d against them."

"Very well, Senor," agreed the would-be assassin. "You have named the
man who employed me; it is therefore evident that you know a great deal
more about this affair--whatever it may be--than he suspects, so it is
useless for me to attempt to keep the secret from you. Senor Alvaros is
indeed the man who employed me; but I am not going to be such a fool as
to go back and tell him that I have failed. I insisted upon receiving
payment in advance, and there is therefore no need for me to see him
again; I shall consequently leave Pinar del Rio, and resume my former
occupation of contrabandista. With Senor Alvaros' fifty doubloons I can
see my way to earn a very comfortable living as a smuggler; and if you,
Senor, should at any time require my services in that capacity--or any
other, for that matter--I shall be pleased to do my utmost to afford you
complete satisfaction."

"Very well, I will remember," said Carlos, laughing heartily at the
man's cool impudence. "But you have not yet taken the oath, you know,
and you must do that before we can release you."

Without a word of objection the Spaniard took the small bronze crucifix
in his hand, bowed his head reverently as he pressed it to his lips, and
then, holding it aloft before him, exclaimed:

"I swear upon this emblem of our redemption, and by all my hopes of
salvation, that I will never again attempt to take the life of the young
Englishman, if he will be so generous as to allow me to go free and
unpunished for what I have already done."

"Right, that will do! You are free to go, now, as soon as you please.
Open the door, Milsom, and let him pass," said Jack.

"Mil gracias y buenas noches, Senor," exclaimed Panza as he strode
toward the door. "One word before I go, caballeros; beware of Senor
Alvaros, for he bears no love for either of you."

And he passed into the night and the darkness.

"Well," exclaimed Milsom, "I have met with some queer folk in my time,
but that chap breaks the record for cool impudence! Spanish is not my
strong point, but, if I understood him aright, after calmly
acknowledging that he had been hired to murder our friend Jack, here, he
with equal calmness informs you that if you should at any time want a
similar job done, he will be pleased to undertake it, and will do his
best to afford you complete satisfaction! `Murders of the most
barbarous description undertaken, and executed with promptitude and
dispatch', eh