They fell back to a still stronger position in the rear, but from this

they were also driven, and by one o'clock they were in disorderly

retreat; but owing to the difficult country no pursuit was attempted

that day. The next morning Espartero moved with eight battalions to

Berron, Iriarte going to the right with four battalions. After marching

half a league he found the enemy strongly entrenched, but they

retreated, on his approach, to the fortified convent of Santa Isabel,

where they had the support of two Biscayan regiments and four battalions

of Navarrese, and occupied the formidable heights in heavy masses. As

soon as Iriarte's column became engaged with the Carlist left, Espartero

attacked the position of Santa Isabel, and, in spite of a very heavy

fire with which he was met, carried it with a rush and advanced against

the heights, on which the chief force of the enemy was posted.

Here an obstinate resistance was made; but before dark the Carlists had

been dislodged at the point of the bayonet, and were in full retreat

into the mountains. The Christinos remained near Berron to protect the

evacuation of Balmaseda. This place was at such a distance from the base

that it was considered impracticable to hold it, as its supply of

provisions could only be kept up by means of large escorts and at

considerable loss of life. It was therefore decided to blow up the fort

and withdraw the garrison, strengthening, however, the fort at Villa

Nueva de Mena, which now became the most advanced post of the

Christinos. This was left in charge of General Latre, Espartero

returning to Logrono.

In the meantime, however, matters were going badly elsewhere. The

fortresses of Morella and Benicarlo had just fallen into Cabrera's

hands, and Oraa, who was opposing him, was calling loudly for

reinforcements. Basilio Garcia was plundering Castile. Espartero, now

sickened by the abuse which had been poured upon him by the orders of

the government at Madrid, determined to match himself against them, and

issued a proclamation giving an account of the state of the army, the

sufferings of the soldiers--who were without pay, and often without

food--and the contempt with which the government, while wringing money

in every manner from the country, turned a deaf ear to all his requests

and left the army to starve. This proclamation had an immense effect

throughout the country. The people had been so sedulously taught to

believe that everything was going on well, that the troops were well fed

and regularly paid, that this exposition by the general whom all trusted

and believed came like a thunder-clap, and eventually brought about the

downfall of the ministry.

From this moment they felt that Espartero was their master, and,

although still putting many difficulties in his way, did not venture

openly to oppose him. Espartero's next movement of any consequence was

in connection with a Carlist expedition under Negri, which had been

despatched with the intention of wasting the hitherto unmolested

provinces of Galicia and the Asturias. It was extremely important that

this expedition should be crushed; because if the Carlists were

permitted to lay waste these provinces, which were both rich and

well-affected to the Christino cause, there would be so great a falling

off in the contributions that it would be difficult in the extreme to

maintain the armies in the field. Espartero set out with nine

battalions and fourteen guns, but without cavalry, while General Latre,

who was to follow him by a separate route, had also nine battalions. He

was in total ignorance of the movements of Negri, who entered Castile on

the 15th of March at Soucillo, but he discovered on the 24th that he had

gone into the Asturias. Latre came up with him on the 21st, and,

although inferior in force, had the advantage. Espartero marched on

Leon to prevent their entering Galicia or uniting with Don Basilio.

Under a good leader the men had confidence. The Christinos were capable

of very long marches, and on this occasion they travelled two hundred

miles in nine days, and a short time afterwards marched ninety-two

leagues in fourteen days.

While they were doing this good service, Iriarte, with a division twice

as strong as that of Negri, was resting quietly at Alcobendas with the

apparent intention only of avoiding the enemy. Had the Carlists

remained in the Asturias after their defeat by Latre, they would have

found great difficulty in escaping from the united action of that

general and Espartero; but on hearing of Espartero's movement on Leon

they counter-marched, and on the 27th of March were at Belorado, with

Latre's division--now under Iriarte--a day's march in their rear.

Espartero had also returned by forced marches to Palencia, and reckoned

on finding himself, after two or three short marches, in front of the

enemy, with Iriarte only a short distance in the rear; but on the night

of the 30th of March he received a despatch saying that another Carlist

expedition had passed into Castile. This, like much of the information

he obtained, turned out to be untrue, but it compelled him to march in

that direction, leaving the pursuit of Negri to Iriarte.

*CHAPTER XII*

*A FIASCO*

While Espartero was waiting for news that Negri was approaching, he

learned that Iriarte had inflicted a check upon the Carlist leader, and

that the latter had again countermarched. He at once concluded that the

Carlists would make for the Sierra de Burgos, and, marching with all

speed in that direction, at one o'clock on the morning of the 22nd

instant he came within sight of their camp-fires. They retreated, and

he did not overtake them for some time. Espartero, with his staff, a few

mounted officers, and a little escort of forty cavalry of the guard and

twenty-five English lancers, had pressed on ahead of his troops, and,

fearing that the enemy would outmarch his men and get away, placed

himself at the head of the little party and charged furiously down upon

them.

Taken wholly by surprise at this sudden attack, and not knowing what

force he had at his back, two thousand men surrendered to him without

resistance. There was a scene of wild enthusiasm among the troops when

they came up and saw what had been effected. It was little wonder,

indeed, that Espartero's troops were so devoted to him, so ready to make

any exertion when called upon to do so, and to attack any force of the

enemy against whom they might be directed. Espartero possessed, indeed,

all the attributes required of a great general--quick in decision,

prompt in action, firm under disappointment, ready to delay until the

right moment arrived for striking, or to hurl his troops impetuously at

any point required; taking the greatest care for the comfort of his men,

able to bear calmly the factious opposition of political antagonists,

and to be patient under the repeated blunders or obstinate lethargy of

the military commanders serving under him. A great and strong man in

every way, the only really great man that Spain has produced for the

past two centuries.

The enthusiasm excited by this daring action greatly strengthened

Espartero's hold upon the people in general. The destruction of Negri's

expedition was complete, for, in addition to those who had fallen in

battle or who had been taken prisoners, no fewer than two thousand had

deserted during the pursuit by Iriarte, or had, after being captured,

consented to join the queen's service.

"It was worth while to take part in this affair, Roper. One might live a

century and not have a chance of being one of seventy or eighty men who

charged an army of two thousand and took them all prisoners. It does

one good to serve under such men as Espartero and General Flinter."

"That it does, sir; they are both splendid fellows and no mistake. It

seems to me that the Carlists are fools to go on with this war; they are

always on the run. I don't say that they don't fight bravely sometimes,

but they must have lost all real hope of success. Everyone says they

are sick of Don Carlos."

"Yes; he is the last sort of man with whom brave people could have any

sympathy. He is surrounded by mere adventurers, holds himself entirely

aloof from his own generals, and treats them as haughtily as if he were

a king who could bestow all honours and rewards. I should think that

they are no longer really fighting to put him on the throne. The

northern provinces are still holding out for their privileges. As to

Valencia and Aragon, I should say that they are fighting from sheer

obstinacy. I do not see what they have to hope for. They have been

struggling for four years, and so far have certainly held their own,

thanks to the energy of Cabrera; but there must be an end to it sooner

or later, when they will find that they have gained nothing by all their

losses and sacrifices."

Espartero moved up to Vittoria, and in June laid siege to the fortified

town of Alava, on the high-road from Vittoria to Pena-Cerrada. This

town had been taken by the Carlists ten months previously, and these had

placed a strong garrison in it. He arrived in front of the town on the

morning of 19th June, and was immediately attacked on the left by six

Carlist battalions under Guergue. Fighting went on all day. During the

night some heavy guns were placed on a battery against a strong stone

redoubt. This had been lately constructed by the Carlists on a hill to

the north of the town, which it completely commanded. The distance was

found, however, to be too great, and in the morning Espartero, observing

that his skirmishers had been allowed to approach close to the fort,

determined to carry it by storm. He at once launched his troops against

it. The fort was gallantly defended--grenades, stones, and other

missiles were hurled on the attacking party; but numbers and enthusiasm

prevailed. Espartero was looking on, and his soldiers, feeling

themselves invincible, finally swarmed over the parapets, and the fort

surrendered.

The town was now summoned to surrender. It had been abandoned by the

governor, who left a garrison of only four hundred men to defend it.

These fired upon the bearer of the message, and on the following morning

the guns opened upon them. The firing lasted from seven in the morning

till two in the afternoon. Many of the houses were demolished, but the

losses of the besiegers were heavy, for they were all this time exposed

to a serious attack on the left, led by Guergue's force, which had been

reinforced during the morning by four battalions from Navarre.

Espartero therefore decided upon another dashing step. Leaving half his

force to continue the bombardment of the town, he formed the rest into

four battalions, and with this force and his cavalry he attacked

Guergue, who was strongly entrenched on a wooded height, supported by

four guns. As the Christinos entered the wood they were exposed to a

very destructive fire from the Navarre battalions, but advanced steadily

without firing a shot. As they pushed forward, a hail of round shot,

grape, and musketry swept them at a distance of three hundred yards; but

they crossed a small ravine and fell upon the enemy, while Espartero

launched his cavalry against the Carlist column that was opposed to him.

This abandoned its artillery, and broke and fled in all directions.

The battle had lasted but half an hour. In that time the four guns and

four hundred prisoners fell into the hands of the queen's troops, and a

far larger number would have been taken had their escape not been

facilitated by the intricate mountainous country. As soon as the

defenders of the town saw that the force on which they had relied for

protection was defeated, they abandoned the place and made their escape

into the woods behind. A garrison was placed in the town, and the army

proceeded to Logrono and prepared for the siege of Estella, and while

doing so had a successful engagement with the Carlist

commander-in-chief.

Colonel Wylde had joined Espartero a day or two after the capture of

Pena-Cerrada, and he at once sent Arthur south to join the force with

which Oraa was preparing to besiege Morella. Here he found three other

English officers, commissioners of the British government, who were to

report the doings of the army, and above all to urge that the Convention

regarding the treatment of prisoners should be observed. Morella was a

town of great natural strength. It lay in the very heart of the

mountains, was built on rising ground, and defended by twenty guns.

This town and Canta-Vieja, some twelve miles distant, formed the

head-quarters of Cabrera, whose force amounted to a little over ten

thousand men. Oraa had his head-quarters at Teruel, and believed that

the Carlist troops would not venture to defend Morella.

