The Cruise of the Thetis: A Tale of the Cuban Insurrection

by Harry Collingwood

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  HIS SPANISH MAJESTY'S GUNBOAT TIBURON.

  Meanwhile the saloon party on board the _Thetis_, having comfortablybestowed themselves in capacious basket chairs under the awning on thetop of the deck-house when the yacht got under way, watched with mingledinterest and amusement the strenuous pursuit of their own vessel by theSpanish torpedo boat; and when at length Milsom gave the order for theyacht's engines to be first stopped and then sent astern, they with oneaccord rose to their feet and brought their glasses to bear upon thetorpedo boat, intent upon seeing what would next happen. For althoughdarkness had by this time fallen, the night was beautifully fine andclear, and the mellow lustre of the innumerable stars shed a soft lightupon the scene that enabled the watchers, with the aid of their powerfulnight glasses, to perceive with very tolerable distinctness whatevermight happen within so short a distance as a quarter of a mile, or eventwice as far. Presently Jack spoke.

  "She has stopped, I think," he said; "at all events I can no longerdistinguish the phosphorescent wake made by her propeller; and if thatis the case we shall have no more trouble from her. Of course it wouldhave been easy enough for us to have made this pursuit impossible, byremoving her propeller when we were working at it yesterday; but thethought occurred to me that, had we done so, the removal might have beendiscovered, and in that case it is quite possible that suspicion, eventhough of a very vague and doubtful character, might have fastened uponus, with the result that at some future time, when it may be vitallyimportant for us to repeat the trick, such precautions might be taken aswould render its repetition impossible. As it is, the craft has beenunder steam for a couple of hours, during which, to all appearance,nothing was wrong with her. I do not think, therefore, that anyone isin the least likely to connect us with the mishap."

  "No," agreed Milsom, "the thing was most excellently done, Jack, itcould not possibly have been better managed; and the mishap will wearthe aspect of an ordinary accident of the sea. You have a longer headupon you than I can boast, my lad; I should never have thought as farahead as you did. But I think we are far enough away from that boat nowto allow of our resuming our voyage." And he signalled to the engine-room, first to "Stop", and then to go "Full speed ahead."

  "Port your helm, Quartermaster," he said to the helmsman, "until sheheads due north, and then give her a very small touch of starboardhelm--just enough to enable us to make a wide circle round that torpedoboat out yonder--until her head works round to south-west by west, whenyou can steady her at that. That course," he explained to hiscompanions, "ought to run us within sight of the light on Jutias aboutthree bells in the middle watch."

  "And when do you suppose we shall reach our destination, Captain?" askedDon Hermoso.

  "The Laguna de Cortes? Oh! about breakfast-time to-morrow morning, ifwe keep the boat running at full speed, and do not meet with anyinterruption on the way," answered Milsom.

  "Hillo!" exclaimed Jack; "see that rocket, Phil? It looks as though itmight have been sent up by the torpedo boat. She will be somewhere outin that direction, won't she?"

  "Ay, there or thereabout," answered Milsom, glancing into the compassbowl to get the bearing of the rocket. "That means that they've justdiscovered the loss of their propeller, and are in trouble about it."

  "I hope that the crew of the boat are in no danger," exclaimed DonHermoso anxiously. "I have no wish that they should come to harm--"

  "No need to worry yourself about that, Senor," answered Milsom. "Theweather is fine, and the boat, no doubt, sound enough. The worst thatis likely to happen to them is that they will have to stay where theyare until something comes along and tows them into Havana."

  At this moment the dinner gong sounded, and the little party retiredbelow.

  When Jack went up on deck next morning, as the ship's bell was strikingeight, he saw that the yacht was running along, with her head to theeastward, within about half a mile of some low land, dotted with trees,which stretched ahead and astern of her for several miles on their porthand, terminating at each extremity in a low headland. Inland, at adistance of about twenty-five miles, rose a long range of hills, or lowmountains, which appeared to rise to a height of something between twothousand and three thousand feet.

  "Good-morning, Jack!" cheerily exclaimed the skipper, as Singleton ranup the ladder on to the top of the deck-house. "Glorious morning, isn'tit? But it is going to be roasting hot a little later on; the sun has asting already, in spite of this piping easterly breeze."

  "Yes," agreed Jack. "And if it is hot here, what must it be ashore?But where are we now, Skipper?"

