of the reeds that bordered it.

Certain vague noises that had from time to time fallen upon the ear of
Don Cornelio, while half slumbering, now that he was awake, were heard
more distinctly; and after a little while these sounds became converted
into prolonged and dismal howlings, such as he had never before heard in
his life.

Upon just such another night he had been sorely frightened by the
howling of jaguars; but all the tigers in the world could not have
produced such a frightful noise as that with which his ears were now
assailed. It was a chorus of voices entirely new to him, and that
seemed to proceed from the powerful lungs of some gigantic creature
hitherto unknown.

As thoughts of the supernatural came into his mind, the Captain shivered
through his whole frame; and had he not been tied to its branches, he
would certainly have fallen from the tree.

His horse, standing below, appeared fully to partake of his terror; for
after dancing about, and causing the branches to crackle, the animal at
length broke away from its fastenings, and, galloping off, joined
company with the horses of Costal and Clara that stood nearer the edge
of the water.

The terrible howlings, combined with the mysterious tolling of the bell,
produced upon the mind of Don Cornelio other impressions besides those
of mere dread. He began to believe in a supernatural presence; and that
the sounds he heard were the voices of those pagan divinities whom
Costal had the boldness to invoke.

Captain Lantejas was not the only person whom these strange noises had
inspired with fear. At little more than gunshot distance from him, and
hidden behind the trees, could be seen a number of men closely grouped
together, and whispering their fears to one another. It need scarcely
be said that they were the domestics of Don Mariano, who had counted
with equal terror and astonishment the twelve strokes of the mysterious
midnight bell.

Their master, too, had heard the tolling, and was vainly endeavouring to
account for the singular phenomenon.

Just then the frightful howlings came pealing from the woods behind,
awaking Gertrudis, and causing her to raise her head with a cry of
terror. The seven sleepers themselves would have been awakened by such
a terrible fracas of noises.

At this moment one of the domestics--Castrillo--appeared by the
_litera_, his face blanched with affright.

"What misfortune have you to announce?" inquired Don Mariano,