his enemy. We all
went madly after the savages. As I was about to pass the door of the
house, I heard a woman shriek. The Gauchos paid no attention, but
passed on. I glanced inside, and saw the Indian in the act of cutting a
man's throat, while a girl strove wildly to prevent him. You may be
sure I was inside in a moment, and I brained the savage with the butt of
a pistol. But it was too late. The knife had already done its work,
and the poor man only lived long enough to bless his daughter, who,
covered with her father's blood, sank fainting on the floor. It was my
first meeting with Mariquita!

"Around her," continued Pedro, in deepening tones, "lay her mother and
two brothers--all slaughtered. I will not describe the harrowing scene.
I tried to comfort the poor girl, and we took her on with us to the
next post, where the postmaster's wife attended to her.

"On seeing her next morning I felt that my life's happiness or sorrow
lay in her hands. She was innocence, simplicity, beauty, combined.
With artless gratitude she grasped and kissed my hand, regarding me, she
said, as her deliverer, and one who would have saved her father if he
had been in time.

"Often before had my comrades twitted me with my indifference to the
female sex. To say truth, I had myself become impressed with the
feeling that I was born to be one of the old bachelors of the world--and
I cannot say that the doom gave me much concern. But now--well, if you
understand me, senhor, I need not explain, and if you don't understand,
explanation is useless! Mariquita was left alone in the wide world. I
would not, for all the gold and silver of Peru, have spoken of love to
her at that time; but I made arrangements with the postmaster and his
wife to take care of the poor girl till I should return. In time I did
return. She accepted me. We were married, and I brought her up here,
for I wanted no society but hers. I was content to live in absolute
solitude with her. She was much of the same mind, dear girl, but God
had touched her heart, and in her sweet talk--without intending it, or
dreaming of it--she showed me how selfish I was in thinking only of our
own happiness, and caring nothing for the woes or the joys of our
fellow-men.

"My conscience reproached me, and I began to think how I could manage to
live a less selfish life, but before I could make up my mind what course
to follow an event occurred which caused delay. A little girl