"Eh, Dolores! The spectacles! Oh, I know; Peter wears spectacles." "You're right, mi amigo," replied Dolores, smiling at his discovery, "and the arrow was a hint to be swift--the rough piece of bark, coloured scarlet, showed that some one was wounded." "Wait a moment, Dolores," interposed Duval, hastily; "I can read the message now. It came presumably from Cocom, and read, 'Come quickly, Don Pedro is wounded.'" Dolores clapped her hands. "Santissima Madre! You have guessed rightly. That was the message. At once I obeyed it, for I thought poor Don Pedro might be dying." "It was kind of you, Dolores, but terribly rash." "I did not think it would be far away from the gates, and suspected no evil. Besides, I had been kind to T'ho, and did not dream he would betray me." "Which he did?" "Yes, base criminal, he did. I followed him from the church just as the sun was setting. He led me through the streets out of the town by the Puerta de la Culebra. No one recognised me, as I veiled my face in my mantilla. T'ho guided me past the chapel of Padre Ignatius to the open country----" "How rash of you!" ejaculated Jack, reproachfully, "how terribly rash!" "Yes, it was rash, Juanito! But do not be angry, querido. I did it for the sake of Don Pedro, whom I thought was wounded." "Well! and what happened after that?" said Duval, kissing her, to show he was not cross. "Dios!" replied Dolores, tapping her mouth with her closed fan; "I hardly remember! I was asking T'ho where lay the poor Señor Americano, when a cloth was flung over my head, and I was borne swiftly away. With the shock, I suppose I must have fainted, for on recovering my senses I found myself in an open boat going up the coast. I tried to cry out, but was so weak that I could make no sound. Only Indians were in the boat, and one of them held a cup of wine to my lips. It was, I think, drugged, as I then lost all consciousness, and awoke to find myself in Totatzine!" "And all this was planned by Don Hypolito?" "Yes, and executed by Ixtlilxochitli. I have been kindly treated since I have been here, and have a house yonder, across the square, all to myself, with attendants. The high priest told me I had been carried off so that no harm might happen to me, as guardian of the opal, during the war. He also informed me that it was the desire of the god that I should wed with Don Hypolito." "Confound his impudence," muttered Jack, in his native tongue. "And what did you reply, Dolores?" "I said I would never wed with the traitor Xuarez; that my heart was given to another, to Don Juan, the Americano. Ixtlilxochitli was terribly angry when he heard this, and swore that never would the guardian of the opal be permitted to wed a white man. 'But I have no fear,' said this base one, 'for Don Hypolito, the true worshipper of the sacred opal, will aid us to secure this evil Americano, and sacrifice him to the gods.'"