be some phantom of an
overwrought brain, and the woman some light-o'-love of the desperado.

The man went straight to a horse, placed the burden he was carrying
across the saddle-bow, sprang on to the horse, and with a number of
others round him, including the chief, rode away.

They brought a horse for me and I mounted too, and rode along very
unwillingly towards the end of the train. As we passed the engine, I
saw that the fire-box had been raked out and water poured on it. There
was a dense steam arising from it. I conjectured, and conjectured
correctly, that they had done this to prevent the train steaming away
and giving the alarm, for there was a considerable town not five miles
off, the inhabitants of which were no doubt anxiously expecting the
express.

When we arrived at the other side of the train, and the leading files
of the robbers were passing off the railway line, the identity of the
figure carried away across the saddle was put beyond all doubt, and the
revelation nearly sent me mad.

Mrs. Darbyshire came shrieking out into the forepart of the car in
which I had left her with Dolores.

"They have taken her," she shrieked, "they have taken her away from me
as a hostage. It cannot be. Bring her back, bring her back, I implore
you!" she cried in Spanish to the men who were passing the train, and
who in return only laughed and jeered her.

"Mr. Anstruther," she cried, "save her!"

I made her no answer, for I knew it was useless, but I gripped the
revolver I carried beneath my loose smock.

A great calmness came upon me then, though the blood surged through my
head. Life was as nothing to me, compared with saving her; without her
it would be worthless. I determined to use every art I was capable of,
every ingenuity to outwit these ruffians and murderers, for her sake.

I began to laugh and talk with the men around me, at the same time
noting every feature of the country as we left the railway behind and
took a rough road.

As we emerged upon this, the moon rose and I could see that the road
wound away in front of us, down into a valley where there was a thick
wood and up the other side to great hills which were probably our
destination. About two hundred yards in front of us rode the party who
had carried off Dolores. To my great joy my party commenced to trot,
and within ten minutes had caught up the party in front.

There was a good deal of talking in Spanish, which I did not
understa