rnoon.
Well, I can tell you this: I have ascertained, beyond all possibility of
doubt, that the Montijos are, as that scoundrel stated, in La Jacoba;
and also that they are all to be shipped off to Fernando Po by the
steamer _El Maranon_, which steamer is appointed to leave the harbour on
Sunday next. But by whose authority they are being thus summarily dealt
with, I cannot understand, or ascertain; the only thing which is quite
certain being that they have not been tried or convicted publicly.
That, however, is nothing, for it is common knowledge that scores--
indeed, I may say hundreds--of people who have been suspected of
disloyalty to the Government have mysteriously vanished, from time to
time, and have never again been heard of. In the light of what we now
know, however, there is little doubt in my mind that they have all been
sent either to Ceuta or to Fernando Po. Poor Cuba! She is indeed a
downtrodden country, and it is little wonder that her people are at last
rising up in arms against the atrocious system of tyranny and
misgovernment under which they are groaning. The Capitan-General is a
good man, and means well, I believe: but he is weak, and is moreover
hampered and embarrassed to the point of helplessness by the
multiplicity of impossible instructions which he receives from home;
and, furthermore, he is in the hands of a number of unscrupulous,
overbearing subordinates who have arrogated to themselves almost
autocratic powers, and who act upon their own responsibility, without
consulting him. I believe this is what has occurred in the case of the
Montijos: this fellow Alvaros has somehow managed to work himself into a
position of very considerable power, and I have little doubt that he,
and he only, is responsible for the whole shameful business, which, in
my opinion, has been neither more nor less than a determined but
unsuccessful attempt to force the unhappy Senorita Isolda into a
marriage with him!"

"Well," said Jack grimly, "he is going to repent of that business in
sackcloth and ashes before he dies; he has received his first instalment
of punishment this morning, and there is more in store for him!"

"By the way," said Don Ramon, "what do you propose to do with the
Montijos when you have rescued them, in the event of this mad scheme of
yours proving successful?"

"Oh," said Jack, "I haven't thought of that, thus far! Of course it
will be for Don Hermoso to decide where he will go and wha