They would be extravagantly comical, these bold soldiers of Spain, if they were not so very serious in what they declared.
Roderic laughed in his sleeve at the awful threats so openly made in street and cafe, wherever two or more soldiers came together—in imagination he pictured the overwhelming rush of regulars and volunteers in blue, just as they had gone into the Spaniards at Caney and San Juan hill—one such mad swoop and he was ready to swear to it that the Porto Rican capital would be carried.
Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast a better.
Roderic did not use his whole time in tramping about the city.
He made several visits to people who had been in communication with the Washington authorities, influential English residents or even native Porto Ricans who knew what was written by Destiny upon the wall, and longed for the blessed day to dawn when Liberty would descend upon the sons and daughters of the Antilles.
His object was not to get information concerning the resources of the garrison.
All those points he was able to pick up for himself in his round of the city and forts.
As a government official he had come to San Juan, and it was in this capacity he conferred with these influential citizens.
When he had finally accomplished all that was expected of him in this direction, Roderic threw off the burden of responsibility.
He was now free to think once more of his own personal affairs, to let the vision of Georgia's lovely face occupy his mind as it had his heart.