Cabrera's troops differed materially from those against whom Espartero

was fighting. The latter were peasants, animated by a desperate

determination to defend what they considered their rights and

privileges; the others were rough, idle fellows, fugitives from justice,

men who preferred a life of adventure and a chance of plunder to work,

but the iron discipline maintained by their leader welded them into a

whole, and inspired them with vigour and bravery. Cabrera was in his

way as remarkable a military genius as Espartero; but while one carried

on war mercifully, the other tarnished his reputation by countless acts

of cruelty and cold-blooded murder.

The force was arranged in three divisions, and the advance was planned

so that all should arrive at the same time in the neighbourhood of

Morella. On the 24th of July Oraa left Teruel, and was joined on the

28th by General Baltho's division, and on the following day by San

Miguel. On the 8th of August he was immediately in front of Morella.

The united force amounted to sixteen thousand infantry and twelve

thousand cavalry. Matters began badly. Oraa was well aware that his

supply of provisions was a scanty one, and yet he allowed the waste of a

store of grain that would have supplied the army for some time. The

wheat had been cut, but was lying in the fields, and instead of having

it collected and placed under cover, he permitted the troops to take the

corn to sleep on and feed their horses. Much of it was used as fuel,

and all that was not consumed was spoiled, and yet there were mills on

the ground and also ovens. But even from the commencement of the march,

the commissariat arrangements for the troops were anything but lavish.

When the force left Teruel they were supplied with four days' bread and

seven days' rice. No meat was issued to them for six days, and then

they only received half a pound a man; and yet during the march the

troops were ascending to high ground, the rain fell in torrents, and the

temperature was much lower than that to which they were accustomed. By

the 13th of August the allowance fell to six ounces of rice and two

ounces of bread; and on the 17th, the last day of the siege, the troops

were almost without food. The cavalry horses and other animals,

numbering at least three thousand, had already been two days without

forage, and had had no barley since they started, twenty-four days

before. The other divisions were no better off. Even these scanty

supplies had been maintained with the greatest difficulty. Five

battalions had to be employed in keeping the road open. The siege

artillery should have been brought up in two days, but seven were found

necessary. The army being assembled moved round to the other side of

Morella, having to fight hard to gain the position.

San Miguel's division did not bring up their guns till the 9th of

August, the operation being conducted so carelessly that the road was

left open for the Carlists, who kept up a constant fire and killed one

hundred and fifty men. On the 10th the siege began. The troops took up

their position, and drove a portion of the Carlist levies back on

Morella. Next day, however, San Miguel was ordered to make an attack

upon a position occupied by the Carlists, which interfered with the

movements of a body of troops about to proceed down to escort a convoy

of provisions. Cabrera reinforced the threatened point. San Miguel

attacked boldly, and carried three positions one after another; at the

fourth, however, he was so strongly opposed that Oraa ordered him to

retreat, as he did not consider the position of sufficient importance to

justify further fighting. The attack, however, was so far successful

that the force sent to escort the convoy managed to make its way down.

On the 12th the heavy artillery was taken to the places fixed upon for

the establishment of the batteries. The guns were placed about five

hundred yards away from the walls, the mortars twice that distance. The

next day was devoted to erecting the batteries, and these opened fire at

daybreak on the 14th of August. The shooting was far from accurate, and

the enemy's return was steady. The spot selected to be breached was a

gate between and flanked by two towers, known as the gate of San Miguel.

Directly Cabrera saw the point about to be attacked, he began to

construct a strong retrenchment behind it, with a parapet and ditch,

defended by _chevaux-de-frise_; and the following day, when the breach

began to be formed, he heaped up on it a great quantity of combustibles.

Although the breach was very imperfect, Oraa issued orders for an

assault on the evening of the l5th. To the English officers with the

besiegers it looked like an act of madness, but Oraa felt that success

must be instant, or the siege must be given up on account of the

impossibility of feeding the troops.

The attacking columns were formed in rear of the batteries, where they

remained for three hours, and then advanced, with bands playing, to

within a hundred and fifty yards of the breach. The broken nature of

the ground threw them into confusion. It was midnight before they

arrived at the breach, and up to this time dead silence had reigned in

Morella. By the music, if by no other means, the garrison were kept

perfectly informed of the motion and progress of their enemies, but

Cabrera had issued strict orders that they should remain silent until

the troops had reached the foot of the breach.

The moment they arrived there a brilliant flame darted up from the

breach, and a tremendous fire of bullets, hand-grenades, and stones

burst upon them. The red glare rose higher and higher, and the men,

enfeebled by hunger and fatigue, stood appalled. Many, however, rushed

forward with desperate bravery, only to fall under the storm of

missiles; and at last they fell back, finding it absolutely impossible

to surmount the obstacles posted there. Never were men sent upon a more

hopeless task.

That evening the earnestly-looked-for convoy arrived. It had had to

fight the whole distance up. Half the waggons had been lost and over

eighty men. The next day passed quietly, and then it was decided to

make another assault at daybreak on the 17th, although no attempt had

been made to enlarge the breach or render it more practicable.

Fifteen hundred men advanced at daybreak in two columns, provided with

ladders and sand-bags with which to climb the bottom of the breach,

where the wall had not been destroyed. As they advanced they were

received with a heavy fire of artillery and musketry; the fire again

blazed upon the breach. The left column, on reaching the foot of the

wall and climbing the ladders, found them too short, and fell back in

great disorder. The right column in front of the breach found it

impossible to ascend unassisted, and the space was too confined to admit

of the formation of any number of troops. At only one place, and this

very narrow and steep, was it possible to climb, and many officers and

men who tried to make their way up died in the attempt.

Seeing the absolute hopelessness of the attack, Oraa ordered a retreat,

and the troops fell back, having lost two hundred and seventy-six killed

and wounded. It was at once decided to raise the siege. Without

provisions or ammunition it would have been madness to persevere. The

retreat was accompanied by terrible hardships. They were continuously

harassed by swarms of guerrillas; the marches were slow and short; the

wounded were carried in hundreds on doors and window-shutters; and when,

five days later, the army reached Alcaniz, it was found that it brought

down fifteen hundred wounded in addition to the dead left behind.

Arthur had not been present at the two assaults. He had ridden down

with the troops that left on the 12th, and when these were attacked had,

at the request of the officer in command, ridden up to a small tower

where twenty men were posted to keep down the fire of the surrounding

Carlists. They were to have been drawn off as the troops passed, but the

Carlists interposed in such great force between them and the main body

that it was impossible for them to sally out.

"There is nothing to do," Arthur said to the officer in command of the

little party, "but to defend ourselves here. They may leave us alone.

Pardenas will be back with the convoy to-morrow, and then we shall be

relieved."

"It is a pity that you did not bring your horse with you, sir; you might

then have managed to escape."

"I certainly should not have left you in the lurch. I did not bring the

horses with me because I knew that, as our pace would be very slow, it

would be easier to go on foot. Now, we had better set to work at once;

as soon as the Carlists have finished with the convoy they will come

back to us."

The place was an old fortified house, now almost a ruin. Stones were

piled in the doorway, and all prepared for a desperate defence. It was

not long before parties of Carlists drew off from those harassing the

column and approached the house. They shouted to the soldiers to

surrender, but these replied with musket shots. When some two hundred

men had assembled round the place the assault began. The men defended

themselves bravely, and many of the assailants fell, and all drew off

several times. When darkness came on, however, they crawled up to the

house and set to work to pull down the barricade at the entrance. The

defenders went up to the top of the house and dropped stones down upon

them. For some time the fight went on, but gradually the stones of the

barricade were dislodged, and a storm of fire drove away its defenders.

The officer in command had fallen, and Arthur called the men up into the

story above. Here the defence continued until only five men were left.

The Carlists, however, had suffered so heavily that they drew back once

more, and summoned the defenders to surrender.

"It is no use fighting any longer, Roper," Arthur said to his follower,

who was sitting on the floor with a bullet through his leg. "What do

you say, lads?"

"We have done all we can do," they said. "They have promised us our

lives. We are ready to surrender. We can be no worse off even if they

don't keep their word. We shall certainly be killed if we hold out any

longer."

"We will surrender," Arthur called down, "if you will swear to spare our

lives. If you won't do that, we will fight on; and it will cost you a

good many lives before you overpower us."

There was a consultation below, and then an officer came forward and

said:

"We promise you your lives if you surrender."

Arthur at once went down the stairs and handed his sword to the officer.

The men followed him, leaving their muskets above, two of them assisting

Roper downstairs.

"You are brave fellows," the Carlist said, "and have cost us dearly.

However, you did your duty as we have done ours. How many of you have

fallen?"

"Fifteen and the officer commanding."

"You have cost us double that number. Well, we will stop here for the

night."

The bodies of those who had fallen were carried out of the house, and

some fifty of the Carlists established themselves there. The prisoners

were ordered into the room above, and four of their captors were told

off with muskets to watch at the foot of the stairs. Arthur had now

time to examine and bandage Roper's leg. The ball had broken his ankle,

and Arthur first put some rolls of cloth round it, and then cut some

pieces of wood and put his foot into splints and bandaged them with his

sash.

"I am awfully sorry, Roper. I am afraid you will have to go through a

good deal of agony before you can get your leg properly attended to."

"It cannot be helped," the man said. "I have no reason to grumble. I

have been through a good many fights, and this is the first time I have

been hit."

"Well, I wish we had been caught anywhere else. It would have been a

nuisance being made prisoner in any other part of Spain, but I certainly

do not fancy falling into Cabrera's hands again. After the way we

robbed him of his prey last time, we can expect no mercy from him now.

Of course, the fact that we have been taken actually fighting against

him does away with any claim one might set up on the ground of being

neutrals. I don't suppose they can take us to Cabrera yet at any rate,

and we may have some chance of making our escape before they do. I

certainly shall not try to get away unless you are well enough to make

off with me. I am afraid that that is not likely to be for some time."

