They were soon at the hotel. They were taken up to the fifth floor, on which were three connecting rooms.
“High enough up so we needn’t be afraid of any one climbing in at the window,” Hiram remarked, after he had first of all taken in the view, with the late moon just peeping above the mountains in the east.
“Oh! no danger of those two fellows chasing after us any longer,” laughed Andy. “They got their fill of it, and will pick out somebody besides scouts for their next victims. Who got bit, I want to know?”
As everybody laughed and seemed satisfied, it could be set down as positive that the three scouts were not feeling badly over the adventure that had marked their introduction to the Coast.
The night passed without any incident worthy of recording. Hiram declared that he never knew a single thing after his head touched the pillow; he was so much in need of a good night’s sleep that he must have dropped off instantly, to be finally aroused by hearing Rob announce it was time for breakfast.
They determined to put their valuables in the hotel safe, and spend several days in and around Los Angeles, though they would not have time to run down to San Diego and visit the other big exposition which was in full blast there.
This they did, and enjoyed every minute of the time, though they were never long in one place, so many things did they have to see.
It being Hiram’s first chance to look upon tropical vegetation, he was highly delighted with what he saw in the streets and public gardens of the bustling city.
Then they went out to visit an orange grove, and besides that, inspected numerous enterprises connected with the great fruit-growing belt around Riverside. This place the boys were ready to declare—with its groves covering the broad valley, and with the mountains, their tops snow-covered, looming up beyond—to be the most delightful town on the face of the earth.
But the boys came to the conclusion that while all these things were truly wonderful and especially delightful, they had not come out to the coast on a pleasure jaunt; and hence no further time should be spent in this way until they had accomplished the several duties that awaited their attention.