een of bushes and listened. In the midst of a
profound silence, they heard the crackling of branches; and the moment
after a man appeared at a short distance from where they stood. He was
advancing with stealthy step, carbine in hand, and almost at the same
instant two others made their appearance, coming up behind him, and
moving forward with like caution.

All three were stealthily gliding from tree to tree--making a temporary
rampart of the trunks, as they reconnoitred the ground before them.

One of these men was recognised by Zapote as an old comrade.

"Eh, Perico!" cried he, speaking loud enough to be heard by the men.

"Hola! Who calls me?" responded Perico.

"I--Juan el Zapote."

"Zapote! how is it that you are here? Where did you come from?"

"From the camp," replied Zapote, with wondrous impudence. "Our Captain
has sent--"

"Oh! the Captain knows, then, that we are in pursuit of a royalist who
has taken shelter in the _chapparal_? We have had a time of it after
him, and he's not found yet. We have scoured the thicket all the night
in search of his hiding-place; and, out of ten of us who came after him,
eight only remain. Two, Suarez and Pacheco, he has killed somewhere;
but if I may judge by the signal cries to which we have responded, there
should be at least twenty of our comrades at present looking after him."

At this moment another man joined company with the three already on the
ground. Fortunately for Juan el Zapote and the messenger, these four
were precisely the same whom Pepe Lobos had ordered to go round by the
Huajapam road, and as they had not yet been in communication with the
party from the camp, they were ignorant of the fact that their old
comrade, Zapote, was himself being pursued as a deserter. "Well,"
continued Zapote, "as I was saying, our Captain has sent me on an errand
with my companion, Gaspar, here; and we are in the greatest haste."

"What errand?" demanded Perico.

"_Carrambo_! A secret mission; one that I daren't disclose to you.
_Adios, amigo_! I am in a terrible hurry."

"Before you go," cried one of the men, "tell us if you saw anybody?"

"Saw anybody? Who? The royalist you are in search of?"

"Yes; the mad Colonel."

"No; I met no mad colonel," said Zapote, turning away.

"Eh! _hombre_?" exclaimed Perico, with a significant glance; "make it
appear you are ignorant that it is the Colonel Tres-Villas we are
pursuing? You know that well enough. Yo