Don Fernando and Don Estevan, astonished at this sudden attack by men who could not be Indians,--for they were dressed like _vaqueros_, and their hands were white,--instantly dismounted, and, placing themselves behind their horses, awaited their assailants' onset with cocked rifles.
The latter, after making sure of the death of the _peones_, turned their horses' heads to attack the two Spaniards. Shots were again exchanged, and a terrible combat began,--a dreadful struggle of two men against four--in which no word was spoken, and which was intended to end in the death of those who had been so treacherously set upon. However, the combat was sustained with a semblance of equality which discouraged the assailants, of whom one had already fallen, cut down to the teeth; while a second was retreating, with his chest pierced through by the good blade of Don Fernando.
"Aha! my masters," exclaimed the latter; "have you had enough, or do you wish to make further acquaintance with my blade? Fools that you are! You should have set at least ten to assassinate us."
"What!" added the _mayor domo_, "Are you already satisfied? You are not clever enough for highwaymen; the man who pays you might have made a better choice."
In fact, the two remaining men in masks had withdrawn a few paces, and held themselves on the defensive.
Suddenly four other masked men appeared, and all six rushed upon the Spaniards, who awaited them firmly.
"The devil! I wronged you by my suspicion," said Don Estevan. "I see you are up to your work;" and he discharged a pistol point-blank into the midst of his adversaries.
The latter, still without a word, answered his fire, and the struggle was renewed with fresh fury.
But the two brave Spaniards could not defend themselves much longer: they were exhausted with fatigue; and it was not long before they, in their turn, fell on the dead bodies of two more of their assailants, whom they had sacrificed to their fury before they fell.
When they saw Don Fernando and Don Estevan stretched on the ground, the strangers uttered a shout of triumph. Without troubling themselves about the _mayor domo_, they seized the body of Don Fernando, threw it over the neck of one of their horses, and rapidly vanished amongst the manifold complications of the road.