t for us to come to some amicable arrangement by which
you may be induced to quit Nombre without the resort to measures on
either side which could only result in unnecessary and much to be
deplored bloodshed."

"Senor," answered George, with a deep bow--he was rapidly becoming as
punctiliously courteous of manner as the Spaniards themselves--"I am
charmed and delighted to find you so readily prepared to adopt a
reasonable and friendly attitude in the face of existing circumstances.
I accept unreservedly your statement as to the emptiness of your
treasure-house, and will certainly not put you to the injurious
necessity of proving it by conducting me thither to satisfy myself upon
the point; and I do this the more readily since my visit to Nombre has
no reference whatever to what you are pleased to term pillage. No; my
object in coming hither was of a quite different kind; and if I have
taken possession of Nombre it is merely in order that I might enjoy the
advantage of being in a position to drive a bargain with the authorities
of the town, should I unhappily find them less amenable to reason than
your Excellency seems disposed to be."

This was excellent, very much better than Don Sebastian had dared to
hope; these English were not bent upon plunder, it would appear; and,
that being the case, he cared very little what else their object might
be; it would be strange indeed if he, a master of the art of diplomacy,
could not get rid of them without a fight, and so not only avoid a
severe reprimand from the Viceroy, but also perhaps earn his hearty
commendation. Don Sebastian's spirits rose; the imbroglio was but a
petty thing after all; and in imagination he already pictured not only
the peaceful but the friendly departure of the English, and himself
receiving the compliments of the Viceroy upon the tactfulness of his,
Don Sebastian's, management of the affair, which might easily be
represented as being infinitely more serious than it really was.
Therefore he bowed to George more deeply and smiled at him more
expansively than ever as he replied:

"Senor Englishman, I am gratified beyond all power of expression to find
in you so amicable a disposition, and I feel certain that whatever may
be the occasion of the visit with which you have honoured us, neither
you nor I, nor the citizens of Nombre, will have the smallest reason to
regret it. But perhaps, senor, it has escaped your memory that you have
not yet enlightened