right, for she had not much of it, and it must help her rarely to sell her

goods. The husband seemed a surly sort of chap. I wonder such a pretty

little woman would marry such a fellow."

 

"I suppose he was well-to-do and she was poor," another said; "such is

generally the case when you see a marriage like that. I dare say he makes

a good thing of it; the goods are as cheap, though, as they would be in

Lima."

 

Gradually the talking ceased, and within an hour there was perfect quiet

outside the hut. Half an hour later they heard footsteps coming quietly up

to the door. They held their breath; but instead of, as they expected,

hearing the bolt drawn, they heard the new-comers going round the hut,

pausing a minute at each corner. Then they again stopped at the door; the

two bolts were shot back, and the door opened.

 

"Come, senors," Dias said; "it is quite safe. We have put them all to

sleep. Here are their muskets and pistols. You had better take them, in

case we are pursued, which is not likely. At any rate, should one of them

wake the want of a gun will mean delay in raising the alarm.

 

"Don't speak, senors; it is as well to keep quiet till we are fairly off."

He shut the door and rebolted it, and then led the way down into the road.

 

Not a word was spoken till they had gone a hundred yards, and then Harry

said: "You have done us another good turn, Dias; we did not see any

possible way of getting out; but we both agreed that if you could find us

you would."

 

"Of course, senors, you could not suppose that Maria and I would go

quietly off."

 

"How did you manage to get away, Dias?"

 

"It was easy enough. After what we had heard of these brigands I made up

my mind that I would not unsaddle the mules, nor take the packs off the

two loaded ones. The burdens were not heavy, for we have little but our

bedding and the tents left, and I thought they might as well stay where

they were, and in the morning we could shift them on to the others. I told

Jose to watch about half the night; but I was standing talking to him, and

smoking my last cigarette, when he said suddenly, 'I can hear a noise at

the other end of the village.'

 

"The evening was still, and I could also hear the sound of many footsteps,

so I ran and pulled down the bar at the back of the yard, called Maria,

and told her and Jose to take the mules straight down to the lake, and

then to follow the bank. Then I ran to warn you; but before I got half-way

I heard shouts and firing, and knew that I was too late, so I ran back to

the lake, where I overtook the mules, and we mounted and went off at a

trot. When I got a quarter of a mile away I told the others to go on to

Junin, which we knew was twenty miles away, and put up there till I joined

them. Then I ran back to the village, and, keeping myself well behind a

house, watched them getting ready to start, and saw you. There was nothing

to do but to follow you. I did so, and observed where they had shut you

up, and I waited about for some hours, so as to see how you were guarded.

 

"I saw their captain go into your hut twice. When he came out the second

time he had a paper in his hand. He went to the house he has taken

possession of, and I kept a good watch over that. Presently two

lieutenants came out, talking together. They entered another house, and

ten minutes afterwards issued out again, dressed in ordinary clothes, such

as a muleteer or a cultivator fairly well off would wear, and returned to

the captain's house, and stayed there for a good half-hour before they

came out again. Two horses had been brought round to the door. The captain

came out with them, and was evidently giving them some last instructions.

Then they rode off, saying good-bye to some of the men as they passed

through the village.

 

"Knowing the ways of these bandits, I had no doubt the paper I saw their

captain bring out of the hut where you were was a letter he had compelled

you to write to request a large sum of money to be sent in exchange for

you; and as I felt certain that we should rescue you somehow, I thought it

was a pity that this letter should go down, so I started at once to follow

them. They had not got more than a quarter of an hour's start of me, and

by the line they had taken I saw that they intended to go to Junin. I did

not think it likely that they would enter the place, because they would be

sure to meet some of Quinda's men there; but would probably sleep at some

small village near it, and then make a circuit to strike the road beyond

the town.

 

"Fortunately I had some money in my pocket, and at the first farm I came

to I bought a mule. You see, senor, I had not lain down the night before,

and had done a fair day's work before I started to follow your captors. I

had walked twenty miles with them, and had been busy all the morning. I

knew it could not be much less than thirty miles to Junin, and that if I

could not find them there I should have to push on after them again the

next morning, so I gave the farmer what he asked for his mule, and started

at once on it barebacked. It turned out to be a good animal, and I rode

hard, for I wanted to get down to Junin before the two men. I reckoned I

should do that, because, as they were going a very long journey, they

would not want to press their horses, and besides would prefer that it