ptation, and
kept his eyes closed, listening hard to catch all he could of the
ensuing conversation.

"And what, Alvarez, are the captain's orders with regard to the boy?"
said the elder man, whose name, it transpired, was de Soto.

"Senor Don Guzman's orders," answered the other, "are that he is to be
kept in this cabin until we have finally disposed of these three
pestilent English ships; and when that is done, and we have captured
them, he is to be locked up in the fore hold, with the other prisoners
we shall take--if the rascals do not in this case fight to the death, as
they often do. Then when we return to Cadiz they are all to be handed
over to the Holy Inquisition."

Roger felt the cold perspiration start in beads on his forehead.

"Ah! It seems almost a pity," said de Soto, "that we should have
plucked this lad from the sharks, only to hand him over to those other
fiends of the Holy Office; for he is a handsome and stalwart lad, and
those limbs of his were never meant to be seared with red-hot irons, and
torn asunder on the rack!"

"Hush, de Soto, my friend!" responded Alvarez; "let no man save myself
hear you speak thus of the Holy Office, or thy limbs, of which thou art
so proud, may perchance make acquaintance with the same torments as are
reserved for this young heretic."

"Thanks, Alvarez!" returned de Soto; "I should not have spoken thus
before any other than thyself; but thou art my friend, I know. I can
trust thee with my life; as, indeed, I am trusting thee in speaking thus
freely of the so-called Holy Inquisition. Is it not so?"

"Yes, de Soto, it is so; and I am indeed thy friend," replied Alvarez,
turning his head slightly aside, so that his companion might not catch
the evil glitter that shone in his eyes. He did not know that Roger was
observing him through nearly-closed lids, and that he had caught that
look on Alvarez's face as he turned from de Soto; and possibly if he had
known he would not have greatly cared. But if ever the devil incarnate
looked out of any man's eyes, he did at that moment out of those of the
man whom Roger had heard addressed as Alvarez.

"But how goes the fight, de Soto?" he continued, after a pause.
"Methinks there is less cannonading now than there was a little time
since."

"When I left the deck a few minutes ago," answered de Soto, "two of our
ships, alas!--the _Maria Dolorosa_ and the _Buena Vista_--had
disappeared. One was sunk by the fire of these