eavouring to find an opportunity of
catching it by the neck, while she avoided its deadly fangs. The snake
seemed aware of its danger, and was not the less cautious. Indeed puss
had already given it an ugly bite on the neck, which had somewhat
crippled its movements--probably catching it asleep. The snake kept
turning round and round its baneful head, the cat always keeping beyond
the distance she knew it could spring. At last she saw her opportunity,
and rushing in upon it, she seized it by the neck, so that it could not
bite her. The snake wriggled violently, but all in vain; after a few
convulsive struggles even the tail ceased to move, and I left the eat
crunching the bones of her defeated antagonist.

I was glad to find that I had so good a guardian as puss had proved. I
turned into bed again and went to sleep. In the morning I discovered
that the snake was a very venomous adder, but that the cat was not a bit
the worse for eating it. I afterwards learned that there are certain
sorts of poison which may be swallowed without danger, yet if it should
touch the slightest scratch or excoriation of the skin, would prove
fatal.

At daybreak the Montoneros were on foot; and to the satisfaction of all
the occupants of the _tambo_, they took their departure up the valley.
It was the direction in which we were going, but we hoped not again to
fall in with them. As we were mounting to proceed on our journey, the
Indian soothsayer (for so I may call him) approached my father, and
whispered earnestly in his ear for some minutes. My father looked
surprised and somewhat anxious, and told him he thanked him for his
advice. The Indian retired into the _tambo_ apparently satisfied. We
had begun to move on, when we were called back; and, turning our heads,
we saw the padre and the other Spaniards mounting their mules.

"Stay, Senors, for the love of charity," cried the padre; "we are going
your way, and if we go alone and meet with those villains, the
Montoneros, we shall all be robbed and murdered to a certainty. Now you
Englishmen are known to fight bravely, so the rogues may not think it
worth while to attack us."

"We shall be happy to have your company, Senor Padre," said my father,
smiling; "but I hope our valour may not be put to the proof."

"I am sure I hope not either," ejaculated the padre, crossing himself.
"May the holy saints protect us; for those fellows care not for the
anathemas of the church, the l