ormidable task, considering that practically all the food on the
estate had been destroyed by fire on the preceding night. This
difficulty, however, was overcome by Jack revisiting the captured camp
with a party of a dozen of the least exhausted negroes, and collecting a
wagon-load of foodstuffs which, with half a dozen oxen, they drove on to
the estate by way of the lowered drawbridge. Then, with infinite
labour, the wounded were once more sought out, and carried into one of
the storehouses which had suffered least from the fire, where they were
attended to, so far as they could be, by a band of their compatriots who
had volunteered for the service, and who had given their parole that
they would not again take up arms against the Cubans. And next came the
terrible task of burying the dead, which was also done, under Jack's
supervision, by the prisoners, kept in a proper state of submission by a
strong guard of armed negroes. It was by this time considerably past
mid-day: at least half of the negroes, who had fought so stubbornly and
well in defence of the estate, had had an opportunity to snatch a few
hours' sleep, and were consequently in a condition to again mount guard
over the prisoners; and then, and only then, did Jack and Carlos retire
to their rooms, and flinging themselves, still dressed, upon their beds,
sink at once into absolute oblivion.

The two young men were aroused about nine o'clock that night to partake
of food, when they learned that Don Hermoso had taken over the direction
of affairs; also, that the wounded were for the most part doing well,
having been taken in hand by a Spanish surgeon who, himself one of the
wounded, had been brought in from the field of battle, and, having been
attended to by Mama Faquita, was now sufficiently recovered to be able
to do duty. This was a quite unexpected bit of good news for the two
young men; but there was bad news also for them, in the fact that the
unfortunate Senora Montijo was in a state of such high fever that the
Spanish doctor was deeply concerned as to her condition, which became
still more critical as the night wore on.

Before again retiring to rest, Jack "went the rounds", as he expressed
it, and saw for himself that everything was satisfactory; and he did the
same the first thing upon rising the next morning. Then he, Don
Hermoso, and Carlos held a consultation as to how the prisoners were to
be disposed of, the difficulty of feeding and contr