"No, I hope you will not think of such a thing as that," Roper said

earnestly. "In the first place, your remaining here with me could do me

no good; on the contrary, it might do me harm, for Cabrera will probably

recognize you, and I should be sure to share your fate. On the other

hand, if you were away he certainly would not know me, and I should have

as good a chance as any of the others."

"I don't think that would make any difference, and indeed, if you were

alone the chances are that you would be shot at once, as these men would

not trouble to carry a wounded prisoner along with them, whereas with me

a prisoner, they would consider that you should receive as good

treatment as I until Cabrera gives some orders respecting us."

In the morning the prisoners were marched up into the mountains, and the

next day the party, which was now swollen by many others, went down to

the brow of a hill near Morella. The Christino prisoners were made to

carry Roper, who suffered a great deal from pain in his ankle. Here

they remained for a week. The greater portion of the Carlists went off

every day to take part in the fighting; and on the occasion of the two

assaults on the fortress all watched with intense interest the struggles

at the breach, and went into ecstasies of delight at each repulse of the

assailants.

[Illustration: "AH!" HE SAID, "SO I HAVE LAID HANDS ON YOU AT LAST"]

When the army began its retreat a guard of ten men remained with the

prisoners, and the rest went away to join in harassing the retreating

foe, and it was a week before they returned. The inflammation in

Roper's leg had now somewhat subsided. Arthur kept it continually

bathed, and it had twice been dressed by a surgeon who came up to attend

to the wounded Carlists who were also there. Two days passed, and then,

just as it was getting dusk one evening, Cabrera rode in. He chatted for

some time to the men, and then said:

"I hear that you have an officer a prisoner here. Let me see him."

Arthur was brought up to the light of the fire. Cabrera started on

seeing his uniform, and then, seizing a brand, held it close to the

prisoner's face.

"Ah," he said, "so I have laid hands on you at last! This is your

second visit to our camp, senor Englishman. Last time you were received

as a British commissioner, and you abused the permission by interfering

in my plans, by killing two of my men, and by carrying off a prisoner

condemned to death. I hear that you were captured this time when

fighting with the Christinos, and have therefore forfeited all right to

protection from your uniform. Tie this man to a tree, and shoot him at

daybreak!"

His instructions were at once followed, and Arthur was fastened by a

leathern thong wound tightly round and round his body.

"His servant is also here," one of the men said; "he has a broken leg."

"Put him by the side of his master. Shoot them both in the morning!"

"I don't ask mercy for myself, Cabrera. I know that it would be

hopeless to do so from such a bloodthirsty ruffian as yourself; but this

poor fellow has only acted under my orders, and is entitled to fair

treatment."

Cabrera, who was standing by the fire a few yards away, turned round

angrily.

"You dare to insult me before my soldiers?" he said furiously. "Dog of

an Englishman!"

"Insult you?" Arthur repeated. "Is it possible to insult you? Do you

not glory in your crimes? Is there a true man in Spain who does not

spit on the ground when he hears the name of such a monster?"

Cabrera caught a musket from the hand of one of his men, levelled it,

and fired. Arthur felt a stinging pain in his arm; then he felt the

leathern thong that bound him slacken, unwind itself, and fall off--it

had been cut by the bullet. Quick as thought he slipped round the tree

and dashed off at the top of his speed. So quickly had this taken place

that it was a few seconds before the Carlists understood what had

happened; and he had gained forty or fifty yards before, with a yell,

the whole of them started after him. But night had now completely

fallen, and he was already almost out of sight. A dozen muskets were

discharged at random, but he was untouched, and, running at the top of

his speed, he began to descend the slope behind the hill. Going uphill

he knew that the Carlists, sturdy mountaineers, would have speedily

overtaken him, but he felt sure that downhill he could leave them;

hampered by their muskets and their heavy shoes they would have little

chance of catching him. He ran for a few hundred yards. The mob of men

behind him were now out of sight, and when he came to a great rock he

threw himself down behind it.

In half a minute the crowd of men ran past. As soon as they had done

so, he got up and listened. There were none behind him, and he turned

and ran up the hill again. When he reached the place he saw, as he

expected, Cabrera standing alone by the fire, the whole of the men

having joined in the chase. Had he been armed he would have rushed to

attack him, but being without a weapon he broke into a walk, and, making

a slight circuit, kept the tree by which Roper had been placed between

him and the fire. Stepping very quietly he moved up to it.

"Hush, Roper!" he whispered, "it is I."

Roper in his excitement had managed to raise himself up, and had worked

himself round the tree, where he was standing listening to the shots in

the distance.

"Put your arms round my neck," Arthur said, "and get on my back."

"No, no, sir; don't you hamper yourself with me."

"Shut up!" Arthur said, "and do as I tell you. I am not going without

you."

Roper did as he was told, got on to Arthur's back, and held on with his

knees and his arms.

"Get up as high as you can," Arthur said, and putting his arms under the

man's knees he started off as he had come, still keeping the tree

between him and the fire. When he felt that he was beyond the circle of

light, he turned off and made away in the other direction. For three

hours he walked on, stopping occasionally and putting Roper down, and

then after a quarter of an hour's rest going on. His progress was slow,

as he had to pick his way between rocks and bushes; but at the end of

three hours he felt certain that he was out of sight of anyone on the

hills above Morella, and he lay down in a thick clump of bushes.

"That will do for to-night, Roper," he said. "I don't think I can go

any farther, and I think we are fairly safe here. We shall have to lie

quiet all to-morrow, for there may still be some parties hanging about

or harassing the troops. I think it has been a pretty-well-managed

affair."

"First-rate, sir; but I am sorry you have burdened yourself with me."

"Don't talk nonsense, Roper; we are just as likely to make off thus, as

if I had been by myself. Now the first thing to do is to put a

handkerchief round my arm. That ball went between it and my body, and

it is not much more than a graze; still, I fancy it has been bleeding a

good deal, for I have felt weaker for the last hour or so."

He took off his coat and cut off the sleeve of the shirt, and Roper then

tore it up and bound it round the wound. Then he put on his coat again,

and they lay down together for warmth.

"How furious Cabrera will be when they all come back and say they cannot

find me! I don't suppose they will think anything about you till the

morning. They will hardly guess that I came back for you, but will

think that you crawled away a short distance, and will hunt about for

you in the neighbourhood. I should like to hear Cabrera's remarks when

they come back empty-handed. Well, I shall not want rocking to sleep, I

fancy that five minutes will do for me."

When they woke up it was broad daylight. Arthur got up, went to the

edge of the bushes, and looked out.

"I see nobody about," he said; "but at any rate we must wait here till

it gets dark. Cabrera will keep the men looking for me all day. There

is a patch of uncut wheat a short distance away. I will go and cut an

armful, it will be something for us to munch;" and he went out and broke

off the heads of as much grain as he could carry, and brought it back to

their shelter. They passed the day munching the wheat and talking, and

sometimes sleeping.

"There is a house that looks as if it were in ruins on a rise two miles

away. I will try to get there to-night. It is not at all likely to be

visited by the Carlists. As we go we will cut as much wheat as we can

carry in our clothes, and take up our station there."

"Well, I have been thinking, sir, that if you could cut a good strong

sapling with a fork, for me to use as a crutch, I could make shift to

get along."

"I can carry you very well, Roper."

"I would much rather that you made me a crutch, sir. Your arm is

certainly not fit for use, and I would much rather try the other way;

then, if I find I can't get on, you could carry me."

Searching about among the clump Arthur found a suitable sapling. He had

been deprived of his sword when captured, but his pockets had not been

searched, and he had still his knife with him. He cut and trimmed a

stick, and, with Roper's cloak wound round and round it, it answered

well as a crutch.

They started as soon as it was dark, gathered a sufficient quantity of

grain to last them for some days, and then made their way to the house.

They crossed a little stream a quarter of a mile away, and there drank

heartily. Arthur had gathered a faggot of dry sticks on the way, and

when they arrived at the house they made a fire in a corner and sat

there talking for an hour or two, then, wrapping themselves in their

cloaks, lay down to sleep.

Next morning they explored the place. The roof was gone, but they found

that there was a staircase leading up to a turret, and that the upper

chamber of this was still intact. Here they determined to establish

themselves.

"We had better wait here for a fortnight, Roper; by that time you may be

able to walk. It is certain that Carlists will be moving about between

here and Alcaniz, and it would be very dangerous to try and make our way

down there. We shall be losing nothing, for we may be sure that it will

be some time before Oraa will make another advance again. When I go out

next, I will cut a couple of good clubs. If only two or three Carlists

happen to drop in here, we may be able to defend ourselves; at any rate

it will be a comfort to have some means of making a fight for our lives.

We will carry away the ashes of our fire, so that any party that comes

in will not discover that the place has been inhabited. It is not

likely that anyone entering will take the trouble to come up here."

Four days passed. Each day Arthur collected sufficient faggots for

their fire in the evening. As long as this burned, he kept their coats

hanging against the loophole to prevent the glow from being seen from

without. Every morning at daybreak, and every evening after dark, he

went down to the stream and brought up with him, full of water, a broken

vessel he had found. On the third evening they saw a party of twenty

men approaching. They at once went up to their turret-room. Roper was

now getting accustomed to the use of the crutch, and was able to make

his way about with some little activity. The men came in, and Arthur,

descending the stairs, heard them agree to sleep there for the night.

Several went out to get wood, and presently a great bonfire was burning

within, and some meat was cut from a calf they had brought in, and

cooked. After eating their supper the men sat chatting around the fire.

Later on one of them said:

"They say this old house is haunted. Years ago a robber lived here who

preyed on travellers. They say that he once carried off a maiden in the

night. Screams were heard, and the girl jumped off the top of the

turret and was killed. After that her spirit haunted the place, groans

and cries were heard nightly in the turret; and as even robbers would

not stop here, the house fell into decay. Once or twice travellers have

spent the night here, and have always been obliged to leave it owing to

the dreadful noises. This was a hundred years ago."

Silence followed this recital, then one said:

"No doubt the ghost is laid by this time, and I for one vote against

leaving this good fire and going outside to shiver all night."

Two or three others agreed, and the talk went on as before; but, as

Arthur could detect, there was no longer the same tone of jollity, and

pauses in the conversation were frequent. At about eleven o'clock the

talk died away, and it was evident that the men were lying down to

sleep. He went up to Roper and told him of what he had heard.

