Outrage and assassination were impressed on the hard lines of all their cruel and savage visages; and I perceived at once that without a vigorous effort I was lost—that my life was forfeited; and all the anticipations of newspaper paragraphs; "a mysterious disappearance" in the "Times" and "Military Gazette," flashed upon my mind. I had youth, a noble profession, many kind friends, my regiment, and home, with "the best of expectations," as old dowagers say, on one hand; a horrible and sudden death—a lonely scene of unknown butchery, on the other!
I cocked the locks of my rifle, and resolutely removed the barricade from the door.
"Take time, Juan Roa," said the patrona.
"Hold your tongue, old perra; I know well enough what I am doing," growled the personage in green, whom I now knew to be that terrible outlaw, who since the Carlist war, had laughed at the carabineros and alguazils, and kept all Malaga, the Sierra de Mija, and the Vega of Granada astir and in terror.
Including the patrona, and the treacherous young rascal Pedrillo, I had five desperate enemies, and only two bullets at their service.
"Let us prove whether the Inglese is asleep, before we enter," said the patron, knocking at the door gently, and placing the candle behind him.
"No answer—he is certainly asleep," whispered the patrona.
"Knock again," growled Juan Roa.
A smart blow was then given; but still I made no reply. Then the patron applied his hand to the latch; but before he could open the door, I fired right through the slender panels, and shot him dead by one bullet, knocking over the ostler by the other, which he received through his neck and shoulder.
Clubbing my rifle, I then rushed out; and charging them in the smoke and confusion, dealt Juan Roa a tremendous blow with the butt end, which levelled him beside the two ruffians who lay bleeding in the narrow passage. Escaping a pistol shot from Juan, but receiving two desperate cuts from the termagant patrona and the wasp Pedrillo, I reached the end of the passage, sprang through the common hall, and found the outer door fastened. By main strength I tore it open, and reached the external gallery, over which I dropped, though it was fully twelve feet from the ground; and, just as I did so, the boy Pedrillo fired one of Juan's pistols after me; but I escaped it, and ran down the mountain slope, loading my rifle as I went, and driving a bullet home into each barrel.