"'What is the name of the--the Marquis's daughter?'
"'My cousin--la nina--Estella de la Zarza.'
"'A pretty one enough; and she is about to change it, I presume?'
"'Change it!' reiterated the Ayudante de Campo, who did not perceive that I was fishing for a certain information. 'Oh! I see--marriage. She is about to marry, Corpo de Baccho! yes, but our Spanish ladies do not change their names when they marry.'
"'And who is the happy man--yourself, señor?'
"'Nay, nay--we Catholics cannot marry our cousins. Next week she is to wed old Don José Gonzalez.'
"'What! that old beer-barrel, the town-major?'
"'Si, señor,' replied he, twirling his mustaches, with a doubtful look: while I felt that I was beginning to abhor that town-major immeasurably.
"About eight o'clock next morning I saw sixteen Spanish officers in full uniform, with their swords and belts, preceded by the said Don José, marching in file through the court of the palace, at the side-door of which they entered. A few minutes afterwards my friend, the aide-de-camp, came to acquaint me, that "the court-martial, by which I was to be tried, was constituted, and awaited me." Without any futile protestation against the illegality and rapidity of this measure, I followed him to a