ter entered, bearing a card the
owner of which was enquiring for Mr Singleton. The card bore the name
of "James M. Nisbett", and Jack knew that Senor Montijo's agent had
arrived. He accordingly directed the waiter to show Mr Nisbett up into
his private sitting-room.

Mr Nisbett was one of those agents whose business is generally brought
to them by foreign and colonial clients; and his transactions consisted
of obtaining for and forwarding to those clients anything and everything
that they might chance to require, whether it happened to be a pocket
knife, a bridal trousseau, or several hundred miles of railway; a
needle, or an anchor. And, being a keen man of business, it was only
necessary to mention to him the kind of article required, and he was at
once prepared to say where that article might be best obtained. Also,
being a tremendously busy man, he was wont to get straight to business,
without any circumlocution; and he did so in the present instance by
producing a letter which he had that morning received from Don Hermoso
Montijo, detailing the arrangement arrived at on the previous night
between himself and Jack, and authorising Nisbett to act upon Jack's
instructions precisely as though these instructions emanated directly
from Don Hermoso himself. This letter very effectually cleared the
ground, and Jack at once began to detail to Nisbett full particulars of
all the arms, ammunition, stores, and articles generally which it was
intended to put on board the yacht for conveyance to Cuba; after which
arrangements were made for the final trials of the yacht prior to her
acceptance by Nisbett on behalf of his clients, and her subsequent
transference to Jack's ownership. It was perfectly clear to Jack that
this last arrangement was distinctly unpalatable to Nisbett, who thought
he saw in it some deep-laid scheme for the theft of the yacht from her
actual owners; but when Jack explained the reasons which had actuated
the Montijos in making the proposal, and further cheerfully offered to
consent to any alternative scheme which would achieve the same result,
the man at once gave in, frankly admitting that the arrangement already
come to was the best that could be suggested. He remained with Jack two
full hours, carefully discussing with him every point affecting the
success of the expedition; and when at length he retired he was fully
primed with all the information necessary to enable him to
satisfactorily perfor