their
country."

"They were not given me to bribe any one, and I didn't steal them,"
answered Jack, boldly; "I took them out of the chest which was on our
raft, and there was no harm in doing that, I should think."

Bill was somewhat surprised to hear Jack say this. It was the truth,
and the idea must have at that moment occurred to him. He was thus
saved from having to betray the existence of the boxes of gold in the
cavern, which the colonel would not have long allowed to remain
unvisited, he suspected, from the little incident which has just been
described.

The colonel translated fairly enough to the general what Jack had just
said.

"It is probably the truth," he remarked; "however, let the boys be
detained till we can ascertain more about them. I don't wish to have
them ill-treated. There is a room in the western turret where they can
be shut up securely till to-morrow. Colonel O'Toole, see that my orders
are carried out; but you can first let them have a view of the army,
that they may tell their friends, if they get home, of the mighty force
prepared for the conquest of England, and impress on the minds of their
countrymen how hopeless is their attempt to resist the armies of
France."

Bill understood every word of these remarks, and they raised his hopes
that they might be set at liberty and allowed to return home; still, the
Irish colonel did not look very amiably at them; perhaps he did not
quite like Bill's observations.

"Come along," he said, turning to them; and, bowing to the general and
to the other officers, he conducted them from the room, when the two
soldiers, who stood ready outside, again took charge of them.

They were led along to a terrace, from whence a view extended over the
surrounding country. Here they saw an almost countless number of white
tents pitched, with soldiers in various uniforms moving among them.

"Can you count those tents?" asked the colonel. "Each tent contains
eleven or thirteen men, and one spirit animates the whole--that is, the
conquest of perfidious Albion."

"They'll have a tough job, sir, let me tell them," observed Bill. "I
haven't seen much of English sojers except the Guards in London, and our
Marines on board ship, but I know that one of our Guardsmen would lick a
whole tentful of the little chaps I see about here; and I would advise
the general to stay quietly at home, and not attempt to take our tight
little island."

"The French have wrong