u. I shall write home at once to
Sir Philip, reporting to him what has passed between us, and requesting
him to send me out someone to take your place--someone who can be
depended upon to render me implicit obedience at all times." And
therewith he whirled about and marched off to his own cabin, where, with
the heat of his anger still upon him, he sat down and penned to Sir
Philip Swinburne a very strong letter of complaint of what he was
pleased to term young Escombe's "insolently insubordinate language and
behaviour". As for Harry, Butler's threat to report him to Sir Philip
furnished him with a very valuable hint as to the wisest thing to do
under the circumstances, and he too lost no time in addressing an
epistle to Sir Philip, giving his own version of the affair.
Thenceforward Butler pointedly ignored young Escombe's existence for the
remainder of the voyage; but by doing so he only made matters still more
unpleasant for himself, for his altercation with Harry had been
overheard by certain of the passengers, and by them repeated to the
rest, with the final result that Butler was promptly consigned to
Coventry, and left there by the whole of the saloon passengers.

Harry duly went ashore with his friends at Montevideo and--having first
posted his letter to Sir Philip and another to his mother and sister--
went out with them by train to Bellavista, where they all enjoyed vastly
the little change from the monotony of life at sea, returning in the
nick of time to witness a violent altercation between Butler and the
boatman who brought him off from the shore. Also Harry went ashore for
an hour or two at Punta Arenas, in the Straits of Magellan; and again at
Valparaiso and Arica; finally arriving at Callao something over a month
from the day upon which he sailed from London.

CHAPTER THREE.

BUTLER THE TYRANT.

At this point Escombe acknowledged himself to be legitimately under
Butler's rule and dominion, to obey unquestioningly all the latter's
orders, to go where bidden and to do whatever he might be told, even as
did the soldiers of the Roman centurion; and Butler soon made him
understand and feel that there was a heavy score to be wiped off--a big
wound in the elder man's self esteem to be healed. There were a
thousand ways now in which Butler was able to make his power and
authority over Harry felt; he was careful not to miss a single
opportunity, and he spared the lad in nothing. He would not even pe