ur pistol-shots in rapid succession, after which
I don't know what happened for a time. I must have lost my senses or
fainted."

"And then?"

"When I came to myself again," continued the Spanish captain, as we all
listened breathlessly to his narrative, "it was near morning and the
light of the coming dawn beginning to show in the eastern sky; so,
hearing a lot of talking and quarrelling going on, I looked towards the
forecastle, whence the sound seemed to proceed."

"Well," said Captain Farmer, who was as interested apparently as I was,
"what did you see?"

"I saw a lot of the crew sitting round a tub of brandy, some of which we
had shipped along with the wine as part of our cargo, although it had
escaped their observation at first, being stowed low down, under the
casks of the sherry. However, they had discovered it now, and had
evidently been having an orgie, all of them being more than half drunk.
They were swearing and fighting, playing cards by the dim light of one
of the ship's lanterns, which was stuck up on the deck beside them. I
noticed, too, that a heap of gold was piled up on top of an empty brandy
tub, standing to the right of the man dealing the cards, which showed
that they had managed to break open the treasure chest containing the
government specie; and, I was in an agony of apprehension about my
brother's fate, not to speak of his wife and child, when, with a wild
shout, one of the villains threw down his cards and clutched at the pile
of gold, scrambling up on his feet at the same time and making for the
side of the ship where I was lashed against the bulwarks. It was that
scoundrel Gomez."

"The mate, eh?"

"Yes, Senor Capitano. He had a revolver, I saw, in his hand, which he
must have got from the cabin after murdering my brother. This thought
flashed through my mind instantly, and as it did so, the wretch advanced
nearer to the break of the forecastle and fired at me, calling out at
the same time, `Carramba, I've settled your dog of a brother and now I
am going to finish you off!' The good God, however, defeated his
purpose, for the bullet did not penetrate my brain as he intended. No,
strange to say, it shot away the knot of the rope's-end that was passed
across my mouth to gag me, relieving me at once from considerable pain."

"Did he not fire again?"

"No," replied the Spaniard, his countenance lighting up with a sort of
ferocious joy that made me think for the moment he had g