can
abundantly testify, the ball having broken my shoulder-blade and then
buried itself among the muscles of the shoulder, whence Burnett insisted
on extracting it, in spite of my protestations that I was quite willing
to postpone that operation to a more convenient season. After much
groping and probing about, however, utterly regardless of the
excruciating agony he thus inflicted upon me, the conscientious Burnett
had at last succeeded in extracting the ball, which he kindly presented
to me as a memento, and then the rest of the work was, comparatively
speaking, plain sailing. My wound was washed, dressed, and made
comfortable; and I was dismissed with a strict injunction to turn-in at
once.

To this the skipper moved, as an amendment, that I be permitted to drink
a single glass of wine before retiring; and whilst I was sipping this
they turned upon me with their questions, with the result that I soon
forgot all about my hammock. At length Captain Vernon said:

"By-the-by, Hawkesley, what sort of a young lady is this Dona Antonia
whom Mr Smellie has mentioned once or twice?"

"She is simply the most lovely creature I have ever seen, sir," I
replied enthusiastically.

"--And my promised wife," jerked in Smellie, in a tone which warned all
hands that there must be no jocularity in connection with the mention of
the dona's name.

"Ho, ho!" ejaculated the skipper with a whistle of surprise. "That is
how the wind blows, is it? Upon my word, Smellie, I heartily
congratulate you upon your conquest. Quite a romantic affair, really.
And pray, Mr Hawkesley, what success have _you_ met with in Cupid's
warfare?"

"None whatever, sir," I replied with a laugh. "The only other lady in
Don Manuel's household was old Dolores, Dona Antonia's attendant, and I
was positively afraid to try the effect of my fascinations upon her."

"Lest you should prove only _too_ successful," laughed the skipper. "By
the way, Smellie, do you think this Don Manuel was quite plain and
above-board with you? I suppose _he_ does nothing in the slave-trading
business, eh?"

"I think not, sir; though he undoubtedly possesses the acquaintance of a
certain Senor Madera, a most suspicious-looking character, whose name I
have already mentioned to you--by the way, Hawkesley, you were evidently
mistaken as to the _Josefa_ belonging to Madera; he was nowhere to be
found on board her."

"What is it, Mr Armitage?" said the skipper just then, as the