ne that sparkles--see?"

"I see, but I do not hear what I mean," replied the perplexed Admiral,
indulging nevertheless in anticipatory internal gratulations.

"Why, hang it, man, champagne!" The Admiral's beady eyes danced. "Mr.
Howland desires me to say that it is his wish that the friendly
relations between his officers and those of the navy of San Blanco
shall never wane. There will, in short, be a dinner in half an hour to
the officers of the fleet."

"A dinnaire!" Congosto sprang forward and embraced his prospective
host, and five minutes later was speeding to his ship, the bearer of
glad news. For, behold, where he thought to meet an enemy, devious and
tricky, he had encountered instead, a friend, generous, hospitable!

"I fail to see your play, quite, Captain Merrithew," grumbled Mr.
Howland.

"Well," interpolated Virginia, "it was a very interesting play.
Captain, I had no idea you could be so eloquent."

"Thank you," laughed Dan. "Mr. Howland," he added, "I shall make my
play plain very shortly. All I ask now is that you have your party
assemble at the rail when the officers arrive and receive them as
though they were representatives of the British Navy. They will be
conducted to the saloon. Let no one of the party follow them in.
Please make that clear."

The guests came--in gigs, in launches, dinghies, and longboats--came
with laughter, came with rejoicing, for they were to dine with the
senor of the open hand, Senor Howland, who always opened wine as they
would open tins of beef. The gods never repaired more blithely to a
Bacchanalian revel on Parnassus. Two by two, in rigid order of rank
they were escorted into the saloon, and the eloquent popping of corks
was as music in their ears. The Admiral took his place at the head of
the table; the rest disposed themselves suitably.

With a muttered excuse, Dan slipped out of a near-by door; the stewards
disappeared; every one on the _Tampico_ stole quietly away.

Admiral Congosto had no sooner raised his glass for the first toast
than the two iron bulkhead doors slid together with a clang, followed
by the rasp of bolts flying home. The Admiral of the fleet and his
lords commanders were hopelessly imprisoned amid the luxury of saloon
surroundings, as hopelessly imprisoned as though they had been shut
into the darkness of the lower hold.

In the meantime, the _Tampico_, from hold to masthead, was blazing like
a tall Sound steamboat. Dan gain