The progress of the fire slackened.
Providence granted these unhappy creatures a few minutes more.
At this moment the camp presented a strange aspect.
All the men, struck with terror, had lost the sense even of self-preservation.
The lanceros confessed to each other.
The guides were plunged in gloomy despair.
The general accused Heaven of his misfortune.
As for the doctor, he only regretted the plant he could not discover; with him every other consideration yielded to that.
Doña Luz, with her hands clasped, and her knees on the ground, was praying fervently.
The fire continued to approach, with its vanguard of wild beasts.