The other laughed.
"Government!" he said, "there is no government; and if there were, they would have no power up in the hills."
So saying he turned away.
Plunder that had been collected was brought in and divided among the party, four of the men with muskets keeping guard over the prisoners.
"I don't see anything of Dias and the mules," Bertie said in English.
"No, I have been expecting to see them brought up every minute. Now I am beginning to hope that they have got safely off. I think the fellows began their attack at our end of the village.
"You know how watchful Dias is. Very likely he or José were up, and you may be sure that the moment they heard the uproar they would drive the mules out and be off. You see only two of them are laden, and they could have thrown the things on to their backs and been off at once. He would know that it was useless to wait for us. I expect he would turn them off the road at once and make down towards the lake. If these fellows had caught him and the mules they would certainly have brought them up here before this."
"I hope he got off—not so much because of the mules, as because I am sure that, if he gets fairly away, he will do what he can to help us."
"I am sure he will, Bertie. We must make the best of it. There is one thing, we have got a good month before us. It will take them all that time to go down to Lima about our ransom and return; and it is hard if we don't give them the slip before that."
A quarter of an hour later the band started with their booty and prisoners for the hills.