I must say that old Gerald wanted them badly; we both looked pretty disreputable. Just then the bells in the cathedral began ringing, and the great cracked bell banged out with its jarring clang. Bells began ringing, from one end of the city to the other, till the whole place seemed nothing but bells, and in half an hour a big black and green flag was hanging down over the old tower. ’If they don’t send food out pretty soon for my chaps, there’ll be no holding them,’ Gerald said presently, and looked worried again; but old Zorilla must have hurried up the townspeople considerably, because very soon carts came out with bread and fruit and rice cakes, and the fierce little fellows were soon filling their stomachs. José came back from the city, his eyes glittering with pride; he’d found Gerald’s room at the Club quite undisturbed, and brought him a complete change of clothes and some shaving tackle. We went into one of the living rooms in the fort and made ourselves look more respectable, José coming with us and polishing Gerald’s boots and gaiters till you could see your face in them. All this time the men were round those carts stuffing themselves contentedly; but don’t think that old Zorilla had forgotten us, rather not, he had sent us out some breakfast, and you may guess we were ready for it by the time we had cleaned. ’First meal in San Sebastian! I said so!’ and I laughed. ’So it is! Well, here’s luck to it!’ Gerald answered; ’and thanks very much, Billums, for coming along with me.’ ’My dear chap, don’t be an ass!’ was the only thing I could think to say. ’I wish I could make my little chaps give up their rifles,’ he said, ’but I can’t; they’re too proud of them.’ ’But surely if you disarmed them the regulars might attack them?’ I asked, but Gerald only smiled. ’Of course not! My dear Billums, didn’t I tell you that they are busy blacking out the yellow stripes; they’ll obey my orders now as cheerfully as they’d have shot me an hour ago. Now Canilla has vanished Zorilla only takes orders from the New President—and that means me.’ ’Oh!’ I said, and, like the sailor’s parrot, thought a good deal. Then I gave him the mater’s last letter, and, after he’d lighted his pipe, he sat back in a chair and read it, stretching his legs out in front of him whilst José knelt down buttoning up his gaiters and giving them a final polish. I did wish that the mater could have seen him.