A TALK ABOUT PORTO RICO “He’s down on us now, if he never was before,” was Sam’s comment, after Hockley had disappeared. “But he won’t go to Professor Strong with his tale of woe,” put in Mark. “When Darry spoke of the can of pitch he was scared and showed it.” “He knew it was mean to put off that joke on me,” said Darry. And then he added: “I don’t think my joke was such a brilliant affair, but I reckon it squared accounts.” He had to go into the details of what he had done, and the boys had another laugh, for boys are but boys, and it had been fun to see the bully dancing around in such alarm. By morning the storm was over and the sun came out so fiercely that all were glad enough to remain in the shade of the awning spread over the forward deck, where a little breeze was blowing. “We are now in the track of Columbus on his first voyage to the New World,” said Professor Strong. “He sailed across this very spot a little over four hundred and eight years ago.” “What tremendous changes since then,” said Sam. “He found our own States inhabited by Indians and now a good many of our inhabitants have never seen an Indian, outside of a Wild West show or a circus.” “Yes, the march of progress has been great, Samuel, and I do not doubt but what it will be still greater in the future. We are coming to a point where everything seems possible, even to wireless telephones and practical airships.” During the afternoon the professor called the boys together in a quiet corner of the cabin and hung up a large map of Porto Rico. “I want all of you to know something about this new territory of the United States before we visit it,” he said, when they had settled themselves. “To us it is, just at present, the most important of the West Indies.” “It doesn’t look very large,” said Hockley, gazing rather blankly at the map. “The island is about a hundred miles long, east and west, and about thirty-five miles wide, north and south. It is almost rectangular in shape, as you can see, and contains about 3,600 square miles of territory.” “It looks to be mountainous,” came from Mark. “There is a range of mountains running from one end of the island to the other. The average height is fifteen hundred feet but one peak is three-quarters of a mile high. Between the mountains are many well-watered valleys and here the soil is remarkably productive.” “I’ve heard of Porto Rico tobacco,” came from Darry. “Yes, large quantities of very fine tobacco are raised there, and also sugar, coffee, cattle and hides. In years gone by they also raised a superior kind of cotton, but that industry does not appear to be flourishing just now.” “I’ve heard that they used to have lots of slaves here,” came from Frank.