” came from Mark. - -“Are you safe, Winthrop?” asked the professor, and then the sloop came -up, ramming her bow deeply in the mud of the bank. In another moment -the crowd was surrounding Sam and the boys were hugging him warmly. - -“Yes, I’m safe,” answered Sam, when he felt able to speak. “I--I went -to sleep and woke up thinking some wild animal was going to attack me. -I’ve had a pretty hard time of it, I can tell you.” - -“We’ve all had a hard time,” grumbled Hockley. “We’ve been looking for -you for hours.” - -“When I went overboard I thought I’d be drowned sure,” went on Sam, and -then he related his story from beginning to end. “I can tell you, I -want no more Lake Maracaibo squalls.” - -“Nor do we,” came from Mark. “It was worse than the one I once -experienced on Lake George,--when our yacht, the Firefly, was dashed on -the rocks and ruined.” - -“Let us all be truly thankful for Winthrop’s escape,” put in the -professor. “It was the act of an all-wise and all-powerful Providence -that has spared him.” - -The little party remained around the fire for quite a while, talking of -the storm and drying their clothing. Then the blaze was kicked into the -water and they boarded the sloop once more. - -“Are you quite sure we won’t have any more squalls?” asked Sam, of the -native boatman. - -“Storm gone now--no come back to-night,” answered Salvador. - -Once aboard of the sloop the course was straight for Maracaibo. But the -wind had gone down and it was not until after sunrise that they ran -into the harbor and landed. - -“Well, I guess you won’t forget Lake Maracaibo in a hurry,” said Mark -to Sam, as they walked to their hotel. - -“You’re right I won’t,” was the reply. “One such adventure is enough in -a lifetime.” - -They were just in time for breakfast and never did a meal taste better -for, as Darry expressed it, “they were all as hungry as Tomcats locked -out for the summer.” An hour was spent at the hotel and then they -hurried away to catch the steamer back to La Guayra. - -“I’m going to take a nap when I get on board,” said Mark, and this -he did, and the others followed his example. They slept for several -hours and did not stir until the steamer ran into the harbor of Puerto -Cabello, situated directly north of Valencia, and thirty miles by -railroad from that city. - -“Puerto Cabello means the Port of the Hair,” explained Professor -Strong. “The harbor is so safe that it was said in olden times that -a ship could be anchored here by a single hair. This used to be a -terrible spot for yellow fever, and Sir Francis Drake died here of the -scourge, after capturing and looting Caracas and other cities in Queen -Elizabeth’s time.” - -Puerto Cabello is one of the most important seaports of Venezuela. -Vessels from many countries stop there, bringing in goods of all sorts -and taking away cargoes of coffee and cocoa in exchange. The long -warehouses of importers and exporters line the docks and not far away -is the railroad running to Valencia and other points of more or less -importance. The public buildings are numerous and the usual statues -of Bolivar and other public characters are not lacking. From Puerto -Cabello to Valencia there is a well-built wagon road and this is used -constantly by traders who are too old-fashioned to use the railroad. - -“You cannot hire some of the natives to get on a train,” said the -professor, while they were looking around the town. “They look upon the -railroad as the invention of the Evil One. They are the ones who have -retarded the progress of South America for centuries.” - -At Puerto Cabello the boys witnessed some trading which was as -interesting as it was amusing. An old native had brought in some -pineapples which he wished to exchange in trade for some clothing. -Instead of lumping the value of his stock in trade, he valued each -pineapple separately and wanted to know what it would bring in -exchange. Thus he gave two pineapples for a hat, three for a pair -of slippers, one for a flaming red neckerchief, one for a big brass -pin holding a polished bit of glass, and ten for a pair of trousers. -The latter bargain was made with difficulty, the clothier taking the -trousers and laying them on his counter and the native placing one -pineapple after another alongside until the clothier nodded his head -to show that he was satisfied. Then the native, having two pineapples -left, traded them for a small bottle of cologne. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -A STOP AT TRINIDAD - - -“Off for the Orinoco at last! Now for some real fun and excitement -Mark, aren’t you glad that we have left Caracas and La Guayra behind?” - -“I am Frank, and I hope the trip up the Orinoco proves all we -anticipate,” answered Mark, as he threw himself into a steamer chair -beside his chum. “But as for excitement, I don’t think we have any -reason to complain. We’ve kept a-going pretty well since we arrived.” - -“So we have,” put in Darry, who was close at hand, watching the last -speck of land fade from sight. “But we haven’t had any fun, in the -shape of hunting, and I suppose that’s what Frank means.” - -“To be sure--and fishing, too, and camping out. It’s all well enough to -see the cities and towns, but I want to see more--the great river and -the wonderful mountains and waterfalls, and all that.” - -“I want to see the wild horses,” came from Sam. “They tell me they have -any quantity of them down on the _llanos_, and that you can buy a -horse for a dollar or two any time you want him.” - -“A wild horse wouldn’t be of much account until he was broken,” said -Mark. “And in trying to break him you might break your own neck. You -can be sure they are not so easy to tame as our own domestic horses.” - -“I want a shot at a puma or something like that,” continued Darry. He -had had it all planned out for a long time--how he was going to send -the skin home for a rug to place in the parlor. - -They were on a British steamer bound for Port-of-Spain, on Trinidad -Island, which lies off the north-east coast of Venezuela. From -Port-of-Spain they expected to catch another steamer bound directly -up the Orinoco to Ciudad Bolivar, the head of navigation for large -steamers, especially during the dry season. - -“It’s a great coast,” said Mark, as he gazed back, where the mountains -were now lost in the distance. “There ought to be splendid chances for -mining there.” - -“There are splendid chances,” said the professor, who overheard the -remark. “The mountains are full of minerals. But at present most of the -mining is done in the interior. We will visit some of the camps along -the upper Orinoco.” - -The run to Port-of-Spain was a hot one, despite the breezes which blew, -and the boys were glad enough when, one morning, the steamer turned -into the Gulf of Paria, a great land-locked harbor in which a vessel -can anchor anywhere with ease. - -“To the westward is the eastern shore of Venezuela,” said the -professor, “and on the east is the island of Trinidad, which, as you -all know, is a very valuable British possession. Trinidad is known all -over the United States for it gives to us something which is used on -the finest of our streets. Do any of you know what that is?” - -“Asphalt,” replied Frank. “I have heard that there is a regular lake of -it on the island.” - -“There is, ninety-nine acres in extent, and the asphaltum flows over -its banks in all directions, making natural walks which are almost as -hard as stone. At the center of the lake the pitch is boiling hot and -bubbles up with an odor which is far from pleasant.” - -“I wouldn’t mind seeing the place,” said Hockley. - -“We may get a chance to view it from a distance. To get too close would -not be pleasant. The job of getting the asphaltum out is one of the -meanest on earth. The stuff is chopped off the surface in spots where -it is cold, and no matter how deep a hollow is made, nature soon fills -it again. How the Pitch Lake, as it is termed, originated, has bothered -scientists since its discovery.” - -“Do you notice the difference in the appearance of the water,” remarked -Sam. “It was blue before, now it is a dirty brown. Has that anything to -do with that Pitch Lake?” - -“No, Winthrop, the dirt you see is washed into the Gulf from the -Orinoco, which has a number of mouths in this vicinity, as well as -mouths emptying directly into the Atlantic.” - -Before nightfall they came in sight of the port and dropped anchor in -the roadstead, for the harbor of Port-of-Spain is too shallow to admit -the passage of large vessels. Soon a small craft came alongside and -took them ashore. - -“We are in an English country sure enough,” declared Mark. “See how -many English there are. It does one good to hear the language spoken -again.” - -“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed in the town,” said Professor Strong. -“It looks so beautiful from a distance. It is very dirty, and many of -the houses are little better than huts. Of course the English that are -here live well enough. It is the native element that is away behind the -times.” - -Nevertheless, the party managed to find a comfortable hotel, kept -by a whole-souled son of Great Britain, who rejoiced in the name of -Wellington Cunningham. - -“Glad to know you,” said Wellington Cunningham. “Make yourselves at -’ome. So you are bound for the upper Orinoco, eh? Take my hadvice and -stay away from the bloody country. Hi know hall habout it, Hi do. Went -there in ’87 and halmost died of the bloody fever. Hit ain’t fit for a -white man. If the fever gets you you’re a corpse.” - -“That’s cheerful,” was Mark’s comment. “But we are not going to stay -very long.” - -“Better not go. Hif you want to see the world visit Hold Hingland. No -better country on the globe.” - -“No better?” queried Frank, with a wink at his chums. “What of the -United States?” - -“Too green, lad, too green. ’Twill be hall right henough when you ’ave -the age,” responded Wellington Cunningham, solemnly. - -“It suits us--we wouldn’t want anything better,” said Mark, dryly. - -The hotel was crowded with people, and among the number was a Colorado -gold miner named Andrew Hume, who was bound for the upper Orinoco on a -prospecting expedition. The miner was both good-hearted and talkative -and was soon on first-class terms with our friends. - -“That Englishman makes me snicker,” said Andy Hume, as he wished -himself to be called. “He talks about the States, and what he don’t -know would fill the Colorady river basin. Asked me if the Injuns -interfered with the mining, and if the miners and other folks out west -wasn’t afraid the bears and buffaloes would eat ’em up! When I told him -I hadn’t seen a bear nor a buffalo for years, and told him the only -Injuns in our camp was three good-fer-nuthin scamps who laid around the -saloons all day soaking firewater, he looked at me as if I was crazy. -He must think Colorady and Californy are howling wildernesses.” - -“No doubt he does think that,” said Mark. “But then, you must remember, -we have some queer notions of South America and South Africa. I didn’t -dream that everything in Venezuela--I mean in the cities--was so -up-to-date,--telephones, electric lights, street cars, and all that.” - -“Well, I’m with you there, lad, I didn’t dream of ’em myself. And I -heard of something yesterday that kind of stumped me, too. They have -mines and mining machinery away up back in the country just as good as -any in Colorady or Californy. Some syndicates running ’em and making -millions out of ’em, too, I reckon.” - -It was found that Hume intended to take a steamer for Ciudad Bolivar -on the following Monday, and the professor succeeded, after some -difficulty, in procuring passage for his party on the same vessel. This -pleased the old miner, and he said he trusted they would have a good -trip and become firm friends. - -Although the town of Port-of-Spain is far from beautiful, the country -back of the city is all that one’s heart could desire. There are fine -highways running in all directions, lined with the most beautiful of -tropical trees and shrubbery. Flowers grow in Trinidad in endless -profusion and birds and butterflies are equally numerous, not to -mention the monkeys and parrots. - -“It’s a Paradise in spots,” observed Darry. “But only in spots. I don’t -think I would care to live here.” - -On Sunday they visited the cathedral of the city, and here heard -not only an excellent sermon but likewise some fine music. In the -afternoon they visited the botanical gardens, the pride of all -Englishmen residing in Trinidad. The collection of flowers, ferns and -trees were certainly remarkable and one not easily forgotten. - -The boys were up bright and early Monday morning, and by nine o’clock -were on the steamer, bag and baggage. At Port-of-Spain the professor -had visited a number of establishments and procured such additions to -their outfit as he deemed necessary. - -“We will have to go well equipped,” he said. “For I know but little -of the towns in the interior. At the time I visited here before they -amounted to but little, so far as being able to buy what one wished was -concerned. They kept plenty of goods for the native trade, but those -things wouldn’t suit you.” - -“No, I’d rather stick to what I’m used to,” said Sam. “It’s enough to -go into a strange country among a strange people, without putting up -with things to wear and use with which you are unacquainted.” - -At Port-of-Spain the boys all received letters from home and sent long -communications in return. They related all their various adventures but -touched lightly upon the perils encountered. - -“It’s no use of scaring the folks to death,” was the way in which Mark -put it. “What’s past is past, and let that end it.” - -“That’s true,” said Darry. “Besides, if we said too much our folks -might write to us to come home on the next steamer.” - -The only one of the party who was at all downcast was Hockley. This -youth had hoped to meet Dan Markel and get back at least some of his -property. Now he felt that the chance of doing this was slipping away -forever. - -“By the time we get back to the coast he’ll be gone for good--and -nobody will know where,” he said. - -“Well, why don’t you go back to Caracas and hunt for him,” returned -Frank. “We’re not compelling you to go along.” - -“Oh, don’t blow about it,” cried Hockley, angrily. “I’ll do what I -please, without advice from you.” - -“The man may turn up yet,” put in Mark. “I don’t think he’d come to -Venezuela without he had some object in so doing.” - -“I heard him say something about a gold mine once,” said Sam. “Perhaps -he thought to try his luck in that direction--after he found he had to -settle down.” - -“His gold mine is out of somebody else’s pocket,” grumbled Hockley, and -walked away, amid a laugh which could not be repressed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -UP THE RIVER TO BOLIVAR - - -There are several ways of entering the Orinoco proper, but the main -stream is the Boca de Navios, flowing eastward into the Atlantic. This -great body of water is cut into two channels, each about two miles -wide, by a series of islands, some little more than marshlands and -others hilly and covered with heavy tropical growths. - -“The exact length of the Orinoco is not known,” said the professor, in -reply to a question from Mark. “It would be a difficult matter to reach -its source, which is located somewhere in the Sierra Parime Mountains, -thousands of feet up among the clouds. Roughly speaking the stream -proper is almost two thousand miles long.” - -“But we can’t sail that far, can we?” asked Hockley. - -“By no means. Bolivar, for which we are now bound, marks the head of -tide water, and there we will have to take a smaller vessel, even -though the river at that point is several miles wide and over three -hundred feet deep. Bolivar is about two hundred and fifty miles from -the ocean, and about half way to where the Orinoco is joined by -the Apure River, in the west. From this point the Orinoco branches -southward, through a country of _llanos_ and immense forests, until -it approaches the Sierra Parime Mountains, where it is much broken by -cascades and rocky canyons. At this point there is a small stream, the -Casiquiare, which connects with the Rio Negro, a large river flowing -into the Amazon of Brazil.” - -“Are there many towns on the river?” questioned Frank. - -“Towns, yes, but no cities worth mentioning. Along the upper Orinoco -the inhabitants are mostly natives who raise stock and gather cocoa -beans, tonqua beans--used for soaps and perfumes--and fruits. To the -southward, are immense forests where rubber is found, and in the -mountains are the valuable mines which we have already mentioned. Some -of these mines are held to be worth ten to twenty millions of dollars -each.” - -“Gracious! I wouldn’t mind owning one of those myself,” said Darry, in -a low voice. - -“In years gone by the Spaniards worked these mines and drew from them -a wealth that amazed the whole of Europe. But through revolutions and -earthquakes many of the mines were abandoned and forgotten, and to this -day some which are known to have been exceedingly valuable cannot be -located.” - -“I say, let us try to locate one of them!” cried Frank, -enthusiastically. - -“I don’t think you’ll have much luck,” responded the professor, dryly. -“Many of the best of miners have tried and failed.” - -Mark turned to Andy Hume, who sat close by, smoking a short briar-root -pipe. - -“Is that your game, Mr. Hume?” he asked. - -“Andy Hume, please,” returned the old miner. “Never could get used to a -handle to my name nohow.” He blew a cloud of smoke into the air. “Wall, -about that being my game, it is and it isn’t. I’m going prospecting, -and I don’t care if I strike something new or something old so long -as it pans out good. I’ve heard tell of those old Spanish mines and -of all the bloodshed it cost to get the gold out of ’em and out of -the country. In those days a man wasn’t safe if he had over a hundred -dollars’ worth of dust on his person. And even when he got out of the -country he wasn’t certain but what some pirate would capture the ship -he was sailing on and make him walk the plank to Davy Jones’ locker.” - -“I wish we were going with you,” said Darry, impulsively. - -“Thank you, lad, but the life wouldn’t suit you nohow. It’s not easy. -Prospecting is dangerous work, and I’ve seen the time when I got lost -in the mountains and didn’t have a bite to eat for forty-eight hours. -That’s an experience that’s enough to drive one crazy.” - -“I suppose it is. But if you strike it rich--” - -“Ah, yes, if you do strike it. But you don’t more often than you do.” - -“Did you ever strike luck in our own country?” asked Hockley, who was -as interested as anybody in the conversation. - -“Yes, twice. Once I was in the Cripple Creek district and found a -nugget worth two thousand dollars. Another time I was up on Lone -Man’s Ledge and located the Daisy Mine with a fellow named Bargess. -The Daisy proved to be a splendid payer and we took out ten thousand -dollars’ worth of dust in less than two weeks. Both Bargess and me were -delighted I can tell you. I went down to town to prove up the claim -and while I was gone what did Bargess do but gather all the gold in -sight and run away to Mexico with it.” - -“But he had to leave the mine,” said Darry. - -“He did, but it never paid as well as it had at the start, and I -stopped working it six weeks later. I wish I could find Bargess.” - -“You never heard of him afterward?” - -“Never a word, excepting that somebody had once seen him in Mexico at a -town called La Dardado. If I should run across him I think there would -be some warm work the next few minutes,” added the old miner, pointedly. - -The accommodations on the steamer, while not elegant, were yet -sufficient for comfort, and the days passed swiftly enough to the boys. -Mark and Darry were studying Spanish, for they felt that a knowledge of -the language would be of great use to them. Frank and Sam also studied -a little. Hockley was too lazy to occupy himself in any manner. Seeking -a shady corner of the deck he would stretch out at full length and -sleep from one hour’s end to the next. - -“He certainly believes in taking it easy,” said Sam to Darry, as they -happened to pass the youth. “Of one thing you can be sure, he’ll never -kill himself by overwork.” - -“I don’t suppose he’ll have to, if his father is as rich as he -pretends. But the heat has got something to do with his laziness. It’s -terrific.” - -“Well, we can’t expect anything different for we are within seven or -eight degrees of the equator. If it wasn’t for the nights I don’t see -how any of us could stand it.” - -Although the river was wide, the steamer moved along the channel slowly -and with caution. This was done because of the numerous bars and snags -which form to impede navigation--just as they sometimes form on the -Mississippi and Missouri of our own country. - -“It is said that once this river country was populated by great tribes -of Indians that have to-day totally disappeared,” said the professor. -“They were a peaceful nation, living on the fruit which abounded on -every side, on the numerous fish which the river afforded, and on -the small wild animals found in the forests. But soon after Columbus -discovered the land, the Spaniards came over with a thirst for gold and -power, and that was the end of a peace which had perhaps reigned for -centuries.” - -“What of a pre-historic civilization here?” asked Sam. - -“Some few traces have been found, but not many. The civilization was -confined more directly to the western coast of the country and to -Central America. But even of that the most is lost, and lost perhaps -forever.” - -The outlook along the lower Orinoco is not inviting, and the boys soon -tired of it. Either bank was lined with grass and reeds, with here -and there a patch of wild brushwood, the home of birds innumerable. -Pelicans were there, and wild ducks, and there was an odor of heated -salt-meadow water which was at times almost overpowering. In the -distance were immense forests, but so far off that nothing about them -could be clearly distinguished. - -“Set a fellow ashore along there and he could get lost without half -trying,” observed Mark. “How awfully lonesome it looks.” - -“Spare me from getting lost!” said Frank, with something like a shiver. -“I just want to have a good time and nothing else.” - -To help pass the time, the professor brought out one of the guns and -some ammunition and let them take turns at shooting the wild birds as -they came within reasonable distance, at the same time giving the lads -several necessary lessons in aiming. - -“Don’t be in a hurry,” he cautioned to Frank. “Be quick, but not too -quick, is a good huntsman’s motto. Now try your hand at the pelican -yonder.” - -Frank took careful aim and fired, but missed his mark. Then Darry tried -and the big water bird was hit in the wing, and speedily dove out of -sight among the reeds. - -“Please let me try at something else,” pleaded Frank, and when another -bird came in range the professor did so. The youth was now more careful -and the bird came down like a stone. But it fell into the river and -could not be secured. - -The shooting lasted all of an hour and at the conclusion Professor -Strong declared himself well satisfied with results. “No one is such a -terribly bad shot,” he said. “And a little practice will do wonders, as -you will soon learn.” - -When the town of Bolivar was reached the boys were surprised to find it -located on a bluff, sixty or seventy feet above the river level. It is -a very ancient place and boasts of a fortress built by the Spaniards -ages ago. - -“The town is built so high up on account of the swelling of the -stream during the wet season,” said Professor Strong. “When the rains -are extra severe the river rises fifty and even sixty feet and often -carries away large sections of plantations along its bank.” - -“There seems to be plenty of shipping,” observed Mark. “There are ships -here of a dozen nationalities.” - -“Bolivar is the custom-house port for the whole of the Orinoco, which -accounts for all those ships being here. The territory to be covered -being so vast, an immense amount of business is done, amounting to -millions of dollars annually. Gold is exported in large quantities. -There are a dozen factories where cigars and stogies are made.” - -They were soon ashore and climbing the hilly street to one of the -hotels. It was a busy scene, and quite like New York, so Mark declared, -on account of the various nationalities to be seen,--American and -English miners, German shipping merchants, French and Italian shop and -hotel keepers, and negro and other native workmen, all intermingling in -the most friendly manner. - -“Everybody seems to be smoking,” said Darry. “Negroes, priests, women -and all. I never dreamed of such a sight. And some of those workmen -haven’t clothing enough to be decent,” he added, in some disgust. - -By inquiries at a shipping office it was learned that no steamer for -up the river could be had until two days later. This would give them a -chance to inspect the city buildings, the parks, and other points of -interest. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -SOMETHING ABOUT COCOA AND CHOCOLATE - - -“Before we go any further up the river I wish you boys to visit a cocoa -plantation and learn something about cocoa and chocolate,” said the -professor on the following morning. “There is a large plantation not -many miles from here, and we will take a drive to it in a carriage -immediately after breakfast.” - -At this announcement all were pleased but Hockley, who drew down the -corners of his mouth in disapproval. - -“It will be dead slow,” he muttered. “I’d rather see the sights in the -town.” - -“We will view those later,” replied the professor. He had no intention -of leaving the tall youth behind again, and Hockley realized it and -made no further remonstrance. - -The plantation was a large affair, situated upon a small creek flowing -into the Orinoco. It was owned by a German merchant doing business in -Bolivar, and it was the merchant himself who showed them around the -place. - -“As you can see,” said Professor Strong, when they were walking around, -“the cocoa is set out very much as is coffee. The seeds are planted -in a seed-bed and kept there two or three months. Then the shoots are -planted in the field, between shade trees, with ditches cut through the -field for irrigating purposes. The trees begin to bear in about five -years and with care will last for thirty-five to forty years.” - -“But where does the chocolate come in?” interrupted Hockley. - -“Chocolate is made from the seed of the cocoa pod, so called. This pod, -as you can see, is about the shape of a cantelope, and when ripe, is -reddish in color. Each pod contains fifty or seventy-five seeds, each -the size of one’s thumb nail. The trees give two crops a year, one in -June and the other in December.” - -“Do they use the beans as they are?” came from Sam. - -“No. After the pods are gathered they are placed in the sun to dry. As -soon as they burst open the beans are shelled out and sorted. Some -growers then bag them and sell them in that shape, but others declare -that the best cocoa is produced by placing the beans in the ground -until they are about half rotted. Cocoa, such as we drink at home, is -made by breaking the beans up, or shaving them fine, and then boiling -in water or milk, and serving with sugar. Chocolate is made by mixing -the crushed up beans with sugar and with some spices, to give it a -special flavor. Of course you all know cake chocolate and chocolate -bonbons. Cake chocolate unsweetened is generally cocoa beans ground up -and mixed with flour or other foreign substances to give it weight. -Sweet chocolate cakes have sugar, honey and very often some spices in -them. Bonbons are made of cocoa, sugar, flavoring extracts and anything -else the wide-awake confectioner chooses to put into them to strike -the palate of his customer. Cocoa and chocolate, if pure, are very -nourishing, and have none of the bad effects on the system that are -attributed to coffee.” - -“What is cacao?” asked Frank. - -“That is only another name for cocoa, Newton. Cocoa often grows in -a wild state, but the beans are not as large as when cultivated. In -some districts, where money is scarce, cocoa beans are used instead -in buying and selling. A