Collect all the party, and curses onthem, while I hold the lady."
The banditti, according to their leader's order, now set to work inearnest, binding the fidalgo, the priest, and the servants to trees atsome little distance from each other. They then treated the muleteersin the same way, who deplored, with tears, the loss of their animals;but when it came to the females' turn, one of them contriving to get thegag out of her mouth, set up a scream loud enough to be heard at thedistance of a mile, to which she continued to give reiterated utterance,struggling so bravely, that it was some time before that implement towhich it is said women have so great an aversion, could be replaced.
"Do not attempt to escape, Senhor Fidalgo," said one of the robbers, asapproaching Goncalo Christovao, and drawing his long knife, heflourished it in the air. "Remember we could just as easily have cutyour throat as let you live, and thank the saints that it is not ourinterest to do so. Some one will doubtless set you free before nightapproaches, otherwise you may find the wolves rather troublesome--adeos."
Donna Clara, too much overwhelmed with terror and agitation even toutter a faint scream, remained a passive spectator of the scene,scarcely comprehending the extent of her danger; nor was it till thecaptain of the banditti lifted her on his horse, that she seemed toreturn to consciousness, and even then she appeared less alarmed for herown safety than for that of her father.
The robbers, having effectually rifled every one of the travellers, evenmaking the muleteers deliver up the few coins they possessed, collectedtheir booty, and driving the baggage-mules together, took a pathwaywhich appeared leading out of the main track across the forest. Thecaptain remained the last, to see that nothing was left behind; when,bearing Donna Clara before him on his saddle, deaf to her prayers andentreaties, and regardless of her father's agonised glances, he turnedhis horse's head to follow his companions.
Volume 1, Chapter IX.
There are some feelings of the heart so intense that language possessesno words of sufficient force to describe them; and such was the passionwhich wrung the bosom of the proud fidalgo, when he saw his daughter, abeing he loved, a part of himself, carried off by wretches so base andlow that he looked upon them as formed of different materials fromhimself. It was far worse suffering than the martyr at the stake isdoomed to bear; and rather would he have beheld his child torn by thewild beasts of the forest, than thus exposed to the lawless violence ofsuch men. The agony of his fury deprived him almost of sensation, andof life itself; but the robber chief heeded him not, further than givingutterance to a scoffing laugh, and bestowing a glance of triumph andderision, over his shoulder, as he was disappearing among the trees;when, at the same moment, one of the band, who had been kept as a scoutat some distance along the road, was seen galloping to the spot at afurious rate; and, as he perceived the captain, "Fly!" he cried, "fly!danger is near. A party of horsemen are close upon my heels." At thesewords the robber, plunging his long spurs into his horse's flanks, urgedhim between the thick-growing trees, followed by the scout, into thedepths of the forest, where they were completely concealed from view.
The faint cries which, in her terror and despair, Donna Clara uttered,were yet heard, when a horseman approached, urging on his steed at theutmost speed, and the heart of the father heat again with the anxioushope of succour for his child; for, even as he flew along, hisappearance bespoke him a cavalier of rank, being also followed by fourservants at a short distance in the rear. He reined in his steed whenhe came near the spot where Goncalo Christovao was bound, and was aboutto dismount.
"Think not of me, senhor," exclaimed the Fidalgo. "But hasten throughthat path to the right, and rescue my daughter from the hands ofruffians who have borne her off."
