A NIGHT-BRAWL. 



257 



family party. The young men dispersed to sleep or to 

 finish the night with merriment elsewhere, and Don 

 Manuel and I retired to the house he had secured for us. 



We were in our hammocks, talking over the affairs 

 of the night, when we heard a noise in the street, a 

 ^ loud tramping past the door, and a clash of swords. 

 Presently Mr. P.'s servant knocked for admission, and 

 told us that a man had been killed a few doors off by a 

 sword-cut across the head. Instead of going out to 

 gratify an idle curiosity, like prudent men we secured 

 the door. The tramping passed up the street, and 

 presently we heard reports of firearms. The whole 

 place seemed to be in an uproar. We had hardly lain 

 down again before there was another knock at the door. 

 Our host, a respectable old man, with his wife, slept in 

 a back room, and, afraid of rioters, they had a consul- 

 tation about opening it. The former was unwilling to 

 do so, but the latter, with a mother's apprehensions, 

 said that she was afraid some accident had happened to 

 Chico. The knocking continued, and RafFael, a known 

 companion of their son, cried out that Chico was 

 wounded. The old man rose for a light, and, appre- 

 hending the worst, the mother and a young sister burst 

 into tears. The old man sternly checked them, said 

 that he had always cautioned Chico against going out at 

 night, and that he deserved to be punished. The sis- 

 ter ran and opened the door, and two young men enter- 

 ed. We could see the glitter of their swords, and that 

 one was supporting the other : and, just as the old man 

 procured a light, the wounded man fell on the ground. 

 His face was ghastly pale, and spotted with blood ; his 

 hat cut through the crown and rim as smoothly as if done 

 with a razor, and his right hand and arm were wound 

 Vol. I.—K k 



