Page:Off For Hawaii.djvu/173

Rh "This is getting interesting," muttered Dan. "I must say I don't care much to sit up and row with that Spaniard using me for a target."

"He is making for the shore," announced Oliver. "You villain, take that!" and he fired at the Spaniard, but his bullet sped wide of the mark.

Inside of another minute Ramon Delverez had disappeared around a fringe of brush, back of which was a tall forest of cocoa-nut and other trees. Still keeping in hiding we saw the canoe float off, and it presently came down the stream toward us.

"He's not going to stay on the water," said Dan. "We may as well follow him on land," and agreeing to this, we sent the rowboat up on a muddy flat, among a lot of rushes, and disembarked.

From the flat it did not take us long to gain the brush just mentioned. But here the tangle of undergrowth was thick and we had all we could do to force our way along.

"This will be like finding the proverbial pin in a haystack," grumbled Dan, as he stopped to tear some thorns from his coat sleeve. "How far do you suppose it is to where Delverez came ashore?"

"Not over a hundred feet," answered Oliver. "Hush now, for he may be on the watch for us."