then, as he was returning, he thought involuntarily of the deep sadness of the kneeling maiden. Her image followed him to his hotel, and remained deeply engraven in his soul. Don Vegal found in his saloon the Jew Samuel, who had come in compliance with his request. Samuel seemed to have forgotten the events of the night; the hope of gain animated his countenance with a natural gayety. "What is your lordship's will?" asked he of the Spaniard. "I must have thirty thousand piasters within an hour." "Thirty thousand piasters! And who has them! By the holy king David, my lord, I am far from being able to furnish such a sum." "Here are some jewels of great value," resumed Don Vegal, without noticing the language of the Jew; "besides I can sell you at a low price a considerable estate near Cusco." "Ah! señor, lands ruin us--we have not arms enough left to cultivate them; the Indians have withdrawn to the mountains, and our harvests do not pay us for the trouble they cost." "At what value do you estimate these diamonds?" Samuel drew from his pocket a little pair of scales and began to weigh the stones with scrupulous skill. As he did this, he continued to talk, and, as was his custom, depreciated the pledges offered him. "Diamonds! a poor investment! What would they bring? One might as well bury money! You will notice, señor, that this is not of the purest water. Do you know that I do not find a ready market for these costly ornaments? I am obliged to send such merchandise to the United Provinces! The Americans would buy them, undoubtedly, but to give them up to the sons of Albion. They wish besides, and it is very just, to gain an honest per centage, so that the depreciation falls upon me. I think that ten thousand piasters should satisfy your lordship. It is little, I know; but----" "Have I not said," resumed the Spaniard, with a sovereign air of scorn, "that ten thousand piasters would not suffice?" "Señor, I cannot give you a half real more!" "Take away these caskets and bring me the sum I ask for. To complete the thirty thousand piasters which I need, you will take a mortgage on this house. Does it seem to you to be solid?" "Ah, señor, in this city, subject to earthquakes, one knows not who lives or dies, who stands or falls." And, as he said this, Samuel let himself fall on his heels several times to test the solidity of the floors. "Well, to oblige your lordship, I will furnish you with the required sum; although, at this moment I ought not to part with money; for I am about to marry my daughter to the -caballero- André Certa. Do you know him, sir?" "I do not know him, and I beg of you to send me this instant, the sum agreed upon. Take away these jewels." "Will you have a receipt for them?" asked the Jew. Don Vegal passed into the adjoining room, without replying. "Proud Spaniard!" muttered Samuel, "I will crush thy insolence, as I disperse thy riches! By Solomon! I am a skillful man, since my interests keep pace with my sentiments." Don Vegal, on leaving the Jew, had found Martin Paz in profound dejection of spirits, mingled with mortification. "What is the matter?" he asked affectionately. "Señor, it is the daughter of the Jew whom I love." "A Jewess!" exclaimed Don Vegal, with disgust. But seeing the sadness of the Indian, he added: "Let us go, -amigo-, we will talk of these things afterward!" An hour later, Martin Paz, clad in Spanish costume, left the city, accompanied by Don Vegal, who took none of his people with him. The Baths of Chorillos are situated at two leagues from Lima. This Indian parish possesses a pretty church; during the hot season it is the rendezvous of the fashionable Limanian society. Public games, interdicted at Lima, are permitted at Chorillos during the whole summer. The señoras there display unwonted ardor, and, in decorating himself for these pretty partners, more than one rich cavalier has seen his fortune dissipated in a few nights. Chorillos was still little frequented; so Don Vegal and Martin Paz retired to a pretty cottage, built on the sea-shore, could live in quiet contemplation of the vast plains of the Pacific Ocean. The Marquis Don Vegal, belonging to one of the most ancient families of Peru, saw about to terminate in himself the noble line of which he was justly proud; so his countenance bore the impress of profound sadness. After having mingled for some time in political affairs, he had felt an inexpressible disgust for the incessant revolutions brought about to gratify personal ambition; he had withdrawn into a sort of solitude, interrupted only at rare intervals by the duties of strict politeness. His immense fortune was daily diminishing. The neglect into which his vast domains had fallen for want of laborers, had compelled him to borrow at a disadvantage; but the prospect of approaching mediocrity did not alarm him; that carelessness natural to the Spanish race, joined to the ennui of a useless existence, had rendered him insensible to the menaces of the future. Formerly the husband of an adored wife, the father of a charming little girl, he had seen himself deprived, by a horrible event, of both these objects of his love. Since then, no bond of affection had attached him to earth, and he suffered his life to float at the will of events. Don Vegal had thought his heart to be indeed dead, when he felt it palpitate at contact with that of Martin Paz. This ardent nature awoke fire beneath the ashes; the proud bearing of the Indian suited the chivalric hidalgo; and then, weary of the Spanish nobles, in whom he no longer had confidence, disgusted with the selfish mestizoes, who wished to aggrandize themselves at his expense, he took a pleasure in turning to that primitive race, who have disputed so valiantly the American soil with the soldiers of Pizarro. According to the intelligence received by the marquis, the Indian passed for dead at Lima; but, looking on his attachment for the Jewess as worse than death itself, the Spaniard resolved doubly to save his guest, by leaving the daughter of Samuel to marry André Certa. While Martin Paz felt an infinite sadness pervade his heart, Don Vegal avoided all allusion to the past, and conversed with the young Indian on indifferent subjects. Meanwhile, one day, saddened by his gloomy preoccupations, the Spaniard said to him: "Why, my friend, do you lower the nobility of your nature by a sentiment so much beneath you? Was not that bold Manco-Capac, whom his patriotism placed in the rank of heroes, your ancestor? There