h; while she has an underwater speed of twenty knots,
which she can maintain for five hours."

"By Jove, that's splendid--very much better than anything that anyone
else has done, thus far!" exclaimed Montijo admiringly. "You ought to
make your fortune with a boat of that sort. And you are pining for an
opportunity to subject her to a thoroughly practical test? Well, my
scheme, which I will explain in full when we get into the Park, will
enable you to do that."

"Is that so?" commented Jack. "Then that alone would very strongly
predispose me in favour of it. But why make such a secret of it, old
chap? Is it of such a character that a passer-by, catching a few words
of it, would be likely to hand us over to the nearest policeman as a
couple of conspirators?"

"Well, no; it is scarcely so bad as that," answered Montijo, laughing:
"but it is of such a nature that I would prefer not to speak of it, if
you don't mind, until we are somewhere in the Park where we can converse
freely without the fear of being overheard. You see, the Pater and I
are pretty well-known to--and not too well liked by--the Spanish
authorities in Cuba, and it is by no means certain that they may not
think it quite worth their while to have us watched over here;
therefore--"

"Yes, of course, I understand," returned Jack; "therefore for the
present `mum's the word', eh?"

Montijo nodded, and the two lads strode along, conversing upon various
topics, until they reached Hyde Park Corner, and swung in through the
Park gates, and so on to the grass.

"Ah, now at last I can speak freely!" remarked Montijo with a sigh of
relief. "First of all, Singleton," he continued, "you must understand
that what I am about to say will be spoken in the strictest confidence;
and, whether you should agree to my proposal or not, I must ask you to
pledge your honour as a gentleman that you will not repeat a single word
of what I say to anyone--anyone, mind you--without first obtaining my
consent, or that of my Pater."

"All right, Carlos, my boy," answered Singleton, cheerily; "I promise
and vow all that you ask. There is nobody on the face of this earth of
ours who can keep a secret better than I can, as you ought to know by
this time."

"Yes, I do know it, perfectly well," agreed Montijo. "Well," he
continued, "the fact is that the Pater and I have at last begun to
interest ourselves actively in Cuban politics. We Cubans, as you
perhaps know, have been