e."

"Your Excellency, we humbly press you for an answer," persisted
Agramonte.

"Gentlemen--and you have indeed proven yourselves generous and gentle
soldiers--I appreciate what you say. Your words touch me profoundly. I
know how you feel, but Alvarado is right. I swear to you that I would
rather let my line perish than keep it in existence by such means.
Rather anything than that my daughter should marry--forgive me, lad--the
bastard son of a pirate and buccaneer, a wicked monster, like that man!"

"Sir," exclaimed a thin, faint old voice from the outskirts of the room,
"no base blood runs in the veins of that young man. You are all
mistaken."

"Death and fury!" shouted Morgan, who was nearer to him, "it is the
priest! Art alive? Scuttle me, I struck you down--I do not usually need
to give a second blow."

"Who is this?" asked de Lara. "Back, gentlemen, and give him access to
our person."

The excited men made way for a tall, pale, gaunt figure of a man clad in
the habit of a Dominican. As he crossed his thin hands on his breast and
bowed low before the Viceroy, the men marked a deeply scarred wound upon
his shaven crown, a wound recently made, for it was still raw and open.
The man tottered as he stood there.

"'Tis the priest!" exclaimed Hornigold, who had been a silent and
disappointed spectator of the scene at last. "He lives then?"

"The good father!" said Mercedes, stepping from her father's side and
scanning the man eagerly. "He faints! A chair for him, gentlemen, and
wine!"

"Now, sir," said the Viceroy as the priest seated himself on a stool
which willing hands had placed for him, after he had partaken of a
generous draught of wine, which greatly refreshed him, "your name?"

"Fra Antonio de Las Casas, your Excellency, a Dominican, from Peru,
bound for Spain on the plate galleon, the _Almirante Recalde_, captured
by that man. I was stricken down by his blow as I administered
absolution to the mother of the young captain. I recovered and crawled
into the woods for concealment, and when I saw your soldiers, your
Excellency, I followed, but slowly, for I am an old man and sore
wounded."

"Would that my blow had bit deeper, thou false priest!" roared Morgan in
furious rage.

"Be still!" commanded the old Viceroy sternly. "Speak but another word
until I give you leave and I'll have you gagged! You said strange words,
Holy Father, when you came into the hall."

"I did, my lord."

"You heard----"