Ronald.

Not a moment was to be lost. As it was, they could scarcely hope to get
beyond the influence of the explosion. There was a hollow, rumbling
sound, and then, in clouds of smoke and flame and dust, up flew the
whole of the fortress into the air. The next moment down rushed huge
masses of masonry; it seemed indeed as if the solid rock itself had been
rent, and filled up the whole of the road. Some loud splashes astern
showed that the boat had but narrowly escaped destruction.

"The French will find it difficult to pass this way again for some time
to come," observed Morton to the midshipman who accompanied him.

"Yes, sir," observed the youngster, who was somewhat of a philosopher.
"It is wonderful how easy it is to knock a thing to pieces. It must
have taken some years to have put all those stones together."

CHAPTER THIRTY.

LORD CLAYMORE ON SHORE--MORTON AGAIN MEETS EDDA--RONALD'S NEW FRIEND,
DON JOSEF.

The frigate continued her cruise further to the south; she touched at
several places, and Lord Claymore or Morton went constantly on shore to
urge the Spanish authorities and the people to take up arms, and to
assist in organising their forces. From the information the captain
received, he considered it important to communicate with some
influential people a short way in the interior. He gave his
instructions to Morton, therefore, and directed him to take two men as a
body-guard, and to set off at once. Ronald selected Truefitt and Doull,
the first for his steadiness and the other for his cool courage, and
having procured a guide and a horse, and two wretched mules which had
been too decrepit for the enemy to carry off, proceeded on his mission.

Ronald and his guide rode on ahead, the two seamen following. Neither
of them were better horsemen than are sailors in general, but they were
at all events able to stick on, in spite of the kicks and stumbles and
flounders their animals occasionally gave; each was armed with a good
thick stick, besides a cutlass by his side and a brace of pistols in his
belt. "This is a pleasanter sort of a cruise, mate, to my notion, than
we've had the chance of for many a day," observed Doull.

"Keep up on your four legs, you brute, now. The people here, though,
seems to me to be an outlandish set; did you ever hear such a rum way of
speaking as they've got? they all seem to have got lumps of biscuit or
duff, or something of that sort, down their throats."

"