ne!" cried the captain enthusiastically. "That was brave and
thoughtful of you, Don Ramon," and he held out his hand. "Why, you are
quite an engineer. Then you did not mean to forsake your friend?"

"Forsake him!" said the Don reproachfully, and he frowned. But it was
for a moment only. "Ah," he continued, "if you had only brought me over
such a gunboat as that which holds me down, commanded by such a man as
you, how changed my position would be!"

"Yes," said the skipper quietly. "But I did not; and I had hard work to
bring you what I did, eh, Mr Burnett? The British Government did not
much approve of what it called my filibustering expedition, Don."

"The British Government does not know Villarayo, sir, and it does not
know me."

"That's the evil of it, sir," replied the captain. "Unfortunately the
British Government recognises Villarayo as the President of the State,
and you only as the head of a revolution; but once you are the accepted
head of the people, the leader of what is good and right, Master
Villarayo's star will set; and that is bound to come."

"Yes," said Don Ramon proudly; "that is bound to come in the future, if
I live. For all that is good and right in this little State is on my
side. But there is the gunboat, captain."

"Yes," was the reply; "there is the gunboat, and as to my schooner, if I
ventured everything on your side at sea, with her steaming power she
would have me completely at her mercy, and with one shot send me to the
bottom like a stone."

"Yes, I know," said the Don, "as far as strength goes you would be like
an infant fighting against a giant. But you English are clever. It was
due to the bright thought of this young officer here that I was able to
turn the tables upon Villarayo."

The blood flushed to Fitz's forehead again--for he was, as Poole
afterwards told him, a beggar to blush--and he gave a sudden start which
made Poole move a little farther off to avoid a pinch.

"What say you, Don Burnett?"

If possible Fitz's face grew a deeper scarlet.

"Have you another such lightning stroke of genius to propose?"

"No, sir," said the boy sharply; "and if I had I must recollect that I
am a neutral, a prisoner here, and it is my duty to hold my tongue."

"Ah, yes," said the Don, frowning a little; "I had forgotten. You are
in the Government's service, and my good friend Captain Reed has told me
how you happen to be here. But if the British Government knew exactly