of any of the party; indeed some of them were
evidently anxious to cede the post of honour in the van to their
friends. The cry of "The Montoneros, the Montoneros!" arose from every
mouth. Some tumbled off their horses, as if to shelter themselves
behind them from the expected volleys of the dreaded banditti; others
sat still and began to count their beads; and not a few turned their
horses' heads preparatory to running away. I must do the padre the
justice to say that he looked as brave as any of them, except a few who
advanced to the front.

"Where are the enemy, David?" asked my father, who led them on.

"I only saw one man, whom our friends here have multiplied into a band
of Montoneros," I replied.

"Come on, my friends, then!" exclaimed my father. "If the man my boy
saw is a robber, he and his companions are more likely to run away than
to attack us, if we show a bold front."

His words and tone of confidence restored the fast evaporating courage
of the party; and having halted to get them into something like order,
with the armed men in front and the baggage mules and their drivers in
the rear, we again moved forward. We had not, however, advanced far,
when the man I had before seen again appeared; and directly afterwards a
troop of horsemen wheeled round the sharp angle of the rock, and with
loud cries galloped rapidly towards us.

"Steady, steady, for your lives!" shouted my father, as he saw in many
of our companions strong evidence of a disposition to turn round and
fly. "If we break our ranks, we are lost."

That the horsemen now approaching were banditti, I had no doubt, from
their varied and fantastic dresses, the different hues of their faces,
and their wild appearance. We could not escape them, even had we been
better mounted than they were, as the baggage mules in the rear would
have prevented us. This they probably calculated on, or perhaps they
would rather we had escaped and left them our baggage, which was what
they most wanted, with the exception, perhaps, of our horses. They
invariably appropriate the best horses they can find, as it is important
for them to be well mounted. My father and I, two Spaniards, a mestizo,
and our chief Indian guide, formed the first rank. When we saw the
Montoneros, and could no longer doubt their intentions, we halted and
presented our firearms. These were of various lengths and calibres, and
some were better fitted to frighten an enemy than to do h