is a noble part left for a valiant man, who will not suffer himself to be overcome by an unworthy passion. Have you no heart to regain your independence?" "We are laboring for this, señor," said the Indian; "and the day when my brethren shall rise -en masse- is perhaps not far distant." "I understand you; you allude to the war for which your brethren are preparing among their mountains; at a signal they will descend on the city, arms in hand--and will be conquered as they have always been! See how your interests will disappear amid these perpetual revolutions of which Peru is the theatre, and which will ruin it entirely, Indians and Spaniards, to the profit of the mestizoes, who are neither." "We will save it ourselves," exclaimed Martin Paz. "Yes, you will save it if you understand how to play your part! Listen to me, Paz, you whom I love from day to day as a son! I say it with grief; but, we Spaniards, the degenerate sons of a powerful race, no longer have the energy necessary to elevate and govern a state. It is therefore yours to triumph over that unhappy Americanism, which tends to reject European colonization. Yes, know that only European emigration can save the old Peruvian empire. Instead of this intestine war which tends to exclude all castes, with the exception of one, frankly extend your hands to the industrious population of the Old World." "The Indians, señor, will always see in strangers an enemy, and will never suffer them to breathe with impunity the air of their mountains. The kind of dominion which I exercise over them will be without effect on the day when I do not swear death to their oppressors, whoever they may be! And, besides, what am I now?" added Martin Paz, with great sadness; "a fugitive who would not have three hours to live in the streets of Lima." "Paz, you must promise me that you will not return thither." "How can I promise you this, Don Vegal? I speak only the truth, and I should perjure myself were I to take an oath to that effect." Don Vegal was silent. The passion of the young Indian increased from day to day; the marquis trembled to see him incur certain death by re-appearing at Lima. He hastened by all his desires, he would have hastened by all his efforts, the marriage of the Jewess! To ascertain himself the state of things he quitted Chorillos one morning, returned to the city, and learned that André Certa had recovered from his wound. His approaching marriage was the topic of general conversation. Don Vegal wished to see this woman whose image troubled the mind of Martin Paz. He repaired, at evening, to the Plaza-Mayor. The crowd was always numerous there. There he met Father Joachim de Camarones, his confessor and his oldest friend; he acquainted him with his mode of life. What was the astonishment of the good father to learn the existence of Martin Paz. He promised Don Vegal to watch also himself over the young Indian, and to convey to the marquis any intelligence of importance. Suddenly the glances of Don Vegal rested on a young girl, enveloped in a black mantle, reclining in a calêche. "Who is that beautiful person?" asked he of the father. "It is the betrothed of André Certa, the daughter of the Jew Samuel." "She! the daughter of the Jew!" The marquis could hardly suppress his astonishment, and, pressing the hand of Father Joachim, pensively took the road to Chorillos. He had just recognized in Sarah, the pretended Jewess, the young girl whom he had seen praying with such Christian fervor, at the church of Santa Anna. CHAPTER V. THE HATRED OF THE INDIANS. Since the Colombian troops, confided by Bolivar to the orders of General Santa Cruz, had been driven from lower Peru, this country, which had been incessantly agitated by -pronunciamentos-, military revolts, had recovered some calmness and tranquillity. In fact, private ambition no longer had any thing to expect; the president Gambarra seemed immovable in his palace of the Plaza-Mayor. In this direction there was nothing to fear; but the true danger, concealed, imminent, was not from these rebellions, as promptly extinguished as kindled, and which seemed to flatter the taste of the Americans for military parades. This unknown peril escaped the eyes of the Spaniards, too lofty to perceive it, and the attention of the mestizoes, who never wished to look beneath them. And yet there was an unusual agitation among the Indians of the city; they often mingled with the -serranos-, the inhabitants of the mountains; these people seemed to have shaken off their natural apathy. Instead of rolling themselves in their -ponchos-, with their feet turned to the spring sun, they were scattered throughout the country, stopping one another, exchanging private signals, and haunting the least frequented -pulperias-, in which they could converse without danger. This movement was principally to be observed on one of the squares remote from the centre of the city. At the corner of a street stood a house, of only one story, whose wretched appearance struck the eye disagreeably. A tavern of the lowest order, a -chingana-, kept by an old Indian woman, offered to the lowest -zambos- the -chica-, beer of fermented maize, and the -quarapo-, a beverage made of the sugar-cane. The concourse of Indians on this square took place only at certain hours, and principally when a long pole was raised on the roof of the inn as a signal of assemblage, then the -zambos- of every profession, the -capataz-, the -arrieros-, muleteers, the -carreteros-, carters, entered the -chingana-, one by one, and immediately disappeared in the great hall; the -padrona- (hostess) seemed very busy, and leaving to her servant the care of the shop, hastened to serve herself her usual customers. A few days after the disappearance of Martin Paz, there was a numerous assembly in the hall of the inn; one could scarcely through the darkness, rendered still more obscure by the tobacco-smoke, distinguish the frequenters of this tavern. Fifty Indians were ranged around a long table; some were chewing the -coca-, a kind of tea-leaf, mingled with a little piece of fragrant earth called -manubi-; others were drinking from large pots of fermented maize; but these occupations did not distract their attention, and they were closely listening to the speech of an Indian. This was the Sambo, whose fixed eyes were strangely wild. He was clad as on the Plaza-Mayor. After having carefully observed his auditors, the Sambo commenced in these terms: "The children of the Sun can