"He fell like a steer: my swordblade broke clean off, a span beyond the hilt"
"Dios!" cried Malgares.
"Arreste!" shrilled Walker, springing to stoop over the fallen man. "Sacre! I thought him dead. He is only stunned."
In confirmation of this, Medina stirred, opened his eyes, and, assisted by Walker, staggered to his feet.
"Señor Walker," demanded Malgares, "as your principal is the challenger, I now ask if he is satisfied."
Medina muttered something in the ear of Walker, who replied to the inquiry: "Señor, we contend that, so far, the honors are even. My principal has been stunned, yours wounded. By the time Señor Robinson's injury is bound up, Lieutenant Medina will have recovered a clear head."
"The sword of my principal is broken," objected Malgares, as he spoke producing the bandage I had provided. No artery having been severed, there was no need of a tourniquet, and he bound up the wound during the discussion.
Walker consulted Medina, and replied: "We hold that each principal was given a sword of equal quality, and that the duel must continue until the matter is settled."
"Good!" I exclaimed to Malgares, before he could remonstrate. "We continue to fight each with his weapon. I shall use my broken blade as a dart and the hilt as a tomahawk. I am far better armed than before."
At this Medina drew away for a consultation with his second. Walker came back alone.
"We protest against the use of our opponent's sword as a missile," he stated.
"We refuse to consider the protest," rejoined Malgares.
"We then suggest that the fight be continued with rapiers. My principal has a pair at hand."
"The naming of the weapons lies with my principal," replied Malgares. "If you insist upon a second choice, we name duelling pistols, with which we have come provided."
Walker returned to Medina, and after a brief consultation, brought us his assent to the use of pistols. Malgares immediately conducted me around to the coach. As we turned the corner, we were astonished to see Father Rocus racing toward us on a large white mule. He waved his hand to us, and urged his mule to yet greater speed as Malgares drew out the pistols and turned to go back.
"Wait!" I said. "The padre wishes to speak to me. Insist upon Medina firing both pistols as a test. That will give me time. Walker knows my manner of loading."
Malgares nodded and disappeared as Father Rocus galloped up and drew rein beside the coach, purple-faced and gasping for breath. I gave him my right shoulder, else he would have fallen in his descent.
"Virgen!" he panted. "It is over already! You have killed him!"
"No. We have tried swords without success. Now it will be the pistols. I will shatter his right shoulder in the joint. He shall boast no more of his swordsmanship."
"Nada, my son! That is not enough. Carrajo! He must die! Listen! This scoundrel has wormed himself into all the secrets of the revolution. He has demanded Alisanda as his price—"
"My God!" I cried. "But Salcedo—?"
"If she could put her heart into luring him, Salcedo might be won over. But now this scoundrel calls checkmate. He pledges faith to the revolution in return for her hand. Carrajo! I now know the utmost of his baseness. He pledges faith, yet, once he has her, thinks to betray all and gain the estate of her uncle as reward for his treachery."
"God!" I cried.
A shot rang out on the far side of the pier.
"What is that?" exclaimed the padre.
I explained, and my statement was punctuated with the report of the second pistol.
"So—he has tried them," said the padre. "Now they will be reloaded. You will kill him, my son! It is God's will!... Malgares is not yet of the revolution, but he is a true friend of Don Pedro. At dawn I went to appeal to him to challenge Medina—His wife confessed that he had come here as your second. I have ridden at breakneck speed—God be praised, I am in time! You will kill the traitor!"
"You are in time," I said. "I will place my ball so exactly between his eyes that you cannot measure a hair's-breadth farther on the one side than on the other."
"God bless you, my son! You will save Alisanda and the revolution with the same shot!"
"I did not suspect that you were one of the revolutionists," I muttered.
"For years,—like Padre Hidalgo in the South. But come. Malgares signs to us."
We hastened forward to the corner of the pier, where Malgares stood ready to hand me my pistol. Medina already was in waiting, ten paces from the spot to which Malgares led me. At sight of Father Rocus, the aide and Walker started. But the padre at once reassured them: "It is well, gentlemen. I come only to act as witness."
Walker bowed. "Your Reverence is welcome. Señor Robinson, the terms have been stated to my principal. I now repeat them. You will each stand in the present position, with pistol pointed upward. Lieutenant Malgares will say, 'One, two, three. Fire! One, two, three.' At the word 'Fire!' you can aim and fire, during the time of the second count of three. If either fires before the word, or after the count, you know the penalty. Gentlemen, are you ready?"
Medina and I bowed, and Walker took his station with Father Rocus and Malgares against the face of the pier, out of the line of fire.
"Ready!" called Malgares. We raised our pistols as directed. "One!" he counted. "Two!—"
Down came Medina's pistol! I saw the black dot of the muzzle only to lose it instantly in a puff of smoke. The ball grazed the side of my head. So unexpected and sudden was the dastardly deed, I stood motionless, the report of the pistol ringing in my ears, but listening for Malgares to continue the count. Instead he uttered a sharp cry and rushed upon Medina. Before the aide could so much as turn, Malgares's Toledo lunged through his heart.
Whipping his sword from the body as it fell prone, Malgares faced Walker, with his head high and his eyes flashing.
"Witness!" he demanded.
Walker bowed. "He fired before the word. You have done right to strike him dead."
"You have done right! Satanas has claimed his own!" confirmed Father Rocus. Suddenly he thought of me and hastened to my side. "We forget Juan! My son, did the ball strike you?"
I put up my hand and reached out to him one of my locks, which had been clipped by the ball.
"So close as that!" exclaimed Walker.
"You know the saying, 'A miss is as good as a mile,'" I replied, as Malgares took my loaded pistol and carefully lowered the trigger. "The question now is to agree on an account for His Excellency that will clear my noble friend and second, and place all the blame upon me, where it belongs."
"Nada!" rejoined Malgares. "He shall know the exact truth."
"Leave the matter to me," said Father Rocus. "You know my standing with the Governor-General. I engage to prevent any unpleasant consequences."
"But—the—body?" murmured Walker, glancing askance at Medina's huddled corpse.
"I will take it in my coach," said Malgares, without hesitation. "You will ride his horse, and lend your own to Señor Robinson."
We each offered to take his place in the grewsome part he had chosen. But all that he would accept of us was our assistance in stanching the wound and carrying the body to the coach. Walker then set off ahead to notify Medina's servants, while Father Rocus and I returned to the city by a roundabout road.
The moment we were alone I asked my companion a dozen and one questions about Alisanda.
He shook his head to them all. "There is nothing to tell, Juan, other than she is holding out bravely against their persuasions and commands. The point now is to convince Salcedo that the death of Medina has rid him of one rival, and that he can free himself of another by sending you away with your indomitable friend."
"But if it is to leave her behind—!" I cried.
"We shall see about that in due course," he replied. "One thing at a time. Rome was not built in a day. Now ride on, and leave me, my son. We approach streets where we are both known. Adios!"
There was nothing for me to do but to obey.