men!"

"Instantly!" cried the Viceroy.

He was burning with anxiety to hear more, but he was too good a soldier
to hesitate as to the first thing to be done. Raising himself in his
stirrups he gave a few sharp commands and the little army, which had
halted when he had, faced about and began the return march to Caracas at
full speed. As soon as their manoeuvres had been completed and they
moved off, the Viceroy, who rode at the head with Alvarado and the
gentlemen of his suite, broke into anxious questioning.

"Now, Captain, but that thou art a skilled soldier I could not believe
thy tale."

"My lord, I swear it is true!"

"And you left Donna Mercedes a prisoner?" interrupted de Tobar, who had
been consumed with anxiety even greater than that of the Viceroy.

"Alas, 'tis so."

"How can that be when you are free, senor?"

"Let me question my own officer, de Tobar," resumed the Viceroy
peremptorily, "and silence, all, else we learn nothing. Now, Alvarado.
What is this strange tale of thine?"

"My lord, after we left you yesterday morning we made the passage safely
down the mountain. Toward evening as we approached La Guayra, just
before the point where the road turns into the strand, we were set upon
by men in ambush. The soldiers and attendants were without exception
slain. Although I fought and beat down one or two of our assailants,
they struck me to the earth and took me alive. The two ladies and I
alone escaped. No indignity was offered them. I was bound and we were
led along the road to a camp. There appeared to be some three hundred
and fifty men under the leadership of a man who claimed to be Sir Henry
Morgan, sometime pirate and robber, later Vice-Governor of Jamaica, now,
as I gathered, in rebellion against his king and in arms against us.
They captured the plate galleon with lading from Porto Bello and Peru,
and were wrecked on this coast to the westward of La Guayra. They had
determined upon the capture of that town, whence they expected to move
on Caracas."

"And Mercedes?" again interrupted the impetuous and impassioned de
Tobar.

"Let him tell his tale!" commanded the Viceroy, sternly. "It behooves
us, gentlemen, to think first of the cities of our King."

"They had captured a band of holy nuns and priests. These were forced,
especially the women, by threats you can imagine, to plant scaling
ladders against the walls, and, although the troops made a brave
defense, the buccaneers mastered them