174 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



men reeled back into the centre of the room. In- 

 stantly recovering themselves, they darted through 

 the window, and stood before their deliverer, who 

 threw down his musket, and tossing off his shako, a 

 profusion of dark ringlets fell upon his shoulders, and 

 Marquinez recognised with astonishment the hand- 

 some features of La Collegiala. She was pale as 

 death, but had lost none of her presence of mind. 

 " For aqui ! " cried she, and as the relief turned the 

 angle of the house and entered the garden, the three 

 fugitives bounded over a low fence and disappeared 

 in the obscurity. A moment afterwards the guard, 

 surprised at not being challenged by the man whom 

 they were approaching to relieve, halted under the 

 window, expecting to find that sleep had overtaken 

 the negligent sentry. No sentry was there, but at a 

 few paces distant a dead soldier, stripped of his great- 

 coat and shako, was lying with his face against the 

 ground. The long rank grass on which he was ex- 

 tended was wet with blood. He had received a 

 stab in the back which had pierced through to his 

 heart. 



In less than an hour after Marquinez was carried 

 off by the French, La Collegiala had set out with a 

 squadron in order to rescue him. This force, which 

 included every man in the cantonment, was deemed 

 sufficient, the peasant having reported the captors as 

 not exceeding fifty in number. La Collegiala made 

 sure of overtaking them before they reached Vallado- 



