CHAPTER XXIVLOVE PROVES TRUEThe hammering at the door of the mortuary chapel ceased after a time, for those in the main part of the church had more serious business to occupy their attention than the attempted capture of Captain Fly-by-Night.The front doors of the church had been battered in, and several times hostiles had invaded the building, but always to be driven back after suffering heavy losses, for men can fight with thrice their usual strength and courage when making a last stand against an overwhelming foe.Now storehouse and hospital building and guest house were burning, the most of the loot having been removed, and clouds of heavy smoke poured into the church, half suffocating the defenders there, yet at the same time proving a blessing, since the dense pall made it impossible for those in the plaza to get good aim at a defender.In a corner Señora Vallejo, some wives of ranchers and a few loyal Indian women and children crouched, the most of the time at their prayers. Dead men were against one wall, wounded against another, a fray attending to the latter. At the windows and both sidesof the doorway stern men waited with muskets and pistols to fire whenever a hostile could be seen through the smoke. Thanks to the action of thecomandantein removing supplies from the presidio, there was an abundance of ammunition.Yet the defenders were being cut down one at a time, and it seemed only a question of hours until the enemy would triumph. It was the sudden, unexpected rushes those in the church feared, for if enough hostiles could invade the church at one time the defenders would be scattered and cut down.“A ghost, eh?” Cassara was shouting in Gonzales’s ear. “So this Captain Fly-by-Night is in the mortuary chapel, eh? I told you I saw him go into the church. He has been hiding there!”“The imbecile trooper declares Señorita Anita is with him, and how can that be?” Gonzales wanted to know. “We are all aware that she was left behind in the guest house, and that Rojerio Rocha went there to save her. Since the guest house is in flames, it is to be supposed both died there.”“The trooper saw double,” Cassara replied. “He had been wounded. But Captain Fly-by-Night is there, nevertheless, and presently we shall attend to him. Hah! When I stand before him——”“If I do not face him first,” Gonzales interrupted.“Bar the door, will he? ’Twill not take me long to break it in when I am at liberty to do so. ’Ware the window, good pirate! They are coming again!”The hostiles had prepared for another rush, and now they made it, plunging through the smoke and into thechurch in an effort to exterminate their foes. A concentrated fire met them, as it had several times before. Some fell; others rushed on.Here and there the combat was hand-to-hand. Every foot of the way they found disputed by a determined man. They were driven out again, leaving dead and wounded behind them; and those inside placed another man against the wall and bound up more wounds.The smoke was stifling now. Women and children hung around the big water jars, gasping for breath. The faces of the men were grimy, their eyes red.Comandanteand ensign rushed from one part of the church to another, alert for possible tricks of the enemy, taking advantage where it was possible. Frailes were building a barricade in a corner, preparing for the forlorn hope.The Indians in the plaza seemed to be quiet for a moment, and then their shrieks were redoubled, and another assault was launched. Hoarse voices of chiefs shouted orders, a fusillade of shots tore through the doorway, and for a moment no man could live at the windows. Then came the rush!More than one man felt that it was the last. The ranks of the defenders had been cut down until a mere handful remained. The frailes hurried women and children behind the barricade in the corner, and the soldiers retreated foot by foot, resisting stubbornly but in vain. At close quarters shots were exchanged, blades rang, fingers tore at throats.“Back—back! The barricade!” thecomandanteordered.Back they fell, step by step, still resisting, carrying wounded with them. Behind them the frailes and women were loading muskets and pistols, for the soldiers had no time to load now. One by one they gained the shelter of the barricade, until all were behind it, and then the hostiles faced a volley that drove them raging back toward the doorway. But they were inside the church—and the end was near.In the mortuary chapel the caballero had been listening at the door, and when he turned to face theseñoritahis face held an expression she never had seen in it before.“What is it?” she asked.“The hostiles are inside—they have driven the defenders to a corner,” he replied.“Then——?”“Everything may end for us here. They will be before us and behind us. Either they will enter, or else fire the building. It is best to tell you the truth,señorita; we are in a trap.”“If—they enter—you will remember your promise?”He held out his arms, and she slipped into them, and for a moment their lips met. He was almost sobbing when he answered.“I’ll remember.”“You’ll not let them take me alive?”