ROBERT BARR Ultimate Collection: 20 Novels & 65+ Detective Stories. Robert Barr

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СКАЧАТЬ the living gyves still encircling her wrists. When she looked up it was with a smile so radiant that the young man gasped for breath, and his heart beat faster than ever it had done in warfare.

      "But you will not give me up?" she murmured, softly.

      "Then would I be in truth a faithless minion," cried the young man, fervently; "not, indeed, to my country, but to your fascinating sex, which I never adored so much as now."

      "You mean that you would be faithless to your country, but not to me?"

      "Well," said the young man, with some natural hesitation, "I shouldn't care to have to choose between my allegiance to one or the other. England can survive without warring upon women, as you have said; so I hope that if we talk the matter amicably over, we may find that my duty need not clash with my inclination."

      "I am afraid that is impossible," she answered, quickly. "I hate your country."

      "But not the individual members of it, I hope."

      "I know nothing of its individual members, nor do I wish to, as you shall soon see, if you will but let go my wrist."

      "Ah, señorita," exclaimed the young man, "you are using an argument now that will make me hold you forever."

      "In that case," said the girl, "I shall change my argument, and give instead a promise. If you release me I shall not endeavour to escape—I may even be so bold as to expect your escort to the fort, where, if I understand you aright, you were but just now going."

      "I accept your promise, and shall be delighted if you will accept my escort. Meanwhile, in the interest of our better acquaintance, can I persuade you to sit down, and allow me to cast myself at your feet?"

      The girl, with a clear, mellow laugh, sat down, and the young man reclined in the position he had indicated, gazing up at her with intense admiration in his eyes.

      "If this be war," he said to himself, "long may I remain a soldier." Infatuated as he certainly was, his natural alertness could not but notice that her glance wandered to the stiletto, the perpendicular shining blade of which looked like the crest of a glittering, dangerous serpent, whose body was hidden in the leaves. She had seated herself as close to the weapon as possible, and now, on one pretext or another, edged nearer and nearer to it. At last the young man laughed aloud, and, sweeping his foot round, knocked down the weapon, then indolently stretching out his arm, he took it.

      "Señorita," he said, examining its keen edge, "will you give me this dagger as a memento of our meeting?"

      "It is unlucky," she murmured, "to make presents of stilettos."

      "I think," said the young man, glancing up at her with a smile on his lips, "it will be more lucky for me if I place it here in my belt than if I allow it to reach the possession of another."

      "Do you intend to steal it, señor?"

      "Oh, no. If you refuse to let me have it, I will give it back to you when our interview ends; but I should be glad to possess it, if you allow me to keep it."

      "It is unlucky, as I have said; to make a present of it, but I will exchange. If you will give me one of your loaded pistols, you may have the stiletto."

      "A fair exchange," he laughed, but he made no motion to fulfil his part to the barter. "May I have the happiness of knowing your name, señorita?" he asked.

      "I am called Donna Rafaela Mora," answered the girl, simply. "I am daughter of the Commandant of Fort San Carlos. I am no Nicaraguan, but a Spaniard And, señor, what is your name?"

      "Horatio Nelson, an humble captain in His Majesty's naval forces, to be heard from later, I hope, unless Donna Rafaela cuts short my thread of life with her stiletto."

      "And does a captain in His Majesty's forces condescend to play the part of a spy?" asked the girl, proudly.

      "He is delighted to do so when it brings him the acquaintance of another spy so charming as Donna Rafaela. My spying, and I imagine yours also, is but amateurish, and will probably be of little value to our respective forces. Our real spies are now gathered round your fort, and will bring to us all the information we need. Thus, I can recline at your feet, Donna Rafaela, with an easy conscience, well aware that my failure as a spy will in no way retard our expedition."

      "How many men do you command, Señor Captain?" asked the girl, with ill-concealed eagerness.

      "Oh, sometimes twenty-five, sometimes fifty, or a hundred or two hundred, or more, as the case may be," answered the young man, carelessly.

      "But how many are there in your expedition now?"

      "Didn't you count them, Donna? To answer truly, I must not, to answer falsely, I will not, Donna."

      "Why?" asked the girl, impetuously. "There is no such secrecy about our forces; we do not care who knows the number in our garrison."

      "No? Then how many are there, Donna?"

      "Three hundred and forty," answered the girl.

      "Men, or young ladies like yourself, Donna? Be careful how you answer, for if the latter, I warn you that nothing will keep the British out of Fort San Carlos. We shall be with you, even if we have to go as prisoners. In saying this, I feel that I am speaking for our entire company."

      The girl tossed her head scornfully.

      "There are three hundred and forty men," she said, "as you shall find to your cost, if you dare attack the fort."

      "In that case," replied Nelson, "you are nearly two to one, and I venture to think that we have not come up the river for nothing."

      "What braggarts you English are!"

      "Is it bragging to welcome a stirring fight? Are you well provided with cannon?"

      "You will learn that for yourself when you come within sight of the fort. Have you any more questions to ask, Señor Sailor?"

      "Yes; one. The number in the fort, which you give, corresponds with what I have already heard. I have heard also that you were well supplied with cannon, but I have been told that you have no cannonballs in Fort San Carlos."

      "That is not true; we have plenty.

      "Incredible as it may seem, I was told that the cannon-balls were made of clay. When I said you had none, I meant that you had none of iron."

      "That also is quite true," answered the girl. "Do you mean to say that you are going to shoot baked clay at us? It will be like heaving bricks," and the young man threw back his head and laughed.

      "Oh, you may laugh," cried the girl, "but I doubt if you will be so merry when you come to attack the fort. The clay cannon-balls were made under the superintendence of my father, and they are filled with links of chain, spikes, and other scraps of iron."

      "By Jove!" cried young Nelson, "that's an original idea. I wonder how it will work?"

      "You will have every opportunity of finding out, if you are foolish enough to attack the fort."

      "You advise us then to retreat?"

      "I most certainly do."

      "And СКАЧАТЬ