sixty men barring the road. We had a fight with them, and
succeeded in getting through with no further damage than a ball
through the arm of one of my escort, and that, fortunately, was
only a flesh wound."

"But tell me how it was that so small a party escaped so easily?"

Desmond then recounted the incidents of the fight.

"Admirably contrived, sir!" the duke said warmly. "Excellent
generalship! You first attack their centre and drive them off the
road, then you compel them to weaken themselves by throwing out
flanking parties. You keep these out of musket shot, and then
charge on their weakened centre after drawing their fire. I am not
surprised that, with such generalship, you got off almost
scatheless.

"And now, sir, I must ask you to come with me to the king. The
matter is too serious for a moment's delay. I must lay the whole
case before His Majesty."

Leaving Desmond in the antechamber, he went in to the king, read
the full report to him, and added the details he had heard from
Desmond.

"I have met with many bad cases of Spanish corruption and
peculation," the king said, when he had finished, "but this is by
far the worst. Steps must be taken instantly to secure the
governor, arrest the contractors, and fill up the magazines. What
do you propose?"

"I think, sir, that if we send forward, at once, a regiment of
French soldiers from Toledo, accompanied by Colonel Crofton's
regiment of dragoons, there is no likelihood that any resistance
will be offered--indeed, I should imagine that the governor will
have taken to flight, as soon as he learns that his plans for the
assassination of Major Kennedy have failed."

"So I should think," the king said; "and certainly he will have
warned his accomplices, the contractors; and probably, by this
time, they are all on their way either into Andalusia or to the
north. Any that are found shall certainly be hanged.

"This young officer of yours must be a wonderfully shrewd fellow.
I should like to question him as to how he discovered these
frauds."

Desmond was called in.

"This is Major Kennedy, Your Majesty," the duke said. "That is his
temporary rank, which I bestowed upon him in order to add weight
to his mission."

"I have noticed him before, cousin," Philip said, "when I had gone
to your quarters, and wondered to see so young a man in the
uniform of a captain.

"Now, sir, will you give me an account of how you discovered these
frauds?"

Desmond then