round him--the attendants
upon the grass--the rich gentleman upon his cloak, and the young girl
upon the skin of a jaguar which the guide himself had supplied. He
alone remained awake. The moon was shining upon all; and a delicious
perfume from the blossoms of the sweet sassafras trees that grew near
was wafted toward them upon the gentle breeze. The blue heaven above
appeared in perfect harmony with the tranquil scene below. The guide,
with admiring eyes, looked upon that lovely virgin form and listened to
the soft breathing of that innocent bosom. To him it was a moment of
delicious anguish...

Then the vision changed--the young girl at length reached her home, and
entered the grand dwelling of her father. There the guide remained a
whole week a welcome guest--drunk with love yet not daring to raise his
eyes to the object of his passion.

Afterwards, too, at the festivals of the neighbouring villages, a
hundred times had he gazed upon her; but what of that? he was only a
poor _gambusino_, and she the daughter of the richest proprietor in the
province!

But now--with the secret of the Golden Valley--Tiburcio suddenly saw
himself powerful and rich; hope had sprung up within his bosom; and
amidst the reverie occasioned by these delightful thoughts, he at last
fell asleep.

It is scarce necessary to add that the young girl who recalled these
sweet souvenirs, and who was now mingling in his dreams, was the
daughter of Don Augustin Pena, the proprietor of the Hacienda del
Venado.

At daybreak the sleepers were awakened by the ringing of a bell and the
clatter of hoofs. It was the _cavallada_ returning to camp, under the
charge of Benito, who had thus kept his promise. The travellers were
soon upon their feet, but it was soon perceived that the two trappers
were not amongst them. These had gone away without any one having
observed their departure!

The horses being saddled and bridled and the mules packed, the cavalcade
continued its journey towards the hacienda--Don Estevan and the Senator,
as before, riding in front.

It was after sunset before the walls of the hacienda were descried in
the distance, already assuming a sombre hue under the fast increasing
obscurity of the twilight. But through the wide forest tract which
surrounded the hacienda a well-defined road led in the direction of the
dwelling, which the travellers could follow even in the darkest night,
and upon this road the cavalcade was now s