native will gather all the beans he can in -a little bag and then come into town and barter them for whatever he -wants--and there was a time when he could pay his taxes in beans.” - -“Well, that isn’t so very strange,” put in Darry. “In revolutionary -times in our own country, they used to pay taxes and other demands in -corn and grain.” - -“Yes, and they pay taxes now, in country places, by working on the -public highways,” added Frank. - -The walk around the cocoa plantation proved full of interest, and when -it was concluded and they had taken some of the bitter-sweet beans from -a tree as souvenirs the proprietor of the place invited them to lunch -in his summer-house, an affair built in true German style under the -wide spreading branches of a royal palm. - -“In my _gartenlaube_ you shall drink chocolate that is chocolate,” said -their host. “Not the chocolate you often get at home, adulterated with -pipe-clay or something like that, but that which is made from the pure -bean mixed with the cleanest of sugar.” - -He was as good as his word, and with the creamy chocolate came German -coffee-cake equally good. All of the boys drank the chocolate eagerly, -and Frank could not help but smack his lips over it. - -“I never tasted anything better,” he declared. “If I could get it as -good at home I’d never touch coffee again,” and Mark said the same. - -Their host was a talkative man, and wished to know all about their -proposed trip up the river. - -“You will see many interesting sights,” he said. “I have been up -twice--four years ago and two years ago. The last time I went up the -natives were having a bitter quarrel among themselves and I had all I -could do to keep out of trouble. But generally they are very friendly -and will do anything for you if you pay them fair wages.” - -On returning to the city they met Andy Hume, who had been interviewing -a number of miners who had just come in from one of the mining -districts. - -“They’ve struck two new mines,” he said, “and both good payers. I -pumped ’em pretty thoroughly and I think I can strike something good if -I go right at it. I wish the boat sailed to-day instead of to-morrow.” - -“You’ll have to be patient,” said Professor Strong, with a smile. “I -fancy you will find plenty of unexplored territory when you get there.” - -With so many things to look at the time slipped by quickly. An hour -was spent the next day at one of the cigar factories, where the boys -watched the workmen roll cigars and pack them in boxes. But the smell -was so strong that Frank and Sam came away more than half sick. - -“I can’t imagine how they can stand it to work in such a place,” said -Frank. “It’s enough to sicken a dog.” - -“It is what they get used to,” said Mark. “But I must say I didn’t like -it myself.” - -At last came the time to bid adieu to Bolivar, which in former days was -called Angostura. They went aboard the little paddle-box steamer loaded -with bundles, for they had left their trunks at the hotel, to remain -there until their return. - -“I suppose that’s the last of civilization,” remarked Frank. “Now for -the forests and a good time hunting, fishing, and camping out.” - -“You mustn’t be quite so fast,” said the professor, with a laugh. “It -will be at least a week before we reach any place for hunting and -fishing. Of course we could stop off on the way, but I take it you boys -wish to get right into the mountains.” - -“So we do,” came from several of the others. - -“This boat will make a number of stops first--at Muitogo, at -Altagracia, at Caicara, where the river Apure joins the Orinoco, and -at points of lesser importance, until we reach the Meta River, which -runs into Colombia. At that point we will disembark and hire a native -boat to take us up into the mountains as far as we care to go, past the -Falls of Atures and into a region which is even to-day but little known -to the outside world.” - -“And how many miles shall we sail to get to the mountains?” asked Darry. - -“About six hundred from here.” - -“And after that how far shall we go?” questioned Hockley. - -“As far as we please. You all wish to see what a tropical jungle is -like, and wish to hunt and fish, and I am going to do my best to -accommodate you. If all goes well, we will have some excellent sport -between now and the time we return,” concluded Professor Strong. - -To the boys, impatient to get into the forests, the time on the -side-wheeler went but slowly. Day after day was spent on deck, gazing -at the vast plains on one side of the river and the forest on the -other. They made the stops mentioned, and also several others, but -none of the party went ashore, for the heat was terrific. - -“We can’t get out of this too quick for me,” said Hockley. “I feel -about half fried out already.” - -“The climate changes as one nears the mountains,” returned the -professor. “You won’t suffer so much in a few days,” and his -words proved true. As they came in sight of the first of the -mountains--really the foothills of the Andes--the thermometer dropped -half a dozen degrees and the nights proved all that could be desired. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -CAMPING ON THE UPPER ORINOCO - - -“What a truly grand sight!” - -It was Mark who uttered the words. He stood in the bow of a long canoe, -manned by a single Indian, who was sending the craft along the bosom of -the silent river with skill and swiftness. - -On each side of the canoe the dark waters of the upper Orinoco -stretched to a distance of a hundred yards or more. Beyond were -gigantic forests of mahogany, rose-wood, grenadilla, ebony, and rubber -trees. Beneath the trees were immense ferns and strange varicolored -mosses, and over and through all grew the ever-present tropical vines, -forming meshes which were well-nigh impassable. - -The sun shone far to the westward, but the river lay in a deep shadow, -and the many birds which had sung so gaily during the day had ceased -their song, giving place to the sounds of the oncoming night. Far in -the distance some wild parrots screeched out boldly, and many monkeys -added a chorus of their own. As Mark gazed at a tree which stood at -the bend of the stream he saw something uncurl itself and drop into the -water with a slight splash. - -“What was that?” he asked of the professor, who was nearest to him. - -“That was a water snake, Robertson. An ugly creature, too, if you meet -him in his native element.” - -“Ugh, a snake! Then I guess we won’t land there.” - -“The Indian says he knows of a nice spot a mile beyond here, where -there is a cleared place on the brow of a little bluff. To camp in the -midst of such a jungle as this would be very unwise.” - -For three days the party had been traveling along the upper Orinoco in -the canoe, which was a stout affair, over twenty feet long and with a -little hood in the stern for protection from the sun. The last village -at which they had stopped had been left ten miles behind and here they -had bidden adieu to Andy Hume, who was in another boat and who wished -to explore one of the many tributaries of the Orinoco which join the -mighty stream at this point. - -The trip in the canoe had been full of interest. They passed several -rapids, and at one point had had to “tote” the canoe and its contents -around a picturesque waterfall. They had gone fishing under the -directions of the Indian, whose name was Cubara, and had brought in -a fine mess, which had been cooked over the camp-fire in true hunter -fashion. They had even gone hunting and each of the boys had brought -down several tropical birds of gorgeous plumage. They had wanted to go -swimming, but this the professor had not allowed, fearing there might -be something in the water to harm them. - -The Indian was a knowing fellow and bright, although not given to much -talking. He had been selected by the professor because of his knowledge -of English, which was, however, slight. He took particularly to Frank, -who had given him a pocket looking-glass he chanced to have with him. - -“Well I wish we were landed,” grumbled Hockley, who sat under the hood -of the canoe, taking it easy. “I am tired of this everlasting water. -There is a sameness that is perfectly sickening.” - -“That’s because you don’t enjoy the beauties of nature,” returned -Darry, with a grin. “You haven’t the poetic temperament, so to speak.” - -“You needn’t poke fun at me,” growled the lank youth, with a scowl. “I -say there is sameness, and there is. It’s been nothing but water and -trees ever since we started.” - -“If I were you, Hockley, I’d get out and wade back,” put in Frank. “I -can’t imagine what made you come.” - -“I came to have a good time, but it’s no good time drifting in a canoe -like this,” was the surly response. “If we were ashore--” - -“We’ll soon be ashore,” interrupted Mark. “There is the bluff, just -around the bend. Cubara is right, it’s an ideal spot for camping out.” - -“If there isn’t a puma there waiting to chew us up,” added Frank, but -the smile on his face showed that he was not particularly afraid. - -The canoe was run in among the bushes lining the bank below the bluff, -and leaping ashore the Indian pulled the craft well out of the water. -Then one after another leaped to the dry ground beyond. - -“Leave the baggage where it is for the present,” said the professor. “I -want to take a look around before I decide to pitch camp. There may be -some objection which Cubara has overlooked.” - -But there was none, and soon they had everything ashore and up to the -edge of the bluff, which arose from the surrounding jungle to a height -of thirty feet. To one side of the bluff was a series of rough rocks -leading down to the river and on the other was a beautiful waterfall -coming from a mountain a mile or more to the eastward. On the other -side of the Orinoco the virgin forests stretched for miles. - -As in all tropical localities night came on swiftly, and by the time -they had brought all their things to the top of the bluff and started -a camp-fire darkness was upon them, lit up only by a few bright stars -far overhead. They had brought with them a fair sized tent and Sam and -Darry were soon hard at work cutting the necessary poles for erecting -the shelter. - -“These forests look as if they had never seen the axe of a woodsman,” -said Sam. “What immense trees! Some of them must be two hundred feet -high.” - -The poles were soon cut and then the erection of the tent began. It was -placed at a point where the ground sloped a little, which would allow -the water to run off in case it rained. It was fastened down with extra -heavy stakes so that nothing short of a hurricane would be able to -level it. - -The tent erected, they took the most valuable of their stores inside, -piling them up at the rear. There was a case for their guns, another -containing ammunition, and a third medicines, and also several bundles -of clothing. They had also brought with them a number of canned goods, -coffee, sugar, salt and some jerked beef, in case they should be unable -to bring down their own meat. The jerked beef had been purchased at -Apure, where there is a large market for beef, both “on the hoof” and -prepared. Among the stores were also a bag of flour and a small bag of -beans--the latter brought along by Sam, who declared that he was going -to have his usual Sunday morning delicacy, no matter what happened. - -It was decided by the professor that throughout their stay in the -jungle each should take his turn at watching during the night. “There -are seven of us all told,” he said. “And that will give each only about -an hour apiece, which will be no hardship. Perhaps nothing will come to -disturb us, but with one on guard all the others will be able to sleep -in comfort.” - -The first night in the camp passed without anything unusual occurring. -The boys were up bright and early, and Mark discovered a pool at the -foot of the waterfall where they might bathe and wash to their hearts’ -content. The water was as cool as it was pure and refreshed them -wonderfully. - -“Makes a fellow feel like living again,” cried Darry, as he splashed -around. “I presume that water comes from the very top of yonder -mountain.” - -“No doubt of it,” returned Mark, “and some of it may be melted snow for -all we know.” - -Hockley had been too lazy to take a bath, and still lay on the flooring -of the tent, snoring lustily. To wake him up, Darry went and pulled him -by the foot. - -“Hi, you, let go!” cried the sleepy youth, as he sat up. “Can’t you let -me sleep?” - -“Time for breakfast,” returned Darry. “We’ve had a bath.” - -“Have you? Well, I’m not so dirty as all that. After this you let me -sleep as long as I please.” - -“All right,” returned Darry, coolly. And as he turned away he added, -in an undertone to Frank: “What a perfect bear he is! I wish he had -remained at home.” - -“So do I,” was the answer. “But as he is with us we’ll have to make the -best of it.” - -While the others were getting breakfast Hockley began leisurely to -dress himself. He had pulled on one shoe and was holding the other -when of a sudden he gave a cry of terror and leaped up wildly. - -[Illustration: “Take it off! Take it off!”] - -“Take it off! Take it off!” - -“What is it?” demanded the professor, quickly, and rushed to his side. - -“I don’t know what it is. It crawled out of my shoe. Take it off!” - -He pointed to a creature four or five inches long, with many legs and -with horned jaws, which rested on his knee, shaking its tiny head from -one side to the other. - -“A centipede!” murmured Professor Strong, and doubling up his finger he -snapped the thing to the ground and there quickly stamped on it. - -“A centipede!” bawled Hockley. “They’re poisonous, so I’ve heard. I--I -think he bit me in the back of the hand. Do you think that if he did it -will prove fa-fatal?” And he turned pale. - -“I don’t think so, Hockley. Let me see your hand.” - -“Yes, sir. But hadn’t we better get out of here? There may be more -around?” - -“We might go where there are more instead of less. Venezuela is full of -centipedes, and some of them are dangerous. But that wasn’t such a big -fellow, and your hand seems to be all right. They won’t bite a human -being unless they are pushed to it, and some natives do not mind the -bites at all.” - -“No hurt me,” put in Cubara, with a smile. “Some of my people eat -dem--no poison much, no,” and he shook his head vigorously. - -“I don’t want any more of them,” growled Hockley. “What a nasty looking -thing--with so many legs!” - -“You always want to shake out everything you wear before you put it -on,” said the professor, to all of the boys. “If you don’t you may -encounter scorpions and tarantulas as well as centipedes. They are the -great drawbacks to almost every hot country.