CHAPTER XIV.

IN THE WILDS OF THE ISTHMUS.

Oliver calculated that they had been traveling not more than an hour when the sudden stoppage occurred. The shock was so great it threw him up against the seat in front of him, and awoke Gus from a comfortable nap.

“What’s the matter?” exclaimed the stout youth in alarm.

“I don’t know,” was Oliver’s reply. “Something wrong ahead, I suppose.”

“Perhaps part of the roadbed has sunk,” suggested Mr. Whyland, who sat on the other side of the aisle. “I understand such a thing frequently occurs here.”

They all sat quiet for ten minutes. By this time one and another of the passengers began to get out, and finally the three joined them, and walked up to where the engine stood, blowing off steam.

Mr. Whyland’s surmise proved correct. Not fifty feet distant the rails of the road were submerged in a murky pool of foul-smelling water. The length of the depression was about one hundred feet, and its greatest depth a foot and a half.

Already a gang of native laborers were at work repairing the damage. There were a dozen or more of them, but they worked so slowly that hardly any progress was made.

“Seems to me if I was overseer here I would hurry those men up,” remarked Gus, after they had watched the proceedings for some time.

“They cannot hurry much,” said Mr. Whyland. “The climate is against them. I doubt if you could stand the work more than an hour. Come, let us get away from that pool. It is a regular hotbed of fever.”

“I wonder how long this will delay us?” said Oliver, as they walked back to the car.

“Suppose we ask the conductor?” said Gus.

After some little trouble they found the man, who was surrounded by a crowd of passengers, all eager to know what would be the result of the delay.

“We will go through as soon as possible,” he replied. “The men will work hard, and I think in two hours, or three at the most, we will be able to move.”

“Three hours!” exclaimed Oliver. “That is quite a time.”

“Let us spend it in exploring the vicinity,” suggested Gus.

Oliver was agreeable. Mr. Whyland did not care to go, but sat down to read a magazine, and the two boys started off alone.

“We won’t go far,” said Oliver. “I suppose they will blow the whistle before they start, so that we can get back.”

In five minutes the boys were in a veritable forest. On every side could be seen tall palms, interspersed with cocoa, sycamore, and other tropical trees. Beneath their feet grew a rank vegetation, and wherever there was a bit of water, gorgeous lilies sprang up, the like of which they had never before beheld.

And the birds and monkeys overhead! Never had they seen such a sight, and it seemed they would never get done wondering over it. Every tree was full, and the air resounded with sweet song and senseless chatter.

“Those monkeys beat any menagerie show I ever saw!” declared Gus, as they stood watching two old fellows, who had evidently got into a dispute over the ownership of a particular cocoanut.

“My, just hear them call each other names! See, now the black has got it! But the red won’t let him keep it. See, he has it now, and is going to break it open. There! the black has it again, and he――well, by crickety!”

As Gus uttered the last word he dodged, and just in time. The monkey who held the nut had discovered that he was being watched, and without ceremony had hurled the nut at the stout youth’s head.

“Thank you for the nut,” said Gus, picking it up and bowing in mock politeness, “but next time please don’t present it so forcibly.”

Going to a tree, he endeavored to break the shell of the cocoanut by hammering the article against the trunk. As he did so, two more nuts landed beside him.

“Hello! what does this mean?” he exclaimed. “Did I knock those down?”

“No, you didn’t; they threw them,” replied Oliver. “We had better get out of here before we have our heads cracked open. Look out!” and he dodged just as a perfect volley came raining down.

One of the nuts just grazed Gus’s ear, causing him to cry out with pain. He dropped the nut he held and ran across the clearing, followed by Oliver.

“By crickety! but that was a narrow escape!” he cried when they were once more safe. “If one of those nuts had hit us, it would have ended our existence right then and there.”

“It will teach us a lesson to mind our own business,” returned Oliver. “I suppose that monkey thought we had no right to spy into his affairs.”

“I would like to own a monkey,” observed Gus; “that is, one that is peaceful. I always thought them so cute.”

“They are cute, but not always in the way you imagine. Come, I suppose we ought to be getting back.”

“Oh, there is lots of time! Why, we haven’t been gone half an hour yet. Just wait; I want to pick some of those splendid flowers growing near that pond.”

“I wouldn’t, Gus; for all you know they may be poisonous.”

“Do you think they are? They are awfully pretty.”

“I don’t know; but they might be, and you had better be on the safe side.”

“I’ll get just one of each. Here, let me have your knife.” Gus took Oliver’s knife and cut off the flowers he wished. “Phew, what a nasty smell!” he cried in disgust. “That’s the worst of it, with so many pretty flowers. The smell――oh, my! how they burn! My hand is on fire!”

He threw the flowers away from him and danced around in pain, shaking his hands in the air.

“Oh, I hope you have not been poisoned!” cried Oliver. “Go wash your hands in the pool.”

“You won’t catch me fooling around any flowers again; that is, strange ones,” said Gus, as he did as directed. “My, what a nasty place this is! No wonder the railroads have to offer a man a small fortune to work for them. I wouldn’t――Oh, Oliver, look! what is that?” And straightening up, the stout youth pointed to the opposite side of the bit of water. “It looked like the head of a turtle or something,” he went on. “I wonder if there are any turtles here?”

“I don’t see why there shouldn’t be. Still it might have been something else. Let us go.”

“Wait till I have a shy at it with this gourd.” Gus poised the gourd in his hand and let drive. “There! I reckon I hit him. Oh, my stars!”

Gus tumbled back in great haste, and Oliver did the same. The supposed turtle’s head had suddenly lifted, and there was revealed a hissing snake, fully eight feet long.

“A snake!” cried both.

For an instant the reptile seemed to stand nearly upright, its eyes glittering, and its slimy body quivering with anger. Then with a final hiss it darted headfirst into the pool and disappeared.

“Huh! that gives me a chill!” cried Gus. “I wonder where he has gone?”

“Perhaps he is coming after us,” replied Oliver. “Let us get out of here as fast as we can.”

“I don’t think he will make his appearance again, but still we had better go. There may be more.”

“There are!” cried Oliver. “See there!” He pointed almost under their feet and pulled Gus away. “That is the same or his mate. Let us run for it.”

There was no necessity for the last words, for both were running as fast as the nature of the ground would permit. The snake followed for a short distance, and then was lost to view.

But the boys kept right on, and it was not until both found themselves in a perfect labyrinth of undergrowth that they slackened their pace and finally came to a stop.

“Thank Heaven we have got away from him,” exclaimed Gus, puffing to catch his breath. “Huh! I can almost feel him coiling around my body!”

“So can I,” returned Oliver. “Of all things to meet I think a snake is the worst. I would just as lief encounter a tiger or a lion.”

“Let us get back at once,” said Gus; “I won’t feel safe until I am in the car, and when I am you won’t catch me leaving the train again until we arrive at Panama.”

“Just my sentiments,” rejoined Oliver. “Let us――”

He stopped short. “Where are we?”

Both suddenly gazed around them in alarm. Which way should they turn? Neither knew. They were lost in the forest!