ined fitting
costumes to attend him at the banquet, where they had the satisfaction
of seeing his health drunk and due honour done him, while they also had,
through an interpreter, to give some account of their own adventures.

Some time was occupied in unloading the ship and receiving a fresh
cargo. Before this was accomplished, Captain Benbow, to his
astonishment, received an invitation from Charles the Second, King of
Spain, to visit Madrid, and to give him personally an account of his
exploit, of which his Majesty had heard through the officials at Cadiz.

"I know nothing of kings and courts, and if I go, shall feel like a fish
out of water," said the Captain to his young companions. "But, you see,
kings' commands must be obeyed, and perchance I may get a good turn or
some benefit to my trade. I should like to have taken you with me, but
as the king has not invited you, and I require some one to look after
the ship, I must leave you behind."

Roger and Stephen were in hopes that Captain Benbow might have taken
them, as they would have wonderfully liked to have seen Madrid, but they
were proud of having so much confidence placed in them, and they
promised to do their best to attend to the duties of the ship both when
unloading and loading, and their experience at Bristol enabled them to
do the task. They had some difficulty from not knowing Spanish, but
they got over it with the help of gesticulating, and a word thrown in
occasionally by those who knew English. There were several English
merchants, even at that time, settled at Cadiz, some of whom were
shipping by the _Benbow_ frigate. These, finding two young
well-educated Englishmen on board, invited them to their houses, and
were highly interested at hearing of their adventures during their
captivity among the Moors, and their remarkable escape. As they became
known they were made a great deal of, and thus greatly enjoyed their
stay at Cadiz, though they were anxious to return home to relieve the
anxiety of their fathers; but Captain Benbow had told them that the
_Dolphin_ had long since been reported lost, and they probably had been
given up by their friends as dead. They were delighted, therefore, when
one evening, the day's work being over, they saw, advancing along the
pier, a cavalier mounted on a stout mule, with a couple of attendants on
foot. Till he drew near they did not recognise the mud-bespattered,
dust-covered traveller as their Captain, b