  "Pretty close to our destination, I'm thankful to say," answered Milsom."That point astern is Cape Corrientes, the point ahead is Mangle Point,four miles beyond which is Cape Frances, where we shall run in upon theBank, or shoal, which extends eastward for something like one hundredand sixty miles to the end of the Jardinillos. Those hills, inlandthere, are called the Organ Mountains; though, to my mind, the name ismuch too grandiloquent for such insignificant elevations. I hope thatpilot chap who is to take us into the lagoon will be keeping a brightlookout for us; I have just been having a squint at the chart, and Itell you, Jack, that I don't half like the idea of taking this littlebeauty in over that precious Bank, where it would be the easiest thingin the world to rip the bottom out of her on some unsuspected upstandingcoral snag. I mean to go dead slow all the while that we are on thatBank, I can tell you, although I happen to know the greater part of itas well as I know my own back garden. And it is perhaps because I knowit so well that I like it so little. Ah!"--as the yacht swung round thepoint which she had been approaching, and opened out for another aboutfour miles farther on--"there is Cape Frances; and there is the Bankshowing up plainly enough. That is it, where the colour of the waterchanges from dark blue to almost white. And now it is time for us tohoist the signal by which the pilot is to identify us. Mr Perkins,have the goodness to bend on Y and run it up to the fore truck, if youplease."

  A minute later, Don Hermoso and Carlos made their appearance on the topof the deck-house, just as Y--a rectangular flag composed of red andyellow diagonal stripes--went soaring up to the fore-mast-head.

  "Good-morning, Jack! good-morning, Captain!" said Don Hermoso. "Is thatred-and-yellow flag the prearranged signal agreed upon for ouridentification by the pilot and the people on shore?"

  "It is, Senor," answered Milsom. "There is Cape Frances, on our portbow--no doubt you recognise it--and if your pilot is keeping a properlookout, he ought to spot us immediately upon our rounding that point."

  "And no doubt he will, Captain," returned Don Hermoso. "So that is CapeFrances? No, I do not recognise it, Senor, for I have never beforepassed it at sea. And those are the Sierras de los Organos yonder, andthe Sierras del Rosario farther on to the right. I recognise them, ofcourse. And--yes, surely--just to the right of that isolated peak I cansee what must certainly be the town of Pinar del Rio! We are not farfrom home now, Carlos, and if all goes well with us to-day we ought to-night to sleep in our own casa, and see dear little Isolda once more.The child will rejoice to have us with her again."

  "Yes," said Carlos, "and I shall not only rejoice to see her again, butto know that you are once more on the spot to look after her. In herlast letter to me, received at Key West, she mentioned that DonSebastian Alvaros has been a most persistent visitor to the house eversince we left Cuba, and I have my doubts of that man. I did not mentionthe matter to you when I received the letter, as I did not wish to makeyou feel uneasy; but now that we may hope to be at home to-night I thinkit only right that you should know."

  "Ah!" remarked Don Hermoso; "I will see that Don Sebastian's visits arediscouraged henceforth. It is true that I know nothing against him--indeed, he is spoken of as a very promising officer--still, likeyourself, Carlos, I do not altogether trust him; he is not precisely adesirable acquaintance, and I will endeavour to make him understand thathe is not wanted at the hacienda."


  At this moment the _Thetis_ passed Cape Frances and opened out into theBay of Cortes.

  "There is our destination, gentlemen," said Milsom, pointing to aprojecting bluff some eight or nine miles up the coast. "That bluff isPiedras Point; and beyond it is the Laguna de Cortes--or the Pirates'Lagoon as some people call it. And here we are at the edge of the Bank;from this point onward I intend to proceed very cautiously indeed."

  So saying, he laid his hand upon the handle of the engine-room telegraphand rang down for "Half speed", calling down the voice tube a momentlater for the engines to be run dead slow. And as the yacht slowed upshe passed from the dark blue of the deep water to the pale, whitishblue of the shallow water that covers the immense coral reef knownlocally as The Bank.

  "Mr Perkins," shouted Milsom, "I must have a man as lookout at theforemast-head, if you please. You had better bend a boatswain's chairon to the gaff-topsail halyards, and send him up in that, as I shallrequire him to stay there until we are safely at anchor. And when youhave done that, rouse your cable on deck, and see everything ready forletting go. Jack, I can spare eyes for nothing but the ship just now,so oblige me, will you, by taking the glasses, and say whether you cansee anything in the shape of a boat coming toward us with a flag flying.And, between whiles, you may just look carefully along the coast to seeif you can spot a guarda-costa hovering about. We don't want to becaught napping in the act of landing this stuff."