“Never that,señorita! I wish we might face a different future. I am just beginning to find life worth the living,” he said. “But at least I can die knowing your heart is mine.”Hostiles in the tunnel were still battering against the wall, trying to gain entrance. The caballero had been watching there carefully, yet found no cause for alarm. One shot had come through the crack, but it was an easy matter to stand in such part of the chapel that no bullet could reach them.He crept to the door again and listened, Anita close behind him. The shots seemed to be scattering now, and he sensed that the Indians were preparing for the last rush. He heard thecomandanteshouting orders. Children were crying; the voice of a fray in prayer could be heard above the din.Again the men in the tunnel assaulted the wall, and the caballero left the door quickly to stand in the centre of the room, pistol and sword ready in case an entrance should be made. But the barricade he had constructed against the section of masonry held despite the furious attack upon it.In the church there was another chorus of shrieks, a volley, cries of pain and rage—for the final attack had begun. The caballero clasped Anita in his arms again, and so they waited for the end, the girl with her face against his shoulder and fingers in ears to keep out the death wails and frenzied cries.The defenders were shouting now, in mock courage the caballero thought, going down to their deaths fighting, dying like men. Suddenly the battering at the wall ceased, and cries from the tunnel told that the Indians were retreating quickly. Word had been passed to them, he supposed, that victory was in the front, and they were eager to be in at the death. Theywould watch the outlets of the tunnel, of course; there could be no escape that way.“It is the end, beloved,” the caballero breathed. “Our love dies almost as soon as ’twas born. You do not regret——?”“I regret only that we cannot spend a life together, my caballero,” she replied. “Ah, ’tis cruel!”Again their lips touched, and then he half turned from her, and motioned to the corner.“Pray,” he whispered. “Pray there, beloved, with your back to me. I could not do it if I looked into your face. Pray until the end——”Now she was white of face, and her lips were trembling, but she only looked him once in the eyes and then did as he said. Facing the wall, she knelt and prayed, while the caballero looked to his pistol to see that it was properly charged, and himself said a prayer under his breath.Six feet behind her he stood, his eyes upon the floor, his ears strained to catch every sound from the church. The defenders were putting up a stubborn resistance, for thecomandantewas still screeching orders, and the volleys crashed, and the hostiles shrieked their anger at being held from their prey.And then the tone of the shrieks changed from anger to fear! The caballero stepped swiftly close to the door. He heard the defenders cheering; heard heavy volleying that was not inside the church; heard strong voices raised in shouts and the sound of galloping hoofs, the wailing cry of a fray.“My God, I thank Thee!”Sergeant Cassara’s great voice was raised in a howl of relief and encouragement. Running feet sounded in the church. The caballero’s heart was pounding at his ribs, and he was trying to beat from his brain the sudden hope he felt for fear it would prove unfounded.Another volley; another chorus of shrieks as from a far distance; more cries of anger, and gladness, and surprise! Then a strong voice that had not been heard before:“At those flames, some of you men! Help the wounded here! Get the women and children out of the smoke! Lieutenant, see that every hostile is run down—we want not one to escape! If we had been a minute later——”Señorita Anita, busy with her prayers and her agony of mind, had not noticed these things. And now the caballero, with a glad cry, ran to her, lifted her bodily from the floor, and covered her face with kisses.“The Governor, beloved!” he cried. “His excellency has come—in time! Oh, beloved—beloved!”Once more the pounding on the door!“Open, in the Governor’s name! We know you are there, Captain Fly-by-Night! There is no escape! Open!”The caballero stood in the centre of the chapel with Anita nestling against his breast, and he spoke in whispers, giving no attention to the summons at the door.“You are safe now, beloved,” he said. “The world has not come to an end, you see. It is pretty much asit was before this revolt. You can be again with your friends, with people of your rank. Is life not good—after all?”“With you it is,” she whispered in reply.“When all was dark you spoke of love to me,” he went on. “There was nothing in the future for you then. But now there is everything in the future. You can face the world again——”“Stained by a relative’s act, caballero?”“Who knows of that? It is believed Rojerio Rocha died a loyal man. You know differently, and yourduenna, and myself. None ever will open lips to speak of it. None other ever will know,señorita. You can hold up your pretty head as before, and live, and be happy. At the rancho the months will dim the memories of this thing. Think,señorita! You have no need of me now.”