woman had told us of, then we ran on as fast as our legs could carry us till we reached the consul's house, which we knew by a big board over the door, though we couldn't see the arms. Mr Desmond went up to the door and pulled the bell. `It's no time to stand on ceremony, though it's not the hour that the consul generally receives visitors, I fancy,' he said, with a laugh. He pulled and pulled again. `I must climb in at the window if we can't awake them any other way, though maybe I shall be shot if I do,' he added, looking up to see if there was one he could reach. `Do you, Needham, just lift me up on your shoulders, and I am sure I can reach that balcony, and it will be hard if I don't get a window open, and once in the house I'll go round and knock at all the doors till I rouse up some one.' No sooner said than done; the midshipman disappeared over my head, and I was left standing below wondering what next would happen. I knew from the sounds which reached me that he was trying one window after another, at last I heard a loud crash, which showed that he had got through some way or other. Again all was silent. Presently there came cries, and squealing, and shouts, through the lattice which there always is in Spanish doors, so that the people from within may talk to any one outside without opening them; then there came a man's gruff voice, and Mr Desmond's, talking away as fast as his tongue could move, trying to explain what it all meant. This went on for some time, till the gruff voice grew calmer, and Mr Desmond began to talk slower, and I heard women's and girls' voices uttering all sorts of exclamations. Says I to myself, `It's all right now.' "At last the door opened, and Mr Desmond told me to come in, that he was thankful to say that the vice-consul would do all he could, and that the consul himself had gone away to a place a mile or two along the coast. `Then the best thing we can do is to go after him,' said Mr Desmond. `Can you find us a boat and crew, sir?' he asked of the vice-consul. "`That will be a difficult thing, young sir,' he answered. `A boat may be found, but no crew would go without the permission of the general.' "`Well, then, if you will find us a boat we will go alone,' said Mr Desmond; `and if the place is only a mile or two off, and you'll instruct us how to find it, we can have no difficulty in doing so.'