CHAPTER XVIII

NORTHWARD WITH THE FLEET


When Alvarez was gone, the five rose and thanked the Governor General.
They, too, did not wish to rejoice over a fallen foe, but it was the
moment of their complete triumph. Success had come better than they had
ever hoped and the great three-faced conspiracy was shattered. It was
Spanish cannon that they had dreaded and now they could not thunder
against the wooden walls in Kentucky. They crowded around the priest, too,
and shook his hand and were grateful for his timely assistance. He had
come at the most opportune of all moments.

It was Paul who acted as spokesman for them with Bernardo Galvez.

"Your Excellency, we came this vast distance confiding in your justice,
and we have found our confidence well placed," he said.

Bernardo Galvez smiled. It was a moment of triumph for him, too. A bold
conspiracy against him had been crushed, and the five had been the chief
instruments in the crushing of it. Even without the aid of his good heart,
his feelings toward them would have been very kindly.

"If New Orleans has proved inhospitable to you for a time," he said, "she
is now ready to make atonement. Your good friend, Mr. Pollock, will care
for you."