ON my arrival at the Havana I found that Durham, who wasstill an invalid, had taken up his quarters at Mr.

　　Crauford's, the Consul-General. Phoca, who was nearly wellagain, was at the hotel, the only one in the town. And whoshould I meet there but my old Cambridge ally, Fred, the lastLord Calthorpe. This event was a fruitful one, - itdetermined the plans of both of us for a year or more tocome.

　　Fred - as I shall henceforth call him - had just returnedfrom a hunting expedition in Texas, with another sportsmanwhom he had accidentally met there. This gentlemanultimately became of even more importance to me than my oldfriend. I purposely abstain from giving either his name orhis profession, for reasons which will become obvious enoughby-and-by; the outward man may be described. He stood wellover six feet in his socks; his frame and limbs were thoseof a gladiator; he could crush a horseshoe in one hand; hehad a small head with a bull-neck, purely Grecian features,thick curly hair with crisp beard and silky moustache. He soclosely resembled a marble Hercules that (as he must have aname) we will call him Samson.

　　Before Fred stumbled upon him, he had spent a winter campingout in the snows of Canada, bear and elk shooting. He wassix years or so older than either of us - I.E. about eight-and-twenty.

　　As to Fred Calthorpe, it would be difficult to find a more'manly' man. He was unacquainted with fear. Yet hiscourage, though sometimes reckless, was by no means of thebrute kind. He did not run risks unless he thought the gainwould compensate them; and no one was more capable ofweighing consequences than he. His temper was admirable, hisspirits excellent; and for any enterprise where danger andhardship were to be encountered few men could have beenbetter qualified. By the end of a week these two had agreedto accompany me across the Rocky Mountains.

　　Before leaving the Havana, I witnessed an event which, thoughdisgusting in itself, gives rise to serious reflections.

　　Every thoughtful reader is conversant enough with them; if,therefore, he should find them out of place or trite, apologyis needless, as he will pass them by without the asking.

　　The circumstance referred to is a public execution. Mr.

　　Sydney Smith, the vice-consul, informed me that a criminalwas to be garrotted on the following morning; and asked mewhether I cared to look over the prison and see the man inhis cell that afternoon. We wen............