"My friends, accept. I will remain alone here. If you break your word I will kill myself."
"I repeat that you hold my word," the general answered.
The conspirators came one after the other to embrace Don Miguel, and then went down into the street without being in any way interfered with. Things happen thus in this country, where conspiracies and revolutions are on the order of the day, as it were. The defeated are spared as far as possible, from the simple reason that the victors may find themselves tomorrow fighting side by side with them for the same cause. Curumilla was the last to depart.
"All is not ended yet," he said to Don Miguel. "Koutonepi will save you, father."
The hacendero shook his head sadly.
"Chief," he said in a deeply moved voice, "I leave my daughter to Valentine, Father Seraphin, and yourself. Watch over her: the poor child will soon have no father."
Curumilla embraced Don Miguel silently and retired; he had soon disappeared in the crowd, the general having honourably kept his word.
Don Miguel threw down his weapons and descended.
"I am your prisoner," he said.
General Guerrero bowed, and made him a sign to mount the horse a soldier had brought up.