g across the cabin
several times, finally crashing back to his former seat on the vexed
lounge.

"You have heard of General Simon Bolivar?" was his unexpected
question.

"Who has not? He was the great Liberator, born in Venezuela in 1783,
who freed Peru, which then became Bolivia, and was rejected by
Colombia, because she did not know how to appreciate his greatness.
His was the finest character ever produced by South America."

"I am glad to hear that you appreciate him," said General Bambos, his
small black eyes glowing.

"The greatest compliment ever paid General Bolivar was when he was
called the South American Washington. _He_ is the standard by which
the world's heroes are measured."

"You have many heroes in the United States; I have read of Abraham
Lincoln: how does _he_ compare with Washington?"

"The two stand side by side, and sometimes it is hard to see which is
foremost. One was the creator and the other the preserver of his
nation."

"How do _I_ compare with Washington and Lincoln?"

CHAPTER XXXV.

The question for the moment took away the breath of the American. He
looked into the crimson, flabby countenance and wondered if the man
was in earnest. He was. By great effort, Major Starland held back the
laugh tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Well," said he, pulling himself together and speaking slowly,
"perhaps you come, say within a thousand miles of each. I don't see
how the distance can be shortened."

"That depends upon the place you give others," blandly observed the
Dictator, who accepted the rating as a compliment; "where do you place
General Bolivar?"

"I should have to make careful calculation; he might come within a
mile or two, but remember that the modern world has not yet produced
the peer of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, nor do I see any
signs that she is likely to do so. Have you been figuring on a
comparison yourself?"

"I am too modest to claim to stand on the same plane with either of
your great heroes, but reflection convinces me that I have been
selected by heaven to be the successor of General Simon Bolivar."

"Inasmuch as to when?" said the Major gravely.

"I beg pardon; I do not understand your question, Major."

"I wait for you to explain _your_ meaning: what is your ambition?"

"It is to form a grand confederation of South American states; as you
know, our continent is divided into no end of petty republics. Why
should they not unite into