"I tell you what, Roper; I have set my mind on having some of that calf.

We have been living on grain for the past fortnight, and the smell of

the meat cooking has worked me up to such a point that I feel I must get

a share of it whatever happens. I have been thinking it over, and I

feel sure we can manage it. What they have been saying has put the idea

into my head. We will give them a scare. If they hear nothing they may

station themselves in this house for for some days, and in the morning

one of them may take it into his head to come up here. First of all, I

will strike twelve heavy blows with my stick on the floor, then we will

give some deep groans and shriek in as unearthly tones as we can. You

may be sure that will send them flying out."

*CHAPTER XIII*

*A DESPERATE ATTEMPT*

Arthur struck as hard as he could twelve blows with his stick. He

listened; there was a dead silence below. Then he gave three deep

groans, while Roper followed with a succession of such wild screams and

cat-calls that Arthur found himself unable for a minute to continue.

Then he relieved himself with some loud quavering laughter, and the two

kept up an almost demoniac noise for two or three minutes. They had

heard a wild rush below, and Arthur, going to the loophole, heard the

men shouting and running terror-stricken in the distance. Then they had

a good laugh over the fright they had given the Carlists, and knew that

they could now lie down and sleep till morning.

"The peasants are fearfully superstitious, and would not come near this

place again to-night if they were offered fifty guineas apiece.

However, I would not answer for them in the morning, so as soon as it

begins to be light we will go out at that gap at the back of the house,

and hide up for a bit in the bushes. They may muster up courage enough

to come back, but I don't think they will."

Accordingly they went out in the morning and hid in some bushes a

hundred yards from the house. Three hours passed, and as there were no

signs of the Carlists, they went down to the house again. Here they

found that the Carlists had left half the calf behind them, and they

cooked some slices and made a hearty breakfast.

Four more days passed, and then Roper said that although he could not

yet put his foot to the ground, he was quite sure that with the help of

the crutch he could hobble at any rate four or five miles.

"We cannot try to get across this rough country. We must take to the

road; we know it runs something like a mile in front of the house. We

shall have to keep our ears open, in case any Carlists should be near;

but if we hear a party coming, as there is no moon we shall only have to

go thirty or forty yards from the road and lie down till they have

passed."

They slept all day, and started as soon as night fell. Roper found it

harder work than he had expected, but he hobbled on, stopping every two

or three hundred yards to rest. After going, as near as they could

calculate, four miles, they saw a light on the road ahead of them, and

felt sure that it was a Carlist outpost. They accordingly left the

road, and, going some four or five hundred yards to the left, lay down

among some rough rocks. In the morning they could make out ten

Carlists. They kept quiet all day, and during that time made a careful

examination of the ground in front of them, as it was evident that they

would have to keep off the road until well past the Carlist outpost,

which was, no doubt, close to a spot from which it could command a view

of a long stretch of the road ahead.

When darkness was coming on, they made a meal of veal, which they had

cooked before starting, and corn. As soon as it was quite dark they

started. The ground was rough, and Arthur had to support Roper for a

considerable distance. The fire was an indication of the exact point

where the out-post was keeping watch, but as two sentries might be

thrown out a mile farther ahead, they did not dare go down on to the

road. By morning they had not gone more than two miles, so painful had

been the work of making their way along through the rocks. They could

see no one on the road, and lay down in shelter with the firm belief

that they should get to Alcaniz the next night. That evening they

started again, and, taking to the road, kept on steadily all night, and

to their satisfaction saw, when morning dawned, the town of Alcaniz but

a mile away.

Arthur was heartily greeted on his arrival, and found to his great

satisfaction that his two horses had been brought down by an English

officer. "I had really very little hope of your returning. I quite

gave you up when it was found that you were not with us when we got

here, and my hopes faded altogether when you failed to come in after our

miserable failure to take the place. Your man seems to have fared very

badly."

"Yes. He had an ankle broken by a musket-shot the day we were cut off;

however, it is healing nicely, though I don't think he will ever have

the use of the joint again."

"Well, come into my quarters and bring him with you. I should think,

probably, that you are wanting something to eat?"

"That I am. I may say that since we have been taken prisoners we have

had nothing but corn to eat, till three days ago, when we were lucky

enough to get some veal which we frightened a party of Carlists into

leaving behind for us."

Giving Roper into the hands of an orderly, who was charged to give him

something to eat as soon as possible, Lieutenant Lines took Arthur up to

his quarters. In half an hour an ample meal was set before him.

"Now, tell me your adventures," Arthur's host said, as they lit their

cigarettes.

Arthur gave a full account of them.

"Well, you are not born to be shot, Hallett, that is quite evident.

That fight in the old house was a hard one, as you lost fifteen out of

twenty, but to come out of that unharmed was nothing to your escape from

Cabrera's shot at thirty yards' distance. And your rescue of your man

was splendid. The poor fellow must have had a bad time of it."

"Yes; and he never complained once, though I could see at times that he

was suffering abominably. I was horribly afraid, as we made our way

down, that he would fall among the rocks, much as I tried to steady him;

and if he had done so, I have no doubt that he would have lost his foot.

As it is, I hope it will not be long before he is riding behind me

again. I suppose there is nothing new here?"

"Nothing whatever, except grumbling. The artillery declare that they

did their work well; everyone else says that they did it badly. They

declare that the infantry ought to have carried the place, which we know

the best troops in the world could not have done; and the cavalry and

infantry declare that every man-jack of the engineers ought to be

hanged."

"Well, I don't know that they are not all right," Arthur laughed. "From

the place where I was standing you could see straight into town. There

was a great retrenchment behind the breach, and had they got up the

breach, and through the fire at the top, they would simply have been

mown down like sheep. But, after all, the man who ought to be hanged is

Oraa; he blundered hideously from the moment we started. We arrived

before the town without provisions, and he acted as if he had only a

village with a mud wall to storm instead of a really formidable

fortress. He certainly would be tried by court-martial and shot in any

other European country. As it is, I hope he may never be employed again.

At any rate, there is no chance of anything being done for some time.

This business has ruined Espartero's plans in the north, where he was,

as you know, preparing to besiege Estella; but there can be little doubt

that this affair will compel him to break off his preparations and come

down here. Our force is practically _hors do combat_ for the present,

while the enormous prestige that Cabrera will acquire will bring the

peasantry flocking to his banner in crowds, and the news will be

received with enthusiasm by the Carlists all over Spain. It will,

therefore, be necessary to concentrate every man who can be brought up

to strike a heavy blow at him. As it will probably be two or three

months before Espartero can be in a position to do that, I shall leave

for Madrid. I lost a good deal of blood from this wound in my arm, and

for the past three weeks have had a very rough time."

"I shall leave also," the other said. "This town is one great hospital.

I am especially attached to this army, and must remain near it, but I

shall move off some twenty or thirty miles."

"The first thing I must do is to get a surgeon to examine Roper's leg.

I don't think for a moment that anything can be done for it, but he can

bandage it more skilfully and better than I have been able to do, and

make it more comfortable for the poor fellow."

The next day Arthur mounted. Roper would not hear of being left behind.

"I can't put my foot in the stirrup," he said, "but I can ride with the

other leg only, and get a loop over from that stirrup to go under the

other knee, and make a sort of sling for it; if I get tired of riding

that way, I can get my leg over the saddle and ride like a woman. I

will do anything rather than be left behind."

So by easy stages they rode to Madrid, where Arthur was joyfully greeted

by Count Leon and his sisters. Roper's leg was again examined by a

surgeon, who said that it was going on very well, but that the ankle

would always be stiff.

"That won't matter," Roper said; "it will only be like having a wooden

leg with all the appearance of a natural one. It won't interfere with my

riding at all, and I don't suppose I shall feel it much when I get

accustomed to it."

When Arthur came to recount his adventures his friends were horrified at

the risks he had run, and Donna Mercedes turned pale when she heard that

he had been in the power of Cabrera.

"What an escape! What an escape!" Leon said. "To think that his bullet

should have set you free! It seems almost miraculous."

"It was noble of you to go back to fetch your soldier," Donna Inez said,

clapping her hands. "Oh, it was splendid!"

"He is always doing splendid things," Mercedes said. "You must promise

me, Senor Arthur, that you will never run the risk of falling into

Cabrera's hands again. Twice you have escaped him, but the third time

will assuredly be fatal."

"It would certainly be fatal to one of us. If I had had a weapon when I

went back, we should have finished our quarrel then and there. However,

I will willingly promise you not to run the risk of falling into his

hands again if I can help it."

"We shall be very unhappy if you go that way again," Donna Inez said;

"sha'n't we, Mercedes?"

Mercedes only nodded her head, she was evidently too moved to speak.

"Well, go on with your story," Leon said. "You left us with your man

riding on your back."

They laughed heartily when he told them how he had obtained meat by

acting on the superstition of the natives.

"It was running a great risk, and you had no right to do it," Mercedes

said.

"If you had been keeping life together on raw corn for three weeks, I

think that you would think yourself perfectly justified in running a

good deal of risk in obtaining a supply of meat. But really we did not

consider that there was any risk at all, knowing how superstitious the

peasants are; and I think, Donna Mercedes, that you yourself, after

having heard that story, with such surroundings would have felt more

than a little uncomfortable when you heard the gruesome noises which

were made by Roper and myself--especially, I may say, by Roper."

"I am so sorry to hear of his injury!" Mercedes said in a tone of great

concern.

"I am very sorry too. It is a sad thing, but he makes light of it

himself. There is little doubt that though he will be able to walk, the

joint will always be stiff; but he will certainly be able to ride."

"Leon, you must take me round to have a chat with him. We must see if

there is anything we can do to make him comfortable. Is he up, senor?"

"Oh yes, he's up, and lying on the sofa. He thinks himself that he

could hobble along with a stick if he tried, but of course he will not

be allowed to make the experiment."

"And how long are you going to stay here, Arthur?"

"I should think a fortnight or three weeks."

A week later, however, Roper was able to walk with a stick, and could

ride again without discomfort, keeping both legs in the stirrups, but

putting his weight entirely on his left leg.

