r me to pretend--"

"Bah!" interrupted the Spaniard. "It is a fortress that well besieged
may capitulate like any other."

"It is said that the daughter of Pena is pretty."

"Beautiful."

"You know her, then?" said the Senator, regarding his companion with an
astonished look. "Perhaps," he added, "it is to the hacienda of Venado
that you make those periodical and mysterious journeys, so much talked
about at Arispe?"

"Precisely so."

"Ah! I understand you," said the Senator, turning a sly look upon his
companion, "it was the beautiful eyes of the daughter that attracted
you, the--?"

"You are mistaken. It was the father, who was simply the banker from
whom, from time to time, I drew the funds necessary for my expenses at
Arispe."

"Is that also the object of our present journey?"

"Partly," replied the Spaniard, "but not altogether--there is another
object, which I will communicate to you hereafter."

"Well, senor," answered the Senator, "you are a mystery to me from head
to foot; but I abandon myself blindly to your guidance."

"You do well," said Don Estevan, "and in all likelihood your sun, for a
while eclipsed, will shine out again with more than its former
splendour."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

AN UNFORTUNATE TRAVELLER.

It was now near sunset; the travellers were still about two leagues from
La Poza, and the desert plains were nearly passed. Some _mezquite_
trees appeared in front thinly covering the calcareous soil, but the
twilight sun began to render less visible the objects here and there
scattered over the plain.

All at once the horse of Don Estevan came to a stand, and showed signs
of affright. The steed of the Senator acted in a similar fashion,
though neither of the two horsemen could perceive the cause of this
strange behaviour.

"It is the body of some dead mule?" suggested the Mexican.

Don Estevan spurred his horse forward, despite the repugnance of the
animal to advance; and a few paces further on, behind a clump of wild
aloe plants, he perceived the body of a horse stretched out upon the
sand. Such a sight in these dry plains is by no means uncommon; and the
travellers would not have given a moment's thought to it, but for the
fact that the horse in question appeared to be saddled and bridled.
This circumstance indicated some extraordinary occurrence.

Cuchillo had meanwhile ridden forward to the spot.

"Ah!" said he, after glancing a moment at the dead horse, "the poor