isure, through an alluvial morass
into the sea.

In two hours _El Nacional_ entered the river's mouth. The banks
were crowded with a disposition of formidable trees. The sumptuous
undergrowth of the tropics overflowed the land, and drowned itself in
the fallow waters. Silently the sloop entered there, and met a deeper
silence. Brilliant with greens and ochres and floral scarlets, the
umbrageous mouth of the Rio Ruiz furnished no sound or movement save
of the sea-going water as it purled against the prow of the vessel.
Small chance there seemed of wresting beef or provisions from that
empty solitude.

The admiral decided to cast anchor, and, at the chain's rattle, the
forest was stimulated to instant and resounding uproar. The mouth of
the Rio Ruiz had only been taking a morning nap. Parrots and baboons
screeched and barked in the trees; a whirring and a hissing and a
booming marked the awakening of animal life; a dark blue bulk was
visible for an instant, as a startled tapir fought his way through
the vines.

The navy, under orders, hung in the mouth of the little river for
hours. The crew served the dinner of shark's fin soup, plantains,
crab gumbo and sour wine. The admiral, with a three-foot telescope,
closely scanned the impervious foliage fifty yards away.

It was nearly sunset when a reverberating "hal-lo-o-o!" came from the
forest to their left. It was answered; and three men, mounted upon
mules, crashed through the tropic tangle to within a dozen yards of
the river's bank. There they dismounted; and one, unbuckling his
belt, struck each mule a violent blow with his sword scabbard, so
that they, with a fling of heels, dashed back again into the forest.

Those were strange-looking men to be conveying beef and provisions.
One was a large and exceedingly active man, of striking presence. He
was of the purest Spanish type, with curling, gray-besprinkled, dark
hair, blue, sparkling eyes, and the pronounced air of a _caballero
grande_. The other two were small, brown-faced men, wearing white
military uniforms, high riding boots and swords. The clothes of all
were drenched, bespattered and rent by the thicket. Some stress of
circumstance must have driven them, _diable a quatre_, through flood,
mire and jungle.

"_O-he! Senor Almirante_," called the large man. "Send to us your
boat."

The dory was lowered, and Felipe, with one of the Caribs, rowed
toward the left bank.

The large man stood near the water's br