not half so long as the time you have
occupied in reading of it. Scarce ten seconds elapsed ere he made
reply, not to Don Juan alone, but to the whole band, in a voice loud
enough for all to hear. The reply was in the form of a command.

"Ride through the bush, all of you! Show yourselves near the front!
your heads and shoulders only, with your bows! Give your war-cry! and
then back till you are out of sight! Scatter right and left!--Follow
me!"

As Carlos delivered these hurried directions, he dashed forward through
the underwood and soon appeared near its edge. The Tagnos, guarded by
Don Juan on one side and Antonio on the other, showed almost
simultaneously in an irregular line along the margin of the thicket; and
flourishing their bows above their heads, they uttered a defiant
war-whoop, as though they were a party of savage Indians.

It would have required a practised eye to have told from a short
distance that they were not. Most of them were bare-headed, with long
flowing hair; and, in fact, differing very little in appearance from
their brethren of the plains. They all had bows, a weapon still carried
by the Indios mansos when engaged in any hostilities; and their war-cry
differed not at all from some tribes called "bravos", "wild." Many in
the band had but a short time left aside the full practice of warfare.
Many of them were but neophytes to the arts of peace.

The effect of the demonstration was just what the cibolero had
calculated on. The soldiers, who were galloping forward in straggling
knots, and some of whom had got within three hundred paces of the
chapparal, reined up in surprise. Several showed symptoms of a desire
to gallop back again, but these were restrained at sight of a large body
of their comrades now issuing from the Presidio.

The whole of them were taken by surprise. They believed that the
"Indios bravos" were in the chapparal, and no doubt in overwhelming
numbers. Their belief was strengthened by the proceedings of the
previous days, in which they had done nought else, as they supposed, but
ride scout after "los barbaros." The latter had now come after _them_!
They halted, therefore, on the plains, and waited for their fellows to
come up.

That this would be the effect of his _ruse_ Carlos foresaw. He now
directed his companions to rein gently back, until they were once more
under cover of the brush; and the whole party arrived at the spot where
they had waited in a