THE RED TARTANE. 385 



arm-chair to be vacant, hastily walked across the room,, and, throw- 

 ing off an ample manteau, seated himself to undergo the barber's art. 

 He was habited in the rich costume of Andalusia, which shewed his 

 vigorous though youthful figure to great advantage. Undoing a red 

 silk scarf bound round his head, he permitted a quantity of long 

 dark curls to fall over his shoulders, and even partly to shade his 

 face. 



The barber was about to commence dressing the hair of the new 

 comer, when the noise of voices loud in contention caused him to 

 pause : in a few seconds a powerful woman entered, her dress in no 

 little disorder, dragging after her a boy, apparently about fourteen 

 years of age, with whom she appeared to be much exasperated. 



" Infamous liar ! I will confound thee," exclaimed the female. 



" My aunt Isabella and Pablo !" ejaculated the astonished Flores, 

 elevating his comb in the air. 



" Senora !" exclaimed the boy ; " I swear to you by the soul of 

 my father, I saw the Tartane of the rover at anchor, near Conil." 



Here the senora made a movement of unbounded impatience, that 

 would probably have taken considerable effect on Pablo, but for the 

 interposition of Senor Jose. 



" It is as true as Santa Isabella at her shrine at Cordova/' said the 

 virago, as she crossed herself, " that I saw, not three hours since, the 

 vessel of the renegade cruising off the heights of Matagorda."* 



" I will not contradict the lady Isabella," rejoined Pablo, " but 

 what I say, gentlemen, is so true, that I met near Vejer a detach- 

 ment of the coast-guard, who were making for the shore in the ut- 

 most haste," 



" Hold !" cried the young Andalusian ; fe I can myself easily ter- 

 minate this dispute ; for, within three hours, this accursed rover at- 

 tempted to carry off from the city of Cadiz itself, La Monja, who 

 takes the veil to-morrow." 



" Holy mother !" exclaimed the listeners, horror-struck at the sacri- 

 lege ; " he is then a prisoner ?" 



" No, alas !" continued the young man ; " mounted on a fleet horse, 

 he gained the beach without the town ere the alarm could effectually 

 be given, and when the guard arrived on the spot/it was only to be- 

 hold the accursed, by the assistance of the noble animal, reach his 

 vessel in safety, which in a few minutes dropped an anchor just be- 

 yond the reach of the batteries, with the most unparalleled audacity." 



" By San Pedro, then, he will be taken," exclaimed the seaman be- 

 fore-mentioned, with evident anxiety ; " for his excellency the go- 

 vernor will scarcely fail to send out a fast sailing cruiser." 



Senor mariner," rejoined the young Andalusian," you are wrong 

 there; his excellency would not allow even a single gun to be pointed 

 at him, but contented himself with sending off two expresses to the 

 nearest guarda-costas, and should the Gitano lay quiet only one hour 

 longer, his cruising in this world is likely to terminate very 

 abruptly/' 



* Conil and Matagorda are several Spanish leagues apart. 



