tedium of the night. I observed likewise, as I made a drunken
pause at the foot of the ladder in an apparently vain endeavor to
steady myself, that these roisterers of the night-watch were a set of
jolly dogs, and had been opening numerous bottles of red wine with
which to pass lagging hours more pleasantly. They were already in that
gay, thoughtless spirit of badinage which comes of fair allowance.
Good humor had laid careless hand on duty, until, the stern restraint
of discipline noticeably relaxing, good fellowship had become king.
Their officer lay outstretched at full length upon three camp stools, a
fellow long of limb, with face as dark as a Moor. He made no effort to
arise from his undignified position, yet hailed me as though I had been
a boon companion of his revel.

"Ha!" he exclaimed gleefully, tapping as he spoke an empty glass
against the deck. "Comrades, 't is as I prophesied; we are not long
robbed of the Church. See, the most reverend Father hath already
returned unto his own. Truly art thou welcome, _padre_, for I fear thy
flock were about to go astray without a shepherd. Ho, Alva! seest thou
not the coming of thine own liege lord? or art thou already so blinded
by good liquor thou would'st dare neglect the very Pope himself, did he
honor us with his company? Alva, I say, you roistering hound, you
drunken blade, bring hither a stool for the worthy confessor! Faith!
doth he not bear the sins of us all, and must he not be greatly aweary
with so vast a load. Saint Theresa! 't is fortunate there is yet a
bottle left uncracked for the good _padre_!" I gathered the heavy hood
closer about my face, so as better to muffle voice as well as conceal
features; made an apparent effort to stand firm, but with such poor
success I noticed the grins expand on the faces watching me.

"Peace, my son," I hiccoughed, with an assumption of drunken gravity,
uplifting my disengaged arm as if in priestly benediction of the
impious crew. "Tempt me not to turn aside from the solemn path of duty
by offerings of that foul fiend which doth so corrupt and despoil men.
Know you, I am now on my way to perform the sweet offices of our most
holy religion, and need greatly to permit my mind to dwell in peace
upon more soulful things than that which lieth in the wine pot. You
are mere beasts of the field, sons of Belial, children of wrath, every
one of you, doomed to death, even as it is written, 'He that taketh the
sword sh