he were being whirled
downward into everlasting night, knew no more.

The fire had at last reached the magazine!

CHAPTER FOUR.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ROGER ON BOARD THE GLORIA DEL MUNDO.

When Roger next opened his eyes he was at a loss to to recall
immediately to mind the preceding events; nor could he for the moment
imagine where he might be.

He was in great pain from the wound in his head, received on board the
Spanish ship which he and Harry had boarded together, and this served to
bring his memory back to what had occurred.

He remembered rushing with Harry down a dark alleyway, with cutlass in
hand, and also that a man had suddenly sprung at him and cut him down;
that he had received so violent a blow on his head that he had felt
certain his skull was cloven asunder; and then his memory ceased
abruptly. But where was Harry, his inseparable companion?

Roger raised his throbbing head painfully, and tried to look round, but
could nowhere discover the presence of his dear friend. He shouted his
name: "Harry; Harry, where are you?" but there was no reply. Only
somewhere above him he could hear the roar of cannon, hoarse cries of
command, angry shouts, and the trampling feet of many men.

Looking about him, he perceived that he lay in a cabin of some sort,
very richly furnished, but lit by a light so dim that he could only make
out objects in it very indistinctly. There was no port-hole or
sky-light of any description in the apartment, which led him to the
conclusion that he must be in some room far away below the water-line.
This impression was heightened by the fact that exterior noises came to
his ears muffled, as by distance.

In the cabin itself there was no sound, save the gnawing of a rat
somewhere on the floor below him. On the walls he could dimly discern
two or three pictures, and just above his bunk was a portrait of a lady.
There were also several star trophies of weapons arranged at intervals;
and at one end of the cabin--which was of unusually spacious
dimensions--stood a large cabinet or escritoire, one of the drawers of
which had apparently been pulled out hastily, as papers were to be seen
protruding from it, and several documents had fallen to the floor.

Oh, how he wished he might venture to rise from his bunk and make an
investigation of the cabin! But he was afraid to attempt any such
exploit, for his head ached so atrociously, and he felt so deadly sick
and giddy from the angui