nt there came from far away the sound of cheering. A
mounted man dashed at full gallop up to the edge of the ravine opposite
to them.

"Do not fire," said the Sergeant; "that is Cabrera--he is a brave man!"

But John Mortimer, not caring or not understanding the language, fired
promptly, and his rifle bullet threw up a cloud of dust between the
horse's feet. The animal reared and almost threw his rider. But in a
moment he was erect as ever in the saddle, and Rollo could see him
shouting furious commands to his men--apparently ordering them to bear
round to the left so as to take the defending party on their least
protected side.

For the next few minutes, as Munoz had foretold, it was hot work enough,
and Rollo had no time to look behind him, or he might have seen a sight
that would have astonished him--a single horsewoman, riding swiftly
towards the _barranco_, followed at the distance of half a mile by a
cloud of mounted men.

Suddenly the General on the opposite bank, who all the while had been
darting about hither and thither like a gad-fly, held up his arm, and
with astonishing pride of horsemanship (and faith in the soundness of
his girths) rode his charger straight down the shelving sides of the
ravine, the slaty fragments crumbling and slipping under the iron-shod
hoofs.

With a cheer the red _boinas_ of the Estella regiment followed, and then
straight up the opposite slopes of shale they dashed towards Rollo and
his poor defences.

"Hold your fire!" he cried, first in English, and then in Spanish. "Wait
till you are sure of them. We are only half a dozen, and we must wing a
man apiece!"

It chanced, however, just as the horseman (who, as the Sergeant had
supposed, was Cabrera himself, almost out of his mind with disappointed
fury) surmounted the ridge a little to the right of Rollo's position,
but close to where the Sergeant lay behind his rock, that Concha threw
herself off her charger (or rather one of General Espartero's), and with
a joyous shout informed them that the Queen was safe and that twelve
hundred Cristino regulars were following close behind her!

Thus these two, the disappointed murderer and the triumphant deliverer,
met almost face to face. Cabrera heard Concha's glad proclamation. He
saw the plumes of Espartero's troopers already topping the rise, strong
well-knit men of the best farming stock in Old Castile mounted on
Gallegan horses.

Quite breathless with her headlong course, Con