ad joined the
winning side filed down into the boats that swarmed around, till with
one exception the crew had all left the deck, the exception being the
firemen, who willy nilly were retained on board for service in
connection with the engine under the new President.

All this took time, but at last Don Ramon's dread had become his joy,
and he showed his feeling of triumph as he paced the gunboat's deck
rubbing his hands, and every now and then giving vent to a satisfied
"Hah!" as he stopped to converse with Burgess, or to say a kindly word
to one or other of the prize crew, not least to the two boys.

"Hah!" cried the carpenter at last. "Now then, gentlemen, I think we
must say going to begin. Here's Mr Burgess as hungry as I am. You
would like to come round with us, wouldn't you, Mr Poole? Mr Burgess
says we can get to work as soon as ever we like."

"Of course we should," said Poole. "Come on, Fitz;" for just then Don
Ramon came up to the mate to make a flowery speech, telling him that he
left him in perfect confidence to hold the prize while he went to see to
the disposal of the rest of the prisoners who were left, so that no
attempt might be made to regain the upper hand.

Poole turned to Fitz expecting to see him eager to follow the carpenter,
but it was to find him standing with one foot upon the platform of the
great gun, looking at the muzzle, as it sloped toward the sky, evidently
deep in thought, and he did not stir until Poole laid a hand upon his
arm with the query--

"What are you thinking about?"

"That night," was the reply.

"So was I just now," said Poole. "Look there, that's where I lay with
one of the Spaniards holding me down, and afraid to make a sound, or to
struggle. It was horrid, and I couldn't tell what sort of a position
you were in. It was ticklish work and no mistake."

"Yes," said Fitz, thoughtfully, "horrible for you, but I believe it was
worse for me, because something seemed to be tagging at me all the time
and telling me that I had no business there."

Poole looked at his companion curiously.

"But you felt that you must do it, didn't you?" he said.

"Oh, yes," cried Fitz, "I was desperate; but I never want to go through
such a five minutes again. Let's see, I stepped along there," he
continued, pointing and following the steps his memory taught him that
he must have taken to get round to the back of the great gun. "Yes,
this is exactly where I stood to swing ro