converse on grave affairs; there is no perfidious ear to hear them; on the square, some of our friends, disguised as street-singers, will attract the attention of the passers-by, and we shall enjoy entire liberty." In fact the tones of a mandoline and of a -viguela- were echoing without. The Indians within, knowing themselves in safety, lent therefore close attention to the words of the Sambo, in whom they placed entire confidence. "What news can the Sambo give us of Martin Paz?" asked an Indian. "None--is he dead or not? The Great Spirit only knows. I am expecting some of our brethren, who have descended the river to its mouth, perhaps they will have found the body of Martin Paz." "He was a good chief," said Manangani, a ferocious Indian, much dreaded; "but why was he not at his post on the day when the schooner brought us arms?" The Sambo cast down his head without reply. "Did not my brethren know," resumed Manangani, "that there was an exchange of shots between the -Annonciation- and the custom-house officers, and that the capture of the vessel would have ruined our projects of conspiracy?" A murmur of approbation received the words of the Indian. "Those of my brethren who will wait before they judge will be the beloved of my heart," resumed the Sambo; "who knows whether my son Martin Paz will not one day re-appear? Listen now; the arms which have been sent us from Sechura are in our power; they are concealed in the mountains of the Cordilleras, and ready to do their office when you shall be prepared to do your duty." "And what delays us?" said a young Indian; "we have sharpened our knives and are waiting." "Let the hour come," said the Sambo; "do my brethren know what enemy their arms should strike first?" "Those mestizoes who treat us as slaves, and strike us with the hand and whip, like restive mules." "These are the monopolizers of the riches of the soil, who will not suffer us to purchase a little comfort for our old age." "You are mistaken; and your first blows must be struck elsewhere," said the Sambo, growing animated; "these are not the men who have dared for three hundred years past to tread the soil of our ancestors; it is not these rich men gorged with gold who have dragged to the tomb the sons of Manco-Capac; no, it is these proud Spaniards whom Fate has thrust on our independent shores! These are the true conquerors of whom you are the true slaves! If they have no longer wealth, they have authority; and, in spite of Peruvian emancipation, they crush and trample upon our natural rights. Let us forget what we are, to remember what our fathers have been!" "-Anda! anda!-" exclaimed the assembly, with stamps of approbation. After a few moments of silence, the Sambo assured himself, by interrogating various conspirators, that the friends of Cusco and of all Bolivia were ready to strike as a single man. Then, resuming with fire: "And our brethren of the mountains, brave Manangani, if they have all a heart of hatred equal to thine, a courage equal to thine, they will fall on Lima like an avalanche from the summit of the Cordilleras." "The Sambo shall not complain of their boldness on the day appointed. Let the Indian leave the city, he shall not go far without seeing throng around him -zambos- burning for vengeance! In the gorges of San Cristoval and the Amancaës, more than one is couched on his -poncho-, with his poignard at his girdle, waiting until a long carbine shall be confided to his skillful hand. They also have not forgotten that they have to revenge on the vain Spaniards the defeat of Manco-Capac." "Well said! Manangani; it is the god of hatred who speaks from thy mouth. My brethren shall know before long him whom their chiefs have chosen to lead this great vengeance. President Gambarra is seeking only to consolidate his power; Bolivar is afar, Santa Cruz has been driven away; we can act with certainty. In a few days, the fête of the Amancaës will summon our oppressors to pleasure; then, let each be ready to march, and let the news be carried to the most remote villages of Bolivia." At this moment three Indians entered the great hall. The Sambo hastened to meet them. "Well?" said he to them. "The body of Martin Paz has not been recovered; we have sounded the river in every direction; our most skillful divers have explored it with religious care, and the son of the Sambo cannot have perished in the waters of the Rimac." "Have they killed him? What has become of him? Oh! wo, wo to them if they have killed my son! Let my brethren separate in silence; let each return to his post, look, watch and wait!" The Indians went out and dispersed; the Sambo alone remained with Manangani, who asked him: "Does the Sambo know what sentiment conducted his son to San Lazaro? The Sambo, I trust, is sure of his son?" The eyes of the Indian flashed, and the blood mounted to his cheek. The ferocious Manangani recoiled. But the Indian controlled himself, and said: "If Martin Paz has betrayed his brethren, I will first kill all those to whom he has given his friendship, all those to whom he has given his love! Then I will kill him, and myself afterward, that nothing may be left beneath the sun of an infamous, and dishonored race." At this moment, the -padrona- opened the door of the room, advanced toward the Sambo, and handed him a billet directed to his address. "Who gave you this?" said he. "I do not know; this paper may have been designedly forgotten by a -chica--drinker. I found it on the table." "Have there been any but Indians here?" "There have been none but Indians." The -padrona- went out; the Sambo unfolded the billet, and read aloud: "A young girl has prayed for the return of Martin Paz, for she has not forgotten that the young Indian protected her and risked his life for her. If the Sambo has any news of his poor son, or any hope of finding him, let him surround his arm with a red handkerchief; there are eyes which see him pass daily." The Sambo crushed the billet in his hand. "The unhappy boy," said he, "has suffered himself to be caught by the eyes of a woman." "Who is this woman?" asked Manangani. "It is not an Indian," replied the Sambo, observing the billet; "it is some young girl of the other classes. Martin Paz, I no longer know thee!" "Shall you do what this woman requests?" "No," replied the Indian, violently; "let her lose all hope of seeing him again; let her die, if she will." And the Sambo tore the billet in a rage. "It must have been an Indian who brought this billet," observed