"Thank you, Don Martin," answered George, good-humouredly. "I asked for
an opinion, and you have given me yours, frankly and fearlessly; and I
imagine, from the expression of approval which I seem to read upon your
compatriots' faces, that their opinion coincides with your own pretty
closely. Well, be it so; naturally, you and I regard this whole matter
from two very different points of view. Now, what says your worthy
alcalde? Is he willing to exercise his authority over the crews of the
ships, if necessary, in order to avert further trouble and
complications?"

The alcalde rose to his feet and bowing, with the native grace of the
high-bred Spaniard, to George, replied:

"Assuredly I will, senor; for the power is in your hands, and you can
enforce obedience if you see fit. And anything will be preferable to
the useless slaughter which I foresee would inevitably result from
ineffective and ill-advised action on the part of our mariners. To
avoid that deplorable waste of life, therefore, I am prepared to
intervene, should the necessity unhappily arise. At the same time,
senor, I feel it due to myself to join my protest to that of my friend,
Don Martin de Sylva, and, I think I may add, the rest of us here
present, against what I cannot avoid regarding as the tremendously
excessive penalty which you are about to impose in retaliation for the
ill-judged action of one man, who has already paid with his life for his
mistake." And therewith Don Juan resumed his seat, to the accompaniment
of approving murmurs from his companions.

"Very well, then," said George, composedly; "that matter is also
settled. And now, senor, I think it will be advisable that you should
accompany me out on deck, and hold yourself ready to act, if required;
for, from the sounds which reach me, it would seem that the first of
your ships is being hauled alongside; and your intervention may
therefore be needed at any moment."

As it happened, however, no intervention on the part of the alcalde was
required; possibly his presence on the poop of the _Nonsuch_ beside
George, where he could be distinctly seen by everybody, may have
exercised a wholesome restraint upon the Spanish crew; or the sight of
the entire crew of the English ship, mustered on deck, armed to the
teeth, the gunners standing by their ordnance with lighted matches, may
have had something to do with it; be that as it may, the Spanish seamen
offered no resistance when it beca