"Oh, Cara, Cara, what shall I do?" she moaned. "Poor, dear papa! Dead! dead! dead!" and in her agony she threw herself down upon a heap of sugar-cane, while the hot tears ran swiftly down her bloodless cheeks. "Do not go on so, dear mistress," said the maid, gently, as she raised up the weeping girl. "Remember, he may not be dead. The soldier, poor fellow may have been mistaken." "No, no, Cara, he is dead! Do not deceive me! Oh, my poor father! And in a fight that was little better than a bloody brawl!" For half an hour she went on in this manner, and then, weak and fainting, she threw herself into Cara's arms, and knew no more. When Estella recovered consciousness she found herself on a cot in the humble hut of a bee-hunter. The sun was shining in brightly at the window, and Cara sat beside her, rubbing her slender, nut-brown hands. "Oh, sweetness, how glad I am that you have recovered!" cried the maid, the honest tears of pleasure standing in her eyes. "I was afraid you would never open your eyes. For six long, weary hours have I sat and watched. No, no! You must not attempt to rise yet," she went on, as Estella attempted to do so. "You are not strong enough. There, there! keep quiet, my darling." Estella was indeed weak, as she soon learned. The strain of the night previous had been too much for her, and she gladly remained quiet while Cara bustled about, questioning the wife of the bee-hunter, and preparing her young mistress something to eat. Lying there on the cot, Estella stared up at the smoked ceiling and wondered if it was really true that her father was dead. It was a long while ere she could summon sufficient courage to ask Cara if the body had been found. "No, it was not found, but they brought this," replied the maid, and produced General Corona's black slouch hat, with the heavy braid. On one side the hat was stained with human blood. The appearance of this made Estella burst into tears again, but it was the clearing-up shower, and the calmness of resignation soon succeeded. The hat was wrapped up and taken by Cara, and the weak girl consented to partake of some of the really dainty food set before her. Estella's grief, sharp as it was, could not drive away a thought of her handsome lover. Where was he now, and would she ever see him again? Alas! little did she realize that at that minute he was strapped to a mule's back, and on his way to the old prison at Marambo. From the bee-hunter, who came in later with the information, they learned that the railroad tracks as far as Marambo had been put in order once more, and that a train would leave for that town in half an hour. Arrangements were speedily made for transportation. Estella had no money, but her name was sufficient to secure passage for both her and Cara. The run was quickly made in the broad daylight, without interruption, and Estella arrived at the town several hours before the guards with their prisoners.