“Pray do so at once, señor,” answered George. “It was solely to gain intelligence of the whereabouts of those men and to secure their release that I came to Nombre; and if you cannot at least afford me some assistance, I am afraid that it will be a bad thing for your city.”
“But, noble señor,” remonstrated Don Sebastian, “you will surely not hold Nombre responsible—”
“For the disappearance of those men?” interrupted George. “Indeed I will, then, your Excellency, unless you can afford me satisfactory evidence as to what has become of them.”
“Permit me, señor,” said Don Sebastian, and smartly struck a small hand bell on the table. An attendant almost instantly appeared, to whom the Governor said peremptorily:
“Find Señor Montalvo, and say that I desire his immediate presence in this room.”
Some five minutes later a smart, dapper-looking young Spaniard entered and, bowing low, requested to know his Excellency’s pleasure.
“Señor Montalvo,” said Don Sebastian, “about a year ago a ship named the—” he hesitated and looked inquiringly at George.
“The San Mathias,” prompted George.
“Exactly, the San Mathias,” continued the Governor, “is said to have arrived here from San Juan de Ulua, bringing from thence seventeen Englishmen, prisoners, who were sentenced to the galleys—”
“Yes, your Excellency,” interrupted the secretary. “I perfectly remember the circumstances, for it occurred while you were temporarily laid up with fever, and I transacted the whole of the business connected with it.”