t it be full of travellers, ready to demand our money or our
lives."

"There's nobody in it," Chiquita replied, having peeped in under the
cover.

"Perhaps there may be something worth having inside there," Agostino
said; "we will look and see," and he proceeded to light the little dark
lantern he always had with him, for the daylight was not yet strong
enough to penetrate into the dusky interior of the chariot. Chiquita,
who was greatly excited by the hope of booty, jumped in, and rapidly
searched it, carefully directing the light of the lantern upon the
packages and confused mass of theatrical articles stowed away in the
back part of it, but finding nothing of value anywhere.

"Search thoroughly, my good little Chiquita!" said the brigand, as he
kept watch outside, "be sure that you don't overlook anything."

"There is nothing here, absolutely nothing that is worth the trouble of
carrying away. Oh, yes! here is a bag, with something that sounds like
money in ft."

"Give it to me," cried Agostino eagerly, snatching it from her, and
making a rapid examination of its contents; but he threw it down angrily
upon the ground, exclaiming, "the devil take it! I thought we had found
a treasure at last, but instead of good money there's nothing but a lot
of pieces of gilded lead and such-like in it. But we'll get one thing
out of this anyhow--a good rest inside here for you, sheltered from
the wind and cold. Your poor little feet are bleeding, and they must be
nearly frozen. Curl yourself down there on those cushions, and I will
cover you with this bit of painted canvas. Now go to sleep, and I will
watch while you have a nap; it is too early yet for honest folks to be
abroad, and we shall not be disturbed." In a few minutes poor little
Chiquita was sound asleep.

Agostino sat on the front seat of the chariot, with his navaja open and
lying beside him, watching the road and the fields all about, with the
keen, practised eye of a man of his lawless profession. All was still.
No sound or movement any where, save among the crows. In spite of his
iron will and constitution he began to feel an insidious drowsiness
creeping over him, which he did not find it easy to shake off; several
times his eyelids closed, and he lifted them resolutely, only to have
them fall again in another instant. In fact he was just dropping into
a doze, when he felt, as in a dream, a hot breath on his face, and
suddenly waked to see two gleaming eyebal