mother.

But in this life the humorous is ever mixed up with the tragic or sad, for
lo! as I hurry away to join the fight that is still going on near the
verandah I almost stumble across something else. Not a body this time--not
quite--only Bombazo's ankles sticking out from under the sofa. I could
swear to those striped silk socks anywhere, and the boots are the boots of
Bombazo. I administer a kick to those shins, and they speedily disappear.
I am out on the moonlit lawn now, and what do I see? First, good brave
Yambo, down on one knee, being borne backwards, fierce hands at his
throat, a short knife at his chest. The would-be assassin falls; Yambo
rises intact, and together we rush on further down to where, on a terrace,
Donaldson has just been overpowered. But see, a new combatant has come
upon the scene; several revolver shots are fired in quick succession. A
tall dark figure in semi-clerical garb is cutting right and left with a
good broadsword. And now--why, now it is all over, and Townley stands
beside us panting.

Well might he pant--he had done brave work. But he had come all too late
to save Sandie. He lies there quietly enough on the grass. His shirt is
stained with blood, and it is his own blood this time.

Townley bends over and quietly feels his arm. No pulse there. Then he
breathes a half audible prayer and reverently closes the eyes.

I am hurrying back now to the room with Flora.

'All is safe, mother, now. Flora is safe. See, she is smiling: she knows
us all. Oh, Heaven be praised, she is safe!'

We leave Townley there, and hurry back to the ramparts.

The stillness alone would have told us that the fight was finished and the
victory won.

A few minutes after this, standing high up on the rampart there,
Moncrieff is mustering his people. One name after another is called. Alas!
there are many who do not answer, many who will never answer more, for our
victory has been dearly bought.

Four of our Scottish settlers were found dead in the trench; over a dozen
Gauchos had been killed. Moncrieff and his partner were both wounded,
though neither severely. Archie and Dugald were also badly cut, and
answered but faintly and feebly to the roll-call. Sandie we know is dead,
and Bombazo is--under the sofa. So I thought; but listen.

'Captain Rodrigo de Bombazo!'

'Here, general, here,' says a bold voice close behind me, and Bombazo
himself presses further to the front.

I can hardly believe my eyes