“No need of you?” she asked.“Have you,señorita? Things are different now. No longer do you need the worthless caballero like myself. Could you hold up your head if ’twas known Captain Fly-by-Night held your love?”“I could,” she said, “and proudly!”“If the man who boasted had won you——?”“Still, I could!”“Gambler, thief—renegade——?”“The caballero who saved me, and whom I love—none other! And no renegade!”“Yet there were orders to take me, dead or alive. Think you these dead and wounded men will change the Governor’s mind? I swear I had no part in thisrevolt,señorita, but none will think so, except perhaps your charitable self.”They were pounding on the door again, but the caballero gave no reply.“I love you,” she said simply.“You gave me word of your love while in deadly peril,señorita, at a time when no other man could offer you protection, perhaps through momentary gratitude at what I had done. Now it is not necessary,señorita, for you to stand by that word. You have but to go through that door to be with your friends again—you need not lower yourself longer by companionship with Captain Fly-by-Night.”“There is no one else,” she answered. “All are gone. And were there a million, did to stand by you mean to be ostracized by all the world, yet by your side I’d stand. Anita Fernandez does not give love for gratitude,señor. And she gives it but once!”“My beloved!” he cried, holding her close.Now the battering at the door would be denied no longer, and the Governor’s voice came to them.“Inside, there! Open, Fly-by-Night, for there is no escape. If you have harmed theseñorita——”“I am here and safe,” the girl called.“Thank Heaven!” they heard the Governor exclaim. “Open and surrender, Fly-by-Night! Surrender and take the consequences of your act!”The caballero looked down at the girl again.“There is no other way,” he said. “There is no escape——”“N—no! Have you forgotten? Even if you canprove you had no part in the uprising, there is still another charge. Did you not slay Rojerio Rocha? He was the Governor’s friend. My word, theseñora’s, that he was the real renegade, would not be taken in the absence of other proof. Think you the Governor would believe ill of his dead friend? They’d have your life——”“There is no other way, beloved. One kiss—again—and I must open the door!”“No—no! I cannot lose you now!”“It would be better for you to pretend no interest in me,” he said. “Then my death as a felon will not stain you.”“I stand by you, caballero, in the fact of whatever may occur; I tell my love to the world as soon as you open that door; I fight to save you—use every influence—and will be proud to let all know it! What care I what the world says, caballero? I know the man who holds my love—know him better than the world that has maligned him——”“Ah!” he cried, and covered her face with kisses again. “This were love indeed!”“Open the door, or we batter it down!” thundered the Governor’s voice.“I’ll open it presently!” the caballero cried.In the other room there was quiet for a moment while they awaited the caballero’s appearance. Before the door were Gonzales, Cassara, Ensign Sanchez, the lieutenant, all with swords drawn and held ready, all of them wounded slightly, all fatigued, yet all eager to cross blades with Captain Fly-by-Night.“Back!” the Governor was ordering them. “I want this man alive, to make an example of him!”Inside, the caballero took his arms from around the girl, and stepped to the door. In the face of such a predicament he still could smile and hum a song. But, as he touched the bar, Anita grasped his arm.“I go out first,” she said.“No——”“Ah, do not deny me! There is something I would say——”“As you please,señorita.”“Kiss me again—again! Now—open the door!”He took down the heavy bar and threw the door open. Those outside beheld Señorita Anita Fernandez standing before them, the caballero behind her. The girl’s head was lifted proudly, and her eyes flashed as of old, and she looked the Governor straight in the face as she spoke:“Before this man gives himself to you I want you to know that I love him better than all the world——”“Anita!” cried Señora Vallejo from one side.“I want you to know that he denies being a leader of the hostiles, and that I believe him. Twice he saved me from dishonour and death. No affront has he offered. It is true he killed Rojerio Rocha, and, as for that——”She stopped; for suddenly the caballero had stepped beside her, the whimsical smile playing about his face.“Good day, your excellency!” he said, bowing low.And his excellency, the Governor, bent forward, eyes bulging, lower jaw sagging for a brief second, then straightened and roared aloud:“By the saints! Killed Rojerio Rocha, eh, girl? Hah! By the saints, this man before us is Rojerio Rocha, my good friend! Ah, boy, boy! They told me you had been slain!”Before them all he took the dishevelled caballero in his arms!
The hammering at the door of the mortuary chapel ceased after a time, for those in the main part of the church had more serious business to occupy their attention than the attempted capture of Captain Fly-by-Night.
