, the duke assured me that they
would be at once made good."

"If you will call tomorrow morning, sir," the governor said, "I
will have some of the officials, in whose charge these matters
are, placed at your disposal; but I am convinced that you will
find that my reports on the stores and ammunition in hand are
fully borne out."

"The governor is, as I expected, a good deal put out, Mike,"
Desmond said as he rejoined his follower, who was waiting outside
with the horses. "Now, let us find out the best hotel."

"Didn't he ask you to stay with him, your honour?" Mike asked in
surprise.

"No. He is much too grand a man for that, and besides, he may have
his wife and children with him; and however much a Spaniard may
place his house and all within it at your service, it is very
seldom that he invites a stranger to enter it. Moreover, glad as
they may be to have French help in fighting their battles, they
look with suspicion and dislike upon an individual Frenchman.

"Besides, I fancy I shall find that these stores and magazines by
no means tally with the report sent in by the governor. I heard
the Duke of Berwick one day speaking about it, and he said there
was corruption and dishonesty among their officials, from the
highest to the lowest. It is probable that both the king and the
Duke of Orleans have the same opinion, and that it was for this
reason that they sent me here, in order to assure them that the
fortress is as well supplied as has been stated. With the other
papers, I have received a copy of the governor's report, although
I did not think it necessary to tell him so."

The next morning, on going to the governor's, Desmond found a
number of officials assembled there.

"These are the officers in charge of the stores and magazines,"
the governor said. "Colonel Mendez will accompany you, and will
see that everything is done to facilitate your examination."

The governor bowed formally. Desmond returned his salute, and then
went down with the Spanish colonel, the other officials following.
He saw that there was an expression of malicious pleasure in the
colonel's face, and guessed that he was, by no means, sorry at the
investigation that was to take place.

"I think, sir," Desmond said, "that it will not be necessary for
us to have all these officials going round with us. It will be
impossible, in one day, to do more than examine one department. As
ammunition is the most important of all stores, I would