About this time there arose features connected with the case that temporarily drove these sweet reflections out of his head.
They were of a most disagreeable nature.
It began to rain.
This might signify a drizzle in a more northern clime, but such a thing is almost unknown in Porto Rico.
When the clouds open there it means a deluge.
The boys in blue who were in the trenches at Santiago could tell some pretty tall stories of tropical downpours, and how in the rainy season a cloud appearing no larger than one's hat can spread over all the sky and fairly soak the earth.
Roderic had anticipated this—indeed, his preparations had been made with just such a ducking in prospect.
He took his medicine in a philosophical spirit such as only a traveler in many strange lands learns to cultivate.
Every step brought him nearer the city, and once he was soaked through it was impossible to become any wetter, so why complain?
Besides, this deluge might serve to his advantage, since in all probability the guards stationed along the military road would naturally seek refuge in their shelter huts, and leave the way clear.