. Malaga,
with its brown cathedral; Almeria and its ancient castle and bright
blue-painted houses glowing against the brown and barren hills; Aguilas,
with its islets; Cartagena, Gandia, Alicante of the palms; Valencia--and
under the trees and on the quays, the boatmen and the captains and the
resplendent officials whom he had known! They took shape before him and
assumed their names. He dived amongst them for one Jose Medina.

"Yes," he replied at last, "there was a Jose Medina. He was a young
peasant of Mallorca. He always said jo for yo."

Graham's eyes brightened and his lips twitched to a smile. He glanced
aside to his bureau, whereon lay a letter written by Paul Bendish at
Oxford.

"He probably has a larger acquaintance with the queer birds of the
Mediterranean ports than any one else in England. But he does not seem
to be aware of it. But if you persist in sitting quiet his knowledge
will trickle out."

Commodore Graham persisted, and facts concerning Jose Medina began to
trickle out. Jose's father had left him, the result of a Spanish
peasant's thrift, a couple of thousand pesetas. With this Jose Medina
had gone to Gibraltar, where he bought a felucca, with a native of
Gibraltar as its nominal owner; so that Jose Medina might fly the flag
of Britain and sleep more surely for its protection. At Gibraltar, with
what was left of his two thousand pesetas and the credit which his
manner gained him, he secured a cargo of tobacco.

"Gibraltar's a free port, you see," said Hillyard. "Jose ran the cargo
along the coast to Benicassim, a little watering-place with a good beach
about thirty kilometres east of Valencia. He ran the felucca ashore one
dark night." Suddenly he stopped and smiled to himself. "I expect Jose
Medina's in prison now."

"On the contrary," said Graham, "he's a millionaire."

Hillyard stared. Then he laughed.

"Well, those were the two alternatives for Jose Medina. But I am judging
by one night's experience. I never saw him again."

Commodore Graham touched with his heel a bell by the leg of his bureau.
The bell did not ring, but displaced a tiny shutter in front of the desk
of his secretary in the ante-room; and Hillyard had hardly ended when
the girl was in the room and announced:

"Admiral Carstairs."

Commodore Graham looked annoyed.

"What a nuisance! I am afraid that I must see him, Mr. Hillyard."

"Of course," said Hillyard. "Admirals are admirals."

"And they know it!" said Co