From his position Carlos could see but two angles of the Plaza--that where the cruel scene had its commencement, and that where the second portion was administered. The procession then passed out of sight; but though his eyes were no longer tortured by the horrid spectacle, there was but little relief in that. He knew it continued all the same. He remained no longer by the window. A resolve carried him from it,-- the resolve of self-destruction! His agony was complete. He could endure it no longer. Death would relieve him, and upon death he was determined. But how to die? He had no weapon; and even if he had, pinioned as he was, he could not have used it. But one mode seemed possible--to dash his head against the wall! A glance at the soft mason-work of _adobes_ convinced him that this would not effect his purpose. By such an effort he might stun, but not kill himself. He would wake again to horrid life. His eyes swept the cell in search of some mode of self-destruction. A beam traversed the apartment. It was high enough to hang the tallest man. With his hands free, and a cord in them, it would do. There was cord enough on them for the purpose, for they were bound by several varas of a raw-hide thong. To the fastenings his attention was now directed; when, to his surprise and delight, he perceived that the thong had become slack and loose! The hot sweat, pouring from his hands and wrists, had saturated the raw-hide, causing it to melt and yield; and his desperate exertions, made mechanically under the influence of agony and half-madness, had stretched it for inches! A slight examination of the fastenings convinced him of the possibility of his undoing them; and to this he applied himself with all the strength find energy of a desperate man. Had his hands been tied in front, he might have used his teeth in the endeavour to set them free; but they were bound fast together across his back. He pulled and wrenched them with all his strength. If there is a people in the world who understand better than any other the use of ropes or thongs, that people is the Spanish-American. The Indian must yield to them in this knowledge, and even the habile sailor makes but a clumsy knot in comparison. No people so well understand how to bind a captive _without iron_, and the captive outlaw had been tied to perfection. But neither ropes of hemp nor hide will secure a man of superior strength and resolution. Give such an one but time to operate, and he will be certain to free himself. Carlos knew that he needed but time. The effect produced by the moistening of the raw-hide was such, that short time sufficed. In less than ten minutes it slipped from his wrists, and his hands were free!