een forgotten.

At length a man came to me. He was dressed in uniform, but his words
and actions proved him to be a surgeon.

"Feel better?" he asked. "Can you eat something? I can only give you
army food; but that will fill up the hollows. Now let me look at the
damage. Faith, I compliment you on having a thick skull. A thinner
one would have cracked like an egg-shell. Don't try to talk till
you've had something to eat."

"Just one question," I said faintly. "Who are the soldiers just moved
out?"

"Why, General Canterac's troops. I see you belong to the other side.
But don't worry; we shan't hurt you."

"Then I am a prisoner?"

"That's always the way--one question leads to a dozen, Yes, I suppose
you are a prisoner; but that's nothing very terrible," and he hurried
off to procure food and drink for me.

Later in the day he came to have another talk, and I learned something
of what had happened.

"We crossed the mountains almost without a check," he began. "The
Indians did us some damage; but they were only a handful, and we saw
none of your fellows."

"But how came I to be here?"

"Ah! that's a queer story. A party of scouts screening our left flank
had just reached the base of the mountains, when they heard a fellow
yelling at the top of his voice. By the time they got in sight, the
man had evidently knocked you down, and was off at a mad gallop."

"Alone?" I asked.

"No; that's the strange part of it. He was leading a spare horse which
carried something on its back. Our men could not get a good view, but
it looked like a full sack, or a big bundle of some sort. They
followed rapidly, and were wearing the runaway down when the Indians
appeared in force on the hills. Of course that stopped the pursuit,
and after picking you up, they came on with the army."

My memory returned now, and I understood what had happened. Pedro had
escaped, and carried Don Felipe with him to the Indians of the Silver
Key.

"Poor Rosa!" I sighed; "it is all over now. She will never see her
father again. Sorillo will take care that he doesn't escape a second
time."

My thoughts dwelt so much on this that I took little interest in the
rest of the doctor's conversation. He was very jubilant, though, I
remember, about his party's success, telling me that in a short time
General Canterac would be master of Callao, and that the Patriots had
nowhere the slightest chance of victory.

"What will be done with