The words were scarcely spoken, when two dragoons came in sight, then two more.
“Four!” murmured Carmen. “The odds are not too great. We shall do it. Are you ready? Now!”
The dragoons, surprised by our sudden appearance, pulled up and stood stock-still, as if doubtful whether our intentions were hostile or friendly; and we were at them almost before they had drawn their swords.
As I charged the foremost Spaniard, his horse swerved from the road, and rolled with his rider into the ravine. The second, profiting by his comrade’s disaster, gave us the slip and galloped toward Caracas. This left us face to face with the other two, and in little more than as many minutes I had run my man through, and Carmen had hurled his to the ground with a cleft skull.
“I thought we should do it,” he said as he sheathed his sword. “But before we ride on let us see who the fellows are, for, ’pon my soul, they have not the looks of a patrol from Caracas.”
As he spoke, Carmen dismounted and closely examined the prostrate men’s facings.
“Caramba! They belong to the regiment of Irun.”
“I remember them. They were in Murillo’s corp d’armée at Vittoria.”
“I wish they were at Vittoria now. Their headquarters are at La Victoria! Worse luck!”
“Why?”