prang to their feet, and for a few
minutes the cabin was vociferous with their protests. Saint Leger stood
listening with perfect calmness to the storm as it raged around him, and
his absolute imperturbability seemed at length to have a tranquillising
effect upon his unwilling guests, for, finally, realising that what they
said produced not the slightest visible effect upon him, they resumed
their seats one after another, and eventually peace was restored, the
party waiting eagerly to hear what reply might be forthcoming. Then
George once more spoke.

"I think, senors," he said, "that you are alarming yourselves quite
unnecessarily--unless indeed you feel that you are unable to rely upon
the good faith of your fellow-countrymen. For your safety depends
entirely upon that. So long as they can be content to deal
straightforwardly with me, no harm shall happen to you; it is only in
the event of treachery that you will have anything to fear, and surely
you can trust to your friend the alcalde to take all the steps needful
to prevent anything of that kind."

"I will do my very utmost in that direction," interposed the alcalde.
"It is only the injudicious activity of the soldiery that we really need
fear; and I think it will be well, Senor Capitano, for you to permit my
colleagues here to prepare a joint letter setting forth the fact of
their detention by you as hostages for the good behaviour of all, and
the unhappy consequences which must result to them from ill-advised
action on the part of any one; so that I may have documentary evidence
to exhibit in confirmation of my own statement, if I find such
confirmation needful. As to your demands, senor, it will, of course, be
impossible for me to concede any of them upon my own unsupported
authority; in the absence of his Excellency, the Viceroy, and in view of
your refusal to afford time for communication with him, I must discuss
the situation with such of the authorities as are immediately
accessible, and abide by their decision, whatever it may be. There is
one matter, however, to which I may as well refer at once, since it will
have to be dealt with sooner or later, and that is, the release of the
prisoners taken upon the occasion of the ill-advised attack upon your
countrymen last year. I approach the subject with the utmost
reluctance, for I fear that what I have to say will be very ill received
by you. I must say it, however; and it is this: it will be quite
im