Manangani. "Oh, it cannot have been one of ours! He must have known that I often came to this inn, but I will set my foot in it no more. We have occupied ourselves long enough with trifling affairs," resumed he, coldly; "let my brother return to the mountains; I will remain to watch over the city. We shall see whether the fête of the Amancaës will be joyous for the oppressors or the oppressed!" The two Indians separated. The plan of the conspiracy was well conceived and the hour of its execution well chosen. Peru, almost depopulated, counted only a small number of Spaniards and mestizoes. The invasion of the Indians, gathered from every direction, from the forests of Brazil, as well as the mountains of Chili and the plains of La Plata, would cover the theatre of war with a formidable army. The great cities, like Lima, Cusco, Puña, might be utterly destroyed; and it was not to be expected that the Colombian troops, so recently driven away by the Peruvian government, would come to the assistance of their enemies in peril. This social overturn might therefore have succeeded, if the secret had remained buried in the hearts of the Indians, and there surely could not be traitors among them? But they were ignorant that a man had obtained private audience of the President Gambarra. This man informed him that the schooner -Annonciation- had been captured from him by Indian pirates! That it had been laden with arms of all sorts; that canoes had unloaded it at the mouth of the Rimac; and he claimed a high indemnity for the service he thus rendered to the Peruvian government. And yet this man had let his vessel to the agents of the Sambo; he had received for it a considerable sum, and had come to sell the secret which he had surprised. By these traits the reader will recognize the Jew Samuel. CHAPTER VI. THE BETROTHAL. André Certa, entirely recovered, sure of the death of Martin Paz, pressed his marriage: he was impatient to parade the young and beautiful Jewess through the streets of Lima. Sarah constantly manifested toward him a haughty indifference; but he cared not for it, considering her as an article of sale, for which he had paid a hundred thousand piasters. And yet André Certa suspected the Jew, and with good reason; if the contract was dishonorable, the contractors were still more so. So the mestizo wished to have a secret interview with Samuel, and took him one day to the Baths of Chorillos. He was not sorry, besides, to try the chances of play before his wedding: public gaming, prohibited at Lima, is perfectly tolerated elsewhere. The passion of the Limanian ladies and gentlemen for this hazardous amusement is singular and irresistible. The games were open some days before the arrival of the Marquis Don Vegal; thenceforth there was a perpetual movement of the populace on the road from Lima: some came on foot, who returned in carriages; others were about to risk and lose the last remnants of their fortunes. Don Vegal and Martin Paz took no part in these exciting pleasures. The reveries of the young Indian had more noble causes; he was thinking of Sarah and of his benefactor. The concourse of the Limanians to the Baths of Chorillos was without danger for him; little known by the inhabitants of the city, like all the mountain Indians he easily concealed himself from all eyes. After his evening walk with the marquis, Martin Paz would return to his room, and leaning his elbow on the window, pass long hours in allowing his tumultuous thoughts to wander over the Pacific Ocean. Don Vegal lodged in a neighboring chamber, and guarded him with paternal tenderness. The Spaniard always remembered the daughter of Samuel, whom he had so unexpectedly seen at prayer in the Catholic temple. But he had not dared to confide this important secret to Martin Paz while instructing him by degrees in Christian truths; he feared to re-animate sentiments which he wished to extinguish--for the poor Indian, unknown and proscribed, must renounce all hope of happiness! Father Joachim kept Don Vegal informed of the progress of affairs: the police had at last ceased to trouble themselves about Martin Paz; and with time and the influence of his protector, the Indian, become a man of merit and capable of great things, might one day take rank in the highest Peruvian society. Weary of the uncertainty into which his incognito plunged him, Paz resolved to know what had become of the young Jewess. Thanks to his Spanish costume, he could glide into a gaming-saloon, and listen to the conversation of its various frequenters. André Certa was a man of so much importance, that his marriage, if it was approaching, would be the subject of conversation. One evening, instead of directing his steps toward the sea, the Indian climbed over the high rocks on which the principal habitations of Chorillos are built; a house, fronted by broad stone steps, struck his eyes--he entered it without noise. The day had been hard for many of the wealthy Limanians; some among them, exhausted with the fatigues of the preceding night, were reposing on the ground, wrapped in their -ponchos-. Other players were seated before a large green table, divided into four compartments by two lines, which intersected each other at the centre in right angles; on each of these compartments were the first letters of the words -azar- and -suerte-, (chance and fate,) A and S. At this moment, the parties of the -monte- were animated; a mestizo was pursuing the unfavorable chance with feverish ardor. "Two thousand piasters!" exclaimed he. The banker shook the dice, and the player burst into imprecations. "Four thousand piasters!" said he, again. And he lost once more. Martin Paz, protected by the obscurity of the saloon, could look the player in the face, and he turned pale. It was André Certa! Near him, was standing the Jew Samuel. "You have played enough, Señor André," said Samuel to him; "the luck is not for you." "What business is it of yours?" replied the mestizo, roughly. Samuel bent down to his ear. "If it is not my business, it is your business to break off these habits during the days which precede your marriage." "Eight thousand piasters!" resumed André Certa. He lost again: the mestizo suppressed a curse and the banker resumed--"Play on!" André Certa, drawing from his pocket some bills, was about to have hazarded a considerable sum; he had even deposited it on one of the tables, and the banker, shaking his dice, was about to have decided its fate, when a sign from Samuel