ll I get something for doing this favour?" asked Moro.

"Naturally."

"What will they give me?"

"You will see."

The ruse worked as they had plotted it; Moro played the comedy to
perfection.

On learning that the chief of the Civil Guard wanted to come in, the
revolutionists, on the landlord's advice, left their arms in the next
room. At the same instant the window panes burst to bits and the
soldiers of the Civil Guard fired three charges from close up. Two women
and four men fell dead; the wounded, among whom was "Limpy," were taken
to the hospital, and only one person was lucky enough to escape.

* * * * *

_FATE_

At the chief headquarters of Moncada's followers, a strange phenomenon
was noticed; on the preceding days they had been chock full; that night
there were not over ten or a dozen men from the Workmen's Club collected
by a table lighted by a petroleum lamp. The pharmacist, Camacho,
presided.

The news of the election was worse every minute. At the last hour the
Padillists, knowing that Moncada was wounded, were behaving horribly. In
the polls at Villamiel the tellers had fled with the blank ballots, and
the Conservative boss arranged the outcome of the election from his
house.

As the teller from Santa Ines, who was a poor Liberal school-master,
was on his way from the hamlet with the papers, six men had seized him,
had snatched the returns from him, changed all the figures, and sent
them to the municipal building at Castro full of blots.

They had fired over twenty shots at the teller for Paralejo. Many
of Moncada's emissaries, on knowing that Caesar was wounded and his
campaign going badly, had passed over to the other party.

Only Moncada could have rallied that flight. His most faithful gave one
another uneasy looks, hoping some one would say: "Come along!" so that
they could all have gone. Camacho alone kept up the spirits of the
meeting.

At nine o'clock at night the chief of police entered the headquarters,
accompanied by two Civil Guards.

"Close up here, please," said the inspector.

"Why?" asked the pharmacist.

"Because I order you to."

"You have no right to order that."

"No? Here, get out, everybody, and _you_ are under arrest."

Those present took to their heels; the pharmacist went to jail to keep
San Roman and Ortigosa company, and the Club was shut up....

* * * * *

The election was won by Padilla.

XXI.