Still the ravishers could not be far ahead of us. Not suspecting pursuit, they would have no motive for moving in a hurry; though Carrasco might have one--Mercedes! The horrid thought chilled the blood within my veins, causing me to stride on with nervous impatience. Though the place we were making for was scarce a mile from that we had left, nearly two hours elapsed before we came in sight of it. We did so at length. What we saw was a rude parallelopipedon projected in dark silhouette against the moonlit sky. It was a cabin constructed of hewn tree trunks; very similar to that of the "States," only with a flat terraced roof instead of the slanting cover of "clap-boards." It stood upon the very edge of the abyss, its back being flush with the escarpment of the cliff! Only one aperture appeared on the side towards us--a narrow doorway, with a door upon it; which, as we came within sight, appeared to be shut. Presently it was opened from the inside--letting out a stream of light that scattered over the cleared track in front. On this we could distinguish the figures of several men, hitherto unseen under the shadow of the walls. The logs were in juxta-position, as if carefully "chinked" to keep out the cold: for the dwelling was situated on the extreme limits of the _tierra fria_. While the door remained open we could see a number of men moving inside, and in their midst the loosely dressed form of a woman. A white scarf floated among the darker drapery of cloaks and _jaquetas_. The robbers appeared to have just arrived. We knew they could not have been there long. Those inside the hut were hurrying to and fro--some carrying torches that appeared recently ignited. The party without had commenced kindling a fire, that soon blazed up, throwing its red glare athwart the grey pine-trees; a grove of which growing near the edge of the cliff flung its sable shadow over the dwelling. The bivouackers were the inferior men of the band; for whom there was no accommodation inside. We could bear voices, both inside and out; but the harsh hissing of the cascade, both above and below, hindered us from making anything of what was said. We needed no words to give us an explanation of what we saw. It was intelligible without this. We had tracked the bandits to their den. They were in it--their victims along with them! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For the first time since starting on the uphill pursuit, we felt puzzled as to how we should act. My own impulses prompted me to spring forward, and bring the affair to an instant termination. As far as regarded victory or defeat, I had no fear about the issue. Although Carrasco's party and ours were nearly equal in numbers, I knew that in real strength--as in courage and equipment--we were as two to their one. But even reversing the order, my men would not have shied from the contest; not if the enemy had been ten to our one.