broken, and the
once immaculately white walls were streaked and blackened here and there
by fire and smoke: and when they entered the building, everything was
found in a most shocking state of confusion; the furniture was
overturned and much of it was broken, a great deal of it was
irretrievably damaged by fire, great holes had been burnt here and there
in the flooring, cupboards and bureaus had been broken open and their
contents scattered, apparently in a search for money or valuables; many
small articles of value were missing, pictures were slashed and torn,
poor Dona Isolda's grand piano had but one leg left and was otherwise a
complete wreck, and some priceless china vases and bowls that had been
the glory of the drawing-room were lying on the floor, shivered to
atoms. But a little closer inspection revealed that while an immense
amount of damage had been done--much of it through pure wantonness and
lust for destruction--the building itself was practically intact, the
roof was still weatherproof, and some of the rooms were in quite
inhabitable condition; while there were many articles of furniture and
dress, as well as many utensils of various kinds, that could still be
made serviceable. Among the inhabitable rooms were the bedroom used by
Don Hermoso and his wife, as also those usually occupied by Carlos and
Jack; indeed, it appeared as though the spoilers had confined their
destructive efforts almost entirely to the front part of the house.
Under these circumstances, as there were no signs of the enemy in the
immediate neighbourhood, Don Hermoso lost no time in hurrying back to
his wife and getting her up to the house and into bed, that being all he
could do at the moment to combat the fever which had seized upon her.

This much having been accomplished, Jack set his negroes to search among
the wreckage for anything in the nature of food which might perchance
have escaped destruction, while he, single-handed, set off to
reconnoitre the camp of the enemy, out on the plain. His shortest route
thereto was by way of the position which Carlos had so resolutely
defended; and he chose this because, the enemy having forced the passage
of the river at this spot, he believed he would there find the means of
crossing most easily himself. He had scarcely traversed a hundred yards
from the house ere he began to encounter evidences of the severity of
the fight that had waged throughout the afternoon and evening of that
di