Others were of the same opinion, it seemed, for many were ahead of us,
but there was no delay, each applicant receiving promptly with his
railroad ticket a card bearing the name of the hotel in Granada to which
he was assigned. The managers of the tour, having arranged in advance
for the required number of rooms at the principal hotels, were prepared
to make the allotment before leaving the vessel, so avoiding confusion
and delay on our arrival at our destination, and securing for us prompt
attention at the hotels.

Some of our friends who had already received their envelopes rejoiced to
see on their cards "Hotel Washington Irving," a hotel which they knew
from description to be beautifully situated on the heights near the
Alhambra.

"Hotel Victoria," I read on mine. I was disappointed at first, but on
the following day I found that the central location of the "Victoria"
gave opportunities to see much of the life of the city that might have
been missed had the assignment been to the hotel in the suburbs.

When we awoke the next morning the Moltke was lying quietly at anchor.
We hastily dressed and ascended to the deck.

Any one who has seen pictures of the huge rock that guards the entrance
to the Mediterranean will recognize Gibraltar at sight if he approaches
the rock from the right point of view. The illustrations, however,
represent a somber mountain. The picture we saw showed white houses, red
roofs, green trees, patches of lawn, groups of shrubbery, and plots of
flowers, all contrasting with gray rocks; these with blue sky overhead,
and white sails in the foreground gave life and color to the scene.

As we gazed for some time from the vessel's deck at the strong fortress
which has been held securely in the grasp of Great Britain for two
hundred years, we thought of the many unsuccessful attempts that have
been made during those two centuries to wrest it from British control;
most noted of all, the long siege by the French and Spanish forces that
continued for four years when Napoleon was supreme in France. What might
have been the result, if England's grasp on the rock had been broken by
Napoleon; or what the outcome, if Napoleon's fleet had been victorious
in the conflict on the near-by Trafalgar Bay!

[Illustration: THE ROCK HAD A PEACEFUL LOOK.]

The rock had a peaceful look, but we knew that the cactus plants, which
grew rank on the slope of the mountain, concealed powerful batteries,
and that on th