LIFE IN THE FAB WEST. 151 



brought and piled in the sala, ready for use. The padre 

 exhorted, the women screamed, the men grew pale and 

 nervous, and thronged within the walls. Don Antonio, 

 the fiery Andaluz, alone remained outside, flourishing his 

 whetted sabre, and roaring to the padre, who stood on the 

 roof With lighted match, by the side of his formidable 

 cannon, not to be affrighted " that he, the Trueba, was 

 there, with his Tizona, ready to defeat the devil himself 

 should he come on." 



He was deaf to the entreaties of the priest to enter. 



" Siempre en el frente Ever in the van," he said, " was 

 the war-cry of the Truebas." 



But now a cloud of dust was seen approaching from the 

 plain, and presently a score of horsemen dashed headlong 

 towards the Mission. " El enemigo ! " shouted Fray 

 Augustin ; and, without waiting to aim, he clapped his 

 match to the touch-hole of the gun, harmlessly pointed to 

 the sky, and crying out, "in el nombre de Dios" in 

 God's name as he did so, was instantly knocked over 

 and over by the recoil of the piece, then was as instantly 

 seized by some of the Indian garrison, and forced through 

 the trap -door into the building; whilst the horsemen 

 (who were his own scouts) galloped up with the intelli- 

 gence that the enemy was at hand, and in overwhelming 

 force. 



Thereupon the men were all mounted, and formed in a 

 body before the building, to the amount of more than fifty, 

 well armed with guns or bows and arrows. Here the 

 gallant Don harangued them, and infusing into their hearts 

 a little of his own courage, they eagerly demanded to be 

 led against the enemy. Fray Augustin reappeared on the 

 roof, gave them his blessing, advised them to give no quar- 

 ter, and, with slight misgivings, saw them ride off to the 

 conflict. 



About a mile from the Mission, the plain gradually 

 ascended to a ridge of moderate elevation, on which was 

 a growth of dwarf oak and ilex. To this point the eyes 

 of the remaining inmates of the convent were earnestly 

 directed, as here the enemy was first expected to make his 



