The islet was
quite bare of trees, and was so small that Alzura pretended he could
not stretch his legs comfortably for fear of slipping into the water.

The men who had rowed us over did not land, but took the boats to
another islet, much larger than ours, which we guessed to be the
headquarters of this novel prison.

"The governor of this place is a clever warder," remarked Barriero;
"there's no getting away from here."

"Why not?" I asked.

"The risk is too great. Just think for a minute. First one would have
to swim to the shore, and then cross the morass in the dark, as it
would not be possible to escape in the daytime. It's really waste of
time to mount a guard over us."

"We must set our wits to work," observed Alzura gravely.

"No, no," I cried; "Barriero's is the only way, and a very poor one it
is. The swim is a trifle, but to cross the morass--"

"Why not build a bridge?" suggested Alzura.

"And use our bodies as part of the foundations," said Barriero,
laughing. "If you make any more idiotic remarks, Alzura, I'll throw
you into the lake."

"All right," said he. "You'll be sorry when Crawford and I escape and
leave you behind."

"I've a long time to wait," replied Barriero, "so I'll pass some of it
in sleep."

Alzura and I shared one of the huts between us. There was no
furniture; the floor was of mud, and so were the walls, while the roof
was thatched with some dried vegetable matter. The place was not
exactly a palace, but it sheltered us, and for that we were thankful.

The sergeant in charge of the islet was a good-humoured fellow.
Feeling sure that we could not escape, he treated us quite genially,
though maintaining discipline at the same time. He often talked of the
war, giving us news now and again of events which never happened.

On the third morning after our arrival, we saw several boats leave the
main island and visit the various islets on which prisoners were kept.

"That's the governor making a tour of his kingdom," the sergeant
explained. "He is bringing us a week's provisions, and will no doubt
have a peep at his new subjects."

The governor was a Spanish officer, quite old, but stiff and erect in
spite of his many years. He ordered us to draw up in line, called our
names from the list, hoped we should be comfortable, ordered the
sergeant to put in irons any man who disobeyed him, wished us all
good-morning in courtly old-world style, stepped into his boat, and w