tle, narrow
street, Phil suddenly halted before a small building which bore across
its narrow front a sign reading, in Spanish, of course--"Mateo
Cervantes. Armourer. Plate and chain mail. Blades of the finest,
imported direct from Toledo in Old Spain; musquets; pistolettes; and
ammunition for the same."

"Ah!" ejaculated Phil, with a sigh of satisfaction; "here we are at
last. This is the place that I have been looking for. I was beginning
to fear that I had missed it."

"And what a plague want ye with it, now that you have found it?"
demanded Dick, peevishly; for he was beginning to feel sleepy, and knew
that many a weary mile must yet be walked before he could hope to get
any rest.

"What want I with it?" reiterated Phil. "My gentle mutton-head, read
the sign over the shop; there is light enough for that, surely, though
it is but starlight."

Dick read the sign, and his eyes brightened. "Ah!" he said, "of course;
I begin to understand. I have been wondering, all along, what we should
do without weapons, if we chanced to make good our escape. These bars
and pruning knives are well enough in their way, and are better than
nothing at all, of course; but they won't help us to get game--"

"Precisely," interrupted Phil. "Therefore, since the Spaniards have
seen fit to deprive us of our weapons, I propose to make a Spaniard
provide us with others. Now, I am going to knock up our friend
Cervantes, and persuade him to supply our needs, so far as the resources
of his establishment will allow. And, to make sure that, after we have
obtained what we require, the senor shall not prematurely give the alarm
and set the soldiers upon our track, we must seize and bind him, or
whoever comes to the door. So be ready to pounce as soon as the door is
opened." And therewith Phil proceeded to hammer loudly upon Senor
Cervantes' door.

Five or six times did he hammer upon the door with his iron bar, gently
at first, but with steadily increasing vehemence, before any notice was
taken of his summons. At length, however, a thin pencil of light
appeared through the shutters of a window over the door, the drawing of
bolts became audible, and just as Phil began to hammer afresh the window
was thrown open, a figure appeared, and a gruff voice demanded,
querulously--

"Hallo, there! who knocks at this untimely hour? Away with you, whoever
you are, and leave me in peace, or I will sound my rattle and summon the
watch!"

"