70 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



was not a moment for strangers to offer idle consola- 

 tion, and we withdrew. 



Our own plans were unsettled ; the very dangers I 

 feared had happened ; the soldiers, who had been kept 

 together in masses, were disbanded to sweep every road 

 in the country with the ferocity of partisan war. But 

 for the night we could do nothing. Our men were al- 

 ready asleep, and, not without apprehensions, the captain 

 and I retired to a room opening upon the courtyard. 

 Don Saturnino wrapped himself in his poncha and lay 

 down under the corridor. 



None of us undressed, but the fatigue of the day had 

 been so great that I soon fell into a profound sleep. 

 At one o'clock we were roused by Colonel Molina 

 shouting in the doorway " La gente vienne !" " The 

 people are coming !" His sword glittered, his spurs 

 rattled, and by the moonlight I saw men saddling horses 

 in the courtyard. We sprang up in a moment, and he 

 told us to save ourselves; "la gente" were coming, 

 and within two hours' march of the town. My first 

 question was, What had become of the soldiers ? They 

 were already marching out ; everybody was preparing 

 to fly ; he intended to escort the ladies to a hiding- 

 place in the mountains, and then to overtake the sol- 

 diers. I must confess that my first thought was " devil 

 take the hindmost," and I ordered Nicolas, who was 

 fairly blubbering with fright, to saddle for a start. The 

 captain, however, objected, insisting that to fly would 

 be to identify ourselves with the fugitives; and if we 

 were overtaken with them we should certainly be mas- 

 sacred. Don Saturnino proposed to set out on our 

 journey, and go straight on to a hacienda two leagues 

 beyond ; if we met them on the road we would appear 

 as travellers ; in their hurry they would let us pass ; 



