"Hearken, demonios!" he cried in a sharp tone, and with accents of indescribable mockery.
The two women lowered their knives, and stood motionless, with eyes abashed, but head erect, their foreheads frowning, and preserving their attitude—the haughty expression of two foes who long to tear each other to pieces, and unwillingly succumb to commands, which they dare not disobey, though they curse them.
In spite of the deafening uproar the federalist lieutenant made with his guitar, he could not help hearing, at last, what was going on in the room. At the first impulse, he had placed his hand on the pistols which hung at his girdle; but an instant afterwards his anger grew, not calm, but cold and concentrated, instead of furious.
Don Torribio had risen from his seat, left the bench on which he sat enthroned, and furtively approached the combatants. He had attentively watched the different phases of the fight, and when he thought proper to interfere, had suddenly interposed between the duellists.
The soldiers had silently advanced behind their officer; they were now close at his heels, their hands on their weapons, ready for action at the first signal, foreseeing that Don Torribio's interference in this quarrel would speedily bring about another, in which they would have to take part.
Intuitively, the ring formed by the arrieros and wagoners had extended itself, and a large space was left open in the middle of the room. The two girls stood in the centre of the circle, knife in hand; and the lieutenant, with his arms crossed, amused himself by examining them narrowly, with a cynical sneer on his lips.
"Holloa, my chickens!" said he; "What! Are you ruffling your feathers for a cock? Is there only one on the perch? ¡Rayo de Dios! What splendid St. Andrew's crosses you have dug in each other's faces! Are you both mad for love of this pícaro?" (ragamuffin).
Neither spoke; and the lieutenant continued his sarcastic speech:
"But where is this valiant champion, who lets the women fight for him? Does his modesty make him hide himself?"
Don Pablo came forward, looked the lieutenant straight in the face, and answered firmly: "Here I am."