"A united English and Dutch force, in 1704, proved that the fortress was not as strong as the Spaniards claimed. The fleet first bombarded it, then a heavy force was landed and an assault made upon the works, and its capitulation followed; but it was manned by only one hundred and fifty men, and the fact that this puny force 'knocked out' nearly double their own number shows that the place was very strong, and that it was bravely defended. "From that time to the present Gibraltar has remained in possession of the English, though Spain and France have made desperate efforts to dislodge them. It has sustained not less than four sieges, the last of which was the most tremendous, in 1779, while the American Revolution was still in progress, and it was continued for four years. The narrative of it is extremely interesting; but it may be read by those so disposed in several books in our library, and I will not attempt to relate it. "I intended to invite the party to go on shore this afternoon; but the Sir Knights of the Salihé have to go over to Algeciras to serve as witnesses against the smugglers they captured last night, and I desire to go with them. The party can go with us if they desire, for we shall make use of the Salihé for the purpose, and, as the weather is pleasant, it will be a nice sail." Led off by Dr. Hawkes, as usual, the company applauded the commander, and thanked him for the interesting lecture he had given them. "I should like to go to Algeciras for one," said Mrs. Belgrave. "So should I," added Mrs. Woolridge; in fact, all of them wished to go. "I want to see the steamer in which all the wonderful things were done last evening," said Mrs. Belgrave. After lunch the party prepared for the excursion. Felipe was again directed to take charge of the engine, and Scott was to be the pilot. The latter studied the chart during all the time he could find before the departure, and wrote down some points he had forgotten to mention the evening before. There were no wharves or piers at the town to which they were going, and the first cutter with her crew was sent over in tow. At the appointed hour the steamer started, and landed her passengers on the other side of the bay. They were very pleasantly received by the Spanish officials. All the party insisted upon going to the court, for they desired to see the smugglers. CHAPTER XIV AMERICAN WITNESSES IN A SPANISH COURT The party found the forms of justice in Spain, those who knew anything about them, quite different from what they were in New York and New Jersey. The court-room was an oddity to Uncle Moses, and he had the idea that the _provincia_ must be building a new court-house, and that the apartment was a temporary one, not adapted to the use for which it was required.