inutes, broken only by the rustle of paper;
then, with an oath, the man called Carlos dashed the packet down,
saying, in a voice hoarse with excitement and rage: "_Carramba_, Lopes
you are a fool! you have made a mistake somewhere. This is not the man
at all! I suspected as much when I saw that it was only a boy that you
had captured. These papers are simply a notification from the admiral
of the Chilians that the condensation of water is to cease! While we
have been wasting time here the other fellow will have come ashore and
returned again, with the papers still in his possession! Oh! Lopes,
you are a mule, _cabeza de porco_! All our trouble has been in vain."

"Softly, softly, my friend," replied Manuel. "Even if we have, as you
say, secured the wrong messenger, all our trouble will _not_ have been
useless. You may have observed, _caro mio_, that this is a flag-
officer, and he will be certain to have knowledge of a great many of
Rebolledo Williams's plans. Very well; when he recovers we will take
measures to induce him--ha! ha!--to tell us all he knows. After the
attention of an hour or so which we will give him, and with the
assistance of certain little instruments which we possess, we will get
out of him all the information he has. It is wonderful," he went on
musingly, "how communicative a man will become--under certain
circumstances."

The man Carlos looked at his fellow-scoundrel for a few moments, and
then broke out into a hoarse chuckle.

"All right, _querido_; I understand," he laughed. "We will remove him,
however, for the present, to less comfortable quarters, as he seems to
be on the point of recovery. Lift up his feet, _mi amigo_, while I take
his arms as before." Suiting the action to the word, the two men seized
Jim's body and carried it away down another passage, until they came to
a flight of stone stairs, down which they went into the very bowels of
the earth, as it seemed. Presently they encountered a massive stone
door which, on being opened, disclosed a damp and unspeakably filthy
cell. Into this they tossed the unfortunate officer, and, without
caring, apparently, whether they broke every bone in his body or not,
kicked him unmercifully into the centre of the dungeon, and then turned
and left him.

Although the two scoundrels had been under the impression that Jim
Douglas was on the point of recovery from unconsciousness when they thus
callously tossed him into the cell, the