ng a thoroughly exhaustive search of my
vessel, with the result, of course, that nothing of the kind was to be
found on board her."

The old gentleman flushed, fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair, and
fortified himself by emptying his glass. He would rather not have been
reminded of that circumstance, especially at that moment.

"Ah!" he said, shaking his head sorrowfully as he put down his empty
glass and feigned to be oblivious of the fact that Jack promptly
refilled it; "yes, that was a most regrettable occurrence--the result of
a very unfortunate mistake on the part of certain friends of ours on the
other side. I understand, however, that Commander Albuquerque made the
_amende honourable_ in a manner that was absolutely satisfactory to
yourself, Senor; and, with the expression of my own personal profound
regret, I trust that you will have the extreme generosity to allow the
deplorable affair to be forgotten."

"Of course I will," said Jack heartily; "I am not one to bear malice.
We are all liable to make mistakes at some time or other of our lives."

"Senor," exclaimed the General with enthusiasm, "I am indeed delighted
to find you so generously disposed--the more so that my visit to you to-
day is connected with a similar incident; the only difference being
that, in this case, there is unfortunately no room for the belief that
we are making a second mistake. We have received the most positive
information that certain American sympathisers with the revolutionary
movement in Cuba have loaded a steamer with munitions of war for the use
of the insurgents; and these munitions are to be landed to-day at a spot
known as Mulata Bay, a few miles to the westward of this port. The
information, most unfortunately, did not reach us in time to allow of
our taking measures for the seizure of the cargo upon being landed; but
that appeared, at the time, to be a matter of no moment, for I had
planned to send a torpedo boat to seize the vessel and her cargo upon
her arrival in Mulata Bay. The vessel, I may mention, was to have
arrived at her destination at mid-day to-day; and, as a matter of fact,
she has arrived, for she was sighted in the offing this morning, and has
since been seen heading in toward the bay. And now we come to the
explanation of my remark in reference to certain very clever
conspirators; for when the torpedo boat attempted to leave the harbour
this morning for the purpose of intercepting the smuggling shi