“I place little hope on that; do not forget, my dear Warrenia, that the Major is only one man against hundreds.”
“But what of the yacht?”
“It is many miles away; no one can say when it will return; remember, too, General Yozarro’s gunboat.”
The lip of the American curled with contempt.
“Let them meet and it will be Manila Bay over again on a small scale. I only wish Captain Winton knew of this! He would sink the miserable craft or chase her to the foot of the Andes.”
In the momentary reaction, Señorita Estacardo smiled:
“You have full faith in your countrymen.”
“So have you; so has every one who knows them, and who does not? So will General Yozarro and his barbarians, if they ever rouse the anger of my people. But why do we speculate? It seems we can do nothing but wait. Manuela, can we not steal away when night comes?”
“I have asked myself that question, but I cannot see any hope of doing it. Neither of us can leave without being observed; guards will be on all sides and we shall be turned back as we were this morning. Let us go to the upper part of the Castle and look over the country. It may avail nothing, but it will be a relief to this monotony.”
They climbed to the rooms above, which, as we know, were copies of those they had just left, with the narrow windows on all sides. The Señorita walked to the opening on the south which commanded a view of the densely wooded mountains that stretched clear across the island to the main branch of the Rio Rubio. She expected to see nothing in that direction of interest and made the survey because her companion passed to the windows on the north.