of her
sons. We buried our gold, felled trees, and began to build canoes.
But the side of the creek at night was a death-trap. Heavy foetid
mists wreathed up from the waters, poisoning the air; noxious insects
hummed about our couches, and loathly reptiles crawled out of the mud
and chilled our hearts with their horrible croakings. One by one we
sickened; in ones, twos, threes we died. Then the cunning Dons came in
force. They were five to our one, and we trembling with fever. We
fought as well as we could. Many fell fighting; others, too weak to
stand to deliver a stout blow, were taken as prisoners: we three were
amongst these. Our captors cured us of the fever, then handed us over
to the priests at Vera Cruz. A year we spent in prison. We have been
on the rack; the thumbscrews bereft us of thumbs, for they crushed them
so badly that we were fain to have them off, fearing the arm might
mortify. The villains cropped us of one ear, so that they might track
us if we chanced to escape. By the mercy of God we did escape, and,
despite the mark set upon us, avoided recapture and found our way back
to Plymouth. What perils we passed through in swamp and forest, by
river and sea, ere we found an English ship I cannot now set forth.
Let it suffice that we are here, alive and eager for further
opportunities on the isthmus."

"How do you propose to get there?" asked Jeffreys.

"We would see thy master, Sir Walter, and get him to fit a ship. There
is gold enough buried by the creek banks to repay him or any other man."

Jeffreys shook his head. "Sir Walter's eyes are turned farther south.
He would find 'El Dorado.'"

Chapter XX.

ROB DINES AT "YE SWANNE."

Morgan had a host of questions to ask Paignton Rob, and he wont back to
"Ye Swanne" in Wood Street, off Chepe, his head buzzing with many
ideas. So occupied was he with his own thoughts that he replied but
absently to Captain Dawe's remarks; and he quite forgot to offer Dolly
any compliments over her pastries. The young lady was naturally
indignant with a burly trencherman who devoured a round dozen of
assorted confections that were put on his platter without discovering
that they possessed any flavour whatsoever.

"La! Master Morgan!" she cried. "If I did not know that such a thing
was impossible with such as thou art, I should declare thou hadst
fallen in love."

The tone was sharp, and a trifle spiteful, so Johnnie's wits gathered
themselv