together.

On reaching the hotel I was hailed by many of those who had witnessed
"the start," and consequently knew my connection with the affair. They
soon posted me as to what had happened during my absence.

Ere the pig and myself had been gone five minutes, a picket of soldiers
made a rush upon the hotel, went inside, and, closing every exit,
informed the occupants that every one must consider himself under arrest
until the real originator of the "scare" was discovered. The officer
remarked that he knew for a fact that the matter began there, and
although the pig had not yet been caught it had been recognised as
"_belonging to the proprietor's family_."

Then, to the surprise of every one concerned, a certain Colonel Moyal, a
native keenly opposed to the Government and a suspected revolutionist,
stepped forward and declared that he had carried the whole thing through
from beginning to end, so was prepared to take the consequences.

Needless to say, my champion was arrested and marched off to the
Cabildo; and I was informed that the plucky fellow had done this to
shield me, merely to keep me out of trouble because he had taken a fancy
to me.

Not for this, however, would I let him remain in his unenviable
position. It did not take me long to resolve that, to be honourable, I
must myself bear the consequences of my own folly; and in a very short
time afterward I was interviewing the Commandante. That official, in
whose favour I had long since made it my business to firmly establish
myself, informed me that it was then too late at night to take any
evidence, or, in fact, to move at all in the matter; but that he would
attend to me at eight o'clock next morning.

The following day at the appointed hour I waited on him, told him I was
the real culprit, secured the colonel's release, paid a fine of a few
dollars, and by nine o'clock was back again in my hotel; and when I sat
down with the Colonel that night to a special _cena_ to which I had
invited him--intending in some measure to prove to him my gratitude for
his generosity and esteem--I made a rather boyish speech in which I
regretted tremendously the Colonel's having passed an exceedingly
uncomfortable night in prison on my account, and my inability to release
him the night before.

Moyal, to my intense surprise, replied that he had to _thank me_ for the
opportunity I had given him. "Of course," said he, "I should not like to
see you in trouble, and would hav