owards Gibraltar. Two or three long lines of laden carts passed
by, in the same direction.

He had consulted a map before starting, and knew that the distance
to Malaga was more than twenty leagues; and that the first place of
any importance was Estepona, about eight leagues from Gibraltar,
and that before the siege a large proportion of the supplies of
fruit and vegetables were brought to Gibraltar from this town.
Starting as soon as it became dark, he passed through Estepona at
about ten o'clock; looked in at a wine shop, and sat down to a pint
of wine and some bread; and then continued his journey until,
taking it quietly, he was in sight of Marbella.

He slept in a grove of trees until daylight, and then entered the
town, which was charmingly situated among orange groves. Going into
a fonda--or tavern--he called for breakfast. When he had eaten
this, he leisurely strolled down to the port and, taking his seat
on a block of stone, on the pier, watched the boats. As, while
walking down from the fonda, he had passed several shops with
oranges and lemons, it seemed to him that it would in some respects
be better for him to get the fruit here, instead of going on to
Malaga.

In the first place, the distance to return was but half that from
Malaga; and in the second it would probably be easier to get out,
from a quiet little port like this, than from a large town like
Malaga. The question which puzzled him was how was he to get his
oranges on board. Where could he reasonably be going to take them?

Presently, a sailor came up and began to chat with him.

"Are you wanting a boat, senor?"

"I have not made up my mind, yet," he said. "I suppose you are busy
here, now?"

"No, the times are dull. Usually we do a good deal of trade with
Gibraltar but, at present, that is all stopped. It is hard on us
but, when we turn out the English hereticos, I hope we shall have
better times than ever. But who can say? They have plenty of money,
the English; and are ready to pay good prices for everything."

"But I suppose you take things to our camp?"

The fisherman shook his head.

"They get their supplies direct from Malaga, by sea. There are many
carts go through here, of course; but the roads are heavy, and it
is cheaper to send things by water. If our camp had been on the
seashore, instead of at San Roque, we might have taken fish and
fruit to them; but it is a long way across and, of course, in small
boats we cannot go r