le.

"Really, Don Ricardo," he exclaimed, "put as you put it, you almost make
me tremble at the vastness of the responsibility that I am about to
undertake. But you shall see. I will at once go down to the huts,
choose my men, and bring them up here for your approval." And with that
shot at me he walked out at the back door and disappeared into the
darkness, while Don Silvio, at his father's request, went out to lead
the horses round to the stables, and bring in the guns.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

THE ATTACK ON BELLA VISTA.

Some twenty-five minutes later Don Luis returned; and so colourless were
his lips, so wild his eyes, so dreadfully agitated his entire appearance
that I saw in a moment something had gone very radically wrong
somewhere. Dona Inez saw it too, and approaching, laid her hand
soothingly upon his arm as she anxiously asked:

"What is it, Luis? What is the matter, _mi querido_? Tell me; I can
bear it."

"I could never have believed it!" ejaculated Don Luis, clasping his
hands in front of him and wringing them, in his distress and
disappointment. "I have always believed every one of my negroes to be
absolutely faithful to me; yet now, upon the news that the outlaws are
out, more than half of them have left me, and quite possibly will, an
hour or two hence, be joining in the attack upon this house. The
ungrateful wretches, the--!"

"Precisely," I cut in; "they are all that and more. But what about
those who remain? Are any of them trustworthy enough to be permitted to
assist us; or must we do the best we can without them?"

"Oh no," answered Don Luis emphatically. "Thank God, I can trust every
one of those who remain. And, as for the forty-nine whom I have chosen
to come into the house to help us--well, I am going to demonstrate the
extent of my faith in them by placing all our lives at their mercy. Oh
yes; I have no shadow of doubt, so far as they are concerned."

"Very well, then," said I; "in that case they had better be admitted at
once, for all our defences have still to be made. What are you going to
do with those who are not wanted?"

"I have given them instructions to go away and conceal themselves in the
woods until we have beaten off the attack," answered Don Luis. "Then
they will return and help us to put right whatever damage may have been
done during the fight."

"Will they?" thought I. "I very much doubt it!" But I kept my doubts
to myself, and turned instead to a