The repulse at Morella had brought to a climax the indignation of the

populace against the government, and the Duke de Frias had been called

upon to form a ministry; but he was as much influenced by jealousy of

Espartero as his predecessor, and kept Narvaez at the head of a new army

of reserve he formed in the neighbourhood of the capital. All sorts of

rumours were current of plots and conspiracies.

One day, a fortnight after their return to Madrid, Arthur was riding

through the streets, followed by Roper, when the two queens drove past.

As usual when driving about the city, they had no guards or outriders,

but merely a coachman on the box and two footmen standing behind.

Arthur saluted as they passed. The carriage was a closed one, and he

could see that only the queen and the queen-mother were inside.

He and Roper rode out some miles into the country, and were turning to

come back when four or five gentlemen rode along in a party. Arthur

knew two or three of them by sight, and bows were exchanged as they

passed.

"A party of pleasure, I suppose," he said to Roper, "though the weather

is beginning to get cold for excursions to country mansions."

A minute later a carriage came along. The blinds were drawn; there were

two footmen behind.

"I wonder what they have got the blinds down for? It is not often one

sees that, even if there is no one in the carriage."

Two or three hundred yards farther back another party of gentlemen came

along.

"That is curious, Roper. One would think that those two parties of

gentlemen were acting as escorts to the carriage."

He rode along for another half-mile, and then checked his horse

suddenly. "I have it!" he exclaimed. "Did you notice that the near

horse in that carriage has a curious mark in the centre of its

forehead--a sort of crescent? It seemed familiar to me, and I have been

wondering where I saw it before. Now I have it. It was one of the

horses in the Queen's carriage that passed us to-day. It is not the

same carriage, but it is certainly the same horse. There is something

wrong. Why should the carriage be going along with the blinds down?

Why should half-a-dozen men be riding a quarter of a mile in front, and

as many more behind?

"I tell you what, Roper; the thing looks to me very serious. The three

men I knew in the first lot were generally believed to be Carlist

sympathizers. It is possible that they have carried the queens off.

Their disappearance just at the present moment, when things have been

going so badly, would cause a turmoil throughout the country. If they

were missing, Don Carlos would seem to be the only possible successor.

We must follow the thing up, and find out at all risks whether my

suspicions are correct. It is a grievous pity we are not in uniform,

and have no weapons with us. However, we can buy swords and pistols

somewhere as we go along. Probably they will change horses somewhere

farther on. They may have relays at various points on the road. I

don't mean, of course, that we can fight all the escort; but if we can

find out for certain that they have captured the queens, we can give

information at some town where there is a garrison, and swoop down upon

them. At any rate we must follow them, if necessary to the French

frontier, though it is not likely that they intend to go so long a

distance; they will probably carry their captives to some country

chateau in a retired spot, perhaps a hundred and fifty or two hundred

miles away. Of course I may be wrong altogether, but if we find that

they have relays it will be a matter of certainty that they are carrying

off someone of importance. That mark on the horse would certainly seem

to point to the fact that they have taken the queen herself. However,

we may make up our minds that we have a long ride before us, Roper."

"All right, sir! I am willing to ride through Spain, though I wish my

leg was all right again. I think I could go on all night on horseback,

but should not be of much use dismounted."

"I don't think it is likely to come to fighting. We know that there are

some twelve of them, and probably the man on the box and the two men

behind also belong to the party. There will be servants and retainers at

the house where they stop, and we could not think of attacking such a

force as that by ourselves. What we have to do is to find out who they

are carrying off. If it is the queen, we can get help; if it isn't, we

may still rescue some damsel of importance."

By this time they were galloping along the road.

"We must time our pace well by theirs." They were going at a sharp

trot. "Whatever we do, we must not show on the road behind them. You

had better drop back and ride a good quarter of a mile behind me. If

they see one solitary horseman far in the rear they would not think much

of it, but if they saw two of us they might possibly suppose that we

were following them. I must get a sight of them occasionally, no matter

how far off, so as to be sure that they have not turned off from the

main road."

Roper reined in his horse, and Arthur rode forward until he came to the

crest of a slight brow, and as his head rose above this he could make

out the horsemen a mile and a half in advance. The instant he did so he

checked his horse and dismounted for a few minutes. When he went

forward he saw that the group of horsemen were a mere black mass on the

road. Feeling certain that a single figure could not be made out at

that distance, he rode on at a gallop. Now and then he caught sight of

them, but when he did so he always checked his horse for a time. At

last, on reaching the crest of a hill he stopped suddenly and

dismounted, for he saw a group gathered in front of a wayside inn not

more than half a mile away. He left his horse behind him, and stood

against a wall so that his figure should not be seen against the

sky-line.

As he looked he saw the party start again, so, waiting until they were

well away, he followed. Five miles farther, when at some distance from

a small town, he observed that they turned off, and had no doubt that

they intended to make a circuit, so as to pass round it unobserved. He

waited until Roper came up. "They have turned off here," he said. "I

shall ride straight through the town, and post myself near the next road

that comes in on this side. You follow them and watch the road closely.

You can't help seeing the tracks of so large a party. Ride pretty fast

till you sight them. If, as I expect, they take a turn again and come

down upon the main road, you will know that I have followed them. If

they turn off in any other direction you must trace them to their

halting-place, and then ride to the junction of the two roads where I

shall be waiting you. I shall remain there until you come, however long

that may be, unless I follow them along the main road."

"I understand, sir. It is a comfort to know that as long as it is

daylight we cannot miss them. It is when it gets dark that we shall

have a difficulty."

"When it does get dark, Roper, we must muffle the feet of our horses and

then close up till we can hear them; in that way we shall keep them in

touch."

Arthur rode quietly through the town and halted a mile beyond it, where

a road came in on the side on which he had seen the carriage turn off.

He placed his horse behind a wall a few yards from the junction, and

himself went forward until, stooping down behind some bushes, he could

obtain sight of them as they passed. Ten minutes later he heard the

clatter of horses. The advance-guard passed, and then he heard the

wheels of the carriage. As it came along he could see that the blinds

were still down. As he had expected, the horses had been changed. Five

minutes after the last party of horsemen had passed, Roper came up.

"Stop there, Roper," Arthur said, standing up; "we must wait till they

have gone a bit farther before we go out into the road. Well, I am more

than ever convinced that there is someone of the very greatest

importance in that carriage. The mere fact that they have taken the

trouble to make this detour is sufficient in itself to show that I am

afraid we are in for a long ride."

"It can't be helped, sir; it is a real bit of excitement, though not

quite so exciting as it was when you carried me on your back."

"No; but the excitement will come when we have to undertake the job of

finding out for certain who it is they have carried off. The fact,

though, that five or six at any rate of the riders are men of importance

in itself points most strongly to the idea that they have carried off

the queens. I have no doubt many of them have changed horses. If it is

intended to take them a long distance they will all have sent off a

relay of horses, probably placed in twos and threes, to small roadside

inns. We shall have to change horses too somewhere. Our animals have

both had easy times, and can be reckoned upon for fifty miles; but as we

have no time to give them a rest, we cannot ride them farther than that.

We have gone a good twenty-five miles already. At the next wayside inn

we come to we will halt for five minutes, take the bits out of their

mouths, and give them some bread dipped in wine, and do the same at the

end of another ten miles.

"By the road they are going they are making for the Ebro, and will

strike it at Alcola. I think that Medinaceli lies about fifty or sixty

miles from there, but I know of no large town between this and Alcola.

The latter place is only about twenty miles from Saragossa, so we can

get troops from there, and from Tudela if they turn north; so I hope

they will hold on as far as that. I fancy it is a little over a hundred

miles from here."

It was dark when they rode into a small town, which they had seen the

party ahead enter without attempting to make a detour; and, waiting for

a few minutes, they rode in to the principal hotel.

"Landlord," Arthur said, "a number of our friends have just ridden

through the town, have they not?"

"Yes, sir; about ten minutes ago, but they made no stay here."

"We have been trying to overtake them, and our horses are done up. Can

you procure us a couple of fresh ones? We are willing to pay well for

their hire, but they must be good."

"Yes, sir; I happen to have a couple of good ones in the stable."

"Well, tell your men to slip the saddles and bridles on to them at once.

See that our horses are well attended to. If you have something hot

ready, please set it on the table at once; we have not a moment to

waste."

In a quarter of an hour they were on their way again, and rode hard for

the next ten miles. They had bought a blanket at the town, and now cut

it into strips and muffled their horses' feet. Then they rode on again,

and in another half-hour could plainly hear the sound of horses' feet

ahead. All night the chase continued. They were more comfortable now,

as they had no fear whatever of missing those of whom they were in

pursuit, and could keep on at a regular pace. The carriage changed

horses about every fifteen miles, and just as morning was breaking, and

they were beginning to fall behind again, they arrived at Alcola. As

they expected, the party went straight down to the ferry. Arthur again

obtained a change of horses, and he and Roper took another hasty meal of

boiled eggs and bread. They then rode down to the ferry, which was

coming back after having taken the last batch of horsemen across.

"You are rather late, gentlemen; that is, if you belong to the party

that have just crossed."

"Yes; we have stopped to change horses. However, we shall soon overtake

them. Did you hear them say how far they were going?"

"I heard one of them say 'It is only twenty miles farther', but that was

all."

"Ah! that is about the distance I thought it was," Arthur said

carelessly. "I suppose the roads are not very good?"

"I don't know which way they went, sir; the road by the river is good

enough, the others are not much to speak of."

When they landed they went up to the village. There were some people

about in the streets, and from them they learned that the party had

taken the road to the north-east. They did not hurry now, the marks of

the numerous horses feet were quite sufficient guide. Arthur judged

that there would be no possibility of approaching the place where they

stopped before nightfall. They therefore did not attempt to lessen the

start the party had obtained. After riding for about twenty-five miles

they found that the tracks turned off the main road at a village, and

they could see a large mansion standing some two miles away.

"That is where they are bound for, I have no doubt whatever," Arthur

said. "We will stop at this little inn here."

He went in and ordered a meal to be prepared. "I shall stop here for

to-day," he said to the host. "I suppose we can have a couple of

rooms?"

