And my followers seemed to be influenced by a like feeling; since, along their whole line, not a trigger was touched!
The robber-chief must have calculated upon something of the kind, else he would not have so audaciously exposed himself.
He had also made a nice reckoning of the limits to which our surprise could be trusted. The time was short enough; but before we had recovered from it, we saw a white curtain drawn hastily before him, that concealed from our sight more than half of his person!
“A flag of truce!” thought we, as we lowered the muzzles of our guns.
In another instant we were undeceived—so far as to its being a flag. It was the white drapery of a woman’s dress—with a woman inside it! Despite the ambiguous light of the struggling dawn, I could see who the woman was.
Her appearance—quick and instantaneous—was evidently an act of compulsion—as if Carrasco had forced her into the position. I fancied I had seen his arm outstretched, as he hastily drew her in front of him.
Our rifles were instantly dropped to the “trail,” and my comrades uttered a simultaneous cry of “Shame!”
It was enough to challenge their indignation. A young and beautiful woman thus basely used for the shielding of a bandit’s body!
Many of them shivered at the thought of the murder they had been so near committing.
I experienced an emotion peculiar to myself—unknown to them—more painful than that they had been called upon to feel! since I knew the white shield to be Mercedes!