concerned me to a very vital extent, often
catching words and looks from the two of no
uncertain import. But the girl always re
mained silently by, taking no part, and seem
ingly indifferent. Once I caught sight of a
small lump of silver ore, rich .with the metal,
doubtless left laying by accident on the
table ; but the man snatched it away quickly
when he observed that I Was looking at it.
"At length I was able to walk again in
some measure, and, sick with my vigilant
watching, I resolved to quit the place with a
most hearty good will the very next day.
That afternoon the Mexican having gone out,
fancying everything•secure, I sat just outside
the door-way, sunning myself and cogitating
on the direction I should take on the morrow.
Suddenly I became aware of strains of music.
Softly and voluptuously they rose and fell,
and I heard the air that we just listened to,
played in the most exquisite manner. My
weariness yielded to the soothing sounds, and
I fell gently asleep. I awoke with a start
and the presentiment of danger. • There
directly in front of me, with his small bead
like eyes fixed full on mine, was the Mexican
crawling cat-like upon me, with a knife within
his hand. I tried to move, to leap, to defend
myself in some manner, but it was impossible,
the magnetism of that glance had bound me
hand and foot. I realized that I was help•.
less, and doomed to die without resistance.
I tried to shut my eyes, but I could not.
All at once I became aware of another danger.
The underbrush in front of me quivered vio
lently, and without other warning a huge
panther leaped forward towards me, his eyes
gleaming on me fiercely and his tail lash
ing to and fro. The man was in a sort of
natural depression or declivity and neither
observed the other: All this had happened
within a second or two from the time I awoke,
and in an instant a peculiar and inexplic
able apprehension took possession of me as
to which would cause my death first. Death
THE FREE LANCE.
was surely and terribly coming upon me in
one or two forms, which would be the prior ?
The Mexican arose, dagger poised, in the act
of making his intended lunge, when, crash, the
panther in making his spring, had unavoid
ably landed squarely on the man's head and
shouldiers, and both fell together ; at almost
the same time, the deafening crack of a rifle
sounded in my ears, and I beheld the pan
ther roll over dead. Turning I saw the
beautiful Spaniard at my side with a smok
ing rifle in her hands. The shock of the
whole occurrence was too much for me in
my weak state, and I fainted dead away.
"The next day the Mexican died. He
had shot himself while out hunting, the wo
man said. I almost immediately fell into a
frightful brain fever. It is entirely due to
the beautiful Spaniard that I am with you
today, old man," and my friend here, for the
first time since the beginning of his recital,
turned towards me, a most dangerous look
gratitude shining in his eyes, " but her care
ful nursing," he continued, "and kind offices
and gentle solicitude pulled me through.
When I recovered I wanted to take them
with me away from the mountains to some
civilized place fit for abode. But they would
not accompany me. I offered them money,
but no, with scrupulous firmness they would
not accept even that, and so I was obliged
to come away and leave them in that wild,
deserted spot with their mystery still un
solved.
" But the greatest and most mysterious
question of all," he concluded with an appeal
ing glance to me, " is, to whom do I owe
the preservation of my life ? That the man
had murder in his heart, there can be no
doubt, that he would also have killed me
had he'not risen in the path of the panther's
spring is likewise beyond all question. On
the other hand that the panther's massive
chops were thirsting for my flesh and would
have unavoidably been appeased, if any inter-