hundred and four. We made up the list last week. Of course that
includes men, women, and children. There are some ten merchants,
most of whom have one or two clerks. The rest of the men are small
traders, and shopkeepers. Some of them make their living by
supplying ships that put in here with necessaries. A few, at
ordinary times, trade with the Rock in livestock. Half a dozen or
so keep stores, where they sell English goods to the natives."

"I have a mission to discharge to a Mrs. Colomb, or at least to a
young lady living with her."

"Mrs. Colomb, I regret to say, died three weeks ago," the clerk
said. "Miss Harcourt--who is, I suppose, the young lady you
mean--is now, with Mrs. Colomb's servant, staying here. Mr. Logie
had placed them in lodgings in the house of a Moorish trader, just
outside the town; but the young lady could not remain there, alone,
after Mrs. Colomb's death. I will ring the bell, and tell the
servant to inform her that you are here."

Two minutes later, Bob was shown into a large sitting room on the
first floor, with a verandah overlooking the sea.

"Oh, Bob Repton, I am glad to see you!" Amy Harcourt exclaimed,
coming forward impulsively, with both hands held out. "It is
dreadfully lonely here. Mr. Logie is away, and poor Mrs. Colomb is
dead and, as for Mrs. Williams, she does nothing but cry, and say
we are all going to be shut up, and starved, in a Moorish prison.

"But first, how are father and mother, and everyone at the Rock?"

"They are all quite well, Amy; though your mother has been in a
great state of anxiety about you, since she got your letter saying
how ill Mrs. Colomb was. Here is a letter she has given me, for
you."

He handed the girl the letter, and went out on to the verandah
while she read it.

"Mamma says I am to act upon Mr. Logie's advice; and that, if by
any means he should not be in a position to advise me, I am to take
your advice, if Mrs. Colomb is dead."

"I don't think I am in a position to give you advice, Amy. What did
Mr. Logie say about the state of affairs, before he went away?"

"He seemed to think things were going on very badly. You know the
soldiers rushed in here and assaulted him, one day last week. They
said they had orders from the emperor to do so; and Mr. Logie said
they certainly would not have dared to molest the British consul,
if it hadn't been by the emperor's orders. He was talking to me
about it, the day before they took him away to