"It was a plucky bit of work," commented the consul.
"Will that fight with Cosetta inflame the Mexican mind?" Dave asked.
"It is likely to have something of that effect upon the Mexicans," the consul replied, "though Mexico can hardly make any legal objection to the affair, for Cosetta is a notorious bandit, and bandits have no rights. The Mexican government appears to have been unable to rescue the prisoners, so the United States forces had an undoubted right to do so. Do you know anything about this fellow, Cosetta, Mr. Darrin?"
"I never heard of him before yesterday," Dave confessed.
"He is a troublesome fellow, and rather dangerous. More than once he has extorted large sums of ransom money for prisoners. He has a large following, even here in Vera Cruz, where he maintains his little force of spies and assassins. Whenever a wealthy Mexican hereabouts has had an enemy that he wanted 'removed,' he has always been able to accomplish his wish with the aid of this same fellow, Cosetta."
"Cosetta is in town to-day," Dave remarked.
"Are you sure of that?"
"I saw him here," Darrin replied, quietly.
"Then you must have been the officer in command of last night's landing party."
"I was." replied Dave Darrin, shortly.