hts had
been too delightfully occupied with visions of happiness, and her waking
reveries had so engaged her with day-dreams of prospective felicity,
that she was not conscious of the lapse of time. She had just commenced
dressing, with the assistance of a favorite servant, a native Mexican
girl, when her weeping cousins rushed into the chamber in an agony of
grief. With voices choked and interrupted by sobs and tears, it was some
minutes before they could make their poor cousin comprehend the
melancholy truth, with the gratuitous addition that the prisoners were
to be shot the next morning in the plaza, and directly in front of the
house. Having communicated all they knew, and all they had invented,
they retired to spread the intelligence, to collect more, and to remove
the furniture in the front chamber, for the more convenient witnessing
the execution of the next morning.

Isabella, when left to herself, neither screamed, nor went into
hysterics or tears; she sat still and motionless in the chair, into
which she had sunk when the dreadful truth was made known to her; she
became deadly pale, her temples throbbed, her breathing seemed
oppressed, the light swam before her eyes, she uttered a convulsive sob,
and, to the terror of her faithful and sympathising attendant, fell
senseless upon the floor. The Indian girl, with great presence of mind,
though sorely frightened, dashed water in her face, loosened her
clothes, and practised all those modes of relief, better understood by
ladies than described by me. The unhappy young lady at length recovered,
and, with the assistance of her attendant, threw herself upon the bed,
and gave way to a flood of tears, to the relief caused by which, and her
subsequent repose, we must for a time leave her.

Captain Williams saluted the governor, as they met, with a countenance
partaking of anger as well as sorrow; and, without much circumlocution,
proceeded to state his business, and interceded most warmly in behalf of
his men in confinement. But the old Don, before whose mind visions of
promotion and honors were floating, was in no humor to grant petitions
of any kind, much less one, the acceding to which would overthrow all
his air-built castles; and he steadily refused to listen to the
warm-hearted old seaman's arguments, urged with all the fervency of
almost paternal affection for both Mr. Morton and his seamen. Unable to
oppose or refute the arguments of Captain Williams, proving t