Doña Luz had disappeared.
The captain was thunderstruck!
What could have become of the girl?
The tent was small, almost void of furniture, it was impossible she could be concealed in it.
A disordered bed proved that at the moment of the surprise, Doña Luz had been sleeping peaceably.
She had vanished like a sylph, without leaving any trace of her flight.
A flight perfectly incomprehensible to the pirate, as the camp had been invaded on all sides at once.
How was it possible for a young girl, awakened suddenly, to have had courage and presence of mind enough to fly so quickly, and pass unperceived amidst conquerors whose first care had been to guard all the issues?
The captain sought in vain the solution of this enigma. He stamped with anger, and plunged his poniard into the packages that might serve as temporary places of refuge for the fugitive; but all without success.
Convinced at length that all his researches in the tent were in vain, he rushed out, prowling about like a wild beast, persuaded that if by a miracle she had succeeded in escaping, alone in the night, half dressed, wandering in the desert, he should easily find her again.