eir mirth was more hollow
than it had been, and, when now and again a sullen shot out of the
darkness behind whizzed through the rigging or rattled on the hull, they
ground their teeth angrily and swore in their grand Spanish style at the
fate that kept them beyond arms' length of the foe.

Don Alonzo stood on the quarter-deck, gazing earnestly in the direction
of his admiral's lanthorns, and between whiles discussing some grave
matter with the lieutenants.

We stood a long time before he had leisure to attend to us. Then he
beckoned to the officer to bring us forward. When he saw who we were,
he knitted his brows and demanded to know the cause of the uproar in the
forecastle.

Whereupon Ludar, his face still streaming with blood, saluted and said:

"Master Don, yonder is one of your lads," (pointing to the smarting
Spaniard), "who has mistaken a guest of his Majesty your King for one of
his own galley-slaves, and struck me. I have chastised him, as he
deserves, and thrown his whip overboard. If that be a crime in your
country, I pray you hang me at once; for I shall not promise not to do
the same thing again to-morrow if he touches me. As for my comrade
here, he has done naught but help me defend myself from a score of your
brave fellows who thought it not unworthy of their honour to set on us
two."

"That I so offended," broke in I, rather foolishly, "is the fault of my
being an Englishman, not a Spaniard, Sir Don."

Then the fellow whom Ludar had flogged suddenly found words and broke
out in a torrent of rage with his accusations, which grew as he went on,
and bade fair--had he but had breath to make an end of them--to picture
us as very fiends.

'Twas a fine sight, by the glare of the swinging lanthorns, to see Don
Alonzo stand there, calm and grave, with the admirable curl of his lips
deepening as the fellow raved himself out.

When the story was done, he turned shortly on him and said something in
Spanish, which sent the wretch slinking off with his tail between his
legs--a pitiful object to behold, but for the scowl of hate he bestowed
on Ludar and me in passing.

"As for you, Senor printer," said Don Alonzo, turning contemptuously to
me, "you shall not make me believe all Englishmen are boors. I commend
the top of the main-mast to Senor as a spot of Spanish territory where
he may learn better manners. Sir Ludar,"--and he turned to Ludar before
I could say a word, his bearing changing to that of