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -BRINGING DOWN AN OCELOT - - -The centipede scare had been almost too much for Hockley, and he hardly -ate a mouthful of the breakfast which the others prepared. - -“It’s a nasty country--I’m sorry I came here,” he told Mark. “I -expected a better time.” - -“Well you are here and that’s the end of it,” was the simple answer. -“But perhaps things won’t be so bad after we get used to it.” - -“I thought it would be like hunting in the mountains of Pennsylvania. -I once went out there and had a fine time, bringing down small game -and fishing for trout. But that awfully big jungle--” Hockley did not -finish, but his look of fear was more impressive than words. - -However, the breakfast passed off pleasantly enough and inside of an -hour all the boys were at the river bank, baiting their hooks under the -direction of Cubara, who told them that he had once made his living as -a fisherman. - -“I catch de fish in de mountains,” he said. “Sell dem to de gold -miners. Da no take time to fish, so pay big price.” - -“I suppose the miners don’t care to do anything but hunt for gold,” -remarked Frank. - -“Hunt, hunt, hunt, night an’ day,” was the answer. “Some go ’way up -de big mountains, stay dare many, many moons, come back, no gold, all -crazy.” - -“Crazy!” - -“Yes, crazy, stay alone so long, no want dat to fish for him. He crazy, -maybe he kill!” And Cubara shrugged his bony shoulders. - -“That’s a cheerful outlook for Andy Hume,” murmured Mark. “I sincerely -hope he doesn’t go crazy through loneliness.” - -“I have heard of such cases in our own country,” put in the professor. -“Some miners went crazy during the gold fever in California, and only -a few months ago I was reading in the newspapers of a prospector -in Alaska who had gone insane through having lost himself in the -mountains. It is no child’s play--this trying to make nature yield up -her secrets.” - -Fishing lasted all of the morning, and by noon they had twenty-odd -specimens of the finny tribe in a pool of fresh water among the -rocks. Most of the catch were of the perch variety, although somewhat -different from the class usually found in our own streams. - -“Haven’t run across any of those wonderful electric eels,” said -Hockley. “I thought we’d be sure to be shocked to death,” he added, -with a sniff. - -“Electric eels not here,” said Cubara. “Take you to dem udder day -maybe.” - -“I want to go hunting first,” put in Sam. He was longing to shoot -something big. - -“We’ll go hunting this afternoon,” said the professor. - -“I don’t care to go hunting,” said Hockley. “I’d rather take it easy -to-day.” - -“Very well, then, you may remain in camp with Cubara, Hockley.” - -The dinner was rather a hasty one, and a short while later Professor -Strong and four of the boys set out. Each was armed with a rifle or -shotgun, and each carried some food for supper, should they not return -until late. - -The professor had had a long talk with the Indian regarding the game in -the vicinity, and Cubara had told him where they were likely to find -a number of peccaries, a wild animal common to many parts of Venezuela -and one much sought after by the natives for food. The peccary is not -unlike a wild hog in general appearance, and when full grown weighs -from fifty to sixty pounds. They are very fierce when attacked and have -short tusks which are as sharp as daggers. - -The way was up the mountain side behind the camp, over tall rocks -and around spots where the undergrowth was absolutely impenetrable. -Overhead the sun shone down from a cloudless sky, yet under the -gigantic trees not a ray was to be found, so thick was the foliage. - -As they advanced the constant screeching of green parrots reached -their ears, mingled with the distant pandemonium created by a tribe of -howling monkeys. - -“What a noise they make,” cried Darry. “I never heard such a racket in -my life.” - -“Those monkeys are the genuine ring-tail howling monkeys,” laughed the -professor. “They are the pest of a hunter’s camp. When once they make -up their mind to serenade you at night nothing short of a hurricane can -stop them. Their howl, heard in the darkness, is the most mournful -sound on earth, ten times worse than that of a dog baying at the moon.” - -“Are they dangerous?” asked Sam. - -“Not generally speaking, although you want to be careful of what you do -to them. A shot from a gun will sometimes scatter them for an hour or -so. But if you pick up a stone and hurl it at them, they will surely -pick up other stones to hurl at you in return.” - -In two hours they had covered a distance of several miles. Nothing had -been seen of peccaries, and somewhat disheartened they came to a halt -near the bank of a mountain torrent which, at that point, formed a pool -several rods in extent. - -“Hush!” said the professor suddenly. “Get down behind the bushes. There -is a fine shot for all of us.” - -They dropped down, and then gazed in the direction he pointed out. -Sitting on some tall bushes overhanging the opposite side of the pool -were a number of birds almost as large as wild turkeys. They were -bluish in color, with a greenish tinge under the throat fading to -white. On the head of each was a crest of yellow which looked like -gold. - -“What beauties!” murmured Sam. - -“Ready, all of you,” came from the professor. “Take aim. Fire!” - -The word was not yet out of his mouth when the birds became alarmed -and started to rise. But at the volley two dropped into the water dead -while two others fluttered helplessly among the trees. The professor -and Mark ran after the latter and after some trouble put them to death -and brought them in. In the meantime those in the pool were also -secured. - -“These birds are crested curassows, or hoccos,” said the professor. -“Some of them are the color of those we have shot but the majority are -black. They are very numerous in Venezuela, Guiana, and Brazil, and a -great many people keep them as we do tame turkeys, and the meat is very -much the same.” - -“Hurrah for the turkey meat!” exclaimed Frank. “That will be a change -from our fish diet.” - -With the curassows slung over their backs they proceeded on their way, -around the pool and up the mountain torrent, to where there was a small -stretch of table-land. From this point they could obtain a clear view -of the surrounding country for many miles. - -“There is the Orinoco,” said Mark, pointing to the stream as it -glistened in the sunlight. “But the hill is between us and our camp.” - -On the table-land they brought down a score of birds, including a -trogon, a beautiful creature of black, green and gold, with long, -sweeping tail; a pair of birds of the sparrow-hawk variety; and several -humming-birds. - -“These humming-birds are called the ruby and topaz,” said Professor -Strong. “They are hunted down by the thousands each year and are used -in the decoration, principally, of ladies’ hats.” - -“They are certainly pretty,” said Sam. “But what a shame to slaughter -them in such a wholesale fashion.” - -“All sorts of tropical birds are slaughtered merely for the purposes -of the milliner,” went on the professor. “It is certainly a shame, but -so long as the ladies demand feathers on their hats the slaughter will -probably continue.” - -Leaving the table-land they plunged again into the forest. The -professor had found tracks which he felt certain belonged to some wild -animals, and as they advanced each held his gun ready for use should -the occasion require. - -The occasion was not long in coming. Directly in front of them was a -fallen tree, a veritable monarch of the forest, all of nine feet in -diameter and with branches spreading in all directions. As they were -making their way around the roots of this tree they heard a low snarl -of rage and saw a wild beast not unlike a huge cat leap from the roots -with another wild beast in its mouth. - -Crack! went the professor’s rifle and the bullet hit the beast in the -forepaw. At once it dropped its prey--an armadillo--and faced around -with another snarl of rage more fierce than ever. - -“He’s coming for us!” yelled Mark, and fired his own gun. But his aim -was not true and the bullet merely grazed the beast’s tail. - -By this time the ocelot--for such the animal proved to be--was up on -the tree trunk, glaring directly down upon them. He was closer to Frank -than to anyone else, and it looked as if he would leap upon the youth -without further delay. - -It must be confessed that Frank was badly frightened. But he did not -lose his total presence of mind, and almost mechanically he lifted the -shotgun he carried and blazed away. At the same time Sam and Darry -fired, and between the three the ocelot was mortally wounded and -rolled to the ground, growling and snarling in a fashion fearful to -contemplate. Then the professor rushed in and with a shot at short -range finished the beast. - -“Say, but that was a close call all around,” came from Mark, when the -excitement was over. - -“That’s what it was,” returned Frank, breathing heavily. “I don’t want -to get in such close quarters again. I thought sure he was going to nab -me.” - -The professor was much vexed that his first shot had not killed the -ocelot. “I must be getting rusty in my shooting,” he said. - -The armadillo was limping away on three legs, for the ocelot had bitten -it severely through the hind quarters. But before it could get very -far, Darry and Sam went after it and brought it low. Then they dragged -it back by its tail and laid it beside the larger beast. - -The ocelot was a beautiful specimen, measuring four feet from nose to -tip of tail. It was of a greyish fawn color, with stripes and patches -of black. The eyes were yellowish brown, full and round. The boys could -well imagine how they might glitter in the darkness of night. - -“This creature belongs to the leopard family,” said the professor, -while reloading his rifle. “They are very powerful, and frequently -attack animals twice their size. There are a number of varieties, and -some go by the common name of tiger cats. The skins are very valuable -for rugs and other purposes.” - -“What about the meat?” questioned Darry. - -“The natives eat the meat of almost every wild beast. Personally I have -never tried ocelot steaks, although I have been told they are fairly -good eating.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -MONKEYS AND A CANOE - - -After the bringing down of the ocelot several days passed without -anything unusual happening. The boys went hunting and fishing to their -heart’s content and brought down many small animals, but nothing of -great importance outside of a pair of peccaries, which were found in -a hollow tree by Sam and brought down by him and Darry. The peccary -proved to be sweet eating, and Cubara was particularly pleased to get -the meat. - -“Werry nice him,” he said. “Love him werry much. Eat him ev’ry day fo’ -many, many moons.” - -“Perhaps you could,” answered Darry. “But I’d get mighty sick of it in -a couple of days.” - -Frank and Mark had been planning to go hunting on their own account, -further up the river, and at last obtained the professor’s permission -to use the canoe for that purpose. - -“But you must be very careful, boys,” said Professor Strong. “Do not -go ashore unless you are sure of your ground, and come back before -sunset.” - -“We’ll remember,” said Frank. “We only want to go along the river bank -for a mile or two.” - -In coming up to the camp both Frank and Mark had taken instructions -from Cubara concerning the handling of the canoe, so they had no -difficulty in embarking and paddling up the river, which so far as eye -could reach was as smooth as a mill-pond excepting where the mountain -torrent ran into it over the bluff. - -“If only we can bring down a puma or something like that,” said Frank, -as they left the camp behind. “Won’t the others be envious!” - -“We’d have our hands full with a puma I’m thinking,” returned Mark. -“Why they are just like the panthers of our own country. We had better -try for something smaller first.” - -The camp was soon out of sight, around a turn of the stream, and then -they pulled in close to shore, to see if they could find any trace of -something worth shooting. - -“This is slow,” remarked Mark, after a long silence, during which they -had paddled the best part of a mile. “I haven’t seen a single thing -worth mentioning.” - -“Nor I. I have half a mind to throw a line overboard and go fishing,” -replied Frank. - -“All right, do so, and I’ll paddle for awhile.” - -The line was baited and thrown into the water. Scarcely had it sunk a -yard when there came a nibble and a pull which almost caused Frank to -go overboard. - -“I’ve got something big now!” gasped Frank, holding on to the line with -one hand and the canoe seat with the other. - -“What is it?” questioned Mark, quickly. - -“I don’t know, but it pulls like a whale.” - -“Let me help you,” continued Mark, and dropped the paddle on the bottom -of the canoe. Then both tried to haul in the line, but before they -could do so there was a swish in the water and a big, black object -appeared for a moment, a black object with a greenish head and sharp -greenish eyes. At this both lads fell back in dismay. - -“A water snake!” cried Mark. “And a big one, too. Better cut him loose.” - -The canoe was now spinning up the stream, dragged by the snake who -showed his head with the fishhook caught in one side close to the eye. -That the reptile was angry and ready to fight there could be no doubt. - -As quickly as he could Frank brought out his knife and sawed away at -the line. As it parted the snake came up again, lifting his head into -the canoe and hissing viciously. Then he