“I sincerely hope,” he continued in a less official voice, “that nothing happens to either of the monitors with such precious freight. Do you know, Mr. Perry,” he added feelingly, “out in these countries where lives are so cheap, we Americans would sacrifice a whole shipload of men for the single life of a mother or a child.” Phil inclined his head in mute token of agreement to his captain’s humane sentiment. Then suddenly a thought seemed to strike the latter, and he drew the lad farther away from the sailors engaged in making a protecting screen of hammocks about the after-gun positions, for greater safety against the possibility of infantry fire from the island, close to which the channel was shown to lead. “What is your theory, Mr. Perry,” he asked earnestly, “of the actions of Commander Ignacio? Is it merely a hostile dislike for me and our countrymen, or does it come from a deeper and more subtle reason?” Phil hesitated; could he give his honest views, or more correctly speaking, his knowledge of the reasons for Ignacio’s actions, without endangering the asking of a question from his captain, to answer which he might have to descend to subterfuge and even deceit? The fatal telegram lay snugly in his pocket; he could almost imagine that Commander Hughes’ piercing eyes could read, through the cloth of his blouse, the words which seemed engraved in bold letters on the lad’s brain. Phil had purposely cautioned his companions to say nothing of the captured letters which had passed between Ignacio and the viceroy’s secretary, for fear that the many allusions to the hope of accomplishing the disgrace of the American leader might awaken suspicion. These letters, the boy had decided, could not be of benefit now to Commander Hughes, but would be of vital importance in justifying the suppression of the cablegram taken from the person of Ta-Ling. “I think, sir,” Phil answered after several moments of silence, “that Commander Ignacio’s motive lies much deeper than personal enmity. There must surely be some important objective toward which he has been striving. Possibly,” he hinted vaguely in an endeavor to have his captain broach the real reason, of which the lad knew only too well, “he believes that he can secure better commercial benefits for his own countrymen and to the hurt of American interests. They say that the viceroy has been openly antagonistic for months to all American investments in his provinces.”