Part 3 (2/2)

The light was already on the mountain peaks; and soon the sun leaped into view. Cool breezes came from the hills, carrying the heavy vegetal odors from the forests.

Early the _Pearl_ was abandoned by all except Rufe (who refused to go ash.o.r.e) and two black sailors. We separated into parties of two, to search the city. It was Robert Murtry who paired with me this day.

We pa.s.sed up one street and down another, hour after hour, in this search for one whom we had never set eyes on. It was much as if we were dependent on instinct to spot our man, should we meet up with him.

Unfortunately we were a good deal conspicuous because of our color.

At noon Robert and I munched the lunch we carried, and so continued along street after street of this large but unattractive city, with its uncouth, wooden structures.

At last, far up the street we glimpsed a white man. We hurried after him, but lost him at a second turning.

The afternoon was better than half gone, when there stepped out from a house, almost treading on our toes, a white man who seemed startled at the sight of us. He pa.s.sed on down the way we had come. We moved on a few steps and looked back, to see that our man had also turned, and was observing us. A few yards more brought us to a tight-board fence. When the man's head was turned, I pulled Robert through a gap and so got us behind the board screen. We contrived to get a peep down the street, and soon observed our man retracing his steps. We were each at a knot-hole when he came near.

And then it was I experienced a thrill of conquest. The man had stopped in an att.i.tude of wonder. At once his hand went to his ear, and he pulled gently and intermittently at the lobe of it, while he continued to puzzle over the thing that was in his mind.

Here was our man at last. How fortunate that he had possessed that mannerism! It was rather a well-formed, swarthy face he had, clear-cut features, and hair that curled. I do not know if it was what I knew of him, but I seemed to see something sinister in his aspect.

He stepped toward that opening in our fence. For the moment I was in panic; there was no time to dodge into the shed at the back. Then I whipped out my pocket-knife, and Robert and I were at a game of ”mumble the peg,” when we felt the man's eyes upon us. We were careful not to look up. He must have stood there observing us for about the s.p.a.ce of a minute, and then we heard his step as he went his way. We sprang to the break in the fence and cautiously peeked. He looked back at frequent intervals as he walked down the street.

”Well, he's spotted us,” said Robert. ”How can we follow him?”

”We'll just have to do it anyway,” I answered. ”It's our only chance.”

We stepped out boldly, making some effort to reduce the s.p.a.ce between the man Duran and ourselves, all the while, endeavoring by playful punches at one another to make it appear that we had no more serious purpose than to pa.s.s the time of a holiday.

Presently the man turned off the street, disappearing from our sight.

”There he goes!” said we both together; and we darted off, one after the other. When we reached the place where our quarry had made his turn, we looked in vain down the side street. He was nowhere in view. On each of the two corners stood a two-story house with the usual shallow balcony above the walk.

”He may have gone into one of these houses,” suggested Robert.

”Yes,” I agreed, ”and he may be watching us now.”

From a point of vantage we watched for above an hour; but our man did not again appear.

”Well,” I finally began, ”he's given us the slip. We can't do better than go hunt up the others.”

We were anything but dejected, for we had discovered the region of one of Duran's haunts.

We had not long to wait at the wharf, and our friends were much interested in the tale we spun them.

”It's plain enough that fellow suspected you were looking for him,”

declared Norris. ”It wasn't just ordinary curiosity made him go back to see what you were up to.”

”We must loose no time,” pressed Captain Marat. ”Some of us who' he have not see' can watch for thees Duran.”

And now came the return of Robert and myself to the street of our adventure, accompanied by Jean Marat and Ray, to whom we pointed out the place where we had last seen Duran, by which name I shall now call him.

Then, leaving Marat and Ray on the watch, we returned to join the others, and go aboard the schooner. It was considered needful to make some provision for a possible sojourn ash.o.r.e for some part of our company.

<script>