comrade," said he in a whisper to
Clara. "It is Arroyo and Bocardo, pursued, no doubt, by the royalists.
Whichever wins it is no good for us."

He had scarce finished his speech, when the six horsemen in pursuit
passed the group, going at a pace not less rapid and furious than the
others. One of the pursuers, of commanding figure, was several lengths
ahead of the other five. Bent down almost to the level of his horse's
neck, he appeared to be straining every muscle in the pursuit; and
although his horse seemed rather to fly than gallop, the rider still
kept urging him with the spur.

Clutching convulsively his broad-brimmed sombrero--which the rapid
course had lifted from his head--he crushed it down over his brows in
such a manner that his face was almost hidden by it. His horse at the
same instant, whether frightened by the _litera_ of Gertrudis, or by
some other object, shied suddenly to one side--as he did so giving
utterance to a strange snorting sound, which was responded to by a
feeble cry from behind the curtains of the _litera_.

The cry was not heard by the horseman, who, absorbed with the pursuit of
his enemy, passed on without turning his head.

Gertrudis was not the only one who trembled with emotion on recognising
the snort of the steed. It brought vividly to the remembrance of
Captain Lantejas the chase he had sustained on the plain of Huajapam--
just before the powerful arm of Colonel Tres-Villas had lifted him out
of his stirrups.

Neither could Don Mariano fail to recognise the peculiarity of a steed
that he had so long kept in his stables; and as for the rider, the
figure appeared to answer for that of Don Rafael. Could it indeed be he
whom they believed to be at the siege of Huajapam? Don Mariano could
scarce doubt that it was Colonel Tres-Villas who had ridden past.

"By all the devils in hell!" cried Costal, swearing like a pagan, as he
was; "what has set the world mad on this particular night? What sends
everybody this way, to interrupt the worshippers of the great Tlaloc?"

"True, it is damnably vexatious," rejoined Clara, who was equally
chagrined at this sudden and unexpected intrusion, upon what he regarded
as the only chance they might ever have of an interview with the
gold-finding goddess.

Putting off their invocations to a more favourable opportunity, both
Indian and negro now hastened away to dress and arm themselves, in order
that they might be in readiness for any unto