The five smugglers were brought in, each of them with his wrists handcuffed behind him by the officers. Gray's looks plainly indicated that he was a foreigner; but he could speak the language as fluently as any other person in the room, though perhaps not as correctly. He glanced at the four Sir Knights who had overcome him in the conflict on the deck of the Salihé, and especially at Scott, who had lassoed him. Captain Velazquez appeared to be entirely subdued by his misfortunes, as doubtless he regarded the loss of the Golondrina and his arrest. He was not as savage as he had appeared to be the evening before. The other three men had obeyed orders in the affairs on the steamer, and had submitted quietly when they were overcome, and were of little account. It was not a very intricate case, for the capture of the schooner with her contraband cargo made everything very plain sailing. The officers of the customs and the police, to whom the vessel and the prisoners had been delivered the night before by Captain Ringgold's agents, stated what they knew about the affair, which was very little. Then Gray was called upon to explain. He gave his evidence in Spanish; but Mr. Gaskette, who had been brought over as an interpreter, and Louis could understand him. The Scotchman, who seemed to be more troubled about the capture of the little steamer than about the smuggling, without committing himself in regard to the latter, stated squarely that he had engaged the Salihé of Captain Chickworth, and he thought he had the right to use her when he found her in the bay, near the Palmones River. He concluded that she had been sent there for him. He found on board of her a party of young men, who appeared to be Dutchmen, and who had been drinking too much wine. Mr. Gaskette and Louis laughed when they heard this statement, and even the commander understood enough of it to be amused. To the surprise of Gray the party had refused to allow him the use of the little steamer. He had tried to compromise the matter, and he had offered to pay them money, and not to interfere with their excursion. The Dutchmen were obstinate, and would not listen to him. He had been compelled to take possession of the steamer, but had made her passengers comfortable in the cabin. Then they had risen against his party, only three of them being then on board the Salihé, and, resorting to the most barbarous methods, using their revolvers, with which all of them seemed to be supplied, had recovered possession of the boat, making them prisoners, and treating them like criminals, when everybody knew that they were honest and law-abiding men.