Ryan put his head out through the hole, and looked down. In the darkness he could see nothing, but he heard the heavy tread of two sentries. As the sound of their footsteps faded away in the distance, he heard a sudden exclamation and a slight movement and, a few seconds later, a voice below asked in a whisper: "Are you there?" "Yes," Ryan replied joyfully. Putting a noose which was at one end of the rope over the stump of one of the bars, he at once slid down. A moment later, the other man descended after him. "This way, senor," the voice said and, taking his hand, led him across the street; and then, after a quarter of a mile's walk, stopped at the door of a large house. He opened this with a key, and led the way up the stairs to the second floor; opened another door, and said: "Enter, senor, you are at home." Ryan had noticed that the man who had released him had not followed them, but had turned away as soon as they left the prison. "You are most welcome, senor," his guide said as, opening another door, he led the way into a handsome apartment, where a lamp was burning on the table. "First let me introduce myself," he said. "My name is Alonzo Santobel, by profession an advocate. I am a friend of Don Leon Gonzales, one of Moras's officers, whom I believe you know. He will be here in a minute or two. He has followed us at a distance, to be sure that we were not watched. He enlisted me in this enterprise, and I have gladly given my assistance, which indeed was confined to bringing you here. All the rest he has managed himself, with the aid of six of his men who accompanied him here. He has been longer over it than he had expected, but we had difficulties that we did not anticipate." He spoke in French, but added: "I understand sufficient Portuguese to follow anything that you say, senor." "I am indeed grateful to you all," Ryan said warmly. "It is good of you, indeed, to run so great a risk for a stranger." "Not exactly a stranger, senor, since you are a friend of my friend, Leon Gonzales." At this moment the door of the room opened, and the officer named entered and warmly shook hands with Ryan, and congratulated him cordially on his release. "Thanks to you, senor," Dick said gratefully. "It has been a matter of duty, as well as pleasure," the other replied courteously; "for Moras committed the task of freeing you to my hands." "I have just been telling Senor Ryan," the other said, "that you found it somewhat more difficult than you expected." "Yes, indeed. In the first place, my face is known to so many here and, unhappily, so many Spaniards are friends of the French, that I dared not show myself in the streets, in the daytime. And before I tell my story, Alonzo, please open a bottle of wine, and produce a box of cigars. Our friend has not had a chance of a decent smoke since he has been shut up.