take. There is no room for questioning that the territory
here is England's--England's by right of conquest; ceded to England
by the Treaty of Utrecht. Three times, indeed--in 1727, 1779, and
1792--France and Spain have disputed our title, but always to no
purpose. You are, I assure you, at the present moment, as much on
English soil as if you were in London, in the middle of Trafalgar
Square."

It was now the turn of the captain and the count to look surprised. "Are
we not, then, in Corfu?" they asked.

"You are at Gibraltar," replied the colonel.

Gibraltar! The word fell like a thunderclap upon their ears. Gibraltar!
the western extremity of the Mediterranean! Why, had they not been
sailing persistently to the east? Could they be wrong in imagining that
they had reached the Ionian Islands? What new mystery was this?

Count Timascheff was about to proceed with a more rigorous
investigation, when the attention of all was arrested by a loud outcry.
Turning round, they saw that the crew of the _Dobryna_ was in hot
dispute with the English soldiers. A general altercation had arisen
from a disagreement between the sailor Panofka and Corporal Pim. It had
transpired that the cannon-ball fired in experiment from the island
had not only damaged one of the spars of the schooner, but had broken
Panofka's pipe, and, moreover, had just grazed his nose, which, for a
Russian's, was unusually long. The discussion over this mishap led to
mutual recriminations, till the sailors had almost come to blows with
the garrison.

Servadac was just in the mood to take Panofka's part, which drew from
Major Oliphant the remark that England could not be held responsible for
any accidental injury done by her cannon, and if the Russian's long nose
came in the way of the ball, the Russian must submit to the mischance.

This was too much for Count Timascheff, and having poured out a torrent
of angry invective against the English officers, he ordered his crew to
embark immediately.

"We shall meet again," said Servadac, as they pushed off from shore.

"Whenever you please," was the cool reply.

The geographical mystery haunted the minds of both the count and the
captain, and they felt they could never rest till they had ascertained
what had become of their respective countries. They were glad to be on
board again, that they might resume their voyage of investigation,
and in two hours were out of sight of the sole remaining fragment of
Gibral