"Yes, senor," the man said with an air of much reverence, for guests of

his quality were unusual.

In half an hour the host himself brought in the meal.

"You have surely had a good many horsemen along here recently? I have

noticed a great many footmarks on the road," Arthur said carelessly;

"has a troop of cavalry passed along?"

"No, senor; it was a party of gentlemen riding with the Count de

Monterey."

"Quite a large party of guests. It is not often that they have the

house full at this time of the year?"

"No; it is getting late for that."

"Well, you can get our rooms ready. We have had a very long ride, and

will sleep for a bit." At the place where they dined they had bought

swords, and two brace of pistols with ammunition. Both were dead tired,

for they had ridden something like a hundred and forty miles.

"I expect some of those men ahead must be even more tired than we are;

indeed, I have noticed that the tracks are fewer this morning than they

were yesterday evening."

"I noticed that too, sir. I expect they tailed off by the way and took

to their beds. However, I don't suppose that will make any difference

to us; there are sure to be a number of retainers in such a big

house--too many for us to cope with."

"Well, I can hardly keep my eyes open. I will order dinner for six

o'clock. It is just ten now, so that will give us eight hours. There

is one thing in our favour: the others will be as tired as we are, and

the chances are that they will most of them take to their beds and

remain there till the morning."

Both slept until the landlord knocked at the door and said that dinner

was served, and then, after bathing their heads to wake themselves

thoroughly, they went downstairs and ate a hearty meal. It was arranged

that they should take the horses as near as they dared to the house, so

that in case of discovery they could at once ride away, and so get a

sufficient start to defy pursuit. Leaving his horse with Roper at a

distance of three or four hundred yards from the house, Arthur went up

to it and walked slowly round it.

The shutters in the front of the house were not closed, but the curtains

were drawn. By looking between them, however, he could see that the

party were at dinner. There were lights in two or three windows

upstairs. It was probable that in one of these rooms the prisoners were

placed. Going round the house again, still more carefully, he saw that

the shutters of one of the lower windows were closed, and it struck him

as possible that the captives were here, and being served with a meal at

the same time as their captors.

"At any rate," he said to himself, "I can try here. If the curtains are

drawn and the shutters closed, they are not likely to hear me open the

window."

He had no ladder by which to reach the upper windows, so he determined

to take advantage of the men being all at dinner and attempt a bold

stroke. It was certain that many of the guests would be strangers to

the servants in the house, and that any who met him in the passages

would take him for one of them. He went to the front door and tried it.

It was open, and he peered in. The hall was deserted. He watched for a

minute or two, and as he saw no servants pass or repass, he guessed that

the kitchen was on the same side of the house as the dining-room,

whereas the closed window was on the other side. He dropped his hat and

cloak, slipped into the hall, closed the door, walked across, and turned

in the direction of the room he wanted. He saw that two men were

standing at the door, evidently on guard. He walked boldly up to them.

As he had hoped, he was evidently taken to be one of the count's guests,

and they drew aside and allowed him to turn the handle and enter the

room. In the centre stood a table. A child was asleep on a sofa, and a

lady sat beside her. The latter rose to her feet immediately.

"I thought," she said sternly, "that it was promised that no intrusion

should take place on my privacy."

"Your majesty," Arthur said, stepping forward to her, "does not

recognize me. I am Captain Hallett, whom your majesty graciously made a

first class member of the Order of Fernando. I have followed your

majesty from Madrid, keeping your carriage in sight the whole way. I

had only a suspicion that it was you that had been carried off, and

before I could verify it by seeing you, I had nothing to go upon. Now

that I have ascertained it, I will at once leave you, for we may be

interrupted at any moment. I will go to seek a rescuing force. Tudela

is the nearest point at which there are troops. I have written an order

in anticipation to the senior officer there, commanding him to place

himself under my orders. Here is pen and ink. I pray your majesty to

sign it at once."

He placed the paper on the table, and the queen at once signed it.

"I will thank you afterwards, senor," she said, "for myself and my

daughter. I will not detain you for a moment now. Your life would be

forfeited instantly were you found here."

Arthur bent on one knee, kissed her hand, and then without a word left

her and went out of the room, saying as he opened the door: "Your wishes

shall be respected, madam." Then he walked quietly down the passage,

across the hall, and out at the front door. In his delight he ran full

speed to the spot where Roper was holding horses.

"It is as we thought: the queen and the regent are prisoners there, and

I have seen them. Now we must ride to Tudela--it cannot be much more

than thirty miles--and we must get the troops here by daylight if we

can."

As they galloped away he told Roper how he had managed to see the queen.

"It was a bold stroke, sir, but succeeded splendidly. I only hope they

won't ask the men on guard if anyone has been there."

"I thought of that, Roper, but the chance of it is very small. They

could not imagine that there was anyone who wanted to see the queens,

and it is improbable that the conspirators have mentioned to anyone in

the house who their prisoners are. It is likely that the guards were

only told, when they were placed there, that the ladies were fatigued

with their journey and must not be disturbed. The secret is too

important to trust anyone with it. At the first village we come to we

must engage a man with a horse to act as our guide; we shall never find

our way across country without one."

In a quarter of an hour they came to a village and stopped at the inn.

"Landlord," Arthur said, "we want a man on horseback to guide us to

Tudela; it is important that we should get there this evening. Of

course we shall be ready to pay well for such service."

"What do you call well, senor?" the landlord said.

"I will give three pounds."

"Then I will go myself with you. My horse is not very fast, but he is

strong, and can do the journey easily."

"Very well, then; saddle him at once. Don't waste a minute about it."

In five minutes the landlord rode out of the yard. He carried a couple

of lanterns.

"You take one of them, Roper. I will ride between you and this good

fellow."

The road was bad, and it was well that the landlord had brought

lanterns, for it was a cross-road, and often nothing but a mere track.

It was one o'clock in the morning before they rode into Tudela. The

little town was asleep, but they roused the people at the principal inn.

"Does the colonel commanding the troops stop here?"

"No, sir; he stays at the large house fourth down the road on the

right-hand side."

"Well, landlord, I want you to get supper for us, and I shall require

two fresh horses in the course of an hour, and also one for this man who

has come with me. I shall have to arrange with you to send these horses

to the place where I borrowed them. I will pay you well for your

trouble."

"I will manage it, senor," the man said, much impressed with the decided

manner of his guest. "I have no horses myself, but will get them for

you."

Arthur went to the house indicated, and rang loudly at the bell. He had

to ring two or three times before there was any answer; then a head was

thrust from an upper window.

"Who is making that noise?"

"I am a royal messenger," Arthur said, "and must see the colonel

instantly."

Presently the door was opened by a man with a light. He showed Arthur

into a room upstairs.

"The colonel will be in in a minute or two," he said, lighting two

candles on the table.

In three minutes the colonel came down, buttoning up his tunic.

"What is it, senor?"

"I am the cavalero Captain Hallett, and I am the bearer of a message to

you from the queen."

"From her majesty?" the colonel exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes. Now, colonel, before I hand you the letter I wish to impress upon

you the necessity for absolute secrecy in this affair. It must be

mentioned to no one, unless you have Donna Christina's permission to do

so. I need scarcely say that the matter is likely to be of considerable

benefit to you. Here is her majesty's order."

"This is a strange message," the colonel said, after reading it through

two or three times. "It has no official seal, and is altogether unlike

a document one would expect to receive from her majesty."

"That is so, colonel. Her majesty was not in a position to affix her

seal, but the signature is hers, which is all that is important. Now,

sir, I will tell you what has happened. Her Majesty Queen Christina and

her daughter have been carried off from Madrid by a party of armed

conspirators. She is at the present moment at the chateau of the Count

de Monteroy, and is held a prisoner in his house. I have had an

interview with her there, and have received this order from her. What

force of cavalry have you here?"

"I have only fifty men, senor."

"That will be sufficient. You will at once call them under arms and

start back with me. We must surround the chateau before daylight if

possible, and if we ride fast we may succeed in doing so. You will

there arrest the count and all his guests, who are ten in number, but

who may by to-morrow morning be still stronger. You will then form an

escort for the queens, and conduct them back to Madrid. I don't know

what is happening there, but at any rate we will contrive to ride in

after nightfall, so as to get them back to their palace unseen. After

that the matter will be in her hands and that of her government."

*CHAPTER XIV*

*A RESCUE*

The colonel, who had given an exclamation of astonishment on hearing of

the outrage upon the queens, was evidently a man of action. He ran to

the door and shouted "Thomasso! Stephano!" in tones of thunder. Two men

came running downstairs in their night attire. "Run to Captain Zeno,

and order him to have his troop at my door in a quarter of an hour from

the present time. Tell him that it is a matter of life and death.

Don't stop to dress; throw on your cloaks and run to him at once." Then

he turned to Arthur. "They may not be here in a quarter of an hour, but

they won't be many minutes longer. The captain sleeps at the barracks,

and he will turn his men out at once."

Another man was wakened and ordered to saddle the colonel's horse at

once. "How did this monstrous thing happen, cavalero, if I may ask?"

"I do not know how the queen was carried off; but I was riding on the

road seven miles outside Madrid when I saw a carriage coming along with

closed blinds. Accompanied as it was by twelve gentlemen I should have

thought that it was a pleasure-party going to some country chateau, but

that the carriage had closed blinds struck me as strange. Still, I

should have thought no more of the matter had I not noticed a peculiar

white mark on the head of one of the horses--a mark which I had that

very morning noticed on the head of one of those in the queen's

carriage. The matter struck me as being so strange that I determined to

follow. I kept near them all the way. They had relays of horses at

various points on the road, and changed them quickly. I managed also to

change mine and that of a servant with me, and finally traced them to

Count de Monterey's. I was still in doubt as to whether it was her

majesty who was in the coach, but I succeeded in obtaining a private

interview. I saw her but a minute. I had prepared this document for

her signature, which I was lucky enough to obtain. Now, colonel, you

know as much about the matter as I do."

Arthur could see that the officer was highly delighted at the thought of

the opportunity that had fallen in his way. He ran back to his room and

made a more elaborate toilet. Arthur went off at once to the hotel to

see if the arrangements there were going on satisfactorily. The three

horses were at the door, so he sat down with Roper and ate a hasty

supper.

