“His impudence shall not save him,” exclaimed the governor; “I’ll have him before me this instant, and....”
“Mon General,” I interrupted, “reap yourself the fruit of his perfidy; affect to place perfect reliance in him—allow him to depart, and I pledge you my word, before eight and forty hours are passed, you shall have his ears, if not the head of Blas el Ratonero.”
My real earnestness and assumed frankness, the opportune arrival of the traitor Pépé’s despatch to Beltran, announcing my sudden departure for Gaucin (for no one but Pépé knew I was going there), and, lastly, Beltran’s anxiety to get away, caused the general, and even Monsieur Leboucher, to place perfect confidence in me, and the rest of the night was passed in arranging a plan to circumvent Beltran; a plan, which, offering no great risks, (for my object now was rather to be revenged on my traitorous associates than to occasion loss to the French) was readily adopted, and before dawn I had left the town to perform my part in the drama; Beltran having been suffered to depart some hours previously.
CHAPTER XVI.
BLAS EL GUERRILLERO—continued.
EVERY thing, thus far, had succeeded to the utmost of my wishes. I had now but to frame an excuse to Beltran for my unexpected visit to his quarters, and for my delay in reaching them; lull his suspicions; and wreak my vengeance upon him and his accomplices.
A good horse had been provided for me, and I soon reached Gaucin. I found Alonzo and Beltran in deep consultation: the former was much surprised and pleased at my unexpected visit; the latter pretended to be so.
Having expressed their hopes that nothing had happened to thwart our projected plans, and assured me that every thing on their parts was going on prosperously, Alonzo asked me jokingly what had occasioned my unlooked for visit, for he thought I had merely come to see his sister.
I told him (keeping my eye upon Beltran all the time) I had received information that a force had been moved from the French camp before Cadiz, towards the mountains, as if for the purpose of reopening the communication with Ronda, which had been closed by the recent capture of Grazalema; and I had, therefore, come to say, that either I must abandon that post, and consequently our concerted project, (since I should find myself between two fires,) or, that we must carry our plans into execution without further delay.
Beltran looked very blank; and to my proposal of proceeding to work immediately, stammered out some objection about want of time. But this Alonzo overruled,—observing that his brother Melchor and myself were the two who would feel inconvenience on that score, since our bands were the most distant from the field of action; and as Melchor was then at Gaucin,—having, Alonzo observed to me, arrived unexpectedly, “as if sent by Providence,” the preceding night,—the whole affair might be at once settled.
Accordingly, a messenger was despatched for his brother; whilst waiting for whom, I took the opportunity of stating that I had met with an accident on the road, which had retarded me considerably; having, I said, in consequence of the fall of my mule soon after leaving Grazalema, been obliged to proceed to Cortes on foot, and, arriving there in the dead of the night, had experienced great delay in procuring a horse.