"if
his Royal Highness is good enough to promise you the money, surely that
should be sufficient. Remember with whom you are dealing."

"I shall be past rememberin' anything, d'rectly," the other replied. "I
don't mean to offend, but wot I wants is to make sure of the blunt.
Prince, or no Prince, I don't part with no information till I have seen
that for myself. You wouldn't either if you was me."

Fortunately, I had brought my cheque-book with me, thinking
circumstances might arise in which I might stand in need of it.

"Never mind," I said to the surgeon, "we won't dispute the matter. If
you can let me have a pen and ink, I will draw a cheque in favour of his
wife for the amount in question. Should his information prove to be
worth it, she can keep the money; if not, well, in that case, the cheque
can be destroyed."

The draft was soon completed, and we returned with it to the bedside.
The dying man took the cheque in his hand and examined it carefully.

"I 'ate these 'ere bits of paper," he said. "But I reckon it's all
right. Anyways, I'm willing to chance it. Now, sir, leastways, your
Royal Highness, if you're ready, I'll tell yer all I knows. You mustn't
mind if I'm a bit slow. Talking ain't as easy as it used to be."

He paused once more while the doctor glanced anxiously at him. Then he
nodded his head, and the man commenced.

"It was this way, yer see, twelve months ago, come March, I shipped from
Cardiff A.B. aboard the _Brazilian Monarch_ steamer, owned by Guthrie,
Blake & Williamson, bound for Rio, and consigned to Montezma & Co.,
merchants, of that city. As soon as we got in we anchored in the
harbour, and the Spaniard's managin' clerk came aboard as usual to see
the skipper. Now I make bold to say that the managin' clerk I saw that
day was your Royal 'Ighness's own brother."

My heart sank. It did not look as if the information he was able to give
me were likely to have any greater value than that we had received from
other people.

"What reason have you for supposing that the individual in question was
my brother?" I inquired. "Had you ever seen the Crown Prince?"

"Never, not as I knows on," the man replied. "But if you don't flummux
me by asking questions, I'll do my best to tell yer all about it, and
yer'll see as I'm not very far out in my reckonin'. Maybe it will be the
last yarn I shall spin, so I must make the most of it. How do I know it
was the Crown Prince? Well, I'll tell ye. You see,