t my side.

"They are all safe in the kitchen, Harry," he said. "But what does this
mean?"

"Only a minute or two's halt before they make a fiercer attack," I said.

"No 'tain't," said Tom, who had stolen up unobserved; "they're a-going
to set us alight, and I've come to tell you."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed my uncle. "They'll never burn the place till they
have searched and plundered it."

"I quite think with you, Uncle," I said.

"But they're a striking lights round my side," said Tom. "Come and
look!"

We hurriedly passed round to Tom's post, just in time to see the truth
of his words, for as we peered cautiously from his window there was a
little flickering tongue of flame apparently dancing towards one end of
an outhouse. Then it was applied to the thatched roof, and a howl of
joy arose as the flame ran rapidly up towards the ridge.

Directly after, though, there arose a shout of rage, and more than one
voice, so my uncle said, crying out for the fire to be extinguished;
amongst which voices that of Garcia could plainly be heard.

The firing was evidently premature, and efforts were directly made to
extinguish it.

A glance, though, showed that the attempt would be in vain; for, with a
sharp hissing and crackling noise, the light material began to blaze
rapidly, and my uncle gave a groan as he saw that his house was doomed
to destruction.

A loud voice now shouted what were evidently orders, and a pattering of
feet succeeded, as a fierce struggle now began, to tear out the blazing
part of the outhouse before it reached the hacienda, against whose sides
it was reared.

"Now is the time for escaping, Uncle," I whispered, as I thought how
easily we could have brought down a dozen or so of our assailants, whose
dark figures stood out well against the fire.

"Yes," he said slowly; "we must make the venture now, for in an hour the
old place will be level with the ground."

Then, casting off his lethargy, he hurriedly made for the kitchen,
closely followed by Tom and myself, when we closed after us, and
thoroughly barricaded, the inner door, while my uncle unfastened and
looked out cautiously from that which led into the yard.

All was still on that side--not an enemy to be seen--when, hastily
finishing the loading of the mules with the provisions, arms, and
ammunition, Lilla was placed on one, my aunt on the other, and we had
just determined upon opening the door to start across the yard, when a
loud