  Jack took the glasses out of their case and swept the whole of thevisible coast, but for some time without result; there was nothing undereither sail or steam to be seen in any direction. At length, however,when the yacht had arrived within about two miles of Piedras Point, asmall pirogue under sail suddenly shot out from behind the point,heading to the southward close-hauled; she carried a sprit-mainsail anda jib, and at the top end of the sprit there fluttered a diminutivereplica of the red-and-yellow flag which was flying from the fore truckof the yacht.

  "Ah!" exclaimed Jack, as he brought his glasses to bear upon the boat;"here comes your pilot, Phil, at last, and he is flying the `all right'signal, so I suppose we may take it for granted that the coast isclear."

  "Yes, I see him," answered Milsom. "Keep her away a couple of points,Quartermaster, and give that boat a chance to fetch us. She is comingalongside. Masthead there. Keep a very bright lookout, my man, forsunken rocks; there are plenty of them to be found here if they arelooked for."

  "Ay, ay, sir!" answered the man. "We have passed a few already; but Ididn't say anything, because we weren't headin' so as to hit 'em."

  Ten minutes later the pirogue was close at hand, and Milsom rang downthe signal to "Stop". The pirogue was a very quaint-looking craft, ofabout twenty feet in length by some five feet beam, formed out of asolid log of wood which had been roughly trimmed with an axe to form thebottom portion of her, with a couple of planks above to form her topsides. Although the trade wind was blowing quite fresh, this queer-looking craft carried no ballast, properly so-called; but to prevent herfrom capsizing a couple of negroes stood on her weather gunwale, holdingon to ropes attached to her masthead, and leaning back almosthorizontally out over the water. A third negro, attired in apicturesquely dirty shirt, and trousers rolled up above his knees, andwith a most shockingly dilapidated straw hat on his head, steered thelittle craft by means of a broad-bladed paddle laid out over the leequarter. Primitive, however, as the craft was in appearance, she camethrough the water at a most astonishing rate, and presently shot upalongside under the lee of the yacht, the two negroes who acted asballast smartly recovering themselves and springing inboard as she didso. A rope's end was thrown down into her, and the picturesqueindividual who had been steering her nimbly climbed up the side of theyacht and stepped on deck, where he was met by Don Hermoso.

  "Buenos dias, Senor!" exclaimed the fellow, doffing his ragged head-covering with the flourish and grace of a grandee. "Cuba is ready!"(This was the password that was to prove the _bona fides_ of the man.)

  "And we also are ready," answered Don Hermoso. "Is the coast clear?"

  "Quite clear, Senor," answered the man, who, by the way, was a turtlefisher, inhabiting a hut on one of the small cays that stretched acrossthe entrance of the lagoon which the yacht was approaching. "A gunboathas been cruising about the bay of late, but she steamed away yesterdaymorning, after communicating with the shore, and we have seen nothing ofher since."

  "Then we had better proceed forthwith, and get our work over whilst theopportunity is favourable," remarked Don Hermoso. "What is your name,by the by?"

  "Pedro, Senor--Pedro Velasquez," answered the man.

  "Good!" said Don Hermoso. "Follow me up to the bridge, Pedro.

  "This is our pilot, Captain," he continued, introducing the negro toMilsom, who looked at him quizzically and responded to his bow bysomewhat curtly bidding him "Good-morning!"

  "He says that the coast is clear, so we may as well proceed forthwith.How do we steer, Pedro?"

  "Keep an offing of a mile, to allow of room for turning, and to get astraight run in. For the present we may head for that white building onthe hillside yonder," answered Pedro.

  This being clear to Milsom, the latter touched the telegraph, and theyacht proceeded, with the pirogue astern in tow. Presently three smallcays detached themselves from the mainland, revealing a fine spaciousexpanse of land-locked water behind them; and when, a little later, the_Thetis_ had brought the largest cay fair abeam, the pilot waved hishand, the helm was put hard a-starboard, and the vessel's bows werepointed straight for the channel between the northernmost cay and themainland.

  "We must enter the channel very slowly, Senor," cautioned Pedro, "forthe navigation of it is rather awkward, and I doubt whether a vessel ofthis size has ever before been taken into the lagoon."

