It was decided that Carlo could not be visited again till a late hour the next morning, for fear of any one being discovered in the cell. Etta, as more agile than Catalina, was then to visit the dungeon; and, much comforted, the three this evening knelt down to pray together that God would deliver them from their sad plight and take care of their own dear Carlo and the Marquis.
Felipa was very fond of her father in spite of being a little afraid of him; he had always been indulgent to her, and she fretted at seeing nothing of him. The truth was, that the Governor preferred even looking after the betrayed fortresses to seeing the sorrow of his children; and he was much afraid Felipa would reproach him for having allowed Carlo to be imprisoned.
As the girls would not leave the sitting-room, through which alone they could get at Carlo, Catalina spread some mattresses on the floor for them; and this evening they slept soundly in spite of their many misfortunes.
They were up at sunrise, and were all impatience for the first tidings which Harry had promised to bring them; but when at last they heard his voice, and let him in, he was not in a very cheerful mood.
'When is Captain Morgan going away?' asked Etta, whose sweet face and golden hair made Harry hunger all the more for his home, in order that he might send or fetch her. 'Make haste and tell us good news. I have a lovely plan for saving you from these people, Harry Fenn, but I dare not tell it yet I would dearly love to hear their hue and cry after you. How they would boggle at finding you gone!'
'You need not make plans for me, Mistress Etta: the Captain has even just now told me that he wishes me to go aboard one of his ships. He knows I will not fight, but he would fain make me act spy on the others. But see, this is all I could find for you, Catalina. Here are some yams and bananas and bread. I wanted to bring you a cooked fowl, but one of the men was angry at what he called my huge appetite. They think that as I will not do all their work I must not eat the good things, and that I am not worth my provender, as they put it.'
'But when shall you go?' asked Felipa, who looked so much more cheerful this morning that Harry could not help noticing it.
'No, no: you must not go!' said Etta, seizing his hand. 'Stay with us, and we will send you back to England. The Señora Felipa will ask her father, and when the pirates are gone----'
'Thank you for your kind good offices; but your plan is impossible, for Captain Morgan does not mean to leave Santa Teresa just yet; he is sending out four ships and a boat to try how he gets on in those parts.'
'Where?'