At that moment a faint cry was heard through the forest, nor needed thecavalier other inducement to dash forward in the direction from which itproceeded, pointing with his hand, as he rode towards the trees, to theparty who remained bound, to indicate them to his servants, one of whom,as he came up, leaped from his horse, and busied himself in releasingthem, while the rest galloped after their master into the forest. Nosooner did the fidalgo find himself at liberty, than seizing a swordwhich had been left on the ground, he rushed off in the direction hisdaughter had been carried, followed by his faithful escudeiro, who wasthe next person released from his bonds. The rest of the servants andthe priest were soon set at liberty, as were some of the muleteers, theformer hurrying off to join their master, entirely forgetting, in theirhaste, to release the women; but, fortunately for them, the muleteershad either more gallantry, or were less anxious to enter into danger.The priest also stalked off in the same direction, muttering dark curseson the heads of the robbers. When released by the muleteers, the oldnurse was in an almost insensible state, from terror at the danger ofher young charge; but the youthful females, even before their arms wereset at liberty, made most significant gestures to have their mouthscleared of the handkerchiefs so unceremoniously thrust into them, whichoperation was no sooner performed, than, as the renowned BaronMunchausen's horn, when brought near the fire, gave forth the tonesfrozen up during the winter, so did they give vent, as if to make amendsfor their compulsory silence, to the most piercing shrieks, one tryingto outvie the other in their loudness and number, so that it might havebeen supposed they were undergoing some fresh attack from the robbers,instead of being released by their friends. The old nurse threw herselfon the ground, giving way to her terror in tears. "Oh my child! my dearchild!" she cried; "they have torn her away, and I shall never see hermore."
We must now follow the course of the young cavalier, who had arrived soopportunely on the scene of action; indeed, were we not writing a truehistory instead of a romance, we might be supposed to have brought himin merely for dramatic effect; but we can assure our readers, that inthis, as in every other instance, we are adhering closely to the veryvoluminous, though rather illegible manuscripts, from which, withinfinite labour, we are culling the present volumes. Perhaps, also,more interest may be taken in his adventures, when it is learnt that hewas no other than Don Luis d'Almeida, on his way from Lisbon to hisfather's quinta, near Coimbra, accompanied by Pedro and some otherattendants. As, with considerable risk, he galloped between the trees,he did not even turn his head to see if his servants were following, soeager was he to rescue the daughter of the venerable-looking person hehad observed bound. As may be supposed, from the intricacy of thethickets and the closeness of the trees, very slow progress could bemade by people encumbered in any way as the robbers were, and thusscarce three minutes had passed before Don Luis perceived them a shortdistance in advance, they being unconscious, from not hearing hishorse's hoofs on the soft grass, that they were pursued. He was thusenabled to approach close to them before he was discovered, when, seeingonly one man, the whole band reined in their horses, the hindermostwheeling with the intention of cutting him down, their leader orderingthem not to fire, lest the report of their arms should show where theywere: but the first who attempted to attack him paid dearly for histemerity; for, drawing a pistol from his holster, he discharged it, andthe ruffian fell from his horse. This success somewhat checked theardour of the rest in closing with him, and at the same time drew theattention of his servants to the spot. Fortunately for him, too, therobbers, having fired their guns, had forgotten to reload them, andbefore they could do so, his attendants were seen urging on their horsesthrough the trees. The banditti, upon this, drew back together toreload their pieces; but Don Luis, seeing the advantage this would givethem, drew his sword, and rushed on the foremost, his valour excited bycatching sight of the light robes of the lady among them, the treesgrowing thickly around preventing more than one attacking him at a time.The captain of the band now approached, still holding the fainting formof Donna Clara in his grasp. "Fire, you fools!" he cried. "Never mindif you hit Damiao. It cannot be helped; for we shall be cut down indetail, if we get not rid of yon daring madman. Fire!"
Two of his party obeyed; but their aim was uncertain, and t
he ballsstruck the trees near them.
"Fire again!" shouted the Captain; and another of his men having loadedhis piece, discharged it; but it was for the destruction of a friend;for the ball striking Damiao's horse, the animal fell, and Don Luis,dealing a blow on the ruffian's head before he could recover himself,rode furiously at the captor of the lady. His three followers at thesame time coming up, gave full occupation to the remainder of the band,who were, however, still superior in numbers; and though their couragewas somewhat lessened by the loss of their companions, yet the hopes ofkeeping possession of their booty induced them, led on by him with theslouched hat, to continue the combat. The bandit chief, encumbered ashe was by his fair prize, would have been completely unable to defendhimself from Don Luis's furious attack, had he not interposed her as