oth, than that I made the round of
my guard unattended. Hath your darky news for him?"

"Nay; the fellow possesseth not sufficient sense to be a messenger,
except it may be a message for his stomach to make his humor better,"
was the reply. "Come, trot along now, boy, and mind where you put down
those big feet in the passage."

I struggled upright in response to his order, assisted by the sharp tap
of a boot accompanying it, tripped over a gun barrel one of the guard
facetiously inserted between my legs, and went down once more, uttering
such howl of terror as could be only partially drowned beneath the
uproarious laughter of my merry tormentors. It developed into a
gantlet, yet I ran the line with little damage, and, after much ducking
and pleading, managed to regain my position close to the heels of Senor
Gonzales before he turned into the passageway, which, as I now
perceived, was dimly illumined by means of a single lantern, hung to a
blackened upper beam.

"Well, good luck to both of you," called out the young officer of the
guard laughingly as we disappeared. "Yet I 'd hate to have the
steering of such a crazy craft as follows in your wake, Gonzales, and I
warn you again the Senor Captain will be found in beastly humor."

"I fear nothing," returned my guide, his lean yellow face turned
backward over his shoulder. "I have what will bring him greater
happiness than a decoration from the King."

Shambling awkwardly forward, simulating all the uncouthness possible, I
retained my wits sufficiently to note our surroundings--the long,
narrow passage, scarcely exceeding a yard in width, with numerous doors
opening on either side. Several of these stood ajar, and I perceived
berths within, marking them as sleeping apartments, although one upon
the right was evidently being utilized as a linen closet, while yet
another, just beyond, and considerably larger, seemed littered with a
medley of boxes, barrels, and great bags. This apartment appeared so
much lighter than those others, even a stray ray of sunshine pouring
directly down into it from above, that I instinctively connected it in
my mind with the cook-house on the upper deck, and the open cuddy door
I had chanced to notice.

As we approached the farther end this passage suddenly widened into a
half circle, sufficiently extended to accommodate the huge butt of the
mizzenmast, which was completely surrounded by an arm-rack crowded with
short-swords, togethe