ar, before
exposing himself upon it. Then he would advance rapidly on the next
turning-point, stop again, and reconnoitre.

Thus alternately making traverses and pauses, he at length reached the
outskirts of the _pueblo_, unchallenged and unobserved. But the problem
was how to pass through it; all the more difficult at that early hour.
He had heard the church clock tolling the hours as he came down the
mountain, and he knew it had not struck ten. A beautiful night, the
villagers would be all abroad; and how was he to appear in the street
without attracting notice--he above all men? His deformity of itself
would betray him. An expression of blackest bitterness came over his
features as he thus reflected. But it was not a time to indulge in
sentimentalities. San Augustin must be got through somehow, if he could
not find a way around it.

For this last he had been looking some time, both to the right and left.
To his joy, just as he caught sight of the first houses--villa
residences they were, far straggling along the road--a lane running in
behind them seemed to promise what he was in search of. From its
direction it should enable him to turn the village, without the
necessity of passing through the _plaza_, or at all entering upon the
streets. Without more ado he dodged into the lane.

It proved the very sort of way he was wishing for; dark from being
overshadowed with trees. A high park-like wall extended along one side
of it, within which were the trees, their great boughs drooping down
over.

Keeping close in to the wall he glided on, and had got some distance
from the main road, when he saw that which brought him to a sudden
stop--a man approaching from the opposite direction. In the dim light,
the figure was as yet barely discernible, but there was a certain
something in its gait--the confidential swagger of the policeman--which
caught the practised eye of Zorillo, involuntarily drawing from him the
muttered speech--

"_Maltida sea_! An alguazil!"

Whether the man was this or not, he must be avoided; and, luckily for
the dwarf, the means of shunning him were at hand, easy as convenient.
It was but to raise his long arms above his head, lay hold of one of the
overhanging branches, and draw himself up to the top of the wall; which
he did upon the instant. It was a structure of _adobes_, with a coping
quite a yard in width, and laid flat along this, he was altogether
invisible to one passing below.