Virginia Howland, coming up from behind, touched him on the arm, while her father, who followed her, placed his hand on Dan’s shoulder.

“Captain,” said the girl, “I am disappointed.  I wagered a box of candy with father that you were already out fighting.”

Dan, unable to suppress the thoughts which had filled his mind, smiled grimly.

“I don’t think I have any desire to turn butcher,” he said, with just a tinge of bitterness.

The girl flushed and regarded Dan for a moment with a curious expression, and then glanced at her father.

“Is it really—­that?” she said.

Mr. Howland smiled easily.

“Butchery?  It seems to amount to about that.  Poor beggars!  But war is war,” Mr. Howland tapped the rail with his finger by way of emphasis, “and those who attempt to overthrow governments generally do either one of two things:  they succeed, or they pay the penalty of failure.”

“In this case,” said Dan, coolly, “they seem to be paying the penalty.”

“Yes, thanks to you,” replied Mr. Howland, “which is what I wish to speak to you about.”

He paused, and as Dan made no reply he continued: 

“You did a mighty fine piece of work for us in landing those guns—­you have placed my company considerably in debt to you; but of that more later.  At the present time I want to tell you that these infernal revolutionists have burned Belle View—­which,” turning to his daughter, “may alter your sympathies a trifle, Virginia—­and therefore necessitates more or less of a change of programme—­”

“Belle View burned!” interpolated Virginia.  “Why, father, what—­”

“As I was saying,” resumed Mr. Howland, “we’ve got to shift things about.  In the first place, if Belle View were not burned, I should hardly feel safe in having the crowd there with conditions as they are—­and things are not especially pleasant in this city.  However,—­how long will it take to get away from here, Captain?”

“We must take on some coal, and Hendrickson has drawn the fires and is reaming in some new boiler-tubes.  We could get away inside of forty-eight hours, I think.”

“Good; let’s do it, then.  We’ll call at San Domingo, Hayti, Jamaica, and other places to make up for spoiling your house-party, Virginia.  In the meantime I have secured good quarters for our guests at the Hotel Garcia, where to-night I give the Government a dinner.  I shall expect to see you there, Captain.”

Dan would have preferred to stay away from that dinner.  The thought of his practical connivance at the day’s slaughter, so obviously suggested by Mr. Howland, grated on him, and the implied command in the invitation to the dinner bothered him too.  The day was to be filled with duties about ship, and he wanted the evening to himself, to sit in his cabin with his pipe and his books and mull over these and other things.

Of course he might have known what would follow the landing of the guns from the Tampico.  He did know, as a matter of fact, but orders are orders, and duty is duty; and when you are employed by a man you accept your salary and any other accruing benefits solely upon the understanding that you shall serve his interests to the best of your ability.