a mob of men, women, and
children, whose lives had been spared, bewildered by the sudden release
from their imminent peril and giving praise to God and the Viceroy and
his men. As soon as he could make himself heard in the confusion de Lara
inquired for Alvarado.

"Where is he?" he cried. "And de Tobar?"

"My lord," answered one of the party, "we were directed to take the west
fort and those two cavaliers were in the lead, but the pressure of the
pirates was so great that we were stopped and have not seen them since.
They were ahead of us."

"De Cordova," cried the old man to one of his colonels, "take charge of
the town. Keep the women and children and inhabitants together where
they are for the present. Let your soldiery patrol the streets and
search every house from top to bottom. Let no one of these ruffianly
scoundrels escape. Take them alive. We'll deal with them in the morning.
Fetch Morgan to the west fort after us. Come, gentlemen, we shall find
our comrades there, and pray God the ladies have not yet--are still
unharmed!"

A noble old soldier was de Lara. He had not sought his daughter until he
had performed his full duty in taking the town.

The anteroom of the fort they found in a state of wild confusion. The
dead bodies of the sentry and the others the two cavaliers had cut down
on the stairs were ruthlessly thrust aside, and the party of gentlemen
with the Viceroy in the lead poured into the guardroom. There, on his
back, was stretched the hideous body of the half-breed where he had
fallen. There, farther away, the unfortunate de Tobar lay, gasping for
breath yet making no outcry. He was leaning on his arm and staring
across the room, with anguish in his face not due to the wound he had
received but to a sight which broke his heart.

"Alas, de Tobar!" cried the Viceroy. "Where is Mercedes?"

He followed the glance of the dying man. There at the other side of the
room lay a prostrate body, and over it bent a moaning, sobbing figure.
It was Mercedes.

"Mercedes!" cried the Viceroy running toward her. "Alvarado!"

"Tell me," he asked in a heartbreaking voice. "Art thou----"

"Safe yet and--well," answered the girl; "they came in the very nick of
time. Oh, Alvarado, Alvarado!" she moaned.

"Senorita," cried one of the officers, "Don Felipe here is dying. He
would speak with you."

Mercedes suffered herself to be led to where de Tobar lay upon the
floor. One of his comrades had taken his head on