ied himself, when one of
the guerilleros, lifting a piece of the thong, exclaimed:

"_Carajo! ha cortado el briboncito_!" (The little rascal has cut it!)
and the man darted into the shrubbery in search of little Jack. It was
with us a moment of fearful suspense. We expected to see poor Jack
sacrificed instantly. We watched the man with intense emotion, as he
ran to and fro.

At length he threw up his arms with a gesture of surprise, calling out
at the same time:

"_Por todos santos! se fue_!" (By all the saints! he's gone!)

"Hurrah!" cried Chane; "holies!--such a gossoon as that boy!"

Several of the guerilleros dived into the thicket; but their search was
in vain.

We were now separated, so that we could no longer converse, and were
more strictly watched, two sentries standing over each of us. We spent
about an hour in this way. Straggling parties at intervals came back
from the pursuit, and we could gather, from what we overheard, that
neither Lincoln nor Jack had yet been retaken.

We could hear talking in the rear of the rancho, and we felt that our
fate was being determined upon. It was plain Dubrosc was not in command
of the party. Had he been so, we should never have been carried beyond
the olive-grove. It appeared we were to be hung elsewhere.

At length a movement was visible that betokened departure. Our horses
were taken away, and saddled mules were led out in front of the rancho.
Upon these we were set, and strapped tightly to the saddles. A serape
was passed over each of us, and we were blinded by tapojos. A bugle
then sounded the "forward". We could hear a confusion of noises, the
prancing of many hoofs, and the next moment we felt ourselves moving
along at a hurried pace through the woods.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

A BLIND RIDE.

We rode all night. The mule-blinds, although preventing us from seeing
a single object, proved to be an advantage. They saved our eyes and
faces from the thorny claws of the acacia and mezquite. Without hands
to fend them off, these would have torn us badly, as we could feel them,
from time to time, penetrating even the hard leather of the tapojos.
Our thongs chafed us, and we suffered great pain from the monotonous
motion. Our road lay through thick woods. This we could perceive from
the constant rustle of the leaves and the crackling of branches, as the
cavalcade passed on.

Towards morning our route led over hills, steep and difficult, we cou