awaiting death in the cabin
of the Spanish vessel.

"Hardly that," demurred Harry. "I should think it would be something of
much more importance; because, you see, this would not be of much value
to him after the action. Let us search further."

They did so, and presently came upon a sheet of rough parchment, which
had escaped the search of Alvarez through its having worked its way into
a folded chart.

They spread it open upon the table, and found that they could make
nothing of it, as it appeared to be a mass of figures, and nothing else.

"I wonder what on earth this can be," said Roger. "It seems to be
nothing but a lot of figures put down anyhow. I expect it is merely a
sheet of scribbling-paper, upon which some rough calculations have been
worked. At any rate it is of no importance, and clearly is not what
Alvarez was looking for."

"Wait one moment, Roger," said Harry; "be not over-hasty, lad. I
believe this is more important than it looks. May it not be a cipher of
some kind? Let us have another look at it."

The document presented the following appearance:--

1581.
2227 1819 1919 2622 1820 1335 1138 1918
1717 2020 1618 2727 2722 2222 3811 1819 1816
1237 2225 1915 1515 2424 2525 1730 2014 1430
1718 2121 1420 1920 3014 1830 1519 2120 1915
2018 1030 1440 1614 3019 2017 1028 2226 1930
1226 1616 1324 1325 1236 1818 1235 1222 1218
3118 2725 3113 1334 3217 1324 1424 1335 3212
1817 2019 1321 2824 1420 2021 1434 2121 3212
1533 3316 2223 1614 1433 3415 3311 1916 2220
2525 1715 1423 2322 3314 2414 1517 1816 3019
1416 1822 1618 2122 1120 2826 2022 1321 1424
2221 1930 2413 2014 2413 3311 2624 2029 1423
2512 1915 1614 2611 2319 1713 2320 2925 1519
2418 1816 1433 2218 1922 1320 1126 1721 2920
1133 1232 1030 1520 1730 3212 2418 2317 2520
3017 2117 2023 1220 1321 3311 2015 2517 1222
1821 1721 2012 3014 2616 2426 1220 2413 1818
1430 2219 2013 1614 1922 2424 3113 1120 2624
1730 1721 2212 1320 1419 2311 2410 2124 1918
1331 1922 2113 2426 2320 1914 2014 3017 2523
2821 3113 2023 1915 1820 1829 3212 2122 2928
1919 2221 1620 1616 1416 2428 1816 2318 3311
2320 1717 2417 2826 2018 2419 2516 1618 2920
752626 202122 1519 1420 1924 1320 1820 2325 1625
1317 2419 2013 2017 2117 2424 2421 1218 1825
1721 3311 2615 1317 2523 2029 1133 2518 1816
14 2124 1812 1616 1915 2622 2220 3410 2624 2920
1720 5 2223 1218 1715 1717 2424 2626 1515 2120
2021 2020 1717 1818 1