th his questioning in the same
level, quiet tones as before.

"And when do you think we may look for the arrival of those soldiers?"
he asked.

"The cavalry may arrive at any moment," answered Senor Montalvo, "while
as for the artillery and the foot soldiers, they should be here by to-
morrow's noon."

"Ah! I thank you, senor, for the frankness with which you have replied
to my questions," said George. "This news is important and unexpected;
I must ask you to excuse me, gentlemen, while I retire to confer with my
officers. What you, Senor Montalvo, have told me may possibly
necessitate an alteration of my plans." And, so saying, the young
Englishman bowed to the two Spaniards and left them, going out to find
Basset and Dyer, that he might communicate to them the momentous news as
to the dispatch of the soldiers from Panama, and also to broach to them
the audacious project that had just suggested itself to him.

The three Englishmen conversed together earnestly and eagerly for the
best part of an hour, while they paced to and fro upon the parapet of
the battery, well out of earshot of anybody else; and at length they
came to a certain decision which they at once proceeded to put into
effect, George going off to rejoin the Governor and his secretary, while
Basset and Dyer hastened to muster their respective forces, and put into
effect the preliminaries of the plan which they had agreed upon.

When at length Saint Leger rejoined Don Sebastian and Senor Montalvo, he
found his guests--or prisoners, they scarcely knew which to consider
themselves--awaiting his return in a state of anxiety and perturbation,
which they took no pains to conceal. Prominent in their minds was
George's threat to sack and burn the city in such an eventuality as had
just arisen, and they had already seen enough of the young man to
convince them that he was quite capable of carrying out his threat.
There was but one hope for them, they felt, and that lay in the
suggestion artfully put forth by Senor Montalvo, that the cavalry might
be expected to arrive at any moment. This statement was the result of a
sudden and brilliant inspiration which had come to the secretary while
George was questioning him. As a matter of fact, Senor Montalvo felt
tolerably certain that the cavalry could not possibly arrive until the
morrow, but it had suddenly occurred to him that if he stated this, it
would show the English that there was still time for them to