artagena; Don Hermoso Morillo, our
Intendant; Don Sebastian Campana; Don Ferdinand Miguel Pavia; and Don
Ramon Sylva, merchants of Cartagena." And as each individual was named
he rose in the stern-sheets of the boat, bowed deeply, and seated
himself again.

"I am instructed by my illustrious fellow townsmen to inform you,
senors, that although your cartel was handed to the Governor immediately
upon the arrival of your messenger in the town, yesterday, it was not
until very late in the day that anyone could be found possessed of a
sufficient knowledge of your language to interpret it, the only person
possessed of such knowledge being myself, who live not in Cartagena
itself but in a small hacienda a few miles north of the city. Then,
senors, when I had been found and conveyed to Cartagena, and had
translated your letter to the authorities, a difficulty at once arose;
for mention is therein made of one Capitan Marshall, who is said to have
entered the city five days ago, and whose safe return you demand. Now,
neither his Excellency the Governor nor Don Ricardo Garcia, our Alcalde,
had ever before heard of such a person as el Capitan Marshall, or indeed
of any other stranger, being in the city; and it at once became
necessary, before anything else could be done, that enquiries should be
set on foot to ascertain whether any such person had been seen, so that
his whereabouts might be traced. Those enquiries, senors, were at once
instituted, and are still being actively pursued; but we are regretfully
obliged to confess that thus far they have been entirely without result.
Meanwhile--"

"Stop!" interrupted Bascomb, throwing up his hand with an imperative
gesture. "Do you mean to tell me that it is possible for a stranger--
and that stranger an Englishman--to be four days and five nights in your
city without anyone being the wiser?"

The interpreter shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands abroad
deprecatingly.

"It would greatly depend upon the skill, courage, and resourcefulness of
the stranger, senor," he answered. "If your Capitan Marshall speaks
Spanish fluently, and possesses the knowledge of how to look and act
like a Spaniard, it is quite possible that he might do so."

"But," objected Bascomb, "he could not well have been in your city
yesterday and have remained in ignorance of what was happening. And I
know him well enough to feel certain that were he alive, in good health,
and free, he would have rej