"Then," said Will, looking positively majestic as he felt himself the mouthpiece of his country, "I have the honour to present your Excellency with the schedule of the Admiral's requirements." This with a deep bow. And, with another deep bow, "I have the honour to inform your Excellency that if permission for their supply is not sent on board within twelve hours, the Admiral is prepared to enforce his requirements with the guns of his ships. I have the honour to wish your Excellency," this with a still deeper bow, "a very good morning." "Stay! stay! not so fast, Illustrissimo. Would you graciously write down this cartel, so that I may make no mistake? Ah, you have been reading it!" he said, catching sight of a second scroll. "I am afraid this will not do. It is in English--the Admiral's note of the words I should use for the manifesto." "And you assure me that what you have said is the exact translation of this?" "Put into the roundabout and compliment-paying phrases which your language demands--yes." "Then it is quite sufficient, Illustrissimo. Tell your terrible Admiral that he will not have to fire his guns into us; that I shall be rejoiced from the bottom of my heart to supply him with whatever he requires, water, provisions, powder even, at the most reasonable prices. With this piece of paper in my hands, I have only yielded to force. His August Majesty will not declare war upon his High and Mighty Majesty for this breach of the peace." But he added to himself, as we learned from the ladies of his party on the next evening, that he did not feel so certain that France would not regard it as an act of war. This whole affair of Syracuse has not even yet been cleared up, and it must be remembered that I am writing a good many years after the event. To this day the Admiralty is in the dark as to whether the Governor did receive secret orders, overriding the Royal despatch, and supposing he did, if it formed part of those orders that he was to yield, but only to yield to a pretence of force. One thing is quite certain--that, as soon as force was mentioned, he showed the greatest good-will; and the Admiral wrote in two separate letters to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, both written the day before he left: "I have no complaint to make of private attention. Every body of persons have been on board to offer me civilities." And in the other letter: "My dear friends, thanks to your exertions we have victualled and watered; and surely, watering at the fountain of Arethusa, we must have victory. We shall sail with the first breeze; and, be assured, I will return either crowned with laurel or covered with cypress." A day or two afterwards the breeze did come in the afternoon, as it always does at Syracuse. In the morning the Admiral wrote: