“Caramba!” muttered Rosendo, seizing a bench and with one blow of his machete splitting it clean through, “these will make props to hold them!”
It was the work of but a few minutes to place benches across the thick shutters and secure them with others placed diagonally against them and let into the hard dirt floor. The same was done with the doors. Then the little group huddled together and waited. Josè heard a sob beside him, and a hand clutched his in the gloom. It was Carmen. In the excitement of the hour he had all but forgotten her. Through his present confusion of thought a great fact loomed: as the girl clung to him she was weeping!
A low rumble drifted to them; a confusion of voices, growing louder; and then a sharp report.
“They are coming, Padre,” muttered Rosendo. “And some one has tried his rifle!”
A moment later the ruck poured into the plaza and made for Rosendo’s house. Don Mario, holding his cane aloft like a sword, was at their head. Raging with disappointment at not finding the fugitives in the house, they threw the furniture and kitchen utensils madly about, punched great holes through the walls, and then rushed pellmell to the parish house next door. A groan escaped Josè as he watched them through a chink in the shutters. His books and papers! His notes and writings!
But as the howling mob streamed toward the parish house 309 a wrinkled old crone shrilled at them from across the way and pointed toward the church.
“In there, amigos!” she screamed. “I saw them enter! Shoot them––they have hurt my Pedro!”
Back like a huge wave the crowd flowed, and up against the church doors. Don Mario, at the head of his valiant followers, held up his hand for silence. Then, planting himself before the main doors of the church, he loudly voiced his authority.
“In the name of the Government at Bogotá!” he cried pompously, tapping the doors with his light cane. Then he turned quickly. “Fernando,” he called, “run to my house and fetch the drum!”
Despite the seriousness of their situation, Josè smiled at the puppet-show being enacted without.