.

"Ha--ha! Shoot again," he cried, fiercely.

"No, senhor, no. You are brave. I will help you," replied the
miscreant.

Lawrence doubted the honesty of the man's assurance, but of course
thanked him, and expressed readiness to avail himself of his assistance.
He kept carefully at the extreme end of the hole, however, while his
murderous deliverer removed some of the rubbish from the beam, and so
made it possible to raise it. Remaining quite still, Lawrence waited
till he saw that the beam had been so far moved as to enlarge the space
sufficiently for him to get through. Then, with a sudden spring _a la_
Jack-in-the-box, he leaped out, and stood before the astonished bandit.

Lawrence, whose sense of honour taught him to hold his promise as sacred
to a thief as to an honest man, had fully intended to give up his watch
and chain to the man if he should remain peaceably disposed; but the
bandit was not so disposed. Recovering from his surprise, he drew a
second pistol from his belt and levelled it at Lawrence.

Thought is quick; quicker even than triggers. His length of limb
happily flashed into the youth's mind. Up went his foot with a sudden
kick, and away went the pistol into the air, where it exploded after the
manner of a sky-rocket! The bandit did not wait for more. He turned
and fled, much to the satisfaction of the victor, who, overcome by
prolonged exhaustive toil and excitement, sank down on a heap of
rubbish, and lay there in a semi-conscious state. It seemed as if both
mind and body had resolved to find rest at all hazards, for he lay
perfectly motionless for nearly an hour,--not exactly asleep, but
without being fully conscious of connected thought.

From this state of repose, if it may be so called, he was partially
aroused by the voices of men near him, talking in coarse, violent
language. Raising his head languidly, he observed a band of about eight
or ten villainous-looking fellows busy round a hole, out of which they
appeared to be drawing some sort of booty.

"A prize!" exclaimed one of the men; "be gentle; she's worth taking
alive."

A loud laugh from the others roused Lawrence again, but a feeling of
unwonted exhaustion oppressed him, so that he scarce knew what it was he
heard.

Suddenly there arose a female voice, in a cry of pain. Lawrence started
up on one elbow, and beheld Manuela struggling in the grasp of one of
the band.

If electric fire had taken the place of blood