TWO NIGHTS IX SOUTHERN MEXICO. 65 



his long keen white teeth were snapping and gnashing 

 within six inches of my face. 



" God of heaven ! this is horrible ! Rowley ! 

 help me ! " 



But Eowley, in spite of his gigantic strength, was 

 powerless as an infant in the grasp of these terrible 

 opponents. He was within a few paces of me, 

 struggling with two of them, and making superhuman 

 efforts to regain possession of his knife, which had 

 dropped or been wrenched from his hand. And all 

 this time, where were our arrieros? Were they 

 attacked likewise 1 "Why didn't they come and help 



us 1 All this time ! pshaw 1 it was no time : it 



all passed in the space of a few seconds, in the cir- 

 cumference of a few yards, and in the feeble glim- 

 mering light of the stars, and of the smouldering 

 embers of our fire, which was at some distance from 

 us. 



" Ha ! that has told ! " A stab, dealt with all 

 the energy of despair, had entered my antagonist's 

 side. But I was like to pay dearly for it. Uttering 

 a deafening yell of pain and fury, the monster 

 clasped me closer to his foul and loathsome body ; 

 his sharp claws, dug deeper into my back, seemed to 

 tear up my flesh : the agony was insupportable my 

 eyes began to swim, and my senses to leave me. 

 Just then Crack ! crack ! Two four a dozen 

 musket and pistol shots, followed by such a chorus 

 of yellings and howlings and unearthly laughter ! 



VOL. II. E 



