The lad stepped with his light towards the spot where I stood, and the would-be borrower following him, still muttering and threatening the Jew with all sorts of vengeance as an unbelieving hound, who would trample on the holy Cross—the latter cried out, ‘Hold up thy lamp, Moses, and give the cavalier light enough to swear by.’
The boy waved his lantern with a grin, and the light flashing on the soldier, I recognised in an instant the flushed and gross features of the Captain Guzman, noways improved in expression by the little scene in which he had no doubt been an actor. The recognition was, unfortunately, mutual, for just as I recoiled back into the shadow so as to allow him to pass, he roared out—
‘Holy mother! the English dog of a pirate, who escaped to-day, after half-throttling the alcaide’s clerk!’ And with these words, he pounced upon me; but I was prepared, and striking him a blow in the face, which, I hope, showed him every star in heaven, and a few additional ones besides, dancing before his eyes, I closed on him, and hurled him back into the shop, upsetting the Jew boy with a crash over a pile of casks and bales, and immediately extinguishing the light. Having paid this last attention to my friend, who was so sure that I would come to the gallows with all speed, I took to my heels incontinently, running at random. But Guzman, although overthrown, was not stunned, and continued to bawl out clamorously, to catch, or shoot, or stab the English pirate. The alarm was very quickly taken up, and the whole street was in a commotion. However, as every one was running about in the dusk, which already approached to darkness, as well as myself, and as I shouted to secure the English cutthroat as lustily as ever a Spaniard of them all, I was more inclined to laugh than to be much alarmed at my mischance, when a pestilent fellow, who had run out of a house in his shirt-sleeves, grasped me by the arm, and earnestly besought me to tell him where the heretic was. I replied that I had seen the rascal running down a certain lane, to which I pointed, when the man, turning short round upon me, and having most likely a good ear for his own language, asked me, very abruptly, from what part of Spain I came. For all reply, I made an effort, shook him clean off, and darted away. But the fellow was as nimble as I was; he was at my heels in a trice, shouting at the same time at the top of his voice, and pointing me out to others as we ran. We had a hard race of it. Half-a-dozen times I was grappled by willing hands, but my impetus in running enabled me again and again to burst away, while, to distract attention, I shouted and pointed ahead just as did my pursuers. All this, the reader must conceive, passed with breathless rapidity. It was a confused scene—narrow, gloomy streets, all sparkling with lights as people rushed to doors and balconies, and echoing to the clamour of voices and the tramp of footsteps, as the shouting crowd ran wildly, jostling and tripping each other, and many of them swearing that the English pirates had returned to the attack, and that there was nothing but pillage and murder for Carthagena. Howbeit, in the midst of all this confusion, I could not but be sensible that the man in the shirt-sleeves and his original comrades had not lost sight of me for an instant. Therefore I put forth my utmost speed; plunged from street to street and lane to lane, fearing every moment that I would run into what the French call a cul-de-sac; and, indeed, at length, as I emerged from a confused cluster of narrow, winding streets into a more open way lined with high walls, along which I ran, almost spent with toil, and panting for breath, I heard a great shout of triumph behind me, as though I was at length trapped, and looking narrowly ahead, I saw a high wall with iron trellis-work at the top, and over which ran the branches of trees, barring all passage. I was close to the obstacle before I saw it in the dusk, and at the same instant I became sensible of a small wicket-door, which, before I had time to think, opened, and the forms of two ladies, dressed in black, veiled and hooded, with lace and silk capes, stood before me.
Hardly knowing what I did, I flung myself on my knees upon the ground. They started back, and the younger, as I judged, uttered a slight scream.
‘Ladies,’ I gasped out, ‘I am an unfortunate Scots sailor; your countrymen pursue me to kill me. Gentle ladies, save my life!’
Just as I said this the footsteps of the Spaniards echoed between the high walls.
‘Where is the English rascal?’ they cried; ‘he shall die the death!’
After a single whispered word, hastily passed between them, one of the ladies bent towards me, started back, came forwards again, and said in my ear, in a timid, fluttering voice:
‘Rise, young man; and pass in.’
I sprang up and rushed through the wicket, which the ladies closed again from the outside; then, couching breathlessly by the door, I listened. In a moment I heard the gruff voices of my pursuers, evidently asking the ladies whether they had seen me. What answer was returned I could only guess at, from hearing the disappointed exclamations and the retiring footsteps of the Spaniards. Then I fell upon my knees, and called God to bless the kind hearts which had saved a flying man from his deadly foes. I was in a garden. The high wall seemed to shut out the clamour of my pursuers, which had, however, doubtless, died away, as the search seemed to be unsuccessful. Around me were rich trees and shrubs, and gaudy flowers. Fresh from the tumult of a street scuffle, how peaceful a spot it seemed! The fireflies shot amid the bushes like sparks from anvils. The hum of the wings of night insects sounded like the low breathing of Nature sleeping. The cooling dews fell balm-like upon my hot, wet forehead. I sank back, leaning against the wall, exhausted and utterly worn by the excitement, the pain, and the great fatigue of the day. I felt, even before I had been ten minutes couched amid the sweet smelling and clustering shrubs, a sweet lethargy come over me, and stretching my overwrought limbs among the herbage, I fairly fell into a deep, calm sleep.