o his feet.
"We'll bear away for her. Up with the British flag, too. She'd shy the
Stars and Stripes. They wouldn't tell us what the news is, either."

Once more, therefore, the _Goshhawk_ became an Englishman, and her chase
after the latest news did not have to be a long one. Not many minutes
later, the two vessels were within hailing distance, and the stranger
spoke first, in a tone of evident anxiety:

"What ship is that?"

"_Goshhawk_, from Liverpool to Vera Cruz, with supplies for the Castle of
San Juan de Ulua. What ship is that?"

"Schooner _Tampico_, from Havana to Matamoras, with supplies for General
Ampudia," came much more cheerfully back. "We had to run away from
Matamoras in ballast to escape the gringos. Their cruisers are around
like hawks. You won't get to Vera Cruz if they can help it."

Captain Kemp already knew something about the reckless ways of
men-of-war, but he did not say so. He merely responded:

"Is that so? How about the war? We've no news at all."

"War?" shouted the Mexican skipper, triumphantly. "Why, there have been
three great battles already. We have whipped the Americans! General
Taylor is surrounded, and will have to surrender. So will the fort on
the Rio Grande. We shall drive the gringos out of Texas. I did not know
until now that you British were going to help us."

There could be no further conversation, for the _Goshhawk_ was sweeping
on out of hearing, but Ned Crawford exclaimed, indignantly:

"Our army defeated? How can that be? I don't believe it!"

Everybody on deck could hear the captain when he laughingly responded:

"The victories were won in that fellow's head, most likely. He was on
board his schooner at Matamoras, and he didn't see it done. All he knows
is that the war is really begun. It takes a long time, men, to make
either an American or a British army think of surrendering. We shall
hear a good deal more about those battles one of these days. I'd like to
read the newspaper reports, though, on both sides."

"They would be good fun," dryly remarked Senor Zuroaga. "There is nobody
on earth that can win victories like a newspaper editor."

"Hullo!" suddenly exclaimed Ned. "Something's the matter with the
captain! Did you hear that?"

There was quite enough to hear. A long, loud hail that came down from
the rigging was followed by almost a yell from Captain Kemp.

"We're chased again!" he said. "Thank God, she's astern! Men, we're in
for it! Now for Ver