glided along the side of the -craft, bent upon attacking Frank. - -Mark had his gun handy and quick as a flash he caught up the weapon. -Bang! went the gun, and the water snake caught the charge full in the -face. With a wild flapping he arose in the air, whipped his slimy body -across Frank’s leg and sank out of sight into the river. - -For the moment the boys gazed after the reptile in a horror that no -words can express. Frank had sunk on the seat trembling in every joint -and Mark was equally affected. - -“Is he--he dead?” came at last from the younger youth. - -“Guess he is,” answered Mark, in a hoarse voice. “Anyway he’s gone, and -so is the fishing line.” - -“I don’t care about the line, Mark. Wasn’t he awful?” - -“That’s what he was, Frank--the nastiest thing I ever saw in my life.” - -“That settles fishing for me. I wouldn’t want to catch another water -snake for a million dollars!” - -It was fully five minutes before they continued on their way, and then -they did so quietly, as if afraid a noise might bring the reptile after -them again. But the snake failed to re-appear and soon they were a mile -or more away from the spot. - -Just before encountering the snake they had noticed a tribe of monkeys -on the shore, watching them intently. The monkeys had followed them -for a short distance but had dropped out of sight as soon as the water -snake appeared. - -“There come the monkeys again,” said Mark, presently, and he was right. -With a strange shrieking and howling they pushed some brushwood aside -and came close to the water’s edge, where they squatted in a long row, -eyeing the canoe in a wondering manner and occasionally reaching out a -paw as if beckoning the craft to come closer. - -“No, thank you,” said Frank, mockingly. “We don’t care to trust -ourselves in your hands.” - -As they pushed up the river the monkeys followed them, still howling, -sometimes singly and then in a deafening chorus. - -“There is this much about it,” said Frank, as he gazed at the -creatures, which numbered fully a hundred. “I don’t want to land while -they are around.” - -“Nor I,” answered his chum. “But we’ve got to land soon, or else go -back. We’re at least six or seven miles from camp now, and that’s far -enough.” - -“Supposing I give them a shot?” - -“All right, blaze away, but don’t hurt too many of them.” - -The shotgun was discharged and one monkey was killed and several -wounded. Instantly the others set up a fearful screeching and fled -in dismay, through the jungle, until their howling was lost in the -distance. - -Pushing up the river a little further, the two boys landed and pulled -their craft partly out of the water. They looked around cautiously but -the only living creatures that appeared were a few birds and they kept -at a safe distance. - -“There seems to be a sort of open trail to the northward,” said Mark. -“Supposing we follow that? I haven’t any fancy for the jungle itself.” - -Frank was willing, and soon they were tramping the trail, which led up -a hill and around a series of rocks overgrown with gigantic ferns and -vines. - -“What a peculiar smell,” said Mark, after they had passed the rocks. -“Smells for all the world like the root beer we drink at home.” - -“I know what it is,” answered his chum. “It’s a sassafras grove we are -entering. The professor was telling me of them. They are common here -and so are other barks that druggists use.” - -A little while later they sighted several small animals, not unlike -hares, which crossed their pathway so rapidly that they could not get -a shot at the creatures. Then they came to a flock of curassows and by -skillful maneuvering got so close that they brought down three before -the birds knew enough to take to flight. - -“Anyway we’ve got something for our trouble,” said Frank. “I was -beginning to think we’d have to go back empty-handed. If we---- What’s -that?” - -The youth broke off short and looked inquiringly at his chum. From a -distance had come a peculiar roar, not unlike that of a lion or tiger. - -“Perhaps it’s a puma,” said Mark. “Hark! It’s coming closer!” - -They listened once more, and as the sound was repeated, each drew up -his gun in readiness to fire. Then they heard a savage snarl, followed -by a screeching and yelping. - -“Two wild animals fighting,” said Frank. “My how they must be chewing -each other up!” - -They continued to listen and gradually the sounds became fainter and -fainter. Then came a final roar and all became quiet. - -“One of them has been killed,” said Mark. - -“Yes, and the roaring beast is the victor,” answered Frank. “Shall we -go ahead and try to find out what it is?” - -“I’d like to know what it is, but I don’t want to run any risk. If it’s -a lion--” - -“There are no lions here, Frank. But it may be a jaguar, and they are -almost as dangerous.” - -“In that case we had better be careful. We don’t want to be chewed up. -Let us rest here in the open for a bit and see if he comes this way.” - -This was agreed to, and sitting on a rock they waited, each with his -gun ready for use. Quarter of an hour slipped by, which seemed much -longer to both boys. Then came a howling from the direction of the -river. - -“Those rascally monkeys are coming back!” exclaimed Mark. “I hope they -don’t come this way. We might have lots of trouble with them if they -got to throwing stones at us.” - -“Oh, we can give them a shot or two if they do that.” - -“They seem to be having quite a time of it along the river. By ginger! -do you think they’d bother our canoe?” - -“Perhaps so! Let’s go down and see if the boat is safe!” - -Much alarmed the two boys caught up the birds they had shot and started -down the hill on the back trail. The road was plain so there was no -danger of getting lost. Mark ran ahead and was the first to catch sight -of the Orinoco at the spot where they had left their craft. - -The sight that met his gaze filled him with dismay. The shore was lined -with howling monkeys who filled the air with their noise. Out in the -stream were a score of the creatures on the canoe, howling with equal -vigor. The paddles to the craft had been dropped overboard and the -canoe was floating at the mercy of the wind and current. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -LOST ON THE ORINOCO - - -“Well did you ever see such impudent beggars!” cried Mark, as Frank -reached his side. “If they haven’t gone and taken possession of our -canoe!” - -“O Mark, we must get it back somehow!” ejaculated Frank, aghast. “If we -don’t, how will we ever get back to camp?” - -“Of course we must get it back. But how to do it I don’t know. Come, -let us run down the stream a bit and try to head them off.” - -Frank was willing enough to do anything which might give them back the -canoe and away they started, as close to the bank of the stream as the -jungle permitted. - -But the way was dark and uncertain, for the sun was now hanging over -the forest to the westward, and they had not gone far when Frank went -into a boggy hole up to his knees. As he sank his gun went off, the -charge luckily passing upward through the tree branches. - -“What’s up?” called Mark, who had gone ahead by a somewhat different -route. - -“I’m in a hole! Help me out!” - -“I will!” - -Mark was soon at his chum’s side and Frank was helped from the hole -without much difficulty. But his going down had disturbed a number of -ugly looking spiders and one of these bit him on the hand before he -could brush the creature away. - -“Ough!” cried the boy, for the pain was intense. - -“Did it bite you?” - -“Yes.” - -“Too bad! But come on, or those monkeys and the canoe will be gone.” - -For the moment the bite of the spider, though smarting hotly, was -forgotten and side by side they continued along the watercourse until -they reached an inlet. Close to the river this inlet was all of fifty -feet across and they had to make a long detour in order to avoid the -many bog holes with which it was surrounded. All this took time and -when they reached the Orinoco again the canoe with its load of monkeys -was nowhere to be seen. - -“It’s gone!” burst out Mark. “I can’t see the canoe anywhere.” - -“Perhaps they are already around the bend,” suggested Frank. “Let us -try for a short cut. It’s our only chance.” - -As he spoke he kept whipping his hand in the air, showing the pain he -was suffering. Already the skin around the bite was beginning to swell. - -“It’s too bad, Frank,” said Mark, sympathetically. “Put some soft mud -on it. I’ve heard that is good for bee and spider bites,” and his chum -did as suggested. This lessened the pain but the swelling steadily -continued. - -On they went through the jungle, keeping close together, for here it -was darker than ever. Both thought they knew the course they were -pursuing and that they would regain the stream at a point half a mile -below where they had left it. They made no allowance for the fact that -it is the easiest thing in the world to become completely turned around -in any dense mass of growth where one has to turn this way and that in -order to make progress of any sort. Old hunters are often bothered even -in woods which they think they know thoroughly. - -A half mile was covered when both came to a halt in dismay. Instead of -sighting the Orinoco they found before them a cliff of rocks twenty to -thirty feet in height. - -“Hullo, we’ve made a mistake!” burst out Mark. - -“The river can’t be in this direction,” answered Frank. “We have got -turned around somehow.” - -“Well, the river ought to be on our right.” - -“So it had. Let us turn in that direction.” - -Again they went on, fairly tearing their course through the entangling -vines and over the rough roots of trees, sprawling in all directions. - -“I--I can’t go much further,” panted Frank. “I--I’m out of wind.” - -“I’m pretty well blown myself,” was the reply. “But we ought to be -close to the river. Shall I go ahead and look?” - -“No! no! don’t leave me!” - -Frank moved on again, tired as he was, and thus several rods more were -covered. - -“Water! The river!” cried Mark, and made a wild dash forward. But alas! -it was not the Orinoco at all, only a long and shallow pool having -apparently no outlet. Around the pool were a big flock of birds of -every color imaginable, but the boys never thought to fire into the -game. - -“We are on the wrong tack again!” groaned Mark. “I don’t believe the -river is anywhere near here.” - -“Oh, Mark, if that is so, we are lost!” - -_Lost!_ It was a horrifying word. Were they really lost in that immense -jungle, perhaps miles away from where they had left their companions? -The face of each whitened and Frank sank down on a tree root in despair. - -“Yes, we must be lost!” he murmured. “And if we are, how will we ever -find our way back to camp?” - -“We must find our way back--we simply must!” was Mark’s reply. “The -river can’t be so very far off.” - -“But the canoe is gone. We won’t get that back. It must be miles from -here by this time,” insisted Frank. - -“Well, if it’s gone we’ll have to tramp back, that’s all, Frank. I -know it’s a long way, and not a very inviting way either, but there is -nothing else to do.” - -The sun was now setting and the blackness of night began to creep -swiftly over the immense forest. Still further alarmed, they pushed on -until, without warning, Frank fell headlong and lay like a log. Mark -raised him up and saw that the hand which had been bitten by the spider -was swollen to twice its size and that the swelling was beginning to -creep up the arm. - -“He is poisoned, that’s all there is to that,” thought Mark. “Perhaps -it will kill him.” - -The thought of his chum dying there, on his hands, in that lonely -place, made him frantic. He tore off the handkerchief Frank had placed -on his hand and brushed the soft mud from the bite. He had heard how -poison can sometimes be sucked from a wound and now he set to work -fearlessly, not thinking of himself, but only praying mentally that the -action would restore Frank to consciousness. - -The hours of the night to follow were such that Mark, if he lives a -hundred years, will never forget. After sucking the bite thoroughly, -he plastered it with fresh mud and bound it up again. Then, carrying -Frank to the edge of the pool, he lit a camp-fire, to keep off any -wild beasts that might be prowling in the vicinity. He bathed his -chum’s face and raised him up. At first Frank did not respond to -this treatment but at last he opened his eyes and stared around in -bewilderment. - -“Frank! Frank! wake up!” cried Mark “Please try to rouse yourself.” - -“Wha--what happened to me?” was the uncertain question. - -“You fell unconscious, don’t you remember? I guess it was the spider -bite did it. Please rouse up.” And as Frank tried to settle back once -more Mark shook him vigorously. - -It was all of two hours before Frank roused up sufficiently to stand on -his feet. His eyes were much swollen and he felt sick at his stomach. -But the poison had now spent its force and from that time on he grew -gradually better. But the swelling of his hand remained for several -days. - -The night passed without sleep on Mark’s part, for he was afraid to -leave off watching Frank. To pass the early morning hours, Mark dressed -one of the curassows, covered it with mud, as he had been taught by -Cubara, and placed it in the hot ashes of the fire to bake. By the -time the sun came up the bird was done and to Mark it proved delicious -eating, although Frank declared he could taste nothing on account of -the poison still in his system. - -“I’m as weak as a rag,” declared the younger boy. “When I stand up my -legs fairly tremble under me.” - -“Then we had better not attempt to do too much to-day,” answered Mark, -trying to speak cheerfully. - -“But we must get back to camp, Mark. What will they think of our -absence?” - -“I’m sure I don’t know. But getting back will not be so easy. Remember, -we must first locate the river.” - -“We ought to be able to do that by the position of the sun.” - -“I thought of that. But I’d rather climb up one of these big trees and -take a look around.” - -“All right,--if you can get up.” Frank gazed along the trunk of one of -the monsters. “It will be no easy task.” - -“The vines will aid me,” answered Mark, and made his preparations to -ascend the tree without further delay. - -As Frank had said, it was no easy task, and it was fully quarter of an -hour before Mark was half way to the top of the giant of the jungle. - -“Can you see anything?” called up Frank. - -“Not yet, but I am getting on a level with the trees around this one,” -was the reply. Mark continued to climb. It was now easier work, for at -the top of the tree the branches were closer together than they were -below. - -“Hurrah! the river!” came the cry. “Frank, we are not so far away from -it after all.” - -“In what direction?” demanded the younger boy. - -“To the northward. We have become badly turned around I can tell you.” - -“Do you see anything of the camp?” - -“No, that is too far off. But if we can only get to the river bank -we’ll be sure to strike the camp sooner or later,” went on Mark. “I’ll -come down as soon----” - -Mark broke off short, as a peculiar noise just below him caught his -ear. Looking down he saw a strange looking creature sitting on a -branch, gazing fiercely at him, a creature covered with black and white -quills and with a scaly tail that wound itself several times around the -branch behind it. The animal was a coendoo, commonly called a South -American porcupine. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -IN THE DEPTHS OF THE JUNGLE - - -Ordinarily the South American porcupine or coendoo is a timid animal, -seeking cover by day and hunting its food during the night. It lives -upon nuts, roots, herbs and leaves and, unlike other porcupines which -burrow in the ground, makes its home, to a great extent, in the -branches and hollows of large trees. - -But though usually timid it is at times aroused to great anger, -especially when startled. Such was now the case with the beast that -confronted Mark. Every quill, or spine, was raised to its fullest and -the porcupine emitted a strange hissing whistle which bode the youth no -good. - -Mark was startled, so much so that he slipped from the branch upon -which he stood and came close to pitching to the ground head first. -But he caught another branch and with an effort swung himself up to a -sitting position. - -“Are you coming down?” called out Frank. - -“I can’t! Here’s a porcupine, or something like it. He looks as if he -was going to attack me.” - -As Mark spoke he felt in his pocket for his pistol and brought the -weapon forth. It was fully loaded and he pointed it at the coendoo, -which was now moving slowly backward as though to prepare for a leap -upon him. - -Crack! went the pistol and the porcupine was struck a glancing blow -over the back. Then it made its leap, landing on Mark’s breast! - -For the instant the youth was almost paralyzed with fright. But -mechanically he discharged his pistol a second time and the bullet -lodged in the coendoo’s breast. With a howl of pain it fell back, -caught at the tree branch with its tail and missed it, and went -plunging out of sight into the foliage and vines below. - -“Did you kill it?” called out Frank. - -“I don’t know. It fell down. Look out it don’t come on your head,” -answered Mark. - -Frank already had his gun in hand, ready to be of service to his chum -if possible. But the porcupine failed to appear and he called back that -it must still be in the foliage of the tree. - -With great caution Mark descended one branch after another. Presently -he caught sight of the animal, hanging from a limb by its tail, an -appendage which in the coendoo is unusually strong and long. The beast -was plainly dying but to make certain Mark put another bullet through -it. Then with the butt of the pistol he unwound the tail and the -carcass fell to the ground with a thud. - -“That was a surprise party I didn’t expect,” said Mark, when he was -once more beside Frank. “How he scared me when he leaped at me! See, -his quills drew blood,” and he showed the back of his pricked hand. - -“Wonder if the porcupine is good eating?” - -“I’ve been told the meat is like that of a suckling pig. We’ll skin -him and take him along. Who knows but what we may need the meat badly -before we get out of our mess.” - -It was a difficult task to skin the coendoo and it caused them more -than one wound. But at last it was finished, and with their game -over their shoulders and their guns in hand, they started out in the -direction of the stream Mark had located from the tree top. - -The day proved an extremely hot one and the boys had not covered -half the distance when they found they had to sit down and rest. On -all sides was the trackless jungle: trees, bushes and vines, with -an occasional opening, where grew the most gorgeous of ferns and -flowers. Where the ground was damp, monstrous toadstools reared their -umbrella-like heads and the moss was six to eight inches deep. Insects -of a hundred varieties were numerous and among them crawled lizards -and other small creatures for which they could find no name. Orchids -abounded, some entwining around the trees to a great height. The odor -was so strong at times as to be positively sickening. - -“They say that some of these orchids can put you in a sleep from which -you will never awaken,” said Mark. “I don’t know if it’s true or not, -but if we have to sleep in the open another night let us take good care -to keep away from anything that smells as strong as that plant yonder.” - -“I heard the professor tell that one orchid produces vanilla,” said -Frank. “He said there were over three thousand varieties of the plant.” - -Again the forward march was resumed and when both were almost too tired -to fight their way another step a river came into sight, flowing lazily -along in the sultry daylight. Both looked at the water for a minute in -silence then turned to each other in perplexity. - -“It doesn’t look like the Orinoco,” declared Frank. “At least, not like -the part just above the camp.” - -“Exactly what I was thinking, Frank. I believe we’ve struck another -stream entirely.” - -“Then we are worse lost than we were before.” - -“Perhaps not. This may be a tributary of the Orinoco. If so, by -following this we are bound to find the Orinoco itself sooner or later.” - -“True, but this may flow along for miles before it joins the Orinoco, -and if it does join that stream, the question is: Does it join above or -below the camp?” - -“I’m sure I can’t answer that question, now. The only thing we can do -is to follow this stream and trust to luck.” - -“If only we had a canoe!” - -“True, but we haven’t one, and no tools with which to even make a raft. -We’ll have to keep on hoofing it, as the saying goes.” - -They had brought with them the remains of the baked curassow and on -this they now proceeded to make a dinner. Both longed for some bread -and vegetables. They were afraid to touch the berries and other things -growing around them for fear of being poisoned. - -By throwing some brushwood into the stream they soon made certain of -the direction of the current and this accomplished set off once more, -after washing down the fowl meat with the coolest drink of water they -could find. Fortunately the bank of the stream was tolerably clear of -bushes so they made much more rapid progress than before. - -“I have an idea,” said Frank, as they moved around a bend into which a -mass of driftwood had collected. “Do you see yonder tree trunk, caught -in the mud? Why can’t we shove that out into the water and take a ride? -It will rest us, and I think the trunk will move just about as fast as -we can walk, when once it gets started.” - -“I’m willing to try it,” answered Mark, and they set to work to -dislodge the tree, which looked as if it had been in the water for -some time. Once loose they sprang “aboard,” as Frank called it, and -shoved into the stream proper. Caught by the current the tree trunk -swung along the surface of the watercourse more rapidly than they had -anticipated. - -“This is something like,” cried Frank, seating himself on one of the -upmost branches. “It’s every bit as good as a canoe.” - -“If it don’t take a notion to turn over and dump us into the stream,” -answered Mark. “It seems to me it’s a little shaky.” - -Nevertheless, he, too, was satisfied and sitting side by side they -allowed the tree to carry them down the river. Soon several miles were -covered and then they noticed that the watercourse was growing narrower -and that the current was correspondingly stronger. - -“My, but we are flying along now,” remarked Frank. - -“Perhaps we had better try to steer the tree into shore,” returned -Mark. “I don’t like this increase in speed. We may be drifting toward -some rapids or a waterfall.” - -He had hardly spoken when the tree whirled around, almost sending both -in the water. As they clutched at the branches they felt the speed -increase. The river was now not more than a quarter of its former width -and the water foamed up here and there, showing that there were rocks -not far below the surface. Rocks could also be seen along the shores -and presently they passed a tall cliff filled with birds, the flock -swooping off in several directions at their approach. - -“I hear water falling ahead!” ejaculated Frank. “Hark!” - -“Yes! yes! We are coming to a waterfall!” burst out Mark. “Let us -try to turn the tree into shore by all means. If we don’t we may be -drowned!” - -Each had a tree branch in his hand, with which he had been trying to -paddle from time to time. Now both endeavored to use the tree branches -as rudders, but in a trice Mark’s was caught in some rocks and torn -from his grasp. A second later the tree bounced up and spun around, -throwing the boys flat among the branches. Dazed and bewildered they -clung fast, fearing that the next lurch of the tree would send them -into the stream, which now foamed and boiled on all sides of them. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -HOCKLEY AND THE BOA-CONSTRICTOR - - -“It is high time the boys came back.” - -So spoke Professor Strong, on the evening following the departure of -Frank and Mark up the Orinoco. It was after nine o’clock, and all was -silent around the camp save for the distant cries of the night birds -and the howling of the monkeys. The professor stood on the edge of -the bluff, gazing anxiously through the gloom that overhung the broad -watercourse. - -“It is odd they are not back,” said Darry, who was close at hand. “I -hope no harm has befallen them.” - -Hockley had already thrown himself down in the tent and was fast -asleep, despite a plague of gnats which had but recently put in an -appearance. Sam sat by the fire sewing up a hole he had torn in his -jacket. The Indian was at the water’s edge, fishing with a net he had -made of braided vines. - -As the time slipped by Professor Strong, Darry and Sam grew more -anxious and none of them felt like going to sleep. The Indian came in -and threw himself down and then the others sat down to talk in whispers. - -By daybreak the professor had made up his mind to go after the missing -ones. He decided to take Cubara with him, leaving the others to watch -the camp. - -“If I find the boys I’ll be back before dinner time,” said Professor -Strong. “If not, I won’t return until they are found.” - -“Well, I’m sure I hope you have quick luck,” said Sam. “We’ll be very -anxious until you return.” - -Soon the professor and the Indian were out of sight and the boys -turned back to put the camp in order. Hockley threw himself on a rock, -declining to take a hand in the work. - -“You ought to do your share,” said Sam. “It’s not fair to expect us to -do everything.” - -“You shut up!” cried Hockley. “I’ll do as I please. If you say a word -I’ll pitch into you!” - -He was in an ill humor and spoiling for a fight, as Darry and Sam could -readily see. Yet Sam was not daunted. - -“It’s not fair, Hockley. Everybody ought to do his share of the work,” -he went on. - -“Oh, leave him alone, Beans,” came from Darry. “We can’t stop him from -being lazy.” - -The words had scarcely been uttered when the angry youth, caught up a -billet of wood and flung it at Darry. It struck the lad in the shoulder -hurting him not a little. Darry rushed at him, but leaping up with a -club in his hands, Hockley stood on guard. - -“Leave me alone!” he exclaimed. “The first of you to get too close will -get a crack with this.” - -“Let us both pitch into him,” came from Sam. “He ought to have a -first-class thrashing.” - -“You let me alone!” howled Hockley. “Don’t you dare to touch me!” - -“Drop that club,” came from Darry. “Drop it, I say, or Sam and I will -certainly pitch into you and you’ll get more than you want.” - -“I--I won’t drop the club until you promise to let me alone.” - -“Why did you fling that piece of wood at me?” - -“You hadn’t any right to jaw at me.” - -“It was your business to do your share of the work here.” - -A war of words followed, and in the end Hockley dropped the club and -consented to do some of the work. As soon as it was finished, he -picked up his gun and started to move off. - -“Where are you going?” demanded Darry. “The professor told us to remain -here until he got back.” - -“I’m going down the river a bit. I reckon there’s no harm in that,” -answered Hockley and without waiting for further argument he strode -away and was soon lost to sight in the jungle. - -“He wouldn’t go off like that if he wasn’t boiling mad,” observed Sam. - -After cleaning up the two boys started in to fish, there being nothing -else by which to while away the time. But biting was not lively, and -after half an hour of only fair success they walked up the bluff again. -They had just reached the tent when they heard a gunshot, followed by a -yell of fright. - -“That’s Hockley!” ejaculated Darry. “He has stirred up something and it -has scared him to death.” - -“Help! help!” came faintly to their ears. “Help!” - -“We had better go and see what is the matter,” said Sam, and caught up -a rifle. Darry had already reached for a shotgun, and thus armed both -boys sped down the bluff again and in the direction from whence the -cries proceeded. - -They had not far to go. Beyond the bend of the stream was an inlet -and back of this a somewhat open glade, bordered by half a dozen -low-drooping rubber trees. Among these trees stood Hockley, fairly -paralyzed with terror and