These Spanish sentries have little scruples about opening fire upon any suspicious person seen in the act of endeavoring to enter one of their fortifications under the protecting shades of night--scores of wretched reconcentradoes in Cuba thus paid the penalty of rashness or curiosity with their lives. A little close observation told him that in all likelihood the opening had not been made an especial object of surveillance--two slow moving automatons, _yclept_ sentries, in the process of following their beats to a conclusion approached this scene of wreck about once in five minutes, exchanged salutation according to the discipline of the army, indulged in a little good natured chaff, perhaps spoke of the chance of soon beholding the beloved hills of their native land again when the inevitable end came to the dramatic farce old Spain was playing for the benefit of those Frenchmen and others holding five hundred million dollars worth of Cuban bonds--and then wheeling left the spot to darkness and the bats for another spell. It was easy enough to pick out the proper time to begin the climb, but after once starting they found it a trifle more difficult to make progress, for the material under their feet threatened to trip them up, and several times one of them started some of the broken bricks moving in a way that opened the possibility of an avalanche. Thus they had gone but little more than half way when Roderic, believing the time between the meeting of the sentries must have elapsed, whispered to his companion to crouch down and move no more. At this instant a dislodged brick fell with some little clatter down the declivity, and the sound appeared magnified in his ears because of its possible serious results. A Spanish voice called out above, being answered from the opposite side, and Roderic looking up could see the two sentinels plainly outlined, as they stood peering into the gloom below, and indulging in various speculations as to the cause of the sound that had reached their ears. It was a minute of intense suspense, for he had grave fears lest they bombard the spot with broken bricks, in order to satisfy their minds that no secret enemy lurked there. Fortunately just at this moment a zigzag flying bat, creature of the tropics, came whirring out of the gloom below, and actually knocked off one of the sentries' hat, which unexpected incident caused considerable hard words from the man who received the scare, and was greeted with an equal amount of half suppressed laughter from the other quarter. At least, since the hat was saved the incident might be set down as closed--no bricks were fired into the chasm, for which Roderic was devoutly thankful, not merely on his own account, but because he had one under his charge for whose safety he held himself responsible.