the voices outside rose high. apparently the woman, who had, so they supposed, ridden up on the galloping horse, was having an argument with the guards.

“she is asking to see us!” exclaimed stanley, in tones of amazement, after listening closely to the voices outside for a few minutes.

“and they are going to let her in!” he added the next instant.

hardly had he spoken before the door of their dungeon was thrown open, and a shaft of blinding sunlight streamed in. the prisoners all rose to their feet as there entered the squalid cell a young woman in a riding habit. the four prisoners instantly recognized her as general de guzman’s niece.

“oh, the poor americans!” she exclaimed,[183] with a little shudder, as she gathered her riding skirt about her. the boys noted that it was dusty, and, taken in conjunction with the rapid pace of her horse, meant that she had ridden fast to what was to prove a momentous interview.

“to what are we indebted for this visit, senorita?” began midshipman stark.

he spoke in spanish, but the girl checked him with a finger to her lips.

“speak in english,” she said, “otherwise they will listen, and if they should report this to my uncle it might go hard with you.”

“it couldn’t go much worse,” muttered stanley in a grim aside.

“where is the one that spoke of my father,” went on the girl, tears brimming into her large eyes. “ah! there he is. tell me, sir, you have news of him?”

ned came forward somewhat unwillingly as she spoke. it was going to be a hard task to tell this woman about the derelict and the almost certain proof it offered of her father’s death.[184] perhaps she read his thoughts, for as he hesitated she exclaimed:

“do not seek to spare my feelings by not speaking plainly. i must tell you that since he fled the country on that sailing ship he has been mourned as dead by those who loved him. we have heard nothing of the ship for months. she never reached her destination, and there is little doubt that she was lost at sea.”

as mercifully as he could ned told her of the encounter with the derelict and what had been found on board it. as the others watched her they conceived an intense admiration for this young south american. she heard ned out bravely, though her lip quivered at this confirmation of her worst fears.

“alas, for my poor mother!” she exclaimed, as ned finished, “this will be terrible intelligence for her. she has hoped against hope, even though my uncle told her that it was certain we should never see my father again.”

“you live near here?” inquired the midshipman.

“yes—that is, our plantation is four or five miles away. i rode straight from there after i had left the villa. but why do i say ‘our’ plantation when it is, in fact, my uncle’s?”

“but it belonged to your father?” asked ned.

“that is true. but your confirmation of his death will strengthen the claim of general de guzman upon it. you see, under our law, the property goes to him.”

“but not if there is a will expressly deeding it elsewhere?”

“ah, no, senor, but there is not one. my poor father fled from the country disguised as a common sailor before he had even time to make provision for us. there is a suspicion that my uncle betrayed him.”

“i think you are mistaken,” said ned gently. “there is a will, and i know its whereabouts. the document is now in possession of lieutenant timmons, of the united states torpedo-boat destroyer beale. but he will surrender the document to your mother or yourself upon your application.”

“but why not upon yours, senor? cannot you obtain it from him?”

ned looked embarrassed.

“um, well, you see——” he began.

“we are likely to be here for a few days. we are being detained for some time by your uncle,” put in the midshipman, coming to the rescue.

“but when you are free again? it is only a misunderstanding, i am sure.”

“when we are free again, senorita, we shall be delighted to do anything in our power to aid you,” went on midshipman stark, “but in the meantime it would be better for you to communicate with mr. timmons yourself if it becomes possible.”

“thank you, gentlemen!” exclaimed the spanish-american girl, with a grateful glance. “be assured that my father’s will would be little to us were it not that my uncle threatens to banish both my mother and myself from our home unless——”

she paused, and was apparently overcome with[187] confusion. recovering herself, she went on proudly:

“but, after all—after all you have told me, you have a right to know. he is determined that i shall marry the man you saw me with to-day.”

“chawed bone!” burst out stanley, in a forecastle roar of indignation.

“yes, senor, you are right,” said the young woman. “that is something like the name of the man.”

“but you don’t like him?” demanded the old sailor excitedly.

the young woman gazed at him in surprise, while midshipman stark shot a disapproving glance at the boatswain’s mate.

“no, i do not!” she declared, with a little stamp of her foot. at that moment the sergeant in charge of the sentries came in and uttered a few excited words.

“he says that he has received word that my uncle is on his way here, senors. perhaps he is coming to release you. i hope so. but it will not do for him to find me here. adios!”

in a flash she was gone, and the cell-room door clanged once more. presently the rattle of her horse’s hoofs sounded, rapidly dying away in the distance.

“well!” exclaimed the midshipman, drawing a long breath, “matters are getting complicated.”

