"I think I have it," I said. "Calatayud is an out-of-the-way place with not many police, and probably the men wired for by Rubio will be soldiers—much easier folk to fool. Rubio will reckon that we have no suspicion of his intentions, and will simply have wired to have the men at the station to await his instructions. We’ll leave the train as it slows down before entering the station, therefore; and if any attempt is made to interfere with us, we’ll play another scene of this farce of yours—that I’m an escaped Carlist and you’re the police after me. Then we must hustle things through as chance serves, and get horses as quickly as can be." "They’ll be waiting for us at old Tomaso’s," said Cabrera, readily. "Yes, it’ll do. Fortunately we’re well at the back of the train, and there’s a curve through a cutting just before the station that will serve us well; and Tomaso’s isn’t five hundred yards from the top of it. We can slip out, dash up the side of the cutting, and be half-way there before the train pulls up." "And give this brute a whack on the head to keep him silent for a while," put in Garcia, who seemed to have a keener appetite for violence than his really sterner comrade. "It’ll serve no purpose, and may only get us charged with attempting to murder him. There must be no violence," I said, and Cabrera agreed, seeing the force of my words. "We’re close there now," he added; and giving a final look at our prisoner to see that he was securely tied and gagged, we thrust him under the seat and made ready to leave the carriage. The place could not have suited better such a plan as ours. We were in luck, too, for the train slowed down on approaching the curve, so that we were able to leave it quite safely. I jumped out first and sprang rapidly up the high bank, the others following me. I let them catch me up before we reached the top, as I did not, of course, know in which direction to run, and then together we darted off as fast as our legs would carry us. We had only one incident. Having crossed a field we leapt into the road, and almost jumped on the top of a couple of soldiers who were obviously on patrol duty. Up went their guns as they called us to halt. "Now we’ve got you," cried Cabrera, fiercely, clapping his hand on my shoulder. "Tie his hands, Garcia;" and with ready presence of mind he turned to the soldiers and laughed, as he took his hat off and breathed hard. "They’ll want you at the station," he said. "There’s half a trainful of these cursed Carlists, and our chief Rubio, from the capital, has only got a handful of men with him, and is at his wit’s end for help. But he’ll be glad we’ve netted this bird;" and, turning to me, he shook me, cursing and abusing me with voluble violence. The soldiers, completely taken in, lowered their weapons, and were obviously interested in the smart capture. "Who is he?" asked one, with a grin.