"Now, landlord," he said, "I want you to send these two horses to this

address; here are a couple of pounds for your trouble. The horse ridden

by the landlord who acted as my guide here must be kept till to-morrow.

He says he will come over and fetch it himself."

Hearing a clatter of hoofs at this moment he went out and found the

troop just arriving at the colonel's door. He mounted his horse and

rode there at once. The colonel had come out, and was in the act of

mounting.

"They have only been five minutes over the quarter," the latter said.

"You have done very smartly, Captain Zeno. You know the way, cavalero?"

"No; but this man with the lantern does. He guided me here."

The guide and Roper, with their lanterns, rode off at the head of the

column; the colonel and Arthur followed, the former calling up the

captain to his side. "I dare say you are wondering what you are called

up so suddenly for, Captain Zeno; but this gentleman is the bearer of an

order for the arrest of the Count de Monteroy and some persons in his

house. We must ride fast, for it is important that we shall get there

in time to take all in the house by surprise. It will be light at six,

so I hope we shall get there by that time; but if not, it is likely that

we shall arrive before anyone is stirring. It is, I understand,

important that none of the people there shall escape."

"Carlists, I suppose, senor?" the captain asked.

"I don't know," the colonel replied; "there are no particulars whatever

in my orders, which is simply for their arrest."

The innkeeper was now better mounted than before, and the journey was

done in a little over five hours. The day had broken, but as they

approached the house they could see no signs of life. The colonel

posted forty of the men round the house, with orders to cut down anyone

who tried to escape; then with the other ten men, their captain, and

Arthur, he went up to the hall door and knocked loudly. A minute or two

later he knocked again, and it was opened by a servant, who had

evidently but just risen. He started at the appearance of the soldiers.

"You will lead me at once to your master's bedroom," Arthur said.

Seeing that the colonel and he had both drawn their swords, the servant

without a moment's hesitation conducted them to Count de Monterey's

room. Arthur, accompanied by the colonel, went in. The count opened

his eyes, and then sprang suddenly out of bed. "I arrest you, Count

Juan de Monteroy, on a charge of high treason! Resistance, senor, is

useless; I have fifty soldiers round the house and ten of them behind me

here."

The count swore a deep oath, and then shrugged his shoulders. "So there

is a traitor among us?" he said scornfully.

"No, senor; your party have all been true to you," Arthur said.

The colonel called in two men. "You will remain here with this

gentleman. You will allow him to dress, but see that he touches no

paper or documents of any kind. When he has finished, you can bring him

below, and there keep strict watch over him until further orders."

The colonel went from door to door with his men, and arrested the whole

party without resistance. There were twelve of them; those who had been

left behind on the way having arrived late the previous evening. After

seeing to the arrest of the count, Arthur, followed by two soldiers,

ordered one of the trembling domestics, who had now come down, to take

him to the room of the lady and child who had arrived the day before.

Two guards stood beside it.

"Do you know why you are placed here?" he asked sternly.

"No, senor; except that we came on guard at eleven last night and were

ordered to allow no one to enter the room, and to refuse to allow the

lady inside to come out unless escorted by the count himself."

"Well, you are relieved from that duty now. You will go downstairs and

remain there; we may want to question you again presently."

Then he knocked at the door. It was immediately opened, and Queen

Christina came out. "I was expecting you this morning, senor; and,

looking out of the window, saw you ride up with the troop."

Arthur waved the two soldiers to move away. "Madam," he said, "I do not

know what your wishes may be; but I thought it as well to keep the

knowledge of your identity from all save the colonel."

"Come in here. The Queen is dressed. Before we say anything else,

senor, I must thank you with all my heart for the inestimable service

that you have rendered me. I thank you in the name of the queen, of

myself, and of Spain. I am obliged to you for having kept our identity

a secret. I have been thinking the matter over since I saw you last

night and learned that there was a chance of rescue. I should certainly

prefer that we should return to Madrid as we have come, incognito. What

has passed there I know not, but I think it possible that my government

have kept the fact of our disappearance from the knowledge of the

people, and I should wish to consult with them when I get back as to the

advisability of continuing to do so. I shall, of course, take better

precautions in future; but the news that I had once been carried off

might lead desperate men to repeat the attempt. However, we shall have

time to talk this all over on the journey. I should certainly wish to

start as soon as possible."

"You can leave in half an hour, madam, and can travel as fast as you

came here. There are relays of horses on the way. Your escort cannot

keep up with you, as there would be no possibility of procuring remounts

for so many men. There would be no occasion for an escort, because you

can ride with the blinds up, and by keeping your veil down there will be

no risk of your being recognized. What do you wish done with regard to

the prisoners, madam?"

The queen hesitated.

"I have not thought. What do you say, Captain Hallett? You have done so

much in this matter that I will trust to your opinion."

"I should think, madam, that it might perhaps be as well to send them

all under charge of the colonel who has come with this troop to Tudela,

or to leave them here in his charge, in either case holding him

responsible for their safety. Then you could consult with your

ministers as to what steps should be taken. It might seem preferable to

them that their trial--if trial there should be--should take place at a

provincial town rather than the capital. I should think they could be

better guarded at the barracks at Tudela than here. Shall I order

breakfast to be brought up here, madam, or will you take it below?"

"I would rather have it here."

"It is a quarter to seven now; shall you be ready to start at eight?

May I present the colonel to you, madam, before you start? He was most

zealous, and started with his troop of cavalry in an extremely short

time after hearing my message. He is the only one of those here who

knows of your majesty's identity."

"Certainly, present him to me. I shall, of course, see that he receives

promotion."

"Does your majesty wish me to accompany you?"

"Of course I do, senor. I thought that so much a matter of course that

I did not mention it. I have very, very much to say to you, for I know

nothing at present as to how you came to be here."

At the appointed hour the queens came downstairs and went into the

drawing-room, where the Spanish colonel was presented to them.

Christina spoke to him very graciously and thanked him for his services,

which she said should be shortly recognized.

"I should wish you," she said, "to keep the prisoners in entire

seclusion; let them have no communication with anyone. Let the men who

supply their wants be distinctly warned on no account to exchange a word

with them. I think the best plan might be for you to have a house

cleared out for them, so that they can be placed in rooms apart, with a

sentry at each door, and sentries round the house to see that they

communicate with no one. It might be better for you to requisition the

prison, and see that the present inmates are placed elsewhere. I rely

upon your absolute secrecy, colonel, as to myself and my daughter having

been here. I cannot say what course government will take in the matter;

therefore I rely upon you to keep them absolutely apart from all

communication until you receive orders from Madrid." She held out her

hand to the colonel, who kissed it and retired much gratified. The

carriage was at the door. The count's coachman, who had driven them

down, was placed on the box, and Roper took his place beside him. Two

soldiers dressed in plain clothes took their places behind, and one

other, similarly dressed, mounted one of the count's horses and led

those that had been ridden by Arthur and Roper. Arthur himself had been

commanded by the queen to take his place in the carriage with her.

"You know this gentleman, do you not, Isabella?" the regent said as they

drove off.

The child had been gazing fixedly at Arthur.

"Yes, mamma, I think I do. He is the handsome gentleman, isn't he, who

was presented to me some time ago for doing something very brave?"

"Yes, my dear; you said you liked him, you know."

"Yes I did, mother."

"You ought to like him a great deal more now, Isabella, for he has done

something very great for us. You are too young yet to understand it,

but I can tell you that he has done a very, very great service, one that

you should never forget as long as you live. Now, senor, I have been in

vain wondering how it was that you should have arrived in our room in

the manner of a good fairy last night."

"It was almost by an accident, madam, and that I was there was due to

the fact that the Count de Monterey made the mistake of putting the

horses out of your carriage into his own instead of taking others." He

then related fully the manner in which his suspicion had been aroused,

and how he had, with his man, followed the carriage. "Of course, your

majesty, if I had been in any way sure that you were in the carriage, I

should have closed up at the first town you came to, and called upon the

authorities for aid to rescue you; but beyond the mark on the horse--and

there may be more than one horse so marked in Spain--I had nothing upon

which I could act. The carriage evidently belonged to the party who

rode with it, but the mere fact that the blinds were drawn down was in

itself no proof that any prisoner was in it. It might have been merely

full of wine and provisions for the use of the party going down to stay

at a chateau.

"It was, therefore, absolutely necessary for me to assure myself that

you were prisoners. That might have been a most difficult thing to find

out, and I had in vain, on the journey, thought over some plan. As it

turned out, it was, as I have told you, simply a matter of good fortune.

The closed shutters pointed out the room where you were likely to be,

and from the fact that dinner was going on I was able to get to the door

of your room unchallenged. Your guards took me for one of the count's

guests, and thus everything was easy and simple. Of course the moment I

left your majesty I rode straight to Tudela, and started with the troop

on the return journey twenty minutes after I arrived."

"Well, senor, I hardly know which to admire most: your recognition of

the horse, your quickness of perception that something very unusual was

being done, and the manner in which, in spite of the immense fatigue of

the journey, you kept in sight of us until you traced us here; or the

fearlessness with which you risked your life, as you certainly did, to

ascertain whether your suspicions were correct. Now I will tell you how

we were seized. Of course our coachman and footmen must have been

heavily bribed. We were driving through the town when suddenly we

turned in at the gateway of a house in a quiet street. I could not now

say where the house was, for I was talking to Isabella, and paid no

particular attention to the route by which we were proceeding to the

palace.

"The moment we entered, a number of gentlemen came round, the door was

opened, and one said:

"'Madam, I must trouble you to alight.'

"I began to demand what he meant by such insolence, but he cut me short

by saying:

"'Madam, I repeat that you and the queen must alight. We have no time to

spare. Unless you at once descend and enter this carriage standing

here, we shall most reluctantly be obliged to use force.'