close at hand, swinging from a branch, was a -boa-constrictor all of fifteen feet in length. - -[Illustration: “Help! save me!” screamed the unfortunate youth.] - -“Oh, what a snake!” burst out Darry, and then stood still, hardly -knowing whether to proceed or not. - -Sam said nothing, but brought his rifle to his shoulder, took quick aim -and pulled the trigger. The bullet sped true and buried itself in the -boa-constrictor’s neck. - -The shot awakened Darry to action and now he too blazed away, peppering -the big snake in the head and body. The second shot from his gun was -at close range and fairly tore a piece of skin from the huge reptile’s -neck. - -But a boa-constrictor is not easily killed, and though badly wounded it -yet had a great deal of fight in it. Still holding to the tree branch -with its tail it shot forth its body and in an instant had Hockley by -the waist. - -“Help! save me!” screamed the unfortunate youth. “Oh, please save me! -Don’t let him crush me to pieces!” - -In an agony of fear he tried to pull himself loose, but without avail. -The snake lifted him up from the ground with ease, intending doubtless -to crush him to a jelly on the tree trunk. - -But now Sam rushed as close as had Darry. The rifle was a repeating -weapon--one of the best the party possessed--and shoving it at the -snake’s head the youth let drive twice in quick succession. Then, -without waiting to see the effect of these shots, he put two additional -bullets in the boa-constrictor’s body. The reptile quivered from head -to tail then remained motionless. - -It was an anxious moment and the hearts of all three boys seemed -to stop beating. Hockley tried to call out, but could not, for the -boa-constrictor was fairly crushing in his ribs. - -But after that moment had passed the boys saw that they had won the -battle. The head of the boa-constrictor dropped and the muscles of the -huge body relaxed. Then Hockley slipped to the damp earth and slowly -the reptile’s body dropped on top of him. - -“He must be dead,” whispered Darry, hoarsely, and with his gun started -to release Hockley from the loathsome weight. Sam assisted, and soon -they had him free and was dragging him out of harm’s way. From a safe -distance they watched the boa-constrictor and at last felt certain that -it was dead. - -“He’s in a bad way,” said Sam, leaning over Hockley. The youth lay in a -heap, totally unconscious and breathing with difficulty. - -“It was awful,” returned Darry. “What a close shave! Let us take him -down to the river and bathe his face.” - -They did as suggested, but even this failed to revive Hockley. Then -Darry ran back to the camp for some medicine which was administered -with care. But it was fully an hour before Hockley opened his eyes. - -“Take him off!” he moaned. “Take the horrible thing off!” - -“You’re safe now, Hockley,” said Darry, kindly. “The boa-constrictor -is dead.” But Hockley was now out of his mind and did not understand, -and he continued to plead most piteously that they save him from being -crushed to death. - -“We’ll have to carry him back to camp,” said Sam, and this was done. It -was no easy task to get the hurt one up the bluff. Once in camp they -fixed Hockley a soft bed and did all they could to make him otherwise -comfortable. - -“I never want to see another boa-constrictor, not even in a menagerie,” -declared Sam. “I’ll dream of that thing for a week.” - -The boys remained in camp after that. It was nightfall before Hockley -came to his senses and then he complained of a severe pain in the -chest. They uncovered him and rubbed him down with liniment. - -“Is it dead?” he asked. “How did you kill it?” And when they told him -he shook his head slowly, as if in wonder. Later on he called them both -to him. “I’m much obliged for what you did,” he said humbly. “It was -great. I shan’t forget it. I’m sorry we had the row.” - -“So am I sorry,” returned Sam, and Darry nodded to show he agreed. “We -can’t afford to quarrel out here, Jake. We may need each other’s help, -eh?” - -“That’s just what I was thinking. I guess I was a big fool to start it -anyway. Let’s call it off, will you?” - -“Certainly!” cried Darry. - -“With all my heart,” came from Sam. - -Hockley took the hand of each and pressed it briefly. He looked one and -the other in the eyes and then his gaze dropped. “All right, we’ll be -friends,” he said, in a lower voice than ever. - -Nobody felt like talking after this. Darry started up the fire and got -out some things for dinner. Sam brought up the fish and cleaned them. -Hockley turned over on his back and dozed away, occasionally uttering -a low groan. Yet every one of the lads felt better because of what had -just passed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -A PEEP AT GOLD AND SILVER MINES - - -“The tree is caught fast!” - -“I know it, Frank, but I don’t think it will stay caught for long!” - -What the two chums said was true--the tree had caught in the boiling -and foaming water, directly in the middle of the stream. The spray -was flying all about them, so that they could scarcely make out what -was ahead. But they heard a noise that could mean but one thing. A -waterfall was there, dashing with a roar over the rocks and falling -into a big pool below. - -A minute went by. The tree was swinging around slowly. Now it began to -grate along the rocks. Of a sudden an end bobbed up and then the tree -was free, and on it rushed for the waterfall. - -“We are going over!” shrieked Frank, and held fast, not knowing exactly -why. Mark tried to answer, but the roar all around them drowned out -every other sound. - -On they went for a hundred yards, between rocks standing up higher than -their heads. Then the brink of the waterfall was gained and here the -tree seemed to pause for a moment. Over it went, carrying the boys with -it, over and down, out of the sunlight into utter darkness. - -By instinct more than reason both boys clung fast to the tree and that -was their salvation. Down they went into the pool and the torrent of -water came on top of them, sending them far beneath the surface. How -long they remained under they could not tell, afterward, but it seemed -an age. When they came up each was more dead than alive. But still they -clung to the tree as it drifted away and lodged among the rocks a short -distance further down the river. - -“Frank, are you all right?” Mark asked the question, feebly, some ten -minutes later. - -“I--I guess so,” was the gasped out answer. “But, oh, Mark, wasn’t it -an awful tumble?” - -“That’s what it was, Frank. I didn’t think we’d come out of it alive.” - -They left the tree and sat down on the rocks, and there rested for over -an hour. The noise of the waterfall still thundered in their ears, but -otherwise all was silent. - -At last Mark arose and stretched himself. “If we are all right we may -as well go on again,” he said. - -“On the tree?” - -“Yes. I don’t think there is any danger of another waterfall--at least -not close by. We can watch the water and if the current gets too swift -we can turn into shore before the tree gets beyond our control again.” - -So it was agreed, and soon they were on the way once more. Below the -falls the river was narrow for several miles but the current was not -very swift, for much of the water was carried off by side streams -flowing in various directions. - -“We don’t seem to be getting to the Orinoco very fast,” observed Frank, -after all of five miles had been covered. “I’ll wager we are at least -twenty to thirty miles from camp.” - -“Perhaps we are. But what do you advise? We can’t sit down here and -suck our thumbs.” - -“Hark! What was that? A gunshot?” - -“It sounded more like a distant explosion,” cried Mark, leaping to -his feet. “There it goes again. An explosion sure enough. What can it -mean?” - -“I think I know,” answered Frank. “It means that we are near some kind -of a mine. That was the blasting of rocks.” - -“I hope you are right, Frank. It came from down the river, didn’t it?” - -“It did. Let us go on. There may be a regular miners’ camp below here.” - -Once more they allowed their improvised craft to drift down the stream. -The character of the country was changing, and presently they found -themselves hemmed in by high rocky walls. Then came a bend eastward and -they came in sight of a small settlement. There were a dozen houses -built of timber covered with corrugated iron, and a small engine house -with a tall iron smokestack. Back of the settlement were the openings -to several gold and silver mines. As they approached another explosion -rent the air and they saw a large section of a cliff give way and fall -to the rocks below. - -There were several boats tied up to a tiny dock running along the -river, and the men on these gazed curiously at the boys as they drifted -up and leaped aboard one of the craft. - -“Where come you from?” demanded one of the men, in Spanish. - -“We are American,” said Mark. “Can you speak English?” - -“Americans, eh?” put in another man. “I’m an American myself. How did -you get on that tree?” - -“It’s a long story,” answered Mark. “We were with a party along the -Orinoco but we went ashore and got lost. Are we far from that river?” - -“Eight miles. You look pretty wet.” - -“We came over the falls.” - -“Gee whiz! It’s a wonder you are alive!” burst out the American, whose -name was Simon Smither. “Come ashore, and I’ll take you to the boss. -This place is Castroville. Maybe you’ve heard of it. We have here the -Little Bolivar and the Moonlight Mines, two of the best payers in this -section of the country.” - -“Castroville!” ejaculated Frank. He remembered that Andy Hume had once -mentioned the place to him. “Is there a newcomer here by the name of -Andy Hume?” - -“There is. He’s up to the office now. So you know him?” - -“We do,” answered Mark, and then told their story while the whole party -hurried from the river to where the offices of the mines were located, -not far from the engine house. - -Andy Hume saw them coming and leaped up from a stool to receive them. -“I declare,” he cried. “Where did you come from? Thought you were -hunting and fishing along the Orinoco.” - -“We were,” answered Frank, and told of how they had become lost and of -what had followed. “We must get back as soon as we can,” he added. “The -professor and the others will be much worried over our absence.” - -The matter was talked over, and by consulting one of the managers of -the mines they obtained permission to use one of the boats, taking -with them a native boatman who knew all the rivers of the vicinity -thoroughly. - -“He’ll get you back safe and sound,” said Andy Hume. “He’s a first rate -fellow. He brought me here from Navaleno, forty miles away.” - -“But how did you happen to come here?” questioned Mark. “I thought you -were going prospecting?” - -“So I was, but at Navaleno I met an old miner friend of mine, Captain -Richards. He has an interest here and he wants me to look after it -while he takes a trip to the States. So I’m booked here at a salary of -two hundred dollars per month and found. Not so bad that, eh?” And the -boys agreed that the arrangement was certainly very promising. - -A comfortable meal and a chance to dry their clothing made both boys -feel much better. While they were eating they asked a number of -questions about the mines and when they had finished Andy Hume insisted -upon showing them around. - -“The output of these mines will be about six hundred thousand dollars -this year,” he said. “To get out the gold and silver will cost the -combined companies about two hundred thousand dollars, leaving a profit -to the stockholders of four hundred thousand dollars. We have here all -the latest machinery with the exception of a newly-patented quartz -crusher which is now being built for us in the United States. At first -the mining around here was what is commonly called cradling or placer -mining,--that is, the miners would pick up what they could find on the -surface or by ordinary digging--but that is past and all we get has to -be blasted out of the mountains.” - -An hour was spent in and around the mines, inspecting the shafts and -the various machines for extracting the gold and silver. Then the -boatman came up to announce that the boat was ready and they started to -leave. - -As they did so a strange boat, containing several passengers, arrived -at the dock close at hand. As the passengers came toward where Frank -and Mark were standing, the latter plucked the former hurriedly by the -sleeve. - -“See there, Frank,” he whispered. - -Frank looked in the direction and gave a start. - -“Why it’s that Dan Markel, the fellow who robbed Hockley!” he -ejaculated. