The Captain went over to the insurgent flagship that afternoon to see about some complaint which our Consul at Los Angelos had made, and I slipped a note for Gerald into his coxswain’s hands, hoping it would get to him. ’Hope things are going all right. For goodness’ sake, get Bob and myself ashore—I’m sick of this ship. Get my chum, Hood, ashore, too, if you can.—BILLUMS.’ By a bit of luck he actually was aboard, and sent me back an answer scribbled on the envelope. ’Will do my best—things are humming.—GERALD.’ The coxswain brought it back when the Captain returned, and I’d hardly read it when I was sent for. ’Ha! Hum! Mr. Wilson, I met your brother on board the flagship. He seems to be the head of the revolutionary army, and will—Hum! Ha!—be a very important man in the country if it is successful. He’s asked me to let you accompany him in the advance. Ha! Hum! I’ve no objection. If you want to get killed, you can.’ ’Thank you very much, sir,’ I answered, though I jolly well wanted to kick him. ’Did he ask for Hood or my cousin, Bob Temple?’ I asked, putting in a word for them. ’Ha! Hum! he did, but Mr. Hood is a _valuable_ officer, and Mr. Temple too young. Good-morning!’ He _was_ an irritating chap, if you like, and the amusing part of it was that he thought every one was fearfully impressed with his importance. And Gerald sent for me too-sent the same little harbour launch which had brought me on board the _Hector_, after I’d been released from San Sebastian—sent it fussing out from behind the breakwater, and it waited alongside whilst I shifted into plain clothes. ’I’ve done my best for you both,’ I said, as Ginger and Bob watched me ’change,’ ’but it can’t be done—very sorry—the Captain says you’re a valuable officer—meaning that I’m not—and that Bob is too young.’ I filled my baccy pouch, shoved the mater’s last letter into my pocket to show Gerald, and went ashore, feeling as happy as a bird and jolly important. How the chaps did envy me! José was waiting for me on the wharf, smiling all over his honest ugly face, and took me along with him, though it was pretty awkward ’going’ because of the sand-bags scattered everywhere. The shops and warehouses along the front were simply riddled with bullets and shell marks, and some men, with a mule-cart, were searching round for bodies and dumping them into it. We tramped along—it was so hot that the place was like an oven—and found Gerald inside an office kind of place with the black and green flag flying over it, and I knew he was happy by the way he puffed his pipe. There were a great number of officers there, many of whom I had seen before at San Fernando, and they bowed and smiled in the most friendly way; I almost felt one of them. ’Hullo, Billums! Just in time! Go inside and get some grub—you’ll get no more till to-morrow,’ Gerald sang out, looking up from some papers.