"How did you reach Cuba?"

"By steamer."

"Where did you land?"

"On the coast."

"General Serano says your answers are not satisfactory," said the
interpreter.

"Surely he wants me to tell him the truth," said Harry, affecting
surprise.

"Yes, but he wants all the truth."

"I have answered his questions truthfully and directly. If he wants
further information and doesn't know how to ask for it, he cannot expect
the prisoner to supply the questions."

"At what point or place on the coast of Cuba did you land?"

"I do not know."

"Does your companion know?"

"He is as densely ignorant on that point as I am."

"What was the name of the steamer?"

"I refuse to answer."

The little fat officer poked one of his soldiers in the ribs in a very
unmilitary fashion, and the general looked at the consul with an
expression that said, "I told you so." The consul himself looked at
Harry in honest amazement.

"Do you refuse to answer on the ground that you might incriminate
yourself?"

"No, on the ground that I might incriminate someone else," answered
Harry, promptly.

"Who is that someone else?"

"Now, general, that is another one of those foolish questions. If I
could answer one I could answer the other."

"Then you refuse again?"

"I do."

"Will you tell the court why you came to Cuba?"

"Because I had to. I assure you we are not travelling for our health,
and would have been very glad to have been back in the United States
long before we met your little fat officer on the mountain."

"Then why did you come?"

"To be perfectly frank, general, we were out yachting off Martha's
Vineyard--I don't suppose you know where that is--when a steamer ran us
down during a storm, picked us up, and brought us along to Cuba--that's
all."

"And you still persist in refusing to give the name of the steamer?"

"Yes, sir, but with due respect to the court," Harry smiled pleasantly
at the consul. He looked upon the examination as a mere farce, and did
not now regard their position as at all serious. Although he did not
consider the consul a particularly forceful representative of the United
States, he felt confident that the Spanish general would not dare to
ignore his demands. Could he have forseen the occurrences of the next
few days he would not have felt so easy in his mind. The general turned
again and addressed the boy.

"According to your testimony," repeated the interpreter, "your presence
here on th