"Enough," the Jaguar then said, with a terrible accent; "rise, and thank your God for having escaped this time again from my vengeance. Open the door, Carmela."
The maiden obeyed.
"To horse!" the Jaguar continued; "Go and wait for me at the Rio Seco, and mind that not one stirs before my arrival, under penalty of death. Begone!"
The three men bowed their heads, and went out without reply; an instant later the gallop of their horses could be heard echoing on the sandy road.
The two young people remained alone in the venta.
The Jaguar sat down at the table where the men had been drinking a moment previously, buried his face in his hands, and seemed plunged in serious thought.
Carmela looked at him with a mixture of timidity and fear, not daring to address him.
At length, after a considerable period had elapsed, the young man raised his head, and looked around him, as if suddenly aroused from deep sleep.
"What, you remained here?" he said to her.
"Yes," she answered, softly.