The sight of the dead wolf, with the
spear-wound in his head, was hardly
needed to confirm the suspicions of El
Zegris that some mountaineer had been
his visitor, and that the person who slew
the wild animal and he who entered the
fortress were the same he was convinced
by finding the broken point of the spear
he held in his hand sticking in the bone
of the wolf's skull. This proof was all
he required.

`Some wolf-hunter has slain the beast
here, and then, wandering up to the fort,
which he supposed vacant, he entered, or
was admitted by the slave, who left with
him or was slain in a quarrel. There
are no other enemies about,' continued
El Zegris, as if satisfied with what he had
discovered. `Yet this person, whoever
he was, will report that the fort is occupied
again, That I should be found out
here, ere long, I had no doubt; but it will
take more than a force of mountaineers
to dislodge me again from this place, if I
choose to hold it. But I shall hold it only
till I see how events are going to turn
in Cordova. The revolution may break
out to-morrow. I shall then leave the
fort as empty as I found it and try my
fortunes with some one of the Emirs.—
His standard who is likely to conquer I
shall rally under.'

These words were addressed partly to
his follower, but were more the self-uttered
thoughts of his mind than intended
for the car of the trumpeter.

`It is a large wolf, Effendi l' said the

[figure description] Page 048.[end figure description]

man as he drew near and gazed on the
dead animal in the path, which it quite
blocked up.

`A monster of his speeies. It was a
true eye and strong man that launched
this spear. It was either Gaspar the
Wolf-slayer or his son, whom Allah confound!
If I e'er meet with him again,
we part not till I have avenged my last
defeat. For a more youth—a gazelleherd-boy,
without skill or experience, to
conquer me and drive me and mine from
the Sierras, is an ignominy I shall not
bear unavenged.'

`It would be easy in the night to sally
upon the hamlet where they dwell and
come upon them by suprise,' said the
Moor.

`Thou art giving words to my own
thoughts, Melec. I shall not long delay
my vengeance.'

`Here are letters carved on the end of
the spear. They are Christian characters,
which I do not read.'

`Let me see them. I have heard these
mountaineers mark their spears, so that
if it be carried off by a wolf, after it has
pierced him, and the animal is found
dead, it may be known to whom its hide
belongs. Let me read. This is the name
of my foe.'

`Gaspar!'

`No. Alfonzo, whom my men call
the Destroyer. This spear is his. The
wolf's hide is his; and would to Allah he
would come and take it while El Zegris
has his foot upon it.'

`If this be the wolf of that man, and it
was he who went into the fort and left
the spear,' said the Moor with some
alarm, `I would rather he would keep
away.'

`I know he is brave, and so, too, is El
Zegris. Whoever knew me to show
fear? I would forfeit a thousand years
in Paradise to see this Alfonze here and
avenge upon him my wrongs.'

`There are few men that would care
to meet him in this place,' answered the
Moor, looking round. `I would recommend
that we return to the fortress.—
`Hark! what shouting is that from it?'
he cried, looking up the mountain to the
stronghold, an angle of which only was
in sight, about three hundred yards distant,
the rest of it being concealed by a
projection of a cliff overhanging the deep
gorge in which they were.

`There is confusion among them!' exclaimed
El Zegris. `Hark! that was the
clash of steel. Listen! a galloping across
the resounding bridge over the moat!
To horse and let us see what this means.'

He vaulted across the back of his
horse, and giving him rein galloped back
the way he had come. A turn in the
defile brought him in full view of the
draw-bridge and part of the tower, in the
gate of which he saw his men brandishing
their scymetars, and shouting and
sending their lances after a person on
horseback, who was thundering across
the draw-bridge, as if in pursuit of another
in the dark garb of a mountaineer.

For an instant the two horses with their
riders were in full view; but they were
the next moment lost in the deep path
down which they were careering.

`The Christian dog has been discovered
in the fort and is pursued!' cried El
Zegris.

`He who pursued him had a female, I
am sure; and the lances were sent after
him more than after the head one,' said
Melec, who continued to ride on at speed
after his chief.

`Then it was so! I was not sure, but
thought the hind one carried a female!'
answered El Zegris.

`Of that I am sure, Captain.'

`On then—onward without slacking
rein. There is no woman in the fort to
come out of it but Genilla, and he who
bore her forth is Diego and none else.
Allah il Allah to the rescue!' he shouted,
brandishing his scymetar, and burying
his spurs deep into the flanks of his horse.

The path-way which led down the
mountain's side from the fort, ran at first
at a sharp angle of descent northwardly,
and then making a sudden turn, ran south
in a zig-zag line, thus making a succession
of terraces. The wolf had been
slain on the second terrace below, and
from this, in looking up, persons descending
the first or higher terrace were visible
until they began to enter that deeper part
of it where the angle was made.

The two parties were now approaching
each other, one ascending towards the
deep gorge at the angle, and the other
descending into it. There was also at

[figure description] Page 049.[end figure description]

this angle a defile, which opened westerdly
and descended towards the forest,
and so round by the east side of the
mountain; the same ravine by which El
Zegris and his whole party had returned
to the tower, bringing the Moorish maiden
their captive.

