ntlemen were
arriving either in various conveyances or on foot.

Passing through a courtyard, they were ushered upstairs into a spacious
and well-lighted saloon, with enormous windows looking on one side into
a courtyard, in the midst of which a fountain threw up jets of cooling
water, and on the other, into a garden fragrant with sweet-scented
flowers.

The dancing soon began. No people could be more polite and attentive
than their host and hostess, to whose lovely daughters the English
officers were immediately introduced. At first Jack found it somewhat
difficult to get through the contradanza, the dance for which Havannah
is especially celebrated, but his partner smiled graciously, and assured
him that he performed it to perfection. When, however, he contrasted
his own performance with that of the active-toed Spaniards, he could not
help feeling that he was receiving undue flattery. As to his companions
they soon had to give it up as a bad job, though they did their best to
make themselves agreeable by tucking their partners' arms under theirs,
and chattering away in execrable Spanish. Tom noticed that their host
and his spouse kept a bright lookout on them, and no sooner was a dance
finished than they were taken up and introduced to other partners, who
were quite ready to forgive their mistakes; the midshipmen, at all
events, thought it very good fun, and Tom, on looking at his watch, felt
very sorry that the hour was approaching at which Jack had directed them
to leave; however, his orders were not to be disobeyed, so, giving a
hint to Desmond and Morris, they made their way to the door, when,
followed by Bevan, they slipped downstairs.

Jack, who watched them, hoped that their departure had not been
observed, but Don Matteo begged to know why the midshipmen were gone.
Jack replied that he considered early hours the best for such
youngsters, as they had their duty to attend to in the morning, and that
the elder one had gone to take care of them.

Soon afterwards the surgeon and purser made their bow: the former
remarked that he must go on board and attend to his patients. Jack and
Jos Green were the only officers remaining. The latter had very little
notion of dancing, but that did not deter him from hauling his reluctant
partner, shrieking with laughter, through the mazes of the dance; at
length, losing his equilibrium, as might have been expected, down he
came, dragging the lady with him. He managed,