three
steadily, thus: `One--two--three!' and at the word `three'--but not
before, remember--you may pull trigger. Now, are you both quite ready?
Then--one--two--three!"

Jack most carefully observed every one of the instructions given him by
his second, including that which referred to looking his antagonist
steadily between the eyes, and he quickly saw that this simple
proceeding had a most disconcerting effect upon Alvaros, whose return
gaze at once became shifty and uncertain; the result being that the
Spaniard's bullet flew wide, while Jack's, aimed by a hand as steady as
a rock, struck Alvaros' right elbow, completely shattering the bone and
inflicting an injury that the surgeon, at a first glance, thought would
probably stiffen the arm for the remainder of its owner's life, to the
extent of very seriously disabling him. Under these circumstances
Alvaros' second expressed himself satisfied, and declined any further
shots; whereupon Jack and his friend left the ground and went their
respective ways, Jack back to the yacht, and the Colonel of Cuirassiers
to his quarters.

By the time that Jack got back on board the _Thetis_ it was nearly seven
o'clock, and the crew were busily engaged in performing the ship's
toilet for the day, spreading the awnings, and so on; he therefore
retired to the interior of the deck-house with Milsom, and arranged with
that individual that he should spend the day in filling the bunkers
"chock-a-block" with coal, taking in fresh water, laying in a supply of
fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit for sea, and generally preparing to go
out of harbour on the following day. Then, a thought suddenly striking
him, he wired to Calderon, directing him to pack and dispatch forthwith
to the yacht all the wearing apparel of every description that he could
find, belonging to any of the members of the Montijo family; the boxes
to arrive at Havana next day, without fail, not later than by the mid-
day train. This done, he hurried away to keep his breakfast appointment
with Don Ramon Bergera, whom he found awaiting him in a somewhat anxious
frame of mind lest anything untoward should have resulted from the duel.
Reassured on this point, Don Ramon chatted with Jack upon indifferent
subjects until breakfast was served and the servants had been dismissed,
when he said:

"You are no doubt anxious to learn the result of the enquiries into the
truth of Alvaros' story which I undertook to make, yesterday afte