stopped him short. The Jew bent again to the ear of the mestizo, and said-- "If nothing remains to you to conclude our bargain, it shall be broken off this evening!" André Certa shrugged his shoulders, took up his money, and went out. "Continue now," said Samuel to the banker; "you may ruin this gentleman after his marriage." The banker bowed submissively. The Jew Samuel was the founder and proprietor of the games of Chorillos. Wherever there was a -real- to be made this man was to be met with. He followed the mestizo; and finding him on the stone steps, said to him-- "I have secrets of importance to communicate. Where can we converse in safety?" "Wherever you please," replied Certa, roughly. "Señor, let not your passions ruin your prospects. I would neither confide my secret to the most carefully closed chambers, nor the most lonely plains. If you pay me dearly for it, it is because it is worth telling and worth keeping." As they spoke thus, these two men had reached the sea, near the cabins destined for the use of the bathers. They knew not that they were seen, heard and watched by Martin Paz, who glided like a serpent in the shadow. "Let us take a canoe," said André, "and go out into the open sea; the sharks may, perhaps, show themselves discreet." André detached from the shore a little boat, and threw some money to its guardian. Samuel embarked with him, and the mestizo pushed off. He vigorously plied two flexible oars, which soon took them a mile from the shore. But as he saw the canoe put off, Martin Paz, concealed in a crevice of the rock, hastily undressed, and precipitating himself into the sea, swam vigorously toward the boat. The sun had just buried his last rays in the waves of the ocean, and darkness hovered over the crests of the waves. Martin Paz had not once reflected that sharks of the most dangerous species frequented these fatal shores. He stopped not far from the boat of the mestizo, and listened. "-But what proof of the identity of the daughter shall I carry to the father?-" asked André Certa of the Jew. "You will recall to him the circumstances under which he lost her." "What were these circumstances?" Martin Paz, now scarcely above the waves, listened without understanding. In a girdle attached to his body, he had a poignard; he waited. "Her father," said the Jew, "lived at Concencion, in Chili: he was then the great nobleman he is now; only his fortune equalled his nobility. Obliged to come to Lima on business, he set out alone, leaving at Concencion his wife, and child aged fifteen months. The climate of Peru agreed with him, and he sent for the marchioness to rejoin him. She embarked on the -San-José- of Valparaiso, with her confidential servants. "I was going to Peru in the same ship. The -San-José- was about to enter the harbor of Lima; but, near Juan Fernandez, was struck by a terrific hurricane, which disabled her and threw her on her side--it was the affair of half an hour. The -San-José- filled with water and was slowly sinking; the passengers and crew took refuge in the boat, but at sight of the furious waves, the marchioness refused to enter it; she pressed her infant in her arms, and remained in the ship. I remained with her--the boat was swallowed up at a hundred fathoms from the -San-José-, with all her crew. We were alone--the tempest blew with increasing violence. As my fortune was not on board, I had nothing to lose. The -San-José-, having five feet of water in her hold, drifted on the rocks of the shore, where she broke to pieces. The young woman was thrown into the sea with her daughter: fortunately, for me," said the Jew, with a gloomy smile, "I could seize the child, and reach the shore with it." "All these details are exact?" "Perfectly so. The father will recognize them. I had done a good day's work, señor; since she is worth to me the hundred thousand piasters which you are about to pay me. Now, let the marriage take place to-morrow." "What does this mean?" asked Martin Paz of himself, still swimming in the shadow. "Here is my pocket-book, with the hundred thousand piasters--take it, Master Samuel," replied André Certa to the Jew. "Thanks, Señor André," said the Israelite, seizing the treasure; "take this receipt in exchange--I pledge myself to restore you double this sum, if you do not become a member of one of the proudest families of Spain." But the Indian had not heard this last sentence; he had dived to avoid the approach of the boat, and his eyes could see a shapeless mass gliding rapidly toward him. He thought it was the canoe--he was mistaken. It was a -tintorea-; a shark of the most ferocious species. Martin Paz did not quail, or he would have been lost. The animal approached him--the Indian dived; but he was obliged to come up, in order to breathe.... He looked at the sky, as if he was never to behold it again. The stars sparkled above his head; the -tintorea- continued to approach. A vigorous blow with his tail struck the swimmer; Martin Paz felt his slimy scales brush his breast. The shark, in order to snatch at him, turned on his back and opened his jaws, armed with a triple row of teeth. Martin Paz saw the white belly of the animal gleam beneath the wave, and with a rapid hand struck it with his poignard. Suddenly he found the waters around him red with blood. He dived--came up again at ten fathoms' distance--thought of the daughter of Samuel; and seeing nothing more of the boat of the mestizo, regained the shore in a few strokes, already forgetting that he had just escaped death. He quickly rejoined Don Vegal. The latter, not having found him on his return, was anxiously awaiting him. Paz made no allusion to his recent adventures; but seemed to take a lively pleasure in his conversation. But the next day Martin Paz had left Chorillos, and Don Vegal, tortured with anxiety, hastily returned to Lima. The marriage of André Certa with the daughter of the wealthy Samuel, was an important event. The beautiful señoras had not given themselves a moment's rest; they had exhausted their ingenuity to invent some pretty corsage or novel head-dress; they had wearied themselves in trying without cessation the most varied toilets. Numerous preparations were also going on in the house of Samuel; it was a part of the Jew's plan to give great publicity to the marriage of Sarah. The frescoes which adorned his dwelling according to the Spanish custom, had been newly painted; the richest hangings fell in large folds at the windows and doors of the