wards it when Clara's hand seized his.

"Fly!" she said; "my brothers are following me to kill you. Your
soldiers are killed. Escape yourself. At the foot of the rock, over
there, see! you will find Juanito's barb--Go, go!"

She pushed him; but the stupefied young man looked at her, motionless,
for a moment. Then, obeying the instinct of self-preservation which
never abandons any man, even the strongest, he sprang through the park
in the direction indicated, running among the rocks where goats alone
had hitherto made their way. He heard Clara calling to her brothers to
pursue him; he heard the steps of his murderers; he heard the balls of
several muskets whistling about his ears; but he reached the valley,
found the horse, mounted him, and disappeared with the rapidity of an
arrow.

A few hours later the young officer reached the headquarters of General
G--t--r, whom he found at dinner with his staff.

"I bring you my head!" cried the commander of the lost battalion as he
entered, pale and overcome.

He sat down and related the horrible occurrence. An awful silence
followed his tale.

"I think you were more unfortunate than criminal," replied the terrible
general, when at last he spoke. "You are not responsible for the crime
of those Spaniards; and, unless the marshal should think otherwise, I
absolve you."

These words gave but a feeble consolation to the unhappy officer.

"But when the emperor hears of it!" he cried.

"He will want to have you shot," said the general; "but we will see
about that. Now," he added in a stern tone, "not another word of this,
except to turn it into a vengeance which shall impress with salutary
terror a people who make war like savages."

An hour later a whole regiment, a detachment of cavalry, and a battery
of artillery were on their way to Menda. The general and Victor marched
at the head of the column. The soldiers, informed of the massacre of
their comrades, were possessed by fury. The distance which separated
the town of Menda from general headquarters, was marched with marvellous
rapidity. On the way, the general found all the villages under arms.
Each of the wretched hamlets was surrounded, and the inhabitants
decimated.

By one of those fatalities which are inexplicable, the British ships lay
to without advancing. It was known later that these vessels carried the
artillery, and had outsailed the rest of the transports. Thus the town
of Menda, deprived of the support it