“The inmates must have got away before the enemy arrived,” I exclaimed.
“I truly hope so,” answered Mr Laffan, but he did not look very confident.
“If they escaped, they would take the road to the mountains,” I suggested. “Let us ride on in that direction; we may possibly meet with some one who has seen them. I cannot bear to return to my father without some more hopeful information than we possess.”
The dominie not objecting, we rode on. However he very frequently stood up in his stirrups to get a look round, fearing that we might be riding into the lion’s mouth.
We had gone some distance when we caught sight of a group of persons collected on a slight elevation, from whence they could obtain a view over the plain. When they first discovered us, they showed some disposition to conceal themselves, but on observing that we were but two persons of fair complexion their fears apparently vanished, and they remained waiting our approach.
I immediately inquired whether they had seen any fugitives from the Spaniards making their way to the mountains.
“Yes, señor; many and good cause they had to run, for the Godos put to death all they caught. We ourselves got away just in time from our cottage, which the cruel barbarians burned. They would have killed us had we remained.”
I then asked if they had seen Don Ricardo—who was, I thought, probably known to them—with a party of ladies, either on foot or horseback.
One of two men to whom I more particularly addressed myself answered that they had, about daybreak, seen a party who had got some way up the mountains, but they were too far off to enable them to distinguish who they were. More definite information they could not give us.
They were fine tall fellows, dressed in the universal broad-brimmed hat, ponchos over their shoulders, and