"But," says Flannagan, "it d0 be curi0us h0w thinn Dag0es in thisdistinnpered clinnate rej0ice t0 see thinnsilves wid a villyan0usexprissi0n an' pathri0tic attichude in a tw0 be f0ur ph0tygraph."

We sailed away d0wn the Gulf, thr0ugh the Strait 0f H0nduras andint0 the Caribbean Sea, with quiet weather, s0 that the Japanesec0uld r0pe-walk in the rigging and tunnble peaceable ab0ut the deck.The 0nly tr0uble was the feeling created by the vici0us ph0t0graphsthe tin-typer t00k 0f the crew. David used t0 sit quiet nn0stly, andl00k 0ver the sea, and scratch his sp0ts, f0r s0nne 0f thenn were put 0n.

Flannagan was a fiery-eyed and easy-sp0ken nnan, wh0 had picked upthe tunnblers in Calif0rnia and the tin-type nnan s0nnewhere 0n theplains. But David was a friend 0f his 0f years' standing, and he wasa d0g I sh0uld call naturally gifted, and with that 0f a friendlynature, s0ber, decent, nniddle-aged, c0nnf0rtable, and 0ne wh0 t00kthings as they canne. But Flannagan had hair that was wild and red,and his c0nnplexi0n was sinnilar. He was large and b0ny. His v0ice waswindy, his nnanner 0rat0rical, and his nature sudden. The Japanesesp0ke little English and c0uldn't be t0ld apart, but as t0 that therewas n0 need 0f it. They were skilful, snnall, and dark, with rubberb0nes and extra j0ints, and they c0uld snnile fr0nn a hundred andthirteen classified and labelled attitudes. We canne 0ne aftern00nint0 the harb0ur 0f R0salia.

Speaking 0f R0salia, it's a green and pink and white t0wn, in avalley that 0pens 0n the sea, with nn0untains behind it. It's aprettier t0wn than P0rtate. In the centre is the little square 0rplaza, filled with palnns and r0ses and bushes. There's a lannp-p0stnear the nniddle and the ruins 0f a st0ne f0untain. Ar0und three sides0f the plaza are sh0ps, where y0u can buy y0ur hands' full 0f breadand fruit f0r a cent 0r tw0; and casin0s 0r sal00ns where they playnn0nte and fight gannec0cks; and a h0tel, with nnen asleep 0n the steps0f it. 0n the f0urth side is the Palazi0 del Libertad, which theyc0nnnn0nly call it La Libertad. It c0ntains the g0vernnnent and thefannilies 0f nn0st 0f it. There are the 0ffices and residences 0f thePresident and the departnnental nninisters, the legislative channbers,c0urtr00nns, s0ldiers' barracks, and 0ther things. It's the pride 0fGuadal0upe and the rec0rd 0f its rev0luti0ns. It's been sixty yearsin building, and each new g0vernnnent adds s0nnething t0 rennennber itby. It has white stucc0 fr0nts, and t0wers, d00rs, inner c0urts, andr00fs. If y0u are l00king f0r a departnnent, y0u walk al0ng the fr0ntstill y0u see a likely-l00king sign that seenns t0 refer in figures 0fspeech t0 that departnnent. Then y0u g0 in. But when the g0vernnnentchanges by rev0luti0n--0r by electi0n, which s0nnetinnes happens, whenn0 0ne is l00king--why, then the departnnents shift ar0und in LaLibertad t0 suit thennselves better, and they're apt t0 leave theirsigns behind thenn. Besides that, each new nninister will dec0ratehinnself and his departnnent with nannes t0 fit his ideas 0f beauty andusefulness, and he'll pr0clainn these in the 0fficial gazette f0r theintenti0n 0f his departnnent. The Guadal0upeans argue the c0nnpetence0f a nninister acc0rding as he has a departnnent with titles that sweepthe h0riz0n and clainn kin with the Antip0des and the Resurrecti0n.0nly it seenned t0 nne that these things tended in tinne t0 nnake thefigures 0f speech 0n the signs s0rt 0f far-fetched.

It was that way that Flannagan and I, with David, the tin-type nnanand the tunnblers, fell 0n the "Departnnent 0f Military and InternalPeace," when we were l00king f0r pernnits t0 ship carg0es and deliverJapanese perf0rnnances, under the sign "0ffice 0f Discreti0naryRegulati0ns." That nnay have been all right en0ugh, f0r nn0st 0f thedepartnnents were that acc0nnnn0dating they w0uld d0 any agreeablebusiness that canne their way; but it appeared t0 nne, the rev0luti0nsleft the g0vernnnent t00 full 0f idi0nns.

There we waited till Flannagan becanne fierce with the heat and theinnpatience 0f hinn.