ion are well disposed to King Charles, and this
village is ready to furnish any supplies that the English may require.
If your honor will give me a list of these I will do my best to have
them in readiness by tomorrow morning, and I trust that you will honor
us by stopping here till then."

Jack hesitated; he did not much like the appearance of the man or the
tone of humility in which he spoke; still, as he offered to furnish
supplies, he thought it well to accept the same.

"What horses could you let us have?" he asked.

"We could supply ten horses," the man said, "fit for cavalry, four
wagons of grain, and twenty barrels of wine."

"Very well," Jack said; "if these are ready by tomorrow morning I will
accept them as an earnest of your goodwill, and now I require food for
my men."

"That shall be ready for them in an hour," the man replied.

Jack now gave orders to the sergeant that the girths to the saddles
should be loosened, and the horses fastened in readiness for service in
the street close to the inn. Four men were then posted as pickets at the
distance of a quarter of a mile on each side of the village. Corn was
brought for the horses. The women and children gathered round to gaze at
the foreign soldiers, and Jack was convinced that there was at any rate
no intention to effect a surprise while he remained in the village. In
an hour the dinner was served, and there was no reason to complain of
the quantity or quality of the provisions.

An hour after dinner the troop again mounted and took a detour of some
miles through the district, passing through several other villages, in
none of which were the slightest signs of hostility met with.

"Sergeant," Jack said, after they had returned to Estrella, "everything
looks very quiet and peaceful; but, considering what we have heard
of the feeling in this district, it seems to me that it is almost too
peaceful. I can't help feeling somewhat uneasy. When it gets dark
divide the troop into two parties; keep one constantly under arms; place
sentries in pairs at each end of the village, and keep a most vigilant
watch. Do not let the others scatter to the quarters the mayor has
provided; but let all lie down here in the inn ready to turn out at a
moment's notice. They are a treacherous lot, these Spaniards, and we
cannot be too strictly on our guard."

The night passed, however, without an incident, and in the morning, the
five wagons with grain and wine, and eight h