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -TOGETHER AGAIN--CONCLUSION - - -The two boys were much surprised by the unexpected appearance of the -man from Baltimore and for the moment knew not what to say or do. - -“Do you know one of those men?” asked Andy Hume. - -“Yes, that one,” answered Mark, pointing out the wrong-doer. “His name -is Dan Markel, and he robbed Jacob Hockley of his watch and nearly all -of his money.” - -“You don’t say! Then he won’t be the fellow we want here.” - -By this time Markel was close at hand. Now for the first time he caught -sight of the boys and he halted in dismay. - -“So we’ve met again,” said Mark, coldly. - -“Why--er--how are you?” stammered the man from Baltimore. He knew not -what to say. - -“I suppose you’ve got Jake Hockley’s watch with you,” put in Frank. -“If you have, you had better pass it over to us.” - -“You--er--you talk in riddles,” returned Markel. “I know nothing of his -watch excepting that it was taken from him while in a crowd.” - -“You took the watch yourself, Mr. Markel,” put in Mark, boldly. “And -what is more, you sent for his valise and robbed that. It is utterly -useless for you to deny it. If there is any officer in this settlement -I shall have you arrested.” - -At this the man from Baltimore turned pale. He started as if to run -away, then saw how hopeless such a move would be and held his ground. - -The talk had attracted a crowd, which included the general manager of -the mining settlement, Mr. John Brisbam. He now demanded to know what -it meant, and, with many interruptions from Markel, Mark and Frank told -of the Hockley affair and of what had occurred at Macuto. - -“We can prove all we say, if you’ll only give us a little time,” added -Mark. “As soon as I can find my friends again I’ll bring them here. In -the meantime I would like this man placed under arrest.” - -“Arrest! Not much!” howled Dan Markel. “It--it’s an outrage! I am an -honest American citizen and I demand protection. There is a great -mistake. I am not the person they are after.” - -“Do you mind being searched?” asked Andy Hume, shrewdly. - -“You have no right to touch me!” returned the man from Baltimore in -increased alarm. - -A war of words, which nearly came to blows followed, but in the end Dan -Markel was marched into one of the offices of the mining company. Here -his pockets were examined and from one was taken Hockley’s watch. - -“There are Hockley’s initials,” said Mark, pointing them out. “J. A. H. -don’t stand for Daniel Markel.” - -“That’s right they don’t,” came from Andy Hume. “He’s a black sheep -sure as you’re born. All this money must belong to Hockley, too,” he -added, counting up a quantity of gold and silver amounting to nearly -three hundred dollars. The balance of the funds had already been -squandered by the man from Baltimore. - -Dan Markel raved and even swore at the treatment he received, and in -the end he was handcuffed. The watch and money were placed in Mr. -Brisbam’s hands for safe keeping, and the prisoner was marched to one -of the houses and a guard set, in order that he might not escape. - -A little later Mark and Frank set off with the native boatman for the -camp on the Orinoco. It was already growing dark, but the native knew -the course well, so there was no danger of going astray. - -“I see the camp-fire!” cried Frank, when they were yet half a mile off. -“How good it looks! Almost like home!” - -“I feel as if we had been away an age,” returned Mark. “I can tell you -I don’t want to get lost again.” - -“You are right, Mark; the very word is enough to give one the shivers.” - -As they drew closer they set up a loud shout, which was presently -answered by Sam and Darry, who came rushing down to the water’s edge to -receive them. - -“We had almost given you up,” said Darry. “Where in the world have you -been?” - -“We’ve been further than we intended to go,” answered Mark. “Where is -the professor and the others?” - -“The professor and Cubara are out looking for you. Hockley is in the -tent. He fell in with a boa-constrictor and the snake nearly crushed -him to death.” - -“We’ve got news for him--news he’ll be glad to hear,” said Frank. - -All walked up the bluff to the camp-fire and there each told his story. -In the midst of the recitals Hockley roused up. He could scarcely -believe his ears when listening to what Mark and Frank had to tell -concerning Dan Markel. - -“I’m glad you collared him,” he said, faintly. “I didn’t mind the money -so much, but I hated to part with the watch. What will you do next? I -can’t go over to that mining camp yet. I’m too sore.” - -“We’ll see what the professor says,” said Mark. - -The professor and the Indian came in a short while later. They had been -up and down the river for miles and were thoroughly disheartened. When -Professor Strong saw Frank and Mark he was overjoyed and could scarcely -keep from hugging them. - -“I was so afraid you had met your death in the jungle I knew not what -to do,” he said. “I did not sleep a wink last night. We picked up your -trail twice and lost it. We found the canoe and that led me to think -that perhaps you were drowned.” - -“We have had adventures enough to last us a year,” returned Mark. “I -can tell you a life in the jungle is all well enough to read about, but -in reality it isn’t half so pleasant as one imagines.” - -It was arranged that all hands should move to the mining settlement the -next afternoon, starting after the sun had spent its force for the day. -Hockley was to be made comfortable in Cubara’s recovered canoe, with -the professor to wait on him, while the other boys made the passage in -the craft brought from Castroville. - -The next morning was a busy one, for there were many things to pack up. -Sam, Darry, Mark and Frank went out for a last hunt, taking Cubara with -them. They brought in several peccaries and a score of birds, including -two beautiful Venezuelan trumpeters, which they had found wading in a -pool half a mile distant from the Orinoco. - -“This ends our outing tour in Venezuela I suppose,” said Frank. “Well, -I am not sorry. We have still a good deal of ground to cover and we -can’t afford to spend too much time in one place.” - -Four o’clock of the next day saw them embarking at the foot of the -bluff. They had carried Hockley to the canoe and now the disabled youth -was placed on a grassy cushion which would add to the comfort of the -boat ride. - -“Good-bye to the camp!” cried Darry, as the boats left the shore. “More -than likely we’ll never see the place again. Good-bye!” And the others -echoed the words. Soon the turn in the river hid the locality from -their view. - - * * * * * - -A few words more and we will bring to a close this story of sight -seeing and adventures in Venezuela. - -When our friends reached Castroville a surprise awaited them. Despite -the guard which had been set, Dan Markel had escaped through the night, -stolen one of the small boats on the river, and departed for parts -unknown. A search lasting two hours had been instituted but had proved -of no avail. - -“We followed him down the stream to where there are several forks,” -said Andy Hume. “He took to one of them, but which one we don’t know.” - -“But he didn’t take any of my stuff with him, did he?” was Hockley’s -anxious question. - -“No, he escaped with nothing but his clothing and a pistol he stole -from his guard.” - -“Then let him go,” returned the lank youth. “I never want to see him -again.” - -“I think myself it is just as well,” said Professor Strong. “To -prosecute him would put us to a great deal of trouble. If he hasn’t a -cent he will have a hard enough time of it getting along down here.” - -“Right you are,” said Andy Hume. “I’ll wager he’ll bitterly regret that -he ever left the States.” - -When Hockley received his things back he wished to reward Frank and -Mark for what they had done, but the two boys would not listen to this. -Then he said that he was very grateful and hoped that they should be -friends in the future. - -“I’ve made up with Darry and Beans,” he said to Frank and Mark. “And I -want to make up with you, too.” - -“All right, it suits me!” answered Frank, readily, and Mark also -agreed, and they shook hands. - -There was an empty house in the mining settlement and this was turned -over to our friends temporarily, and here Hockley rested until he -felt once more like himself. During this time the other boys made a -number of trips up into the mountains, viewing other mines of lesser -importance. Thus several weeks slipped by. - -“All told we’ve had some pretty good times here,” declared Mark to the -other boys, one day. “I hope we have as good in our future travels.” -His wish was fulfilled, and how will be related in another volume of -this series. - -In this tale we will not only meet all of our friends again, but also -Dan Markel and learn something of what became of the fellow after he -left Castroville, and of how he plotted fresh trouble for those who had -exposed him. - -And now for the present let us bid Professor Strong and our young -friends adieu. We have followed them in an interesting trip from one -end of Venezuela to the other, have visited the capital and other -important cities, and have gone with them up the Orinoco and into the -jungle. Our friends have had numerous adventures and have been in -several positions of more or less peril. But all has turned out well, -and here we will say good-bye. - - - - -WAR AND ADVENTURE STORIES. - -By EDWARD STRATEMEYER. - -_Author of the Famous “Old Glory Series,” “Bound to Succeed Series,” -“Ship and Shore Series,” etc._ - - -FIRST VOLUME. - - =BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON Or Two Boys’ Adventures in South Africa.= - - Illustrated by A. B. SHUTE. - - Cloth. 354 pages. Price, $1.25. - -“The story bristles with action.”--_The Outlook._ - -“A stirring story of the South African war.”--_The Journal_, -Indianapolis, Ind. - -“The kind of story to please boys and give them a fair idea of a great -historical event.”--_St. Louis Post-Despatch._ - -“Throughout the book there is evidence of that sympathy for the Boer -which prevails on this side of the Atlantic.”--_Chronicle_, Chicago. - - -SECOND VOLUME. - - =ON TO PEKIN Or Old Glory in China.= - - Illustrated by A. B. SHUTE. - - Cloth. 330 pages. Price, $1.25. - -“Parents can feel, in putting this book into the hands of boys and -girls, that they are going to get and hold the interest by the -strenuous adventure, and at the same time enforce those splendid -old-fashioned traits of honesty, courage, and true all-round -manliness.”--_Universalist Leader._ - -“A thoroughly up-to-date book, full of incidents familiar to us, which -will suit the boys as well as be of interest to their parents.”--_San -Francisco Call._ - - - - -AMERICAN BOYS’ BIOGRAPHICAL SERIES - -By EDWARD STRATEMEYER - - - =AMERICAN BOYS’ LIFE OF WILLIAM McKINLEY.= Illustrated by A. B. - SHUTE, and from photographs. - - Cloth. 320 pages. Price $1.25. - -No more timely or patriotic book can be found than Mr. Stratemeyer’s -biography of our late martyred President. - - _Another volume in preparation._ - - - - -COLONIAL SERIES - -By EDWARD STRATEMEYER - - =WITH WASHINGTON IN THE WEST=; Or, A Soldier Boy’s Battles in the - Wilderness. - - Cloth. Illustrated. Price $1.25. - -“A thoroughly entertaining book.”--_N.Y. World._ - - - =MARCHING ON NIAGARA=; Or, The Soldier Boy of the Old Frontier. (_In - press._) - - - - -THE FAMOUS “OLD GLORY SERIES.” - -By EDWARD STRATEMEYER, - -_Author of “The Bound to Succeed Series,” “The Ship and Shore Series,” -etc._ - - Six volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. - - Price per volume, $1.25. - - - =UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of a Castaway.= - - =A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the Single Star.= - - =FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on the Brooklyn.= - - =UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or a Young Officer in the Tropics.= - - =THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE Or Under Lawton through Luzon.= - - =UNDER MacARTHUR IN LUZON Or the Last Battle in the Philippines.= - -“A boy once addicted to Stratemeyer stays by him.”--_The Living Church._ - -“The boys’ delight--the ‘Old Glory Series.’”--_The Christian Advocate_, -New York. - -“Stratemeyer’s style suits the boys.”--JOHN TERHUNE, _Supt. of Public -Instruction_, Bergen Co., New Jersey. - -“Mr. Stratemeyer is in a class by himself when it comes to -writing about American heroes, their brilliant doings on land and -sea.”--_Times_, Boston. - -“Mr. Stratemeyer has written a series of books which, while -historically correct and embodying the most important features of -the Spanish-American War and the rebellion of the Filipinos, are -sufficiently interwoven with fiction to render them most entertaining -to young readers.”--_The Call_, San Francisco. - - - - -THE BOUND TO SUCCEED SERIES - -By EDWARD STRATEMEYER, - -_Author of “Under Dewey at Manila,” etc._ - - Three Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00. - - - =RICHARD DARE’S VENTURE Or Striking Out for Himself.= - - =OLIVER BRIGHT’S SEARCH Or The Mystery of a Mine.= - - =TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon.= - - -PRESS OPINIONS OF EDWARD STRATEMEYER’S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. - -“In ‘Richard Dare’s Venture,’ Edward Stratemeyer has fully sustained -his reputation as an entertaining, helpful, and instructive writer for -boys.”--_Philadelphia Call._ - -“‘Richard Dare’s Venture,’ by Edward Stratemeyer, tells the story -of a country lad who goes to New York to earn enough to support his -widowed mother and orphaned sisters. Richard’s energy, uprightness of -character, and good sense carry him through some trying experiences, -and gain him friends.”--_The Churchman_, New York. - -“A breezy boy’s book is ‘Oliver Bright’s Search.’ The author has a -direct, graphic style, and every healthy minded youth will enjoy the -volume.”--_N. Y. Commercial Advertiser._ - -“‘Richard Dare’s Venture’ is a fresh, wholesome book to put into a -boy’s hands.”--_St. Louis Post Dispatch._ - -“‘Richard Dare’s Venture’ is a wholesome story of a practical boy who -made a way for himself when thrown upon his own resources.”--_Christian -Advocate._ - -“It is such books as ‘Richard Dare’s Venture’ that are calculated -to inspire young readers with a determination to succeed in life, -and to choose some honorable walk in which to find that success. The -author, Edward Stratemeyer, has shown a judgment that is altogether -too rare in the makers of books for boys, in that he has avoided that -sort of heroics in the picturing of the life of his hero which deals -in adventures of the daredevil sort. In that respect alone the book -commends itself to the favor of parents who have a regard for the -education of their sons, but the story is sufficiently enlivening -and often thrilling to satisfy the healthful desires of the young -reader.”--_Kansas City Star._ - -“Of standard writers of boys’ stories there is quite a list, but those -who have not read any by Edward Stratemeyer have missed a very goodly -thing.”--_Boston Ideas._ - -_For sale by all booksellers, or will be sent, postpaid, on receipt of -price by_ - - - LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, - BOSTON. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Emboldened text is surrounded by equals signs: =bold=. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Archaic or variant spelling has been retained. - - Incorrect page numbers in the Table of Contents and List of - Illustrations have been corrected. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOST ON THE ORINOCO *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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