ed his explanations.

"This is the idea," said he. "You and Barriero--Barriero is
wonderfully strong--stroll down to him presently. Pretend you want to
ask him a question. That will put him off his guard. What happens?
You spring on him suddenly, clap a rag in his mouth, and with our help
hold him so that he cannot struggle. Then you exchange clothes and
stand on guard. When the relief comes you march away. Understand?"

"Nothing could be simpler," I murmured, while we were all nearly
choking with suppressed laughter.

"Grand, isn't it?" said he. "I knew you would be struck."--I
was.--"Then we'll serve the next fellow the same way, and the next, and
so on till we are all out. After that we'll seize the viceroy--"

But by this time we were convulsed with laughter, and the sentry, in no
very gentle tones, advised us to be quiet.

"It's a great scheme, Alzura," I said presently, "a wonderful scheme,
but it can't be carried out. Suppose the trick was discovered after my
escape, all you fellows would be punished sharply, and I shouldn't like
that."

"No," said he, in a disappointed tone; "I thought your scruples might
stand in the way."

Alzura's plan was still fresh in our minds when the Royalists showed us
how to pass the sentry. One morning, directly after breakfast, an
officer entered the room with a number of soldiers, and we were ordered
to stand in line. Producing a paper, he read a list of the names, and
each man, as he answered, was told to step forward. Then we were
marshalled in twos, the left arm of one man being tied to the right of
the other. My companion was Alzura, and very disgusted he looked at
the treatment.

"What are they going to do with us?" he asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps they heard we wanted to get away, and are
obliging us."

"Silence!" roared a Royalist sergeant; "no talking!" And Alzura
groaned. How was he to live if he had to keep his tongue still?

A long strip of tough hide was now brought, and was knotted at
intervals to the fastenings between each pair of prisoners. It formed
a sort of gigantic single rein, and I suggested in a whisper to Alzura
that we were to be harnessed to the viceroy's chariot.

"'Twill save horseflesh, and we shall be doing something for our
living," I added.

Some of the soldiers now went to the front of us, some to the rear; the
door was flung wide open. "March!" cried the officer, and into the
corridor we marched, through the yar