The front doors of the church had been battered in, and several times hostiles had invaded the building, but always to be driven back after suffering heavy losses, for men can fight with thrice their usual strength and courage when making a last stand against an overwhelming foe.
Now storehouse and hospital building and guest house were burning, the most of the loot having been removed, and clouds of heavy smoke poured into the church, half suffocating the defenders there, yet at the same time proving a blessing, since the dense pall made it impossible for those in the plaza to get good aim at a defender.
In a corner Señora Vallejo, some wives of ranchers and a few loyal Indian women and children crouched, the most of the time at their prayers. Dead men were against one wall, wounded against another, a fray attending to the latter. At the windows and both sidesof the doorway stern men waited with muskets and pistols to fire whenever a hostile could be seen through the smoke. Thanks to the action of thecomandantein removing supplies from the presidio, there was an abundance of ammunition.
Yet the defenders were being cut down one at a time, and it seemed only a question of hours until the enemy would triumph. It was the sudden, unexpected rushes those in the church feared, for if enough hostiles could invade the church at one time the defenders would be scattered and cut down.
“A ghost, eh?” Cassara was shouting in Gonzales’s ear. “So this Captain Fly-by-Night is in the mortuary chapel, eh? I told you I saw him go into the church. He has been hiding there!”
“The imbecile trooper declares Señorita Anita is with him, and how can that be?” Gonzales wanted to know. “We are all aware that she was left behind in the guest house, and that Rojerio Rocha went there to save her. Since the guest house is in flames, it is to be supposed both died there.”
“The trooper saw double,” Cassara replied. “He had been wounded. But Captain Fly-by-Night is there, nevertheless, and presently we shall attend to him. Hah! When I stand before him——”
“If I do not face him first,” Gonzales interrupted.
“Bar the door, will he? ’Twill not take me long to break it in when I am at liberty to do so. ’Ware the window, good pirate! They are coming again!”
The hostiles had prepared for another rush, and now they made it, plunging through the smoke and into thechurch in an effort to exterminate their foes. A concentrated fire met them, as it had several times before. Some fell; others rushed on.
Here and there the combat was hand-to-hand. Every foot of the way they found disputed by a determined man. They were driven out again, leaving dead and wounded behind them; and those inside placed another man against the wall and bound up more wounds.
The smoke was stifling now. Women and children hung around the big water jars, gasping for breath. The faces of the men were grimy, their eyes red.Comandanteand ensign rushed from one part of the church to another, alert for possible tricks of the enemy, taking advantage where it was possible. Frailes were building a barricade in a corner, preparing for the forlorn hope.
The Indians in the plaza seemed to be quiet for a moment, and then their shrieks were redoubled, and another assault was launched. Hoarse voices of chiefs shouted orders, a fusillade of shots tore through the doorway, and for a moment no man could live at the windows. Then came the rush!
More than one man felt that it was the last. The ranks of the defenders had been cut down until a mere handful remained. The frailes hurried women and children behind the barricade in the corner, and the soldiers retreated foot by foot, resisting stubbornly but in vain. At close quarters shots were exchanged, blades rang, fingers tore at throats.
“Back—back! The barricade!” thecomandanteordered.
Back they fell, step by step, still resisting, carrying wounded with them. Behind them the frailes and women were loading muskets and pistols, for the soldiers had no time to load now. One by one they gained the shelter of the barricade, until all were behind it, and then the hostiles faced a volley that drove them raging back toward the doorway. But they were inside the church—and the end was near.
In the mortuary chapel the caballero had been listening at the door, and when he turned to face theseñoritahis face held an expression she never had seen in it before.
“What is it?” she asked.
“The hostiles are inside—they have driven the defenders to a corner,” he replied.
“Then——?”
“Everything may end for us here. They will be before us and behind us. Either they will enter, or else fire the building. It is best to tell you the truth,señorita; we are in a trap.”
“If—they enter—you will remember your promise?”
He held out his arms, and she slipped into them, and for a moment their lips met. He was almost sobbing when he answered.
“I’ll remember.”
“You’ll not let them take me alive?”
“Never that,señorita! I wish we might face a different future. I am just beginning to find life worth the living,” he said. “But at least I can die knowing your heart is mine.”
