of the vessel, Captain Wassman, brought a piece of news
that made Sir Arthur desperately anxious to get back to Zaila, and very
considerably stirred up the rest of the party.

A certain Portuguese, he said, was in high favor at Zaila on account of
services rendered in retaking the town from the Arabs and Somalis, and
it was rumored that the government intended to bestow upon him an
influential post.

"That must be Manuel Torres," remarked Sir Arthur to Chutney. "Bless
me, we'll make it hot for the scoundrel!"

With many regrets they parted from Captain Becker and his friends, and a
few hours after the German flag on the garrison house faded from view
the Rhine Castle was beating swiftly up the eastern coast of Africa on
her two-thousand-mile trip.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

CONCLUSION.

On a warm, sultry evening in the latter part of May the Arabs and
Somalis who hovered about the outskirts of Zaila, keeping well out of
reach of the newly-erected fortifications which bristled with guns and
British soldiery, heard the sweet strains of "Rule Britannia" and "God
Save the Queen" floating over the desert.

It was the regimental band of the Ninth Lancers playing in the square of
the town on the occasion of the installation of the new governor of
Zaila--Colonel Conyers Gordon.

It was Colonel Gordon who had conducted the assault on the town some
weeks previous, and in recognition of his valor--for the enemy had made
a desperate stand--he was now the newly commissioned governor.

The official documents had arrived that day, and the town was _en fete_,
if we may use the expression; for, in addition to the native population
and the soldiery, a number of visitors had come across from Aden to do
honor to the brave commandant.

As the band ceased playing, Colonel Gordon appeared on the steps of the
residency and briefly addressed the expectant people in a few
well-chosen words.

"The tragedy of a few months ago," he concluded, "is still fresh in our
minds. I had the honor to know Sir Arthur Ashby, an honor which many of
you likewise enjoyed, and the sad fate of that brave man and his
companions comes vividly to our minds tonight. I trust that I shall be
enabled to discharge the duties of my office with the same unswerving
fidelity."

Colonel Gordon sat down, and the band played "Rule Britannia."

At that moment the Rhine Castle was dropping anchor in the harbor.

As the band ceased Colonel Gordon rose again, and the