habitation. Furniture carved in the latest fashion, of precious or fragrant wood, was crowded in vast saloons, impregnated with a delicious coolness. Rare shrubs, the productions of warm countries, seized the eye with their splendid colors, and one would have thought Spring had stolen along the balconies and terraces, to inundate them with flowers and perfumes. Meanwhile, amid these smiling marvels, the young girl was weeping; Sarah no longer had hope, since the Sambo had none; and the Sambo had no hope, since he wore no sign of hope! The negro Liberta had watched the steps of the old Indian; he had seen nothing. Ah! if the poor child could have followed the impulses of her heart, she would have immured herself in one of those tranquil -beaterios-, to die there amid tears and prayer. Urged by an irresistible attraction to the doctrines of Catholicism, the young Jewess had been secretly converted; by the cares of the good Father Joachim, she had been won over to a religion more in accordance with her feelings than that in which she had been educated. If Samuel had destined her for a Jew, she would have avowed her faith; but, about to espouse a Catholic, she reserved for her husband the secret of her conversion. Father Joachim, in order to avoid scandal, and besides, better read in his breviary than in the human heart, had suffered Sarah to believe in the death of Martin Paz. The conversion of the young girl was the most important thing to him; he saw it assured by her union with André Certa, and he sought to accustom her to the idea of this marriage, the conditions of which he was far from respecting. At last the day so joyous for some, so sad for others, had arrived. André Certa had invited the entire city to his nuptials; his invitations were refused by the noble families, who excused themselves on various pretexts. The mestizo, meanwhile, proudly held up his head, and scarcely looked at those of his own class. The little Milleflores in vain essayed his humblest vows; but he consoled himself with the idea that he was about to figure as an active party in the repast which was to follow. In the meantime, the young mestizoes were discoursing with him in the brilliant saloons of the Jew, and the crowd of guests thronged around André Certa, who proudly displayed the splendors of his toilet. The contract was soon to be signed; the sun had long been set, and the young girl had not appeared. Doubtless she was discussing with her duenna and her maids the place of a ribbon or the choice of an ornament. Perhaps, that enchanting timidity which so beautifully adorns the cheeks of a young girl, detained her still from their inquisitive regards. The Jew Samuel seemed a prey to secret uneasiness; André Certa bent his brow in an impatient manner; a sort of embarrassment was depicted on the countenance of more than one guest, while the thousand of wax-lights, reflected by the mirrors, filled the saloon with dazzling splendor. Without, a man was wandering in mortal anxiety; it was the Marquis Don Vegal. CHAPTER VII. ALL INTERESTS AT STAKE. Meanwhile, Sarah was left alone, alone with her anguish and her grief! She was about to give up her whole life to a man whom she did not love! She leaned over the perfumed balcony of her chamber, which overlooked the interior gardens. Through the green jalousies, her ear listened to the sounds of the slumbering country. Her lace mantle, gliding over her arms, revealed a profusion of diamonds sparkling on her shoulders. Her sorrow, proud and majestic, appeared through all her ornaments, and she might have been taken for one of those beautiful Greek slaves, nobly draped in their antique garments. Suddenly her glance rested on a man who was gliding silently among the avenues of the magnolia; she recognized him; it was Liberta, her servant. He seemed to be watching some invisible enemy, now sheltering himself behind a statue, now crouching on the ground. Sarah was afraid, and looked around her. She was alone, entirely alone. Her eyes rested on the gardens, and she became pale, paler still! Before her was transpiring a terrible scene. Liberta was in the grasp of a man of tall stature, who had thrown him down; stifled sighs proved that a robust hand was pressing the lips of the Indian. The young girl, summoning all her courage, was about to cry out, when she saw the two men rise! The negro was looking fixedly at his adversary. "It is you, then! it is you!" exclaimed he. And he followed this man in a strange stupefaction. They arrived beneath the balcony of Sarah. Suddenly, before she had time to utter a cry, Martin Paz appeared to her, like a phantom from another world; and, like the negro when overthrown by the Indian, the young girl, bending before the glance of Martin Paz, could in her turn only repeat these words, "It is you, then! it is you!" The young Indian fixed on her his motionless eyes, and said: "Does the betrothed hear the sound of the festival? The guests are thronging into the saloons to see happiness radiate from her countenance! Is it then a victim, prepared for the sacrifice, who is about to present herself to their impatient eyes? Is it with these features, pale with sorrow, with eyes in which sparkle bitter tears, that the young girl is to appear herself before her betrothed?" Martin Paz spoke thus, in a tone full of sympathizing sadness, and Sarah listened vaguely as to those harmonies which we hear in dreams! The young Indian resumed with infinite sweetness: "Since the soul of the young girl is in mourning, let her look beyond the house of her father, beyond the city where she suffers and weeps; beyond the mountains, the palm-trees lift up their heads in freedom, the birds strike the air with an independent wing; men have immensity to live in, and the young girls may unfold their spirits and their hearts!" Sarah raised her head toward Martin Paz. The Indian had drawn himself up to his full height, and with his arm extended toward the summits of the Cordilleras, was pointing out to the young girl the path to liberty. Sarah felt herself constrained by an irresistible force. Already the sound of voices reached her; they approached her chamber; her father was undoubtedly about to enter; perhaps her lover would accompany him! The Indian suddenly extinguished the lamp suspended above his head. A whistling, similar to the cry of the -cilguero-, and reminding one of that heard on the Plaza-Mayor, pierced the silent darkness of night; the young girl swooned. The door opened