"But perhaps there are only four or five Englishmen to protect the place,"

said Ben Zoof, as if meditating an assault.
"No, no, Ben Zoof," answered Servadac; "we must do nothing rash.

We have had our warning, and, unless our representations can induce
them to yield their position, we must resign our hope."

Thus discomfited, they had reached the foot of the rock,
when all at once, like a "Jack-in-the-box," a sentinel started

up before them with the challenge:
"Who goes there?"

"Friends. Vive la France!" cried the captain.
"Hurrah for England!" replied the soldier.

By this time four other men had made their appearance from the upper part
of the rock.

"What do you want?" asked one of them, whom Servadac remembered
to have seen before at Gibraltar.

"Can I speak to your commanding officer?" Servadac inquired.
"Which?" said the man. "The officer in command of Ceuta?"

"Yes, if there is one."
"I will acquaint him with your arrival," answered the Englishman,

and disappeared.
In a few minutes the commanding officer, attired in full uniform,

was seen descending to the shore. It was Major Oliphant himself.
Servadac could no longer entertain a doubt that the Englishmen had forestalled

him in the occupation of Ceuta. Provisions and fuel had evidently" target="_blank" title="ad.明显地">evidently been
conveyed thither in the boat from Gibraltar before the sea had frozen,

and a solid casemate, hollowed in the rock, had afforded Major Oliphant
and his contingent ample protection from the rigor of the winter.

The ascending smoke that rose above the rock was sufficient evidence
that good fires were still kept up; the soldiers appeared to have thriven

well on what, no doubt, had been a generous diet, and the major himself,
although he would scarcely have been willing to allow it, was slightly

stouter than before.
Being only about twelve miles distant from Gibraltar, the little

garrison at Ceuta had felt itself by no means isolated in its position;
but by frequent excursions across the frozenstrait, and by the constant

use of the telegraph, had kept up their communication with their
fellow-countrymen on the other island. Colonel Murphy and the major

had not even been forced to forego the pleasures of the chessboard.
The game that had been interrupted by Captain Servadac's former visit

was not yet concluded; but, like the two American clubs that played
their celebrated game in 1846 between Washington and Baltimore,

the two gallant officers made use of the semaphore to communicate
their well-digested moves.

The major stood waiting for his visitor to speak.
"Major Oliphant, I believe?" said Servadac, with a courteous bow.

"Yes, sir, Major Oliphant, officer in command of the garrison
at Ceuta," was the Englishman's reply. "And to whom," he added,

"may I have the honor of speaking?"
"To Captain Servadac, the governor general of Gallia."

"Indeed!" said the major, with a supercilious look.
"Allow me to express my surprise," resumed the captain, "at seeing you

installed as commanding officer upon what I have always understood
to be Spanish soil. May I demand your claim to your position?"

"My claim is that of first occupant."
"But do you not think that the party of Spaniards now resident with me

may at some future time assert a prior right to the proprietorship?"
"I think not, Captain Servadac."

"But why not?" persisted the captain.
"Because these very Spaniards have, by formal contract, made over Ceuta,

in its integrity, to the British government."
Servadac uttered an exclamation of surprise.

"And as the price of that important cession," continued Major Oliphant,
"they have received a fair equivalent in British gold."

"Ah!" cried Ben Zoof, "that accounts for that fellow Negrete and his people
having such a lot of money."

Servadac was silent. It had become clear to his mind what had
been the object of that secret visit to Ceuta which he had heard

of as being made by the two English officers. The arguments
that he had intended to use had completely fallen through;

all that he had now to do was carefully to prevent any suspicion
of his disappointed project.

"May I be allowed to ask, Captain Servadac, to what I am indebted
for the honor of this visit?" asked Major Oliphant presently.

"I have come, Major Oliphant, in the hope of doing you and your companions
a service," replied Servadac, rousing himself from his reverie.

"Ah, indeed!" replied the major, as though he felt himself quite
independent of all services from exterior sources.

"I thought, major, that it was not unlikely you were in ignorance
of the fact that both Ceuta and Gibraltar have been traversing

the solar regions on the surface of a comet."
The major smiled incredulously; but Servadac, nothing daunted,

went on to detail the results of the collision between the comet
and the earth, adding that, as there was the almost immediate

prospect of another concussion, it had occurred to him that it
might be advisable for the whole population of Gallia to unite

in taking precautionary measures for the common welfare.
"In fact, Major Oliphant," he said in conclusion, "I am here

to inquire whether you and your friends would be disposed to join
us in our present quarters."

"I am obliged to you, Captain Servadac," answered the major stiffly;
"but we have not the slightest intention of abandoning our post.

We have received no government orders to that effect; indeed, we have
received no orders at all. Our own dispatch to the First Lord

of the Admiralty still awaits the mail."
"But allow me to repeat," insisted Servadac, "that we are no longer

on the earth, although we expect to come in contact with it again
in about eight weeks."

"I have no doubt," the major answered, "that England will make every effort
to reclaim us."

Servadac felt perplexed. It was quite evident that Major Oliphant had not
been convinced of the truth of one syllable of what he had been saying.

"Then I am to understand that you are determined to retain
your two garrisons here and at Gibraltar?" asked Servadac,

with one last effort at persuasion.
"Certainly; these two posts command the entrance of the Mediterranean."

"But supposing there is no longer any Mediterranean?"
retorted the captain, growing impatient.

"Oh, England will always take care of that," was Major Oliphant's cool reply.
"But excuse me," he added presently; "I see that Colonel Murphy has just

telegraphed his next move. Allow me to wish you good-afternoon."
And without further parley, followed by his soldiers, he retired

into the casemate, leaving Captain Servadac gnawing his mustache
with mingled rage and mortification.

"A fine piece of business we have made of this!" said Ben Zoof,
when he found himself alone with his master.

"We will make our way back at once," replied Captain Servadac.
"Yes, the sooner the better, with our tails between our legs,"

rejoined the orderly, who this time felt no inclination
to start off to the march of the Algerian zephyrs.

And so the French tricolor returned as it had set out--
in Ben Zoof's knapsack.

On the eighth evening after starting, the travelers again set foot
on the volcanic promontory just in time to witness a great commotion.

Palmyrin Rosette was in a furious rage. He had completed all his calculations
about Nerina, but that perfidious satellite had totally disappeared.

The astronomer was frantic at the loss of his moon. Captured probably by some
larger body, it was revolving in its proper zone of the minor planets.

CHAPTER XVI
A BOLD PROPOSITION

On his return Servadac communicated to the count the result of his expedition,
and, though perfectly silent on the subject of his personal project,

did not conceal the fact that the Spaniards, without the smallest right,
had sold Ceuta to the English.

Having refused to quit their post, the Englishmen had virtually excluded