The leaders of the Carlist party do not, however, seem to be in any
great hurry to act.

Such a revolution as Don Carlos is anxious to begin means life or death
to the nobles and men of position who support him. If the rising fails,
these men will be regarded as traitors to their country, and shot or
exiled. In any case they will lose everything that they own or that the
Government can discover and take from them.

With so much at stake it is but natural that the nobles should wish to
be sure that their reward in case of success will be as great as their
punishment in case of failure.

They are therefore anxious to secure certain pledges from Don Carlos,
before they openly join themselves to an enterprise so full of peril.

Don Carlos does not seem willing to give these assurances, and so the
rebellion is at a standstill at present.

* * * * *

There was a little excitement during the past week over the announcement
that the English and French armies had met in battle in West Africa.

The story was not, however, believed, because the English Government had
given orders to her soldiers that they were to avoid any conflict with
the French, and the same directions had been given to the French by
their Government.