as a Yankee spy. His despatch is a forgery and utterly false, since
the American army is not to land at Cienfuegos, but at Santiago."

Just here Ridge obtained his first view of the speaker's face, and was
overwhelmed with dismay to recognize in it the features of the man who
had ridden with him all that day under the guise of a Cuban patriot.
It was that of Enrico del Concha.

CHAPTER XIII

TO BE SHOT AT SUNRISE

Never in his life had our hero experienced a feeling of such utter
helplessness as he did upon recognizing del Concha. The treachery
unfolded by the man's words was beyond his comprehension, and he knew
not how to combat it. For a moment he stared speechless at the
traitor, then he turned to the General, who was gazing at him with
stern inquiry.

"Your Excellency," said Ridge, "the man who thus seeks to gain your
favor, and, as I suppose, a reward, by denouncing me, is doubly a
traitor. He kills Spaniards at every opportunity, and now seeks my
life at your hands because he knows that I am one. It is true that I
was captured by him and his band of Cuban ruffians. To save my life, I
told him the story that he now brings to you. After thus allaying his
suspicions, I seized a favorable opportunity to escape. By the
superior swiftness of my horse I finally reached this place in safety,
though pursued by him to your very lines and hotly fired upon, as can
be proved by many witnesses. Now, therefore, I, Jose Remelios, bearer
of despatches from the Senor Carranza, denounce this man as a doubly
dyed traitor, and demand that he be arrested on a charge of being a
Cuban spy."

"Have you ever seen him kill a Spaniard?" asked General Pando.

Ridge was obliged to admit that he had not.

"Then how do you know that he has done so?"

"From his own boastful confession. He claims to have taken the life of
a Spanish soldier for every day of the last year."

The General smiled. "That is certainly a very boastful claim," he
said, "but one not to be believed for a moment. Think you, sir, that
such a number of Spaniards could be killed without my knowledge? or
that, in any case, one man could thus overcome the brave, experienced,
and well-armed soldiers of Spain? Your credulity, senor, is
refreshing. Also I have no hesitation in telling you that ever since I
took command of the eastern diocese, this man, recommended to me by my
predecessor in office, has been the most faithful and valuable of my
secret