he Armada," said Vince.

"Spannles! Did they come?"

"To be sure they did, and got wrecked and beaten and sunk, and all
sorts."

"Sarve 'em right for being such fools as to come without a man aboard as
knowed the rocks and currents and tides. Dessay I could ha' showed 'em;
on'y there's nowhere for 'em to harbour."

"You'd better not try, if ever they want to come again," cried Vince,
with animation. "Father says you are a Spaniard."

"Me?" cried the man, starting. "Not me. I'm English, flesh and bone."

"No: father says Spanish."

"Your father knows something about salts and senny," growled the old
fellow, "but I know more about Joe Daygo o' the Crag than any man going.
English right down to my boots."

"No: Spanish descent, father says," persisted Vince. "He says he goes
by your face and your name."

"What does he mean?" said the man fiercely. "Good a face as his'n!"

"And principally by your nose. He says it's a regular Spanish one."

"He don't know what he's talking about," growled the old man, rubbing
the feature in question. "How can it be Spanish when all the rest of
me's English?"

"It's the shape," continued Vince; while Mike lay on his back, listened,
and stared up at the grey gulls which went sailing round between him and
the vividly blue sky. "He says there isn't another nose in the island a
bit like it."

"Tell him he'd better leave my nose alone. But he is right there: there
arn't a nose like it--they're all round or stunted, or turn t'other way
up."

"Then he says your name Daygo's only a corruption of Diego, which is
Spanish for James."

"Yah! It's Daygo--Joe Daygo--and not James at all. He's thinking about
Jemmy Carnach."

"And he says he feels sure your people came over with the Spanish
Armada, and you're descended from some sailor, named Diego, who was
wrecked."

"You tell your father to mix his physic," grumbled the man
sourly.--"Here, are you two going to stop here talking all day?"

"No," cried Mike, springing up, his example being followed by Vince, who
was riding on the breech of the other gun.

"Then come on," growled the man, who made off now at a tremendous rate.
Away over furze, and up and down over sunny slopes, where the
fallow-chats rose, showing their white tail coverts; in and out among
bare patches of granite, which rose above the great clumps of gorse; and
still on, till all before them was sea. Then he began to rapidly
descend a gully, where ever