"I beg your pardon; I do sympathize with the rebels; not, I confess, as warmly as I did at first, and if I had known as much as I know now, I think I should have hesitated to join them." "How so?" "They kill prisoners in cold blood, and conduct war more like savages than Christians." "You are right, they do. Yes, killing prisoners in cold blood is a brutal practice! I am obliged to be severe sometimes, much to my regret. But there is only one way of dealing with a rebellion--you must stamp it out; civil war is not as other wars. Why not join us, Señor Fortescue? I will give you a command." "That is quite out of the question, General Griscelli; I am not a mere soldier of fortune. I have eaten these people's salt, and though I don't like some of their ways, I wish well to their cause." "Think better of it, señor. The alternative might not be agreeable." "Whatever the alternative may be, my decision is irrevocable. And you said just now you would let me go." "Oh, yes, I will let you go, since you insist on it" (smiling). "All the same, I think you will regret your decision--Mejia, of course, means to attack us. He can have come with no other object--by your advice?" "Certainly not." "That means he is acting against your advice. The man is mad. He thought of taking us by surprise, I suppose. Why, I knew he was on his way hither two days ago! And if he does not attack us to-night--and we are quite ready for him--I shall capture him and the whole of his army to-morrow. I want you to go with us and witness the operation--in the character of a spectator." "And a prisoner?" "If you choose to put it so." "In that case, there is no more to be said, though for choice, I would rather not witness the discomfiture of my friends." Griscelli gave an ironical smile, which I took to mean that it was precisely for this reason that he asked me to accompany him. "Will you kindly receive Señor Fortescue, as your guest, Captain Guzman," he said, "take him to your quarters, give him his supper, and find him a bed." "_Con mucho gusto._ Shall we go now, Señor Fortescue?" I went, and spent a very pleasant evening with Captain Guzman, and several of his brother-officers, whom he invited to join us, for though the Spaniards of that age were frightfully cruel to their enemies, they were courteous to their guests, and as a guest I was treated. As, moreover, most of the men I met had served in the Peninsular war, we had quite enough to talk about without touching on topics whose discussion might have been incompatible with good fellowship.