adventure? Why, he had sailed through a naval engagement, cannonading
and all, and right on out of that into a full-grown war and a half-grown
revolution. The thrill which went over him was, therefore, the adventure
fever. Something like this fever, in the veins of all sorts of men,
young and old, has made the world what it is, discovering its new
countries, its new sciences, its new institutions, and leading it
forward and upward out of its old-time dullness and barbarism. So Ned
stood straighter and felt older and had a pair of very brave, bright
eyes when he walked forward to try and have a few words with Captain
Kemp.

"Captain," he asked, "when can I go ashore?"

"Not quite yet," said the captain. "Don't bother me now. Of course, the
ammunition for the castle goes out first. Then all the rest of the cargo
must go ashore as fast as it can, and you are bound to attend to that.
I'm glad that all of it is apparently on English account, and not for
the American part of the concern. That makes all things easy. I hardly
know what to do with the ship, though. We can't repair her here."

That was evidently the disadvantage of having a vessel get out of order
in a place where there were no good dockyards. As for the unlading,
there were already "lighter" barges on their way from the fort, and
others, no doubt, would soon be on hand from the city. Haste was the
main object, under the circumstances, and the entire work would be
rapidly accomplished.

Zuroaga went below, and Ned followed him, for there was nothing more
that he could do on deck just then.

"Senor," he asked, as soon as they were in the cabin, "how can I send a
letter home? I don't know exactly what to say, either."

"Say anything you please," replied the senor. "Your letter will go by
the mail of the English consul, and the mails for England will not be
meddled with by the Mexican authorities."

"I'll sit right down and begin one," said Ned, but the senor interrupted
him very soberly with:

"One word before you begin, please. I know you overheard what Colonel
Guerra said to me. You and I must get on shore as soon as we can, and it
will not do for either of us to remain in Vera Cruz. I have decided
that I must take you with me to Oaxaca."

"Well," hesitated Ned, "I understand that you must go, but what am I in
danger of if I should stay here?"

"Edward, my dear fellow," said the senor, "I will tell you, and you had
better put it into your letter. Fir