I shall take a horse from your
stables."

"You have no sword!"

"I shall not need one. There is no danger for me in the mountains.
The Indians will do me no harm."

As soon as she had promised to go to her room I returned to the hall,
and calling the servants, sent one to explain matters briefly to my
father, and asking that my mother would come and stay with Rosa for a
while. Then going to the stables, I selected two good horses, and
ordered a groom to help me to saddle them. Sorillo might or might not
listen to my request, but it would be as well to waste no time on the
journey.

The thought of taking Jose occurred to me, but I put it aside. There
was really no danger in the journey, while if Sorillo would not listen
to an appeal made in my father's name, he was not likely to listen at
all.

Leading the spare horse, I rode through the grounds, cantered down the
narrow lane, struck the highroad, and turned in the direction of the
mountains. Just where Sorillo might be I could not tell, but I
determined first of all to try the ravine where I had once spent
several days.

I have said that I had little faith in the success of my mission. Why
the Indians had committed this outrage was a mystery, and I could think
of nothing which would help me to solve it. That Don Felipe had acted
treacherously I could well believe; but why, in that case, did not
Sorillo hand him over to the government? Why should the officers of
the Silver Key take it upon themselves to try him?

I rode on gloomily till the sun was high in the heavens, halting at a
solitary hut, where the woman gave me food and drink for myself and the
animals. She was kind enough in this matter, but to my questions she
would return no answers. She knew nothing about the war, except that
the soldiers had slain her only son, and her husband had been absent
for over a year. He might be Royalist or Patriot, she did not know,
only she wished people were allowed to live in peace, and to cultivate
their little plots of land.

Giving her some money, I mounted and rode on, feeling refreshed by the
brief halt. The district was for the most part bare and uninhabited.
Here and there were the remains of a ruined hut, and on the route I
passed the deserted hacienda which had once afforded me a night's
shelter. I met no people, except occasionally a few women and little
children; the men and growing boys were in the mountains or in the
ranks of the army.

It