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.