As soon as the attack began, Howard's thoughts went back to Estella. He had seen her carried off by Captain Nocolo and a burly soldier, and he wondered where she had been taken. He ran into the prison and along one corridor after another, shouting her name. "Help, Señor Sherwood!" At this appeal Howard halted and looked around. He saw Tomasso the overseer, armed with only a club, battling manfully against two Spanish soldiers, one with a bayonet and the second with a sword. Tomasso was nearly exhausted, and would have been slain had not the young war correspondent rushed up and turned the tide of battle in his favor. A shot from his pistol wounded the fellow with the bayonet, and, seeing himself attacked from behind, the other Spanish soldier took to his heels and ran out of sight in the crowd. "Thank you, señor, for your timely aid!" gasped Tomasso. "I owe you my life!" "And I owe you mine, Tomasso!" replied Howard. "But, come! we must find your mistress." "I thinks she is in cell forty-seven, señor." "No, Captain Nocolo has carried her off. I saw him do it just before the commencement of the attack." "Then he has taken her from the prison. Ha! I have it!" went on the overseer. "It had been decided that if Marambo were taken, he was to retreat to Holguin, and there meet the reinforcements from Puerto Padre. It is more than likely that the villain will force her to accompany him. He is playing a double game. If possible, he intends to cut out Lieutenant Mazenas and marry Estella for her fortune." "But the lieutenant will have something to say about that," commented Howard. Tomasso shrugged his shoulders. "In war times a man is easily killed, and the enemy gets the blame, señor." "I see. Well, come. It should be easy to trace the villainous captain," said Howard. They left the vicinity of the prison, and fought their way through the crowd beyond. They were stopped a dozen times by the inquiry, "Who goes there?" and always replied promptly, "Cuba!" "Stop!" called out Howard, suddenly, and then made a dive into a group of half a dozen men. He caught one big fellow by the shoulder and whispered in his ear: "I have a message for Captain Nocolo---where has he gone?" were his words. The big man started; he was the same who had helped to carry Estella from the prison. Then he bent forward. "You will find him in a yellow coach, on the road to Holguin." This coincided so closely with what Tomasso had said, that Howard readily believed the soldier. He ran back to where the overseer was standing. "Come on; you were right, Tomasso," he cried; and as they set off on a run, he related what the Spaniard had said. It was still raining in torrents, and the roads were now filled with mud. In some spots the highways were so bad they had to make wide detours to keep from sinking up to their knees. But Tomasso knew the ground well, and in consequence comparatively quick progress was made.