hastily; Samuel and André Certa entered. The darkness was profound; some servants ran with torches. The chamber was empty. "Death and fury!" exclaimed the mestizo. "Where is she?" asked Samuel. "You are responsible for her," said André, brutally. At these words, the Jew felt a cold sweat freeze even his bones. "Help! help!" he exclaimed. And, followed by his domestics, he sprang out of the house. Martin Paz fled rapidly through the streets of the city. The negro Liberta followed him; but did not appear disposed to dispute with him the possession of the young girl. At two hundred paces from the dwelling of the Jew, Paz found some Indians of his companions, who had assembled at the whistle uttered by him. "To our mountain -ranchos-!" exclaimed he. "To the house of the Marquis Don Vegal!" said another voice behind him. Martin Paz turned; the Spaniard was at his side. "Will you not confide this young girl to me?" asked the marquis. The Indian bent his head, and said in a low voice to his companions: "To the dwelling of the Marquis Don Vegal!" They turned their steps in this direction. An extreme confusion reigned then in the saloons of the Jew. The news of Sarah's disappearance was a thunderbolt; the friends of André hastened to follow him. The -faubourg- of San Lazaro was explored, hastily searched; but nothing could be discovered. Samuel tore his hair in despair. During the whole night the most active research was useless. "Martin Paz is living!" exclaimed André Certa, in a moment of fury. And the presentiment quickly acquired confirmation. The police were immediately informed of the elopement; its most active agents bestirred themselves; the Indians were closely watched, and if the retreat of the young girl was not discovered, evident proofs of an approaching revolt came to light, which accorded with the denunciations of the Jew. André Certa lavished gold freely, but could learn nothing. Meanwhile, the gate-keepers declared that they had seen no person leave Lima; the young girl must therefore be concealed in the city. Liberta, who returned to his master, was often interrogated; but no person seemed more astonished than himself at the elopement of Sarah. Meanwhile, one man besides André Certa had seen in the disappearance of the young Jewess, a proof of the existence of Martin Paz; it was the Sambo. He was wandering in the streets of Lima, when the cry uttered by the Indian fixed his attention; it was a signal of rally well known to him! The Sambo was therefore a spectator of the capture of the young girl, and followed her to the dwelling of the marquis. The Spaniard entered by a secret door, of which he alone had the key; so that his domestics suspected nothing. Martin Paz carried the young girl in his arms and laid her on a bed. When Don Vegal, who had returned to re-enter by the principal door, reached the chamber where Sarah was reposing, he found Martin Paz kneeling beside her. The marquis was about to reproach the Indian with his conduct, when the latter said to him: "You see, my father, whether I love you! Ah! why did you throw yourself in my way? We should have been already free in our mountains. But how, should I not have obeyed your words?" Don Vegal knew not what to reply, his heart was seized with a powerful emotion. He felt how much he was beloved by Martin Paz. "The day on which Sarah shall quit your dwelling to be restored to her father and her betrothed," sighed the Indian, "you will have a son and a friend less in the world." As he said these last words, Paz moistened with his tears the hand of Don Vegal. They were the first tears this man had shed! The reproaches of Don Vegal died away before this respectful submission. The young girl had become his guest; she was sacred! He could not help admiring Sarah, still in a swoon; he was prepared to love her, of whose conversion he had been a witness, and whom he would have been pleased to bestow as a companion upon the young Indian. It was then that, on opening her eyes, Sarah found herself in the presence of a stranger. "Where am I?" said she, with a sentiment of terror. "With a generous man who has permitted me to call him my father," replied Martin Paz, pointing to the Spaniard. The young girl, restored by the voice of the Indian to a consciousness of her position, covered her face with her trembling hands, and began to sob. "Withdraw, friend," said Don Vegal to the young man; "withdraw." Martin Paz slowly left the room, not without having pressed the hand of the Spaniard, and cast on Sarah a lingering look. Then Don Vegal bestowed upon this poor child consolations of exquisite delicacy; he conveyed in suitable language his sentiments of nobility and honor. Attentive and resigned, the young girl comprehended what danger she had escaped; and she confided her future happiness to the care of the Spaniard. But amid phrases interrupted by sighs and mingled with tears, Don Vegal perceived the intense attachment of this simple heart for him whom she called her deliverer. He induced Sarah to take some repose, and watched over her with the solicitude of a father. Martin Paz comprehended the duties that honor required of him, and, in spite of perils and dangers, would not pass the night beneath the roof of Don Vegal. He therefore went out; his head was burning, his blood was boiling with fever in his veins. He had not gone a hundred paces in the street, when five or six men threw themselves upon him, and, notwithstanding his obstinate defense, succeeded in binding him. Martin Paz uttered a cry of despair, which was lost in the night. He believed himself in the power of his enemies, and gave a last thought to the young girl. A short time afterward the Indian was deposited in a room. The bandage which had covered his eyes was taken off. He looked around him, and saw himself in the lower hall of that tavern where his brethren had organized their approaching revolt. , , 1 . , 2 . 3 4 , 5 . 6 ; . 7 8 " ' ? " . 9 10 " . " 11 12 " ! ! , 13 , . " 14 15 " , " , 16 ; " 17 . " 18 19 " ! , - - 20 ; , 21 . " 22 23 " ? " 24 25 26 . , , 27 , , . 28 29 " ! ! ? 30 ! , , 31 . 32 ? 33 ! , , 34 . , , 35 , . 36 . 37 , ; - - - - " 38 39 " , " , , 40 " ? " 41 42 " , ! " 43 44 " . 45 , 46 . ? " 47 48 " , , , , 49 , . " 50 51 , , 52 . 53 54 " , , 55 ; , ; 56 - - . 57 , ? " 58 59 " , , 60 . . " 61 62 " ? " . 63 64 , . 65 66 " ! " , " , 67 ! ! , 68 . " 69 70 , , 71 , . 72 73 " ? " . 74 75 " , . " 76 77 " ! " , . 78 79 , : 80 81 " , - - , ! " 82 83 , , , , 84 , . 85 86 . 