El Zegris would not have galloped forward
at such speed up the steep path had
he not feared that the fugitives would
take the eastern gorge, and so escape.
That the three persons were the Christian
Alfonzo and Diego bearing off Genilla,
he had no doubt. He had, therefore, a
three-fold motive to urge him onward,
and to nerve his arm to combat. The
portion of road along which he was now
galloping was concealed from the tower
by a brow of beetling rocks.

Alfonzo resolved to bear his fair charge
to the hamlet, and thence conduct her
under a strong escort, if necessary, to her
home. But the Moor Ben Habib was ignorant
of this determination, and upon
coming to the opening at the angle which
led eastward down the mountains, he
took it without hesitation, and as Alfonzo
passed it he could just see the top of his
bald head disappearing in the depths of
the gorge.

He could not but smile, serious as his
present situation was, at the headlong
equestrianism of the terrified Moor, thus
riding for his head.

`The slave flies with fear for wings,'
he said to the maiden; `I am glad to see
thee so calm. Still retain thy courage
and self-possession, and ere long thou wilt
be in safety.'

`Who are you that thou art risking life
for me?' asked the maiden. `Thy dress
is that of a Moor, but thy speech and face
betray thee to be a Christian.'

Alfonzo did not reply; he had turned
the angle and his eye fell upon the figure
of El Zegris coming up the gorge at full
speed.

The two horsemen discovered each
other simultaneously. Alfonzo had
loooked for a meeting with the chief
somewhere in the gorge on his return to
his tower. He now recognised him, and
at the same moment the chief saw and
recognised the maiden whom he had
destined for his bride. He reined up
and took a second glance at the turbaned
horseman by her side, but was amazed
instead of seeing the features of his lieutenant
Diego to behold those of the
youthful mountaineer-chief his direct foe.
Even the turban could not disguise or
hide his well-remembered face from El
Zegris, who never forget the features of
a foeman, especially of one by whom he
had been humbled.

`Lady, rein up and remain here and I
will free thee from thy tyrant and make
thee a free passage to liberty,' he said,
putting his hand upon the bit of her horse
and reining him backward. He then
grasped firmly the hilt of the scymetar
which he had taken from the Ethiopian
and charged upon the robber chief, who,
taken by surprise at discovering so formidable
an atagonist where he expected
to cope only with Diego, seemed to hesitate
whether to withstand the onset or
retreat for better vantage ground, for he
was lower in the gorge than his antagonist.
But Alfonzo's headlong charge upon
him gave no time for reflection. He
spurred aside as he came upon him and
endeavoured to parry the thrust which
was made at his side. But his scymetar
shivered like glass at the touch of Alfonzo's
weapon, and the guard of the
hilt striking him in the breast hurled him
from his saddle to the earth. His follower
without waiting to see the result
had in the outset leaped from his horse
and climbed a cliff with the agility of an
ape, and was full fifty feet in the air
when his chief rolled over upon the
ground.

Alfonzo reined up and dismounted
and pressing his foot upon his chest
said,

`I do not wish to kill thee. Ask thy
life and swear never to disturb the peace
of this maiden whom I have rescued
from thy power, and I will let thee go
free!'

`I will not take my life at thy hand,
slave!' growled the fallen chief in a tone
and with a scrowl of defiance.

`Then I will give it thee. I would not
shock this maiden's eyes by slaying thee
before them; but I will mark thee and
destroy thy power of doing mischief.'

With these words he raised his weighty
scymetar and suddenly letting it fall upon
the right arm of El Zegris as it lay

[figure description] Page 050.[end figure description]

stretched out upon the ground he severed
the hand above the wrist at a blow. The
robber howled with rage and pain, and an
exclamation from the Moorish maiden
caused him to turn his eyes in the direction
in which her finger pointed his attention,
when he beheld Diego and his
four followers galloping across the moat.

In an instant recovering again his own
spear he was in the saddle and with the
maiden by his side was urging the two
horses at full flight along the defile. For
a moment he thought he should not be
able to make them pass the dead wolf,
but by the aid of the point of his scymetar
he sent them madly leaping over the
obstacle. Behind him he could hear the
clatter of the troops of Diego's horses
and the shouts of the Moors. Suddenly
they ceased and he knew that they had
come up with El Zegris. He was confirmed
in this by a loud outcry from the
spot following the clang of iron hoof supon
the rocks.

`Allah, protect us!' cried the maiden.
`I fear that even your courage, noble
Emir, may not save either thee or me!'

`Fear not, lady! Were they twice
their number I would not fear them in
thy defence. But they will not follow
far. In a few rods we shall come to a
part of the gorge impracticable for horses.
We will leave our horses in the narrow
defile which will be so completely blocked
up by them that no horsemen can
get by or beyond them. We will then
make the rest of our way on foot by a
path known only to the mountaineers;
and thus effectually elude pursuit.
Where you cannot walk for the roughness
of the way I will carry you safely!'