this beside the
youth's couch, the Indian girl sat down with a fan, purposing, in her
gratitude, to protect her preserver from the mosquitoes, which were
having an unusual bout of revelry over the sufferers that night.

Quashy, observing this as he lay down in a corner, shook his head sadly,
and whispered to himself:

"Ah! you brown gal, you's in lub wid massa. But it's useless. De ole
story ob unrekited affection; for you know, pretty though you is, massa
kin nebber marry a squaw!"

Thus thinking, Quashy went sweetly to sleep.

So did most of the others in that crowded place. But Manuela stuck to
her colours nobly. She kept awake until her pretty black eyes became
lustreless, until her pretty brown face became expressionless, until the
effort to continue awake became hopeless. Then her little head fell
back on the cushion of the chair, the little mouth opened, and the large
eyes closed. The little hand which held the fan dropped by her side.
The fan itself dropped on the floor, and, like the others, poor Manuela
at length found rest and solace in slumber.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note 1. A similar disaster, accompanied by dreadful scenes of
lawlessness and horror, occurred in 1861, when the city of Mendoza was
totally destroyed by an earthquake, and nine-tenths of the inhabitants
perished.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

OUTWITTED BY A BANDIT.

Early next morning Pedro went round and quietly roused his friends.

"We must start at once," he said in a low voice to Lawrence, when the
wearied youth was sufficiently awake to understand. "Your wounded arm
is better, I hope?"

"It is only stiff and painful; happily, no bones are injured. But why
such haste? I don't like to leave my poor patients in this fashion."

"Will any of them die if you don't stay to nurse them?" asked the guide,
with a grave, almost stern, expression.

"Why, no; not exactly," returned Lawrence; "but many of them will want
their wounds dressed, and all of them will be the better for a little
more skilled attendance."

"Will they not survive under ordinary attendance?" asked Pedro, with
increasing severity of expression.

"Doubtless they will, but--"

"Would you like," interrupted the inflexible guide, "to have them all
roused up at this early hour to hear a little farewell speech from you,
explaining the absolute necessity for your going away, and your extreme
regret at leaving them?