AN ADVENTURE. 23 



On reaching the cabin, the alcaid and his alguazil re- 

 cognized in the fugitive the chief of all the brigands in 

 the country. 



Some days afterwards, the weather having again be- 

 come very bad, I received a second visit from the pre- 

 tended custom-house guard, who went soundly to sleep 

 in my cabin. I saw that my servant, an old soldier, who 

 had heard the recital of the deeds and behaviour of this 

 man, was preparing to kill him. I jumped down from my 

 camp bed, and, seizing my servant by the throat, " Are 

 you mad ? " said I to him ; " are we to discharge the du- 

 ties of police in this country ? Do you not see, more- 

 over, that this would expose us to the resentment of all 

 those who obey the orders of this redoubted chief? And 

 we should thus render it impossible for us to terminate 

 our operations." 



Next morning, when the sun rose, I had a conversation 

 with my guest, which I will try to reproduce faithfully. 



" Your situation is perfectly known to me ; I know that 

 you are not a custom-house guard ; I have learnt from 

 certain information that you are the chief of the robbers 

 of the country. Tell me whether I have any thing to 

 fear from your confederates ? " 



" The idea of robbing you did occur to us ; but we 

 concluded that all your funds would be in the neighbour- 

 ing towns ; that you would carry no money to the summit 

 of mountains, where you would not know what to do 

 with it, and that our expedition against you could have 

 no fruitful result. Moreover, we cannot pretend to be as 

 strong as the King of Spain. The King's troops leave 

 us quietly enough to exercise our industry ; but on the 

 day that we molested an envoy from the Emperor of the 

 French, they would direct against us several regiments, 



