without, speaking in accents of violence, and whose
idiom was not of my country. I roused myself, rubbed my eyes, and
directed them out of the windows. By the light of a lantern that blazed
from the top of the diligence, I could discover that this part of the
road was skirted by olive-trees, and that the mules, having come in
contact with some obstacle to their progress, had been thrown into
confusion, and stood huddled together, as if afraid to move, gazing upon
each other, with pricked ears and frightened aspect. A single glance to
the right-hand gave a clue to the mystery. Just beside the fore-wheel of
the diligence stood a man, dressed in that wild garb of Valencia which
I had seen for the first time in Amposta: his red cap, which flaunted
far down his back, was in front drawn closely over his forehead;
and his striped manta, instead of being rolled round him, hung
unembarrassed from one shoulder. Whilst his left leg was thrown forward
in preparation, a musket was levelled in his hands, along the barrel of
which his eye glared fiercely upon the visage of the conductor. On the
other side the scene was somewhat different. Pepe (the postilion) being
awake when the interruption took place, was at once sensible of its
nature. He had abandoned the reins, and jumped from his seat to the
road-side, intending to escape among the trees. Unhappy youth, that
he should not have accomplished his purpose! He was met by the muzzle
of a musket when he had scarce touched the ground, and a third ruffian
appearing at the same moment from the treacherous concealment of the
very trees towards which he was flying, he was effectually taken, and
brought round into the road, where he was made to stretch himself upon
his face, as had already been done with the conductor.

I could now distinctly hear one of these robbers--for such they
were--inquire in Spanish of the mayoral as to the number of passengers:
if any were armed; whether there was any money in the diligence; and
then, as a conclusion to the interrogatory, demanding _La bolsa!_ in
a more angry tone. The poor fellow meekly obeyed: he raised himself
high enough to draw a large leathern purse from an inner pocket,
and stretching his hand upward to deliver it, said, _Toma usted,
caballero, pero no me quita usted la vida!_ "Take it, cavalier; but
do not take away my life!" The robber, however, was pitiless. Bringing
a stone from a large heap, collected for the repair of the road, he
fel