Hostiles in the tunnel were still battering against the wall, trying to gain entrance. The caballero had been watching there carefully, yet found no cause for alarm. One shot had come through the crack, but it was an easy matter to stand in such part of the chapel that no bullet could reach them.
He crept to the door again and listened, Anita close behind him. The shots seemed to be scattering now, and he sensed that the Indians were preparing for the last rush. He heard thecomandanteshouting orders. Children were crying; the voice of a fray in prayer could be heard above the din.
Again the men in the tunnel assaulted the wall, and the caballero left the door quickly to stand in the centre of the room, pistol and sword ready in case an entrance should be made. But the barricade he had constructed against the section of masonry held despite the furious attack upon it.
In the church there was another chorus of shrieks, a volley, cries of pain and rage—for the final attack had begun. The caballero clasped Anita in his arms again, and so they waited for the end, the girl with her face against his shoulder and fingers in ears to keep out the death wails and frenzied cries.
The defenders were shouting now, in mock courage the caballero thought, going down to their deaths fighting, dying like men. Suddenly the battering at the wall ceased, and cries from the tunnel told that the Indians were retreating quickly. Word had been passed to them, he supposed, that victory was in the front, and they were eager to be in at the death. Theywould watch the outlets of the tunnel, of course; there could be no escape that way.
“It is the end, beloved,” the caballero breathed. “Our love dies almost as soon as ’twas born. You do not regret——?”
“I regret only that we cannot spend a life together, my caballero,” she replied. “Ah, ’tis cruel!”
Again their lips touched, and then he half turned from her, and motioned to the corner.
“Pray,” he whispered. “Pray there, beloved, with your back to me. I could not do it if I looked into your face. Pray until the end——”
Now she was white of face, and her lips were trembling, but she only looked him once in the eyes and then did as he said. Facing the wall, she knelt and prayed, while the caballero looked to his pistol to see that it was properly charged, and himself said a prayer under his breath.
Six feet behind her he stood, his eyes upon the floor, his ears strained to catch every sound from the church. The defenders were putting up a stubborn resistance, for thecomandantewas still screeching orders, and the volleys crashed, and the hostiles shrieked their anger at being held from their prey.
And then the tone of the shrieks changed from anger to fear! The caballero stepped swiftly close to the door. He heard the defenders cheering; heard heavy volleying that was not inside the church; heard strong voices raised in shouts and the sound of galloping hoofs, the wailing cry of a fray.
“My God, I thank Thee!”
Sergeant Cassara’s great voice was raised in a howl of relief and encouragement. Running feet sounded in the church. The caballero’s heart was pounding at his ribs, and he was trying to beat from his brain the sudden hope he felt for fear it would prove unfounded.
Another volley; another chorus of shrieks as from a far distance; more cries of anger, and gladness, and surprise! Then a strong voice that had not been heard before:
“At those flames, some of you men! Help the wounded here! Get the women and children out of the smoke! Lieutenant, see that every hostile is run down—we want not one to escape! If we had been a minute later——”
Señorita Anita, busy with her prayers and her agony of mind, had not noticed these things. And now the caballero, with a glad cry, ran to her, lifted her bodily from the floor, and covered her face with kisses.
“The Governor, beloved!” he cried. “His excellency has come—in time! Oh, beloved—beloved!”
Once more the pounding on the door!
“Open, in the Governor’s name! We know you are there, Captain Fly-by-Night! There is no escape! Open!”
The caballero stood in the centre of the chapel with Anita nestling against his breast, and he spoke in whispers, giving no attention to the summons at the door.
“You are safe now, beloved,” he said. “The world has not come to an end, you see. It is pretty much asit was before this revolt. You can be again with your friends, with people of your rank. Is life not good—after all?”
“With you it is,” she whispered in reply.
“When all was dark you spoke of love to me,” he went on. “There was nothing in the future for you then. But now there is everything in the future. You can face the world again——”
“Stained by a relative’s act, caballero?”
“Who knows of that? It is believed Rojerio Rocha died a loyal man. You know differently, and yourduenna, and myself. None ever will open lips to speak of it. None other ever will know,señorita. You can hold up your pretty head as before, and live, and be happy. At the rancho the months will dim the memories of this thing. Think,señorita! You have no need of me now.”
“No need of you?” she asked.
