dearly
to do everything with deliberation; the summer had ended, and the winter
had come and gone, before the events just narrated took place.

Two or three days after the "San Nicolas" had sailed, it became
generally known that Lieutenant Pedro Alvarez, the only surviving
officer of the unfortunate "Saint Cecilia," had arrived at Cadiz. Such
was the case--Pedro had obtained a passage on board an English
man-of-war. When some sixty leagues to the north of Cadiz, she had
fallen in with a suspicious-looking craft, which hoisted Spanish
colours. An officer was sent to board her, and Lieutenant Alvarez was
requested to go as interpreter. The stranger proved to be the privateer
schooner "San Nicolas," and in her captain he recognised an old
acquaintance. The last time they had met, it had been under somewhat
unpleasant circumstances for Captain Tacon, who had almost got his head
into a halter, and but narrowly slipped it out again. The worthy
lieutenant very naturally suspected, from his knowledge of Don Josef's
previous history, that he was not engaged in any very creditable
undertaking. He at once suspected that he was not sailing on a simple
privateering voyage, but of course he failed to ascertain the truth.
The more questions he asked, the more mysterious and important his
quondam acquaintance became. The result of his conversation was, that
he resolved, as soon as he arrived at Cadiz, to make all the inquiries
in his power about Captain Tacon, and the "San Nicolas." Pedro Alvarez
was a blunt sailor, but he had a very considerable amount of sagacity.
Before long, he discovered that his quondam acquaintance had been known
to pay frequent visits to the Marquis de Medea, who was also known to
have had some correspondence with the owners of the "San Nicolas." More
than this Pedro could not discover; but it was sufficient to make him
suspect that the schooner's voyage was in some way connected with the
affairs of the marquis himself. He was not however a man to do things
by halves, so he continued to work on in the hope that he might at last
ferret out the truth. However, he had not much time for this
occupation; for having reported himself to the naval authorities, he was
forthwith promoted, and appointed to the command of a brig-of-war. His
great aim, however, before he sailed, was to place in proper train with
the legal authorities the claims of young Hernan Escalante to the title
and estates now held by Don