"Now we in our turn will be off," I said, as he disappeared over the brow of the hill. "I must ask you, Señor President, to be good enough to walk ahead. The Señorita and I will follow you."
It was a silent little party that made its way down the hill-side towards the beach. First walked the President with an armed man on either side of him, his niece and myself followed next, whilst Hermaños and two of his fellow-conspirators brought up the rear. No one would have imagined that, only a few hours before, the Señorita and I had been waltzing round the ball-room at La Gloria as partners, or that the President and I had been seated amicably together discussing the politics of Equinata in all apparent friendliness. I must say in common fairness that, even under these trying circumstances, the Señorita behaved herself with as much coolness as did her fellow-prisoner. Not once did she flinch or show the least sign of fear.
The path from the road to the shore was an exceedingly rough one, little better in fact than a goat-track, and as the Señorita was still wearing her light dancing-shoes, it must have been an unenviable experience for her. Once her dress was caught by a cactus leaf, and I stopped to extricate it for her. I hoped that my action might break the silence that had so far characterized our march.
"Thank you, señor," she said gravely, and, without another word, continued her walk.
"Señorita," I said at last, "I can quite understand how angry you must feel with me. I suppose it is only natural that you should be. Yet, strange though it may appear, I cannot help feeling ashamed."
"I am not angry, señor," she replied. "My only regret is that we should have been so weak as to have made such a miscalculation. I thought my uncle had caused you to be arrested?"
"He certainly did have me arrested, but I managed to escape," I answered. "Doubtless, if your uncle had had his way, he would have had me shot at daybreak."
"It is more than likely," she replied, still with the same gravity. "And all things considered, I am not at all sure it would not have been better for the happiness of Equinata could this event have taken place."
After such a speech there was not much to be said, so we continued our walk in silence. Ten minutes later we reached the beach, walked along it for a hundred yards or so, and then found ourselves beside the yacht's gig, which had been pulled up on the shore to await our coming. As soon as they saw us the boat's crew, led by the chief officer, made their appearance from a hollow in the sand-hills where they had been concealed.
"Permit me to help you into the boat," I said to the Señorita, moving towards it as I spoke. "When you are on board we can push her out into deeper water."