wash up. But outside of a few articles of
clothing and some casks, nothing came ashore. In the evening they
gave it up in despair and returned to the house that had sheltered them
the previous night. The next morning after another visit to the beach
a conveyance was obtained for Tampico, where they arrived the same
evening.

For some days they were at a loss what to do until a vessel appeared in
harbor bound for New Orleans. On this the Captain, Betsy and the two
seaman procured passage and they vainly urged Paul to do the same; but
he had a lingering hope that he might yet recover his apparatus with the
aid of the primitive dredgers of the Mexican fishermen, so he refused to
leave. He saw them on board the ship and took an affectionate farewell
of his old friends. Before parting, the Captain insisted on his
accepting a small loan which he said he could return to Nassau whenever
he felt like it. There was a suspicious dimness in his eyes as he
crushed Paul's hand in his own, while Betsy cried outright as she
heartily kissed him good-bye. When the weather became mild again, Paul
engaged a small fishing craft and went down the coast to the vicinity of
the wreck but his efforts were in vain. His armour by that time was
buried far below in the quicksand so he abandoned the search and went
back to Tampico.

While sitting disconsolately on the piazza of the little hotel in
Tampico, he was approached by an American: "Well young fellow I've heard
that you have had pretty hard luck. What do you intend to do?"

"That's just about what I would like to know myself."

"Well, I think I can post you," said his new acquaintance as he
leisurely seated himself and hoisted his heels on the rail. "There is a
good chance for active young fellows just now. I presume you never did
much soldiering, but I guess you can fire a gun."

"Why yes," responded Paul, "I think I could manage that."

The stranger then told Paul that he was connected with the
Revolutionists, whose headquarters were then at Palmas and assured him
that he would be well taken care of. Paul, who was at the time, open for
anything that would turn up, quickly accepted the proposition. The next
morning he and fourteen others mounted on mules, and conveying a pack
train were pursuing their way up the mountain road in the
direction of the headquarters. His filibustering friend furnished Paul
with a pretty good rifle and revolver, and informed him tha