tep," said the youth, despairingly.

"Cannot! _Carrai_! we shall see whether you can. Here, Pablo,"
continued he, addressing himself to one of the soldiers of the guard;
"give this fellow the spur; he is restive!"

The ruffian soldier approached with fixed bayonet, seriously intending
to use its point on the poor wayworn invalid! The latter rose with an
effort, and made a desperate attempt to keep on; but his resolution
again failed him. He could not endure the agonising pain, and after
staggering a pace or two, he fell up against a rock.

"I cannot!" he again cried--"I cannot march farther: let me die here."

"Forward! or you _shall_ die here," shouted Ijurra, drawing a pistol
from his belt, and cocking it, evidently with the determination to carry
out his threat. "Forward!"

"I cannot," faintly replied the youth.

"Forward, or I fire!"

"Fire!" cried the young man, throwing open the flaps of his
hunting-shirt, and making one last effort to stand erect.

"You are scarce worth a bullet," said the monster with a sneer; at the
same instant he levelled his pistol at the breast of his victim, and
fired! When the smoke was blown aside, the body of young Holingsworth
was seen lying at the base of the rock, doubled up, dead!

A thrill of horror ran through the line of captives. Even their
habitually brutal guards were touched by such wanton barbarity. The
brother of the youth was not six yards from the spot, tightly bound, and
witness of the whole scene! Fancy his feelings at that moment!

"No wonder," continued the Texan--"no wonder that Harding Holingsworth
don't stand upon ceremony as to where and when he may attack Rafael
Ijurra. I verily believe that the presence of the Commander-in-chief
wouldn't restrain him from taking vengeance. It ain't to be wondered
at!"

In hopes that my companion might help me to some knowledge of the family
at the hacienda, I guided the conversation in that direction.

"And Don Ramon de Vargas is Ijurra's uncle?"

"Sure enough, he must be. Ha! I did not think of that. Don Ramon _is_
the uncle. I ought to have known him this morning--that confounded
_mezcal_ I drank knocked him out of my mind altogether. I have seen the
old fellow several times. He used to come to San Antonio once a-year on
business with the merchants there. I remember, too, he once brought a
daughter with him--splendid girl that, and no mistake! Faith, she
crazed half the young fellows in San An