“if she ever marries that chawedbones——!” roared stanley, shaking his fist.

but hardly had the sound of the departing senorita’s horse died away before a fresh clatter of hoofs, coming from the opposite direction, sounded.

“here comes the general,” guessed stanley. “now stand by for squalls.”

his guess was right. the horses of the new arrivals were checked in front of the prison door, and after much clanking of the bolts general de guzman himself stalked in, followed by colonel charbonde. in the background hovered hank harkins, but he did not enter the dungeon. the memory of ned’s blow was too recent for that.

“prisoners, i have come to make a proposal to[189] you,” began the general, without any preliminaries.

the prisoners nodded. all but ned wondered what was coming next. the dreadnought boy had already formed an idea. that he was correct in his surmise as to the cause of the general’s visit the next words of that officer proved.

“one of your number spoke of a will,” went on the insurgent leader. “for reasons of my own i wish it. i have come to offer you your lives in exchange for the document.”

“what do you want with it?” asked ned.

“that does not concern you. it is sufficient that i wish it,” shot out the dictator. “are you willing to give it to me?”

ned’s eyes fell on charbonde’s face at that moment. his repulsive countenance was fairly ablaze with eagerness.

“i’ll give him a shock,” thought ned maliciously.

“in order that you may dictate terms to senorita de guzman and her mother, i suppose?” he inquired amiably.

the general’s face grew livid. even through the gloom of the cell they could see his color change to an angry white.

“what do you know of this?” he thundered.

“enough to send you to jail if you were in the united states,” retorted ned coolly. “so you offer us our liberty for that document?”

“i do. but you had better hasten to accept. i may change my mind.”

“oh, no, you won’t—not while you can assume authority over an unfortunate widow and her daughter. you want my answer to your proposition?”

“i do—yes. that is what i came for.”

“then, so far as i am concerned, it is—no!”

“same here,” put in the midshipman.

herc echoed his words.

“better make it unanimous,” grunted stanley.

“i will have you searched!” shouted the general, “and then have you shot afterward.”

“search away. your soldiers will get some exercise, and that is all.”

the general stepped to the door and beckoned.[191] a man stepped up to him—some one who had evidently been awaiting some such signal. with a start of astonishment the boys recognized the proprietor of the villa esperenza.

“now, my good cousin,” said the general, addressing him, “did you not overhear these men consulting about this will?”

“indeed, i did. it was in one of my soda summer houses. i heard every word.”

“you did, did you, you sea-swab?” bellowed stanley. “i wish i’d got my fists on you then. there’d have been one less in the soda business.”

“and what became of the document?”

“that man there”—the man pointed out ned—“thrust it into his sailor upper garment.”

once more the general stepped to the door.

“search these men,” he ordered, summoning in the squad of insurgent cavalry outside. restraining a strong inclination to knock their searchers “galley west,” as stanley put it, the americans submitted to the ordeal. of course, nothing was found of the will.

“will you tell me where the document is?” demanded the general. “it is your last chance.”

“oh, go away and don’t bother us,” said stanley. “we want to sleep.”

“i am not addressing you, sir,” said the general, with almost a pleading note in his voice. “remember, you are young, and life is sweet,” he added, turning to ned; “one word and you are free.”

“all of us?”

“yes, all of you. i will trust to your honor to deliver the document to me if you promise to do so.”

in that moment ned was tried as men have seldom been tested. as the cunning general had pointed out, life was very sweet to him—so sweet that he had not dared to think of the last grim scene which would be enacted the next morning. but in his decision he held all their fates. by saying one word he could procure their liberation. but to do so he would have to sacrifice a girl’s happiness and rob a woman of estates that belonged to her by right. while he[193] hesitated the same thoughts had been running through the minds of his comrades. ned, gazing at them, saw that they were all of the same mind.

“come!” it was the general’s voice. he was encouraged by the dreadnought boy’s hesitation, and put it down to a tacit acceptance of his base proposal.

“come, you will say yes?”

“not if it was the last day i had to live!” shot out ned, and then halted, with a gasp of dismay, as he realized that, in all probability—short of a miracle happening—it was his last day to live.

“unanimous again!” proclaimed stanley, as the general turned inquiringly to him.

“fools! you have signed your own death warrants,” snarled the insurgent leader, as he turned impatiently and, followed by his companions, left the cell.

as he did so a dull, booming sound came from seaward, followed by a loud, screeching rush overhead.

“what on earth is that?” gasped ned. as he spoke, a terrific explosion sounded without, and the air became filled with sharp commands, outcries and groans.

“sounds like a six-inch shell!” exclaimed stanley.