age and hatred.

"Jose!" he half yelled.

"What is it?"

"Suppose I should tell you, Jose--suppose I should tell you that the
villain is here?"

"Here?"

"Yes. By Heaven, he's here. Jose, that is he!"

And the fellow pointed straight at Clif, while he leaned forward and
stared into the Spaniard's face, eager to see what the effect of his
announcement would be.

It must have suited him, for he gave a low laugh, a fiendish chuckle.

Then he went on.

"And not only that, Jose! Think of what else he has done."

"Has he done more?"

"Yes, por dios, he has. Listen. Jose, we have in our power the worst of
our country's enemies. Jose, he is a fiend, a perfect devil. He has
ruined nearly every plan I tried. Do you know if it had not been for
him--yes, for him--I should have stabbed the great pig admiral."

"Carramba!"

"Yes."

"Not Sampson."

"Yes, he, the villain who is blockading Havana and destroying our ships.
I had the knife at his heart, and that Yankee pig prevented me. Do you
wonder that I hate him?"

"No. I hate him, too."

"Yes! For you are a true Spaniard. But about that money, Jose. I got it
as I say, from this Schwartz. For when this Yankee pig stopped him from
blowing up the New York he ran away and hid. And he paid me this for
helping him to Cuba."

Ignacio held up the bills before the hungry eyes of the Spanish
sergeant.

And when he had given him time to look at it and think of what it meant
for him, Ignacio suddenly bent forward and got close to him.

"Jose," he cried, "it's all for you!"

The man stared eagerly.

"What for?" he cried.

"I will tell you!" said Ignacio.

Once more he slipped his hand under his jacket.

"Look," said he.

And he drew out a sharp, gleaming dagger!

He ran his fingers over the edge, hissing as he did so between his
teeth.

"It is sharp," he muttered. "Ha! ha! sharp! And it will do the work."

"What work?"

"Listen, Jose. There lies the fiend of a Yankee. He is in my power at
last. He has baffled me, ruined me, but now I have him! Yes, he can't
get away! Ha! ha! I feel merry. Jose, he is my deadliest enemy; he is
your enemy, too, the enemy of our glorious country. I hate him--so must
you."

"I do!"

"Then listen. I want to take this knife, this nice, sharp knife that I
have been grinding for him. Ha! ha! Santa Maria, how sharp it is! And I
will put this money, all this money, into your hands and you will turn
away so as not to see. And