“Have you,señorita? Things are different now. No longer do you need the worthless caballero like myself. Could you hold up your head if ’twas known Captain Fly-by-Night held your love?”
“I could,” she said, “and proudly!”
“If the man who boasted had won you——?”
“Still, I could!”
“Gambler, thief—renegade——?”
“The caballero who saved me, and whom I love—none other! And no renegade!”
“Yet there were orders to take me, dead or alive. Think you these dead and wounded men will change the Governor’s mind? I swear I had no part in thisrevolt,señorita, but none will think so, except perhaps your charitable self.”
They were pounding on the door again, but the caballero gave no reply.
“I love you,” she said simply.
“You gave me word of your love while in deadly peril,señorita, at a time when no other man could offer you protection, perhaps through momentary gratitude at what I had done. Now it is not necessary,señorita, for you to stand by that word. You have but to go through that door to be with your friends again—you need not lower yourself longer by companionship with Captain Fly-by-Night.”
“There is no one else,” she answered. “All are gone. And were there a million, did to stand by you mean to be ostracized by all the world, yet by your side I’d stand. Anita Fernandez does not give love for gratitude,señor. And she gives it but once!”
“My beloved!” he cried, holding her close.
Now the battering at the door would be denied no longer, and the Governor’s voice came to them.
“Inside, there! Open, Fly-by-Night, for there is no escape. If you have harmed theseñorita——”
“I am here and safe,” the girl called.
“Thank Heaven!” they heard the Governor exclaim. “Open and surrender, Fly-by-Night! Surrender and take the consequences of your act!”
The caballero looked down at the girl again.
“There is no other way,” he said. “There is no escape——”
“N—no! Have you forgotten? Even if you canprove you had no part in the uprising, there is still another charge. Did you not slay Rojerio Rocha? He was the Governor’s friend. My word, theseñora’s, that he was the real renegade, would not be taken in the absence of other proof. Think you the Governor would believe ill of his dead friend? They’d have your life——”
“There is no other way, beloved. One kiss—again—and I must open the door!”
“No—no! I cannot lose you now!”
“It would be better for you to pretend no interest in me,” he said. “Then my death as a felon will not stain you.”
“I stand by you, caballero, in the fact of whatever may occur; I tell my love to the world as soon as you open that door; I fight to save you—use every influence—and will be proud to let all know it! What care I what the world says, caballero? I know the man who holds my love—know him better than the world that has maligned him——”
“Ah!” he cried, and covered her face with kisses again. “This were love indeed!”
“Open the door, or we batter it down!” thundered the Governor’s voice.
“I’ll open it presently!” the caballero cried.
In the other room there was quiet for a moment while they awaited the caballero’s appearance. Before the door were Gonzales, Cassara, Ensign Sanchez, the lieutenant, all with swords drawn and held ready, all of them wounded slightly, all fatigued, yet all eager to cross blades with Captain Fly-by-Night.
“Back!” the Governor was ordering them. “I want this man alive, to make an example of him!”
Inside, the caballero took his arms from around the girl, and stepped to the door. In the face of such a predicament he still could smile and hum a song. But, as he touched the bar, Anita grasped his arm.
“I go out first,” she said.
“No——”
“Ah, do not deny me! There is something I would say——”
“As you please,señorita.”
“Kiss me again—again! Now—open the door!”
He took down the heavy bar and threw the door open. Those outside beheld Señorita Anita Fernandez standing before them, the caballero behind her. The girl’s head was lifted proudly, and her eyes flashed as of old, and she looked the Governor straight in the face as she spoke:
“Before this man gives himself to you I want you to know that I love him better than all the world——”
“Anita!” cried Señora Vallejo from one side.
“I want you to know that he denies being a leader of the hostiles, and that I believe him. Twice he saved me from dishonour and death. No affront has he offered. It is true he killed Rojerio Rocha, and, as for that——”
She stopped; for suddenly the caballero had stepped beside her, the whimsical smile playing about his face.
“Good day, your excellency!” he said, bowing low.
And his excellency, the Governor, bent forward, eyes bulging, lower jaw sagging for a brief second, then straightened and roared aloud:
“By the saints! Killed Rojerio Rocha, eh, girl? Hah! By the saints, this man before us is Rojerio Rocha, my good friend! Ah, boy, boy! They told me you had been slain!”
Before them all he took the dishevelled caballero in his arms!