he information in his power. Fear had
evidently given the poor fellow an exaggerated idea of the appearance of
the man who had waylaid him; nevertheless, from his description our
travellers had no difficulty in recognising the poor bereaved beggar
whom they had met and assisted.

"Was he a large man?" asked Pedro.

"Yes, yes, senhor; tremendous!--seven feet or more, and _so_"--
indicating about three feet--"across the shoulders. Rough black head,
huge black beard and moustache, hawk nose, with such awful eyes, and the
strength of a tiger! I could never have been so easily overcome by one
man if he had not been a giant."

"You see," said Pedro in English, turning to Lawrence with a smile, "the
description tallies exactly, making due allowance for this poor fellow's
alarm. He must be a clever fellow this Conrad of the Mountains, for he
has not only frightened a peon out of his wits, but roused the pity of
an Englishman by asserting that he had been robbed by _himself_! Your
charity, you see, was ill bestowed."

"So, it seems we might have made this noted bandit prisoner if we had
only known!" exclaimed Lawrence, who seemed more distressed at missing
the chance of becoming an amateur thief-catcher than at misdirected
charity. "But do you really think the fellow was Conrad of the
Mountains?"

"I am certain he was not," said Pedro.

"How do you know?"

"I have several grounds for my belief, but, even if I had not, I might
easily judge from appearances. Conrad is said to be kind to women and
children. The scoundrel we met with could not be kind to any one.
Moreover, there is no clear proof that Conrad _is_ a bandit, while this
man certainly is one."

"I'm sorry you seem so sure, because I should like much to be able to
say I had seen this notorious fellow about whom every one appears to
hear so much and to know so little."

Although the bandit of whom we have just made mention was not Conrad of
the Mountains, it may interest the reader to know that he was in truth a
sufficiently notorious villain, named Fan, the captain of a band of
twenty assassins, most of whom were escaped criminals from the prisons
of Chili and Peru. Among other exploits, Fan once attacked the armed
escort of a troop of mules conveying silver in bars from the mines to
Chili. Fan and his men attacked them in a ravine so suddenly, and with
such a deadly fire of musketry, that the few who survived laid down
their arms at once, on the pr