ence to which his pride and the secret
wish of his heart allowed him to have recourse.

"It is true," said he, "that this man is of my own blood. I cannot deny
it without polluting my lips with a lie, and an untruth is the offspring
of cowardice."

Diaz inclined his head, regained his seat, and was silent.

"You have heard," said Fabian, "that I am indeed the son of the woman,
whom this man murdered; therefore I claim the right of avenging her.
What then do the laws of the desert decree?"

"Eye for eye," said Bois-Rose.

"Tooth for tooth," added Pepe.

"Blood for blood," continued Fabian; "a death for a death!"

Then he rose, and addressing Don Antonio in measured accents, said: "You
have shed blood and committed murder. It shall therefore be done to you
as you have done to others. God commanded it to be so."

Fabian drew his poignard from its sheath. The sun was shedding his
first rays upon the scene, and every object cast a long shadow upon the
ground.

A bright flash shot from the naked blade which the younger Mediana held
in his hand.

Fabian buried its point in the sand.

The shadow of the poignard far exceeded its length.

"The sun," he said, "shall determine how many moments you have to live.
When the shadow disappears you shall appear before God, and my mother
will be avenged."

A deathlike silence succeeded Fabian's last words, who, overcome with
long suppressed emotions, fell, rather than seated himself upon the
stone.

Bois-Rose and Pepe both retained their seats. The judges and the
criminal were alike motionless.

Diaz perceived that all was over, but he did not wish, to take any part
in the execution of the sentence.

He approached the Duke de Armada, knelt down before him, took his hand
and raised it to his lips.

"I will pray for the salvation of your soul," said he in a low tone.
"Do you release me from my oath?"

"Yes," replied Don Antonio, in a firm voice; "go, and may God bless you
for your fidelity!"

The noble adventurer retired in silence.

His horse had remained at some short distance.

Diaz soon reached it, and holding the bridle in his hands, walked slowly
towards the spot where the river forked.

In the mean time the sun followed its eternal course--the shadows
gradually contracted--the black vultures flew in circles above the heads
of the four actors in the terrible drama the last scene of which was now
drawing near. From the depths of the Misty Mountains, s