Manuel tried to pry the balconies open with the knife but met with no success; El Bizco attempted to force the door with his shoulder and it yielded enough to leave a chink, whereupon Manuel introduced the blade of the knife and worked the catch of the lock back until he could open the door. El Bizco and Manuel then went in.
The lower floor of the house consisted of a vestibule, which formed the bottom of a staircase leading to a corridor, and two rooms whose balconies overlooked the orchard.
The first thing that came to Manuel's head was to open the lock of the door that led to the road.
"Now," said El Bizco to him, after admiring this prudent precaution, "let's see what there is in the place."
They set about calmly and deliberately to take an inventory of the house; there wasn't three ochavos' worth of material in the entire establishment. They were forcing the dining-room closet when of a sudden they heard the bark of a dog close by and they ran in fright to the gallery.
"What's the matter?" they asked Vidal.
"A damned dog's begun to bark and he'll certainly attract somebody's attention."
"Throw a stone at him."
"Where'll I get it?"
"Scare him."