87 ; 88 . , 89 , . 90 , , 91 , 92 . 93 94 ; 95 , - , 96 . 97 98 , 99 , 100 ; . 101 , 102 103 ; , 104 . 105 106 . 107 , 108 ; 109 ; , 110 , 111 . , 112 , , 113 , . , 114 , 115 . 116 117 , 118 . 119 ; 120 ; , , 121 , , 122 , 123 , 124 . 125 126 , 127 ; , 128 , , 129 . 130 131 , 132 , 133 . 134 135 , , , 136 : 137 138 " , , 139 ? - , 140 , ? 141 , 142 . ? " 143 144 " , , " ; " 145 - - . " 146 147 " ; 148 ; 149 , - - ! 150 151 , , 152 , , . " 153 154 " , " . 155 156 " , ! 157 , , ! 158 ; , , , 159 . 160 , 161 . , 162 . 163 , , 164 . " 165 166 " , , , 167 . 168 169 , 170 ! , , ? " , 171 ; " 172 . " 173 174 " , . " 175 176 " , ? , 177 . " 178 179 . 180 ; 181 - . , 182 , ! 183 184 185 , , 186 . 187 . 188 189 190 . , , - . 191 . , 192 ; 193 . 194 . 195 , 196 . 197 198 , 199 , . 200 201 " ? " . 202 203 " , . " 204 205 " ! ! " 206 207 , , 208 , . 209 210 , , 211 , 212 . 213 214 215 216 217 . 218 219 . 220 221 222 , 223 , , , 224 - - , , 225 . 226 227 , ; 228 - . 229 ; , 230 , , , 231 , 232 . 233 234 , 235 , , 236 . 237 238 ; 239 - - , 240 ; . 241 - - , 242 , , 243 , , 244 - - , . 245 246 247 . 248 , , 249 . 250 251 , - - , , 252 - - - - , , 253 - - , - . 254 255 256 , 257 , - - , 258 - - , - - , , - - , , 259 - - , , 260 ; - - ( ) , 261 , 262 . 263 264 , 265 ; 266 , - , 267 . 268 ; - - , - , 269 - - ; 270 ; 271 , 272 . 273 274 , . 275 - . 276 277 , 278 : 279 280 " ; 281 ; , , 282 - , 283 - , . " 284 285 - - 286 . 287 288 , , 289 , 290 . 291 292 " ? " . 293 294 " - - ? . 295 , , 296 . " 297 298 " , " , , ; 299 " 300 ? " 301 302 . 303 304 " , " , " 305 - - - 306 , 307 ? " 308 309 . 310 311 " 312 , " ; " 313 - ? ; 314 ; 315 , 316 . " 317 318 " ? " ; " 319 . " 320 321 " , " ; " 322 ? " 323 324 " , 325 , . " 326 327 " , 328 . " 329 330 " ; , " 331 , ; " 332 ; 333 334 - ; , 335 ! 336 ! , ; 337 , , 338 . , 339 ! " 340 341 " - ! ! - " , . 342 343 , , 344 , 345 . 346 347 , : 348 349 " , , 350 , , 351 . " 352 353 " . 354 , 355 - - ! 356 , - - , 357 , 358 . 359 - . " 360 361 " ! ; 362 . 363 . 364 ; , 365 ; . , 366 ; , 367 , 368 . " 369 370 . 371 . 372 373 " ? " . 374 375 " ; 376 ; 377 , 378 . " 379 380 " ? ? ! , 381 ! ; 382 , , ! " 383 384 ; 385 , : 386 387 " ? 388 , , ? " 389 390 , . 391 . 392 393 , : 394 395 " , 396 , 397 ! , , 398 , . " 399 400 , - - , 401 , . 402 403 " ? " . 404 405 " ; 406 - - - . . " 407 408 " ? " 409 410 " . " 411 412 - - ; , : 413 414 " , 415 416 . , 417 , ; 418 . " 419 420 . 421 422 " , " , " 423 . " 424 425 " ? " . 426 427 " , " , ; " 428 . , 429 ! " 430 431 " ? " 432 433 " , " , ; " 434 ; , . " 435 436 . 437 438 " , " 439 . 440 441 " , ! 442 , . 443 , " , ; " 444 ; 445 . 446 ! " 447 448 . 449 450 451 . , , 452 . , 453 , , 454 , 455 . , , , , 456 ; 457 , , 458 . 459 460 , 461 , 462 ? 463 464 465 . 466 - - ! 467 ; 468 ; 469 . 470 471 ; 472 , 473 . 474 475 . 476 477 478 479 480 . 481 482 . 483 484 485 , , , 486 : 487 . 488 489 ; 490 , , 491 . 492 493 , ; 494 , . 495 , 496 . 497 498 , , 499 : , , 500 . 501 . 502 503 504 ; 505 : , ; 506 . 507 508 . 509 ; 510 . 511 512 513 ; , 514 . 515 516 , 517 , , 518 . 519 , 520 . 521 522 , 523 . 524 525 ; - 526 - - , , 527 ! 528 : 529 ; 530 , , 531 , . 532 533 , 534 . 535 , - , 536 . 537 , , , 538 . 539 540 , , 541 542 ; , , 543 - - . 544 545 ; 546 , , 547 , - - . 548 549 , 550 , 551 ; 552 - - - - , ( , ) . 553 554 , - - ; 555 . 556 557 " ! " . 558 559 , . 560 561 " ! " , . . 562 563 , , 564 , . 565 566 ! 567 568 , . 569 570 " , , " ; " 571 . " 572 573 " ? " , . 574 575 . 576 577 " , 578 . " 579 580 " ! " . 581 582 : 583 - - " ! " 584 585 , , 586 ; 587 , , , 588 , . 589 , - - 590 591 " , 592 ! " 593 594 , , . 595 596 " , " ; " 597 . " 598 599 . 600 . - - 601 . 602 603 ; , 604 - - 605 606 " . 607 ? " 608 609 " , " , . 610 611 " , . 612 , 613 . , 614 . " 615 616 , , 617 . , 618 , 619 . 620 621 " , " , " ; 622 , , . " 623 624 , 625 . , . 626 , 627 . 628 629 , , 630 , , , 631 . 632 633 , 634 . 635 636 637 . 638 , . 639 640 " - 641 ? - " . 642 643 " . " 644 645 " ? " 646 647 , , 648 . , ; 649 . 650 651 " , " , " , : 652 ; . 653 , , 654 , . 655 , . 656 - - - , 657 . 658 659 " . - - - 660 ; , , 661 , - - 662 . - - - 663 ; , 664 , ; 665 , . 666 - - - - - , 667 . - - 668 . , . 669 - - - , , 670 , . 671 : , , " , 672 , " , . " 673 674 " ? " 675 676 " . . ' 677 , ; 678 . , 679 - . " 680 681 " ? " , 682 . 683 684 " - , - - , 685 , " . 686 687 " , , " , ; " 688 - - 689 , 690 . " 691 692 ; 693 , 694 . - - 695 . 696 697 - - ; . 698 699 , . 700 - - ; , 701 . . . . , 702 . ; - - 703 . ; 704 . , 705 , , 706 . 707 , . 708 709 . - - 710 ' - - ; 711 , 712 , . 713 714 . , 715 , . 716 ; . 717 718 , , 719 , . 720 721 , 722 . 723 ' ; 724 - ; 725 . 726 727 ; 728 ' 729 . 730 , ; 731 . 732 , , 733 , . , 734 , 735 , 736 , . 737 738 , , ; 739 , ; , 740 ! 741 ; . ! 742 , 743 - - , . 744 745 , 746 ; 747 , 748 . 749 , ; , 750 , 751 . 752 753 , , , 754 , 755 . 756 ; , 757 , 758 . 759 760 , , . 761 ; 762 , 763 . , , , 764 . 765 ; 766 . 767 768 , 769 , 770 , . 771 772 ; , 773 . 774 775 776 . , 777 , 778 . 779 780 ; 781 ; 782 , - , 783 , . 784 785 , ; 786 . 787 788 789 790 791 . 792 793 . 794 795 796 , , ! 797 ! 798 , 799 . , 800 . , 801 , . 802 , , , 803 , 804 . 805 806 807 ; ; , 808 . , 809 , . 810 811 , . , . 812 , , ! 813 . 814 , ; 815 . 816 817 , , , 818 ! 819 . 820 821 " , ! ! " . 822 823 . 824 . , , 825 , ; , 826 , , 827 , , 828 829 " , ! ! " 830 831 , : 832 833 " ? 834 835 ! , , 836 ? 837 , , , 838 ? " 839 840 , , 841 ! 842 843 : 844 845 " , 846 , ; 847 , - , 848 ; 849 , ! " 850 851 . 852 , 853 , . 854 855 . 856 ; ; 857 ; ! 858 . 859 , - - , 860 - , ; 861 . 862 863 ; . 864 ; . . 865 866 " ! " . 867 868 " ? " . 869 870 " , " , . 871 872 , . 873 874 " ! ! " . 875 876 , , . 877 878 . 879 ; 880 . 881 882 , 883 , 884 . 885 886 " - - ! " . 887 888 " ! " . 889 890 ; . 891 892 " ? " . 893 894 , : 895 896 " ! " 897 898 . 899 900 . 901 ' ; 902 . - - , 903 ; . 904 . . 905 906 " ! " , . 907 908 . 909 ; 910 ; , 911 , 912 , . 913 914 , . , 915 - ; 916 . 917 918 , , ; 919 . 920 921 , 922 , ; 923 . , 924 ; 925 ! 926 , . 927 928 , ; 929 . 930 . 931 932 , - , 933 , 934 . 935 , : 936 937 " , , ! ! 938 ? . , 939 ? " 940 941 , 942 . . 943 944 " 945 , " , " 946 . " 947 948 , 949 . ! 950 951 . 952 ; ! 953 , ; , 954 , 955 . 956 957 , , 958 . 959 960 " ? " , . 961 962 " , " 963 , . 964 965 , 966 , , 967 . 968 969 " , , " ; " . " 970 971 , 972 , . 973 974 975 ; 976 . , 977 ; 978 . 979 , 980 . 981 , . 982 983 , , 984 , 985 . 986 987 ; , 988 . 989 990 , 991 , , , 992 . , 993 . , 994 . 995 996 . 997 . , 998 999 . 1000