[[1]] President Castro was horn of humble parentage, his parents being of mixed blood, mostly Indian, in the mountainous district of Western Venezuela. Thus the revolutionists were wont to paint him as an untamable savage, who had come to the surface in the turbulent broil of the uprisings of the times and had hewn and burned his way to the presidency. Manuel Matos was of superior birth, and was related by marriage to the Guzman Blanco family. He had had some military experience under President Blanco, but was more of a civic leader. He claimed that the Castro administration was corrupt.—AUTHOR.
[[2]] Singularly enough, General Castro was elected President for a term of six years on February 20, 1902, within a few days of this talk.—AUTHOR.
CHAPTER XI.
A PERILOUS FLIGHT.
Renewed outcries now came from outside the building, and it seemed evident that the mob was about to enter the place. Certainly it would unless something could be done to evade such a movement. Jack Greenland was the first to speak:
"Can't you or the woman parley with them long enough for us to slip away by the rear of the building, Manuel?"
"Me—parley? They would string me up like a dog. Curses upon their pig heads!"
By this time his wife had become calmer than he, and she showed that if he was lacking in courage to meet the enemy, she was not. So she immediately offered to keep the crowd at bay long enough for them to effect their escape, her husband showing great eagerness to profit by her heroism. Accordingly, she returned to the front part of the dwelling without loss of time, and a moment later Ronie heard her challenging the leader of the would-be captors.
"While it may not be good policy for us to use them too freely, it may not be amiss for us to provide ourselves with firearms," said Jack.