to the old man. But he was resolved not to give up,
and he worked on, though his face was purple and his head throbbing.
After the bag of fleeces is half full, the packer stands in it, jumping
with his full weight on the wool, as he throws in the fleeces, to
compress them as much as possible. When Felipe began to do this, he
found that he had indeed overrated his strength. As the first cloud of
the sickening dust came up, enveloping his head, choking his breath,
he turned suddenly dizzy, and calling faintly, "Juan, I am ill," sank
helpless down in the wool. He had fainted. At Juan Canito's scream of
dismay, a great hubbub and outcry arose; all saw instantly what had
happened. Felipe's head was hanging limp over the edge of the bag, Juan
in vain endeavoring to get sufficient foothold by his side to lift him.
One after another the men rushed up the ladder, until they were all
standing, a helpless, excited crowd, on the roof, one proposing one
thing, one another. Only Luigo had had the presence of mind to run to
the house for help. The Senora was away from home. She had gone with
Father Salvierderra to a friend's house, a half-day's journey off.
But Ramona was there. Snatching all she could think of in way of
restoratives, she came flying back with Luigo, followed by every servant
of the establishment, all talking, groaning, gesticulating, suggesting,
wringing their hands,--as disheartening a Babel as ever made bad matters
worse.

Reaching the shed, Ramona looked up to the roof bewildered. "Where is
he?" she cried. The next instant she saw his head, held in Juan Canito's
arms, just above the edge of the wool-bag. She groaned, "Oh, how will he
ever be lifted out!"

"I will lift him, Senora," cried Alessandro, coming to the front, "I am
very strong. Do not be afraid; I will bring him safe down." And swinging
himself down the ladder, he ran swiftly to the camp, and returned,
bringing in his hands blankets. Springing quickly to the roof again,
he knotted the blankets firmly together, and tying them at the middle
around his waist, threw the ends to his men, telling them to hold him
firm. He spoke in the Indian tongue as he was hurriedly doing this,
and Ramona did not at first understand his plan. But when she saw
the Indians move a little back from the edge of the roof, holding the
blankets firm grasped, while Alessandro stepped out on one of the narrow
cross-beams from which the bag swung, she saw what he meant to do. She
h