e time,
unobserved, to teach them the language. Very gratefully the boys
accepted her offer; and, day by day for the next month, the young
lady came every morning, and for an hour taught them the meaning
and pronunciation of the words, which during the day they learnt by
heart.

They found that the island upon which they had been cast ashore was
Porto Rico, an island of considerable size, not far from
Hispaniola.

Chapter 6: In the Woods.

In the evening Senor Sagasta visited the lads, and had long
conversations with them. He promised them that, upon the very first
opportunity which should occur, he would aid them to escape; but
pointed out that, at present, there was no possibility of their
getting away.

"Captain Drake," he said, "has left the seas and, until he comes
back again, or some other of your English filibusters, I see no
chance of your escape. As soon as I hear of an English ship in
these waters I will have a small boat, well fitted up with sails
and all necessaries, conveyed to a creek on the coast. To this you
shall be taken down, and make your way to the point where we hear
that the vessel is accustomed to rendezvous."

This appeared to the boys to be the only possible plan, and they
warmly expressed their gratitude to their host for his thoughtful
kindness.

Another month passed; and then, one evening, Don Sagasta came to
the hut with a certain anxiety in his face.

"Is there anything the matter?" Ned, who now began to speak Spanish
with some fluency, asked.

"I am much disturbed. Since you have been here, I am sure that no
one has got a sight of you; and I can rely so implicitly upon
David, and Flora, that I am sure the secret has not leaked out
there. But from what I hear, it seems that you must have been seen,
during the time that you were wrecked, and before you came here. I
hear in the town today that a rumor is current, among the people,
that two white men were seen, near the sea, upon the day after the
great storm. Someone else, too, seems to have said that he caught
sight of two white men, not far from this house, just before
daybreak, two days afterwards. This report has, it seems, been
going from mouth to mouth; and has at last reached the ears of the
governor. The portions of a wreck, which were driven ashore, seem
to confirm the story; and unfortunately, the board with the name of
the ship was washed ashore, and it is known to be that of one of
those captured by Captai