the accepted suitor, when a dispute arose as to who was the
better player; the two brothers fell upon their victim and foully
murdered him. But afraid lest his brother should venge the latter's
death, they lay in wait for him behind a street corner, and as he came
along they rapidly killed him as they had his brother. Then they fled
across the frontier to Portugal.

The two corpses had in the meantime been carried on a bier by the crowds
and laid down in front of Dona Maria's house; the latter stepped out on
the balcony, with dishevelled hair; an angry murmur went from one end of
the crowd to the other, and a universal clamour arose: vengeance was on
every one's lips. But Dona Maria commanded silence.

"Be calm," she said, "and take these bodies to the cathedral. Vengeance?
Fear not, I shall venge myself."

An hour later she left the town with an escort, apparently with a view
to retire to her estates near Plasencia. Once well away from the city,
she divulged her plan to the escort and asked if they were willing to
follow her. Receiving an affirmative reply, she tore off her woman's
clothes and appeared dressed in full armour; placing a helmet on her
head, she took the lead of her troops again, and set out for the
Portuguese frontier.

The strange company arrived on the third day at a Portuguese frontier
town, where they were told that two foreigners had arrived the night
before. By the description of the two Spaniards, Dona Maria felt sure
they were her sons' murderers, and consequently she and her escort
approached the house where the fugitives were passing the night. Placing
the escort beneath the window, she stealthily entered the house and
stole to the brothers' room; then she slew them whilst they were
sleeping, and, rushing to the window, threw it open, and, spearing the
heads of her enemies on her lance, she showed them to her retinue, with
the words:

"I'm venged! Back to Salamanca."

Silently, at the head of her troops, and bearing the two heads on her
lance, Dona Maria returned to Salamanca. Entering the cathedral, she
threw them on the newly raised slabs which covered her sons' remains.

Ever after she was known as Dona Maria _la brava_, and is as celebrated
to-day as she was in the fifteenth century, during the abominable reign
of Henry IV. And so great was the feud which divided the city into two
camps, that it lasted many years, and many were the victims of the
gigantic vendetta.

The city's gre