"It seemed to me that it would be useless to resist, for it was evident

that these men were desperately in earnest and would not hesitate to

carry out their threats; so we did as we were ordered. A lady--I

believe she was a relation of the count's, from what she

said--afterwards got into the carriage, followed by a gentleman. The

blinds were then pulled down, and the man took out a long dagger and

said:

"'If you move, madam, or attempt to pull up the blinds or to give the

alarm, I shall not hesitate to stab you and your daughter to the heart,

as our safety, and that of a score of other people, would demand it. I

should deplore the necessity, but I should not hesitate to act.'

"After we had driven for half an hour he got out. I could hear a horse

brought up to the door, and he mounted. I had no doubt that the

carriage was accompanied by mounted men. The woman was of powerful

build, and after we had once started I gave up all idea of trying to

give the alarm, which would, I felt sure, be fatal. When the blinds

were first pulled down I heard one of the men speak furiously because

the horses were not in our carriage. Someone else said something, and

he said:

"'What does it matter if it is half an hour earlier than we expected?

They ought to have been ready. Take the horses out of that carriage.'

"There was a running about, and the pair of horses were put in. Then

one said:

"Be sure that, directly we have gone, that carriage is broken up and

burnt. There must not be a splinter of it left--nothing to show that

anyone has ever been here. You see to it, Ferdinand; you have got saws

and everything else. Remember the safety of all of us may depend upon

its being done thoroughly.'

"Three minutes later we started. It almost seemed to me that I was in a

nightmare from which I did not awake till I got to the end of the

journey. I chatted with Isabella, but I did not exchange a single word

with the woman in the carriage with us. From time to time when we

stopped to change horses a tray of food was handed in, and we ate and

drank, though I had little appetite; but I felt that I must keep up my

strength, for I had no idea how long this strange journey would last, or

what would happen at the end of it. That we had been captured by

adherents of Don Carlos I had, of course, no doubt. I did not fear that

we should be injured; but I did think that we might be kept for many

years, perhaps for life, in close confinement, in which case, doubtless,

all parties would at last accept Don Carlos as king. There would, no

doubt, be a general search for us; there would be great troubles; but

when it seemed to all that we should never be found, even our best

friends would be willing to accept Don Carlos. What do you think will

have taken place at Madrid?

"I should certainly say, madam, that when you are missed every effort

will be made by government to keep your disappearance a secret, while

attempts will be made in all directions to find out the mystery. It

will appear almost incredible, that you and your carriage, horses,

coachman, and footmen should suddenly and mysteriously have disappeared.

No doubt your captors did not ride out in a body. Some of those you saw

there doubtless remained to destroy the carriage; possibly others may

have waited a mile or two outside the town. Two, perhaps, would keep

some distance ahead of the carriage, and two would follow. No

particular attention would be attracted by a carriage, with the blinds

down and apparently empty, being driven through the street at a

leisurely pace."

"After the man got out of the carriage," said the queen, "we went very

much faster. For a time I wondered which way we were going, and where

we were to be taken; but as hour after hour went on I ceased to trouble

over it, and was principally occupied in endeavouring to appease

Isabella's curiosity concerning the strange method of travelling, and by

telling her stories to keep her amused. As soon as it became dark she

fell asleep with her head in my lap. I dozed occasionally, waking up

when the horses were changed. When morning came I felt that we were

being ferried across a river; then in a couple of hours we arrived here.

The carriage drew up and the door was opened. Several gentlemen were

standing there, and all took off their hats as we dismounted, and

expressed their regret at having given us so long and fatiguing a

journey.

"The Count de Monteroy assured me that every attention should be paid to

our comfort, that we should be treated with every respect, and that we

should be in no way intruded upon. Three times during the day servants

brought in food, and we were requested to come down to dinner. I was in

half a mind to refuse, but I thought it was better that Isabella should

have a change, and I might learn something of the arrangement of the

house. It is fortunate, indeed, that I did so, for if I had been kept a

prisoner upstairs, I do not think that even your ingenuity and courage

could have enabled you to obtain an interview with me."

The coachman had been ordered to take exactly the same road as that by

which they had come, and to stop to change horses at the same places.

"By the way, senor, is the servant who rode with you the same as

accompanied you on the occasion when you rescued Count Leon de Balen's

sister?"

"He is, your majesty. He is at present riding on the box with the

coachman, as he has been lamed in a fight with the Carlists; and

although his ankle, which was broken, is now nearly healed, the fatigue

of the long ride has been so great that I took the liberty of placing

him upon the box to keep his eye on the coachman, while one of the

troopers leads our horses."

"The first time we stop I beg that you will present the brave fellow to

me. He must have suffered greatly from the long ride."

"I have no doubt that he has suffered, madam, but he has said nothing

about it. He rode with that leg loose in the stirrup, only using the

other. However, he acknowledged this morning that he could not sit the

horse going back, and said he would remain with the troops for two days,

resting. It was then I decided to put him on the box instead of one of

the soldiers, as I had intended."

"Where did he get wounded, and how?"

"If it is your majesty's pleasure I will tell you. It is a long story,

and if I mistake not we shall be changing horses in a short time, so I

had better leave it until we start again.

"Very well," the regent said; "the longer the story the better, for we

have a long journey before us."

When the carriage stopped, Roper was called to the door.

"This is my man, your majesty, who has ridden from Madrid with me."

"I thank you most heartily," the queen regent said. "Isabella, give your

hand to this brave soldier. It is he who has helped this gentleman to

get us away from that house. He rode all the way behind us."

"You are a very good man," the child said, as she held out her hand to

Roper, who kissed it somewhat awkwardly. "It was a very nasty, long

journey for mamma and me, and it must have been much worse for you, as

you had to ride all the way."

"Yes; and he helped his master to get that pretty young lady, Donna

Mercedes de Balen, out of the hands of the wicked Carlists, who were

going to kill her.

"I had very little to do with it, madam; I simply did what my master

told me."

"I know Donna Mercedes well," the child said. "She has been several

times with her two sisters to play with me. I am glad you did not let

them kill her."

Roper bowed and retired.

"Is he a private soldier?" the regent asked.

"He is a private soldier for my sake, madam. He was a sergeant in the

regiment of the British Legion to which I belonged, and when I was sent

to Madrid to enquire about the pay due to the Legion, he gave up his

rank in order to accompany me as my servant, which was the more

meritorious as we had been private soldiers together."

"But you could never have been a private soldier?" the regent said in

surprise.

"I was, madam. I had got into a scrape at school, and my guardian

offered to allow me one hundred and twenty pounds a year till I came of

an age to become possessor of the estate of my late father; and as they

were recruiting at the time for the Legion, I thought I should like to

see something of the world, and therefore I enlisted."

"A Spanish nobleman would never think of doing that," the regent said.

"I was not a nobleman, madam. My father was what you would call a

country gentleman, living on his estate, which was, I believe, a fair

one. He died when I was only ten years old, and left me to the care of

an uncle. I only propose remaining in Spain until I come of age to

inherit the estate."

"At what age do you inherit?"

"We generally inherit at twenty-one, madam. My father considered, and

very rightly, that I was not of a disposition to settle down, and

therefore stated in his will that I was not to come into the estate

until I was twenty-five."

"Then I suppose it will not be long before you go?"

"It will be some little time yet: I am a good deal younger than I look."

The regent smiled. "That is because you are so big and strong, I

suppose, Captain Hallett. And are you thinking of taking a Spanish lady

home as your wife? There, I ought not to have asked you," she said;

"only I remember that when a certain young lady told me a story of what

had happened to her, she coloured up very prettily when she mentioned

your name. But there, I won't say anything more about it. Now, as we

are off again, perhaps you will tell us that story of how your follower

was wounded?"

Arthur told the story. Both the regent and her daughter were greatly

interested, and insisted upon hearing much fuller particulars than he

wished to give of the manner of his escape from Cabrera, and of his

return to carry off Roper.

"No wonder the man is attached to you," Christina said warmly; "it would

be strange indeed if he were not. It was a grand action, Captain

Hallett, however much you may make light of it. Now, sir, I own that I

feel sleepy; I scarcely closed an eye last night. Would you mind riding

for a time?"

"Certainly not, madam."

They were just stopping to put in fresh horses, and Arthur was by no

means sorry at the change. He glanced into the carriage at the next

halting-place, and saw that the regent and her child wore both asleep.

Another fifteen miles and they changed again.

"We have some food, have we not, Captain Hallett?" asked the regent.

"Yes, your majesty; we have a large hamper behind the carriage."

"Then have it brought in here, and please come in yourself. How far have

we gone?"

"About forty-five miles, madam."

"What time shall we get to Madrid?"

"About one o'clock in the morning, madam."

"Well, we will dine now. Then we will talk for an hour or two, and I

will try to get to sleep again, for I know that I shall have no sleep

to-night after I get in, but shall be up all night with my ministers. I

hope all the men are getting food?"

"Yes, madam; I brought a basket of food for them too, otherwise there

must have been much delay when we changed horses."

"You seem to think of everything, Captain Hallett," she said, as he

moved away to get the hamper.

"I had better open it and pass the things in, madam."

"No, bring it inside; we can put it on the seat by you. It will be an

amusement to open it. It is many, many years since I enjoyed an

impromptu meal like this."

The carriage rolled on and the hamper was opened. It contained every

necessary for a meal. There were several bottles of the count's best

wine, cold fowls, pasties, and a variety of sweets, together with

glasses, plates, and other necessaries. The regent and the little queen

entered into the spirit of the thing with great zest. To the former it

was a relief indeed to be eating without ceremony, and able for the

moment to put aside all the cares of state, which weighed so heavily

upon her; to the little queen it was something perfectly delightful, and

both laughed and chatted with a freedom and abandon that set Arthur

quite at his ease. The meal lasted for a long time, the regent declaring

that she had not eaten so much nor enjoyed a meal so thoroughly for

years.

The queen was enchanted. "Why can't we always eat like this, mamma,"

she said, "instead of having to sit up, with three or four servants to

wait upon us, and everyone staring disagreeably? I do so wish we

could."

"Well, we can't have it quite like this, Isabella; but I will make up my

mind that once a week we will dine together in my closet, and then we

will have everything put upon the table and help ourselves, and try and

think that we are not queens, or anything else disagreeable."

"That will be nice, mamma! And you won't say once to me, 'You mustn't

take this, Isabella', or 'You must sit upright', but just let me do as I

like?"