man calls himself Lighthouse Harry. He once kept a light-house on
the Florida coast, and that's as near to the sea as he ever got.
The other one is a dare-devil calling himself Colonel Beamish. He
says he's an English officer, and a soldier of fortune, and that
he's been in eighteen battles. Jimmy says he's never been near
enough to a battle to see the red-cross flags on the base
hospital. But they've fooled these Cubans. The Junta thinks
they're great fighters, and it's sent them down here to work the
machine guns. But I'm afraid the only fighting they will do will
be in the sporting columns, and not in the ring."

A half dozen sea-sick Cubans were carrying a heavy, oblong box.
They dropped it not two yards from where David lay, and with a
screwdriver Lighthouse Harry proceeded to open the lid.

Carr explained to David that The Three Friends was approaching
that part of the coast of Cuba on which she had arranged to land
her expedition, and that in case she was surprised by one of the
Spanish patrol boats she was preparing to defend herself.

"They've got an automatic gun in that crate," said Carr, "and
they're going to assemble it. You'd better move; they'll be
tramping all over you.

David shook his head feebly.

"I can't move!" he protested. "I wouldn't move if it would free
Cuba."

For several hours with very languid interest David watched