ho chanced to be about at the time. After a while, however,
they found a deep crack between the cell wall and the floor, partly
concealed by slime and dirt; and into this crack they pushed the
remnants of the cryptogram, and then hid the small aperture again by
covering it with more dirt scraped from the cell floor. Thus hidden it
was exceedingly unlikely that anybody would ever find the pieces unless
the exact spot was pointed out to him.

The two lads then turned with much lightened hearts to their meal. It
was placed upon the stone table, and they began to share it between
them. There was a bunch of bananas this time, a delicacy they had
received but once before. Roger took them up to count and divide the
fruit, when he exclaimed: "Why, whatever is this?"

"What?" asked Harry.

"Look at this," rejoined Roger, holding something in his fingers. It
was a piece of paper which had been skilfully hidden in the fruit, and
on it a few lines of writing were to be seen.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

HELP FROM AN UNEXPECTED QUARTER--PLANS MADE FOR ESCAPE.

With wildly beating hearts, and with no further thoughts for their food,
which was tumbled unceremoniously on to the floor, the lads tore open
the folded paper, and eagerly scanned its contents. It ran as
follows:--

"To the two Englishmen at present imprisoned in the Inquisition at
Vera Cruz. It is known all through the city here that the man
Alvarez, who calls himself governor of the town and viceroy of the
province, intends to have you both burnt alive at an auto-da-fe in the
plaza five days from now. It was intended that you should be
exhibited and tortured in public here, and sent back to La Guayra for
final execution; but the news has come that your countryman,
Cavendish, has captured a plate fleet of nineteen ships near Acapulco,
and the populace demand that you should both be sacrificed in revenge,
to which Alvarez has consented. Unless you can escape before the
expiry of the five days you are doomed. There is one chance for you,
if you can take it, and I am here to assist you. You can trust me
implicitly. I am an English sailor who was made to renounce my
religion through torture, and I am now in service here; but I have not
forgotten my country. To escape, you must contrive to lower a thin
cord from the window, the thinner the better, so that I can
communicate with and send small articles to you. Leave this cord