hundred yards up the defile, and then he raised his
hand, waving it as a signal for his men to come forth. The next instant
the place was alive with men. Fifty willing hands dragged forth the
Maxims and planted them fair and square in the portal, pointing up the
ravine, the ammunition boxes were opened and bands of cartridges placed
in position: rifles were loaded; and ere the last of the Spaniards had
passed round the bend and out of sight every preparation to give them a
warm reception upon their return was complete.

The watchers by the portal had not very long to wait. The enemy were
not out of sight much more than ten minutes when a solitary rifle shot
cracked out at the head of the defile and came echoing down its rocky
sides; then another one; then three or four more; until at length a
brisk fusillade was proceeding, accompanied by a good deal of confused
shouting. This lasted for the best part of an hour, when there came
first a lull in the firing, and then the sound of many approaching feet,
following which a disorderly crowd of Spanish soldiers appeared doubling
down the defile, in full flight toward the entrance.

With the appearance of the first of them Jack sprang up on a boulder,
and shouted to them to halt; but so eager were the Spaniards to escape
from the punishment that had been inflicted upon them at the other end
of the defile that it was not until one of the Maxims opened fire upon
them that they could be persuaded to stay their precipitate flight. But
the sharp, thudding, hammer-like reports of the machine-gun, and the
stream of lead that began to play upon them and thin their ranks, soon
brought them to a halt, when, flinging down their arms, they cried for
quarter, which of course was at once given them. Then, Carlos' party
closing in upon them from the rear, the Spaniards were carefully
disarmed, their ammunition taken away from them, and their weapons
destroyed by being consumed in a huge bonfire, formed of dry wood
collected from the depths of the bush. And while this regrettable but
necessary act of destruction was in process of execution, Carlos and
Jack went among the prisoners, questioning them as to their number, who
was in command, upon what principle they were working, and so on.
Unfortunately they were unable to extract very much information, for it
appeared that every officer had perished, either in the attack upon the
estate, or at the far end of the defile: while the soldier