nions. They stood for a moment over the mayoral, and struck his
head with the butts of their muskets, whilst the fellow who had before
used the knife returned to make a few farewell thrusts, and in another
moment they had all disappeared from around us.

In consequence of the darkness, which was only partially dispelled in
front of the diligence by the lantern, which had enabled me to see what
occurred so immediately before me, we were not at once sensible of the
departure of the robbers, but continued near half an hour after their
disappearance in the same situation in which they left us. The short
breathings and the chattering of teeth, lately so audible from within
the interior, gradually subsided, and were succeeded by whispers of the
females, and soon after by words pronounced in a louder tone; whilst our
mangled guides, by groans and writhings, gave evidence of returning
animation.

Our first care, when thus left to ourselves, was to see if anything
could be done for our unfortunate guides. We found them rolling over in
the dust, and moaning inarticulately, excepting that the conductor would
occasionally murmur forth some of those sainted names whose aid he had
vainly invoked in the moment of tribulation. Having taken down the light
from the top of the coach, we found them so much disfigured with bruises
and with blood, that recognition would have been impossible. The finery
of poor Pepe, his silver buttons and his sash of silk, were scarcely
less disfigured than his features. There happened to be in our party a
student of medicine, who now took the lead in the Samaritan office of
binding, with pieces of linen and pocket handkerchiefs, the wounds of
these unhappy men.

The wounded men were at length placed in a cart, and sent back slowly
to Amposta, the mayoral showing some signs of returning sensibility,
but the unfortunate Pepe evidently in his last agony. The diligence
proceeded on its route, and stopped to breakfast at Vinaroz.

The kitchen of the posada at Vinaroz offered a scene of unusual
confusion. The hostess was no other than the mother of Pepe, a very
decent-looking Catalan woman, who, I understood, had been sent there the
year before by the Diligence Company, which is concerned in all the inns
at which their coaches stop throughout the line. She had already been
told of the probable fate of her son, and was preparing to set off for
Amposta in the deepest affliction; and yet her sorrow, though eviden