"I suspected it; speak, Oliver, you know that I am ready to do everything you wish." "I do not know how I let myself be humbugged into accepting this confounded embassy, in which there are ninety chances in a hundred that I shall lose my hide; but what is done cannot be undone. Listen to me: during my absence you will take the command of my men, and I will give them orders to obey you as myself." Moonshine gave a nod of assent. "Now," the adventurer continued, "take this belt; it contains not only the gold I have just received, but also some savings of my own." "What am I to do with it?" "If I am killed by the Godos, I do not wish them to profit by my money. You will keep as much as you like, and send the rest to my old mother, you know where." "I will send it all; I shall not need money, for if those brigands of Spaniards assassinate you I must revenge your death, and money will be useless to me." "That is true; in that case you will send all. That is settled, thank you." "There is nothing to thank me for; what you ask of me is simple." "Yes, yes," the other said, with a shake of his head; "but who knows what turn matters will take?" "Well, up to the present we have no cause to grumble, I fancy." "It is true that we have succeeded in everything; my measures were so well taken that, without exciting the slightest suspicion, we managed to gain the very thing we aimed at; but we must wait for the end." "Nonsense; we shall succeed; set your mind at rest about that, Sumach. Besides, our project is most honourable, as we wish to render a service to people to whom we do not owe the slightest obligation, and whom we do not even know." "That is true. Well, let us trust to heaven. One last word." "Out with it." "Distrust that cunning-looking majordomo. I know not why, but he inspires me with an invincible repulsion." "All right; I will watch him." "Very good; now let us go to dinner." The two men rose and went back to the house as quiet and careless as if they had been conversing about indifferent matters. Immediately after dinner, the adventurer assembled his comrades, made them recognize Moonshine as their chief during his absence, and then all his affairs being thus settled, he wrapped himself in his zarapé, lay down on the ground, and almost immediately fell asleep. CHAPTER IX. DON MELCHIOR DÍAZ. Don Melchior Díaz's name has several times already slipped from our pen; the reader has been introduced to him, but up to the present we have not yet positively explained who he is or in what way he succeeded in gaining the position he occupies in the Saldibar family. The moment has arrived to make this known, and acquaint the reader with certain events most important for a proper understanding of coming facts.