victims!

He had left the scene of his sufferings somewhat later than the rest.

Was the guerrilla still in the place?

No; they were gone from the village.

"Whither?" was the anxious interrogatory.

They had taken the up-river road, _towards the hacienda de Vargas_.
They had passed the boy as he lay concealed among some magueys; he had
heard their cries as they rushed past.

"What cries?"

They shouted: "_Mueran al traidor y traidora! Mueran al padre y hija!
Isolina la p-t-a_!"

"O merciful God!"

CHAPTER FIFTY SIX.

THE BIVOUAC OF THE GUERRILLA.

I stayed to hear no more, but drove the spur against the ribs of my
horse, till he sprang in full gallop along the road. Eager as were my
men to follow, 'twas as much as they could do to keep up.

We no longer thought of scouts or cautious marching. The trappers had
mounted, and were galloping with the rest. We thought only of _time_.

We rode for the hacienda de Vargas, straight up the river. Although it
was beyond the rancheria, we could reach it without passing through the
latter--which lay some distance back from the stream. We could return
to the village afterwards, but first for the hacienda. There I wished
to arrive in the shortest time possible.

The miles flew behind us, like the dust of the road.

Oh, should we not be in time! I feared to calculate the length of the
interval since the boy had heard that rabble rout. Was it more than an
hour? Five miles to the rancho, and he on foot. Had he travelled
rapidly? Yes, here and there; but he had made a stop: some men had
passed him, and he had hidden in the bushes till they were out of sight.
He had been more than an hour on the way--nearly two, and one would be
enough for the execution of the darkest deed. Oh, we should not arrive
in time!

There was no delay now. We were going at top-speed, and in silence,
scarcely exchanging a word. Alone might be heard the clattering of
hoofs, the chinking of bits, or the ringing of steel scabbards. Neither
the slimy gutter nor the deep rut of _carreta_ wheels stayed our
advance; our horses leaped over, or went sweltering through them.

In five minutes we came to the _rinconada_, where the road forked--the
left branch leading to the village. We saw no one, and kept on by the
right--the direct road to the hacienda. Another mile, and we should
reach the house; a quarter of that distance, and we should come in sight
of it; the trees alone hin