  With her engines going dead slow, and occasionally stopping altogetherto deaden her way, the yacht crept cautiously along until, having passedthe critical danger-spot, she slid into the lagoon, which was now seento be a sheet of water some four miles long by about two miles broad,trending due north and south, with a creek in its north-west corner,toward which the bows of the vessel were turned, the speed beingquickened up to about eight knots. Ten minutes later the pilot gave theword to be ready to anchor; the engines were stopped and then sentastern, and a minute afterwards, the yacht having been brought to astandstill, the anchor was let go, and the voyagers found themselvesriding in a fine, snug harbour, absolutely safe in all weathers, andperfectly screened from the view of anything and everything that mightchance to pass outside.

  No sooner was the anchor down than the creek abreast which the yacht wasmoored began to swarm with boats of all shapes and sizes, which camehurrying out to receive and transfer to the shore the cases of arms,ammunition, dynamite, lead, and supplies of all kinds which lay snuglystowed away beneath the floors of the ship's saloons; while the entirestrength of the yacht's crew was employed upon the task of breaking outthe packages and conveying them on deck. The boats' crews were allcoloured men, and mostly negroes; but in the leading boat there came amulatto bearing a letter from Rabi, the then leader of the insurgents,to Don Hermoso, authorising the bearer, one Jose Seguin, to receive thecontraband, which was now passed down into the boats with all possiblespeed, as a rumour had reached the place that a strong body of Spanishtroops was in the neighbourhood, and might make its appearance at anymoment. It did not turn up, however, and by two o'clock in theafternoon every scrap of incriminating material was out of the yacht andon its way to the headquarters of the insurgents, somewhere up in theOrgan Mountains. Every scrap, that is to say, except the four 12-poundquick-firers and the two Maxims, with their store of ammunition, whichconstituted the armament of the yacht. These weapons had not thus farbeen mounted, it having been deemed inadvisable to make so unusual adisplay as that of an armed yacht in the harbour of Key West, lest undueattention should be attracted to the vessel, and inconvenient questionsasked. But now, by Milsom's advice, they got the weapons up and mo
untedthem, so that, in the event of the vessel being searched by the Spanishauthorities, there should be nothing in the nature of concealed weaponson board to afford an excuse for the making of trouble. Thus, by theend of the afternoon watch the yacht was again spruce and clean as a newpin, and made a very brave show with her brand-new, silver-bright gunsgrinning threateningly out over the rail, and the two Maxims all readyfor action on the top of the deck-house. Her appearance said, asplainly as words: "Touch me who dares!" yet her armament was notboisterously aggressive, considering that her presumptive owner had setout from England with no very settled programme, but the possibilitythat ere he returned he might be moved to visit spots where, despite therapid spread of civilisation, might is still right.

  The hurry and confusion incidental to the landing of the yacht's cargoof contraband had been so great that any such orderly meal as the usualluncheon had been out of the question, and everybody had eaten and drunkas they worked, snatching a mouthful or a gulp when they could; thelittle saloon party were consequently now gathered on the top of thedeck-house, getting an early afternoon tea, while the anchor was beinghove up by means of the steam windlass, prior to the vessel proceedingto sea again. Don Hermoso had been congratulating himself and everybodyelse upon the ease and complete success with which the yacht's primarymission had been accomplished, and had also expressed himself verynicely as to the magnitude of his obligation to Jack and Milsom for theinvaluable assistance which they had rendered, without which, the Dondeclared, the adventure could never have been brought to a successfulissue. "And now, my dear Jack," he continued, "I have two furtherfavours to ask you. The first is that you will have the goodness toland Carlos and myself as soon as may be at Calonna--which is abouttwenty-two miles to the eastward of this--in order that we may take thetrain thence to Pinar del Rio, in time, perhaps, to reach home to-night;and the second is, that you will favour us with your company for as longa time as you may be disposed to stay. Then, having landed us, CaptainMilsom can take the yacht round to Havana, when, if the island proves tobe sufficiently quiet to allow of the vessel being left in Perkins'scharge, we shall feel happy if he also"--with a bow to Milsom--"willhonour our poor house with his presence for a time, until, indeed, theyacht is again required for service."

  Jack accepted the invitation promptly and unhesitatingly: Carlos and hewere old chums, and indeed almost like brothers; while as for DonHermoso, Jack had seen enough of him during the voyage out to havecontracted for him a feeling of the highest regard and esteem. He knewthat the invitation was as earnest and cordial as words could make it;and the conversations that had been engaged in from time to time onboard the yacht had caused him to become profoundly interested in Cuba,and filled him with an intense desire to see the island, and, ifpossible, be an eye-witness of its struggle for liberty. Milsom, on theother hand, while perhaps as keen as Jack to see all that there was tobe seen, was, above and before all things else, a sailor; his acceptanceof Don Hermoso's invitation, therefore, was qualified by sundryconditions, every one of which had reference to the question of thesafety of the yacht.

  By the time that the conversation had reached this point the anchor wasa-trip, and Milsom went to the engine-room telegraph, while thequartermaster climbed up to the bridge and stationed himself at thewheel. Velasquez was no longer on board, Milsom having informed himthat he could now dispense with his services--for it was one ofLieutenant Philip Milsom's characteristics that when he had oncewitnessed the navigation of any particular passage he could at any timethereafter perform the same feat of navigation himself; he therefore nowtook sole charge of the yacht and skilfully navigated her out of thelagoon and into the open sea, setting the course for Calonna, afterwhich he again calmly seated himself at the table and asked for anothercup of tea.

  The yacht, running at about eleven knots, had accomplished a little morethan half the distance between the lagoon and Calonna when smoke wasseen ahead, and a few minutes later a steamer was made out coming towardthem. There was nothing alarming in this, of course, for small coastingsteamers are constantly plying between the various ports along the coastof Cuba: but it was not long ere it became apparent, from the rig of theapproaching craft--which was that of a three-masted schooner--that shewas a Government vessel, probably a gunboat; and Milsom made no secretof his relief at the fact that everything of a compromising nature hadbeen safely got out of the _Thetis_. Any doubt that might have existedas to the character of the stranger was soon dispelled; for when shearrived within about a mile of the _Thetis_ she hoisted the Spanishnaval ensign at her mizen peak and, slowing down, rounded-to athwart theyacht's course, at the same time hoisting the international signal,"Heave-to; I am sending a boat!"

  "What is the proper thing to do, Phil?" demanded Jack, when Milsom readout the interpretation of the signal. "He has no right to stop us, hashe?"

  "Certainly not," answered Milsom. "If he suspects us of an intention tosmuggle he may follow and watch us, of course; but to stop us in thishigh-handed fashion is coming it rather too strong. He knows that weare an English yacht, for there are our ensign and burgee to bearwitness to the fact. Nevertheless, since we have happily got rid ofeverything of a compromising nature, we may as well heave-to and allowhim to board us, when you, Jack, in your character as owner, may make asmuch fuss as you please--the more the better--and threaten to reporthim, also to complain to your Government of the insult and outrage towhich he has subjected you. In short, `bluff' him for all that you'reworth."

  "All right!" said Jack, "I will. When--"

  His further remarks were cut short by the flash of a gun and a jet ofsmoke spouting from the bows of the gunboat; and the next instant atwenty-four-pound round shot came ricochetting toward the yacht, missingher by only about a dozen yards!

  "Confound the fellow's impudence!" exclaimed Milsom, as he dashed at thebridge telegraph and signalled to stop the engines. "It would rightlyserve him if we were to return his fire. But perhaps the wisest planand the most dignified will be to stop and let him come aboard. Butgive it him hot for firing upon the British flag. Make him sit up! Ionly wish that I could jabber Spanish as fluently as you do; I'd scarehim out of his skin!"

  As the yacht, with the way that she had on her, gradually drifted downtoward the gunboat, it was seen that the latter was preparing to lower aboat; and presently a gig, manned by six oarsmen and a coxswain, washauled up to her gangway, down the ladder of which an officer inlieutenant's uniform presently descended, stepping into the boat, whichthen pushed off and headed toward the _Thetis_. Meanwhile, Milsomhaving said a few hasty words to Perkins, the yacht's gangway had beenthrown open and her accommodation ladder lowered, and when presently theSpanish boat dashed alongside and hooked on, Jack and Milsom werestanding just inside the gangway, waiting to receive the officer. Hewas a rather good-looking man, somewhere about thirty years of age, andas he sprang up the ladder and in on deck he touched the peak of hisuniform cap by way of salute: and Milsom saw his eyebrows go up as hiseyes fell upon the two quick-firers that graced the yacht's after deck.

  "Good afternoon, gentlemen!" he said, in almost perfect English; "whatship is this?"

  "Leave him to me, Jack," whispered Milsom, upon discovering the welcomefact that he could make himself understood; and without waiting forJack's consent he stepped forward and answered:

  "This is the English yacht _Thetis_, of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, asyou may see by looking at that ensign. And what ship is that, sir; andwhat does the captain of her mean by firing upon us?"

  "That ship, Senor, is His Spanish Majesty's gunboat _Tiburon_, sent outespecially to look for your vessel," answered the officer. "MyGovernment has received positive intelligence from a reliable sourcethat you have on board a large consignment of arms and ammunitiondestined for the use of the Cuban insurgents; and our instructions areto seize your vessel and take her into Havana. We fired upon youbecause you were somewhat slow in obeying our summons to stop."

  "Oh!" said Milsom, "so that is h
ow matters stand, is it? And do yousuppose, sir, that Great Britain will allow her flag to be fired onwithout having something to say about it?"

  "Great Britain will scarcely be willing to protect a vessel which, underthe shelter of her flag, is engaged in succouring those who arerebelling against the rule of a friendly nation!" remarked the officer."And, in any case, we are prepared to take the consequences of our acts.We know this so-called yacht to be a smuggler of contraband of war, andwe intend to seize her."

  "What if I were to tell you that we have not an ounce of contraband ofwar on board?" enquired Milsom.

  "My captain would simply not believe you, Senor," answered the Spaniard."You will therefore be pleased to regard this vessel as a prize, andyourselves as prisoners!" and he stepped quickly to the gangway andcalled to the armed crew of the boat to come out of her. As he did so,Milsom put a whistle to his lips and blew a short, shrill blast. Thereinstantly followed a rush of bare feet along the deck; and as theSpaniards passed in through the yacht's gangway they found themselvesconfronted with some thirty stalwart British seamen, with drawncutlasses in their hands and revolvers in their belts.

  "Caramba! What does this mean, Senor?" demanded the Spanish lieutenant,starting back in dismay at this unexpected _denouement_.

  "It means just this, Senor Teniente," answered Milsom; "we don't intendto stand any nonsense of any description. You go back to your ship andtell your captain that, since somebody seems to have sent him out on afool's errand, my owner here, Senor Don John Singleton, will--purely asan act of courtesy, mind you--permit him, or you, to search this shipfrom stem to stern and from keel to truck, in order that you maythoroughly satisfy yourselves that we have no contraband, whether of waror otherwise, on board. But there will be no seizure of this ship;understand that! Such an act would be an outrage to our flag; and, asyou may see, we are both ready and willing to resist it! Also, you willplease tell your captain that we demand an ample apology for his high-handed behaviour in daring to fire upon us."

  "Carrajo! Senor, those are very big words; and you ought to beperfectly certain of yourself before you use them. They are offensive,sir; and a Spanish officer allows no one to use such words to him withimpunity!" exclaimed the Spaniard.

  "Sir," retorted Milsom, "the behaviour of your captain in firing uponthis yacht was offensive; and he will find that he cannot treatEnglishmen in that fashion with impunity. There is a right and a wrongway of doing these things, and your captain has chosen the wrong way; hewill therefore be made to suffer for it."

  "We shall see, Senor Englishman; we shall see," returned the Spaniard."Then, am I to understand that you refuse to surrender your ship?"

  "Yes, sir," answered Milsom; "that is precisely what I wish you tounderstand. And I wish you to understand, further, that if you dare toattempt force, I will treat you as a pirate, and sink you, despite yourflag. You see that I have the means and the power to carry out mythreat--" waving his hand first towards the guns and then towards hismen.

  "Very well, Senor," answered the Spaniard, livid with rage at being thushectored before his own men, "I will tell my captain what you say; andit will be for him to decide how he will deal with you. If it restedwith me, I would blow your ship out of the water. And I shall rememberyour face, Senor; and it may be that some day we shall meet on shore."

  "I expect to be in Havana to-morrow, or next day, Senor Teniente, and itwill afford me the greatest pleasure to meet you there," answeredMilsom. "Good afternoon, and don't forget to tell your captain that ifhe chooses to come on board in a friendly way, my owner here will bevery pleased to see him, and to show him all over the ship. He can lookinto every nook and cranny of her if it will afford him any satisfactionto do so."

  The Spanish lieutenant bowed without speaking, signed to his men to goback into their boat, and followed them down the side. Five minuteslater Jack and Milsom saw him gesticulating violently on the gunboat'squarter-deck as he related to the commander of the craft his version ofthe recent interview.