r between a
naval party and Cosetta's bandits last night?"

"Why, yes," cried the consul, "and now I remember that the landing
party was sent from your ship. What can you tell me about that?"

Dave Darrin gave a brief account of the doings of the night before,
though he did not mention the fact that he, himself, was in command
of the landing party of rescuers.

"It was a plucky bit of work," commented the consul.

"Will that fight with Cosetta inflame the Mexican mind?" Dave
asked.

"It is likely to have something of that effect upon the Mexicans,"
the consul replied, "though Mexico can hardly make any legal
objection to the affair, for Cosetta is a notorious bandit, and
bandits have no rights. The Mexican government appears to have
been unable to rescue the prisoners, so the United States forces
had an undoubted right to do so. Do you know anything about this
fellow, Cosetta, Mr. Darrin?"

"I never heard of him before yesterday," Dave confessed.

"He is a troublesome fellow, and rather dangerous. More than
once he has extorted large sums of ransom money for prisoners.
He has a large following, even here in Vera Cruz, where he maintains
his little force of spies and assassins. Whenever a wealthy Mexican
hereabouts has had an enemy that he wanted 'removed,' he has always
been able to accomplish his wish with the aid of this same fellow,
Cosetta."

"Cosetta is in town to-day," Dave remarked.

"Are you sure of that?"

"I saw him here," Darrin replied, quietly.

"Then you must have been the officer in command of last night's
landing party."

"I was." replied Dave Darrin, shortly.

"Then, Mr. Darrin," said the Consul, earnestly, "I am going to
give you a bit of advice that I hope you won't disregard. Cosetta
may feel deep resentment against you, for you thwarted his plans.
Probably, too, you were the cause of laying several of his men
low last night. Cosetta won't forget or forgive you. Whenever
you are in time streets of Vera Cruz I would advise you to keep
your eyes wide open. Cosetta might detail a couple of his worthless
desperadoes to bury their knives in your back. This bandit has
done such things before, nor is it at all easy to punish him,
for the scoundrel has many surprisingly loyal friends in Vera
Cruz. In a more strictly-governed country he would be arrested
in the city streets as soon as pointed out, but in Mexico the
bandit is likely to be a popular hero, and certainly Cosetta is