“Bless my soul!” exclaimed the professor. “I took him for a horned toad! I hope he didn’t hear me.”
“No danger,” remarked Jerry. “He’s sound asleep. Even the train didn’t wake him up.”
The four gazed in on the slumbering agent. Perhaps there was some mysterious influence in the four pairs of eyes, for the man suddenly awakened with a start, stared for a moment at the travelers gazing in on him, and then sat up.
“Good day, señors!” he exclaimed, and they saw that he was a Mexican. “Do you wish tickets? If you do, I regret to inform you that the only train for the day has gone. There will be none until to-morrow,” and he prepared to go to sleep again.
“Here!” cried Jerry. “We don’t want any, tickets! We want to find the way to Mr. Nathan Seabury’s house, and to learn if there’s a stage which goes there.”
“There is, señor,” replied the agent, yawning, “but I doubt if the driver is here. He seldom comes to meet the train, as there are very few travelers. Will it not do to go to Señor Seabury’s to-morrow, or next day, or the day after?”
“Hardly,” replied Jerry, who, as did the other boys, began to appreciate the Mexican habit of saying “mananna” which means “to-morrow,” for the Mexicans have a lazy habit of putting off until to-morrow whatever they have to do to-day. “We want to go to-day, right away, at once, now!”
“Ah, the señors are Americanos—always in a hurry,” answered the agent, but in no unfriendly manner. “Very well, I will see if Hop Sing has his stage here.”
“Hop Sing?” questioned Ned.
“Yes, señor, he is a Chinaman. You will find him a very slow and careful driver.”