ll in the night air. Munoz on his
part turned to Rollo.

"Let me have the use of that gentleman's piece," he said; "I do not like
this silence. I think we shall have a hot time of it within the next
five minutes."

At that moment the escaped charger came cantering back, neighing and
alarming all the picketed horses for miles, which snorted back an
answer. Sentries meditating in quiet corners became upon a sudden
exceedingly awake. One of the two whom Rollo and El Sarria had left
triced up at the door of the royal prison at last got the extemporised
gag out of his mouth, and found his breath in a lusty shout of warning.

The ex-guardsman was right. Within less than five minutes the entire
camp was awake. The escape of the prisoners had been discovered. The
recovered sentry pointed out the direction of the _barranco_ as that in
which the fugitives had taken their departure.

Whereupon there ensued a hurried rush thither. Indeed, scarcely had the
dark forms of the two horses with their riders ceased to break the
skyline upon one verge of the ravine, before Cabrera's men were
clambering and shouting along the other. Luckily the precipice was sheer
immediately opposite, and the pursuers had to try a furlong or two
farther down, at a place where a landslide had enabled them on the
previous evening to lead their horses to and from the few stagnant pools
which now represented those full-fed torrents the spring rains send down
from the Sierra de Moncayo.

"Let them have it!" whispered Rollo, as the first straggling groups
stood up dark between them and the stars.

Accordingly, out of the darkness of the _barranco_, a volley flamed
irregularly enough, the rattle of musketry running down the whole front
of the line. Six pieces in all spoke out their message to Cabrera's men
to halt. For La Giralda, having taken possession of Concha's armament,
drew a bead upon her man with probably as much success as any of the
others. It was still too dark for accurate shooting, and the worst shot
was not much inferior to the best.

But these six bullets sent across the valley from unseen foes,
spattering the stones about their feet, checked that first fierce rush
of angry men. Some enemy was in force on their front--so much was
evident. It would be well to discover of what sort.

"We are holding them," said Rollo, triumphantly, "that is all we can
hope for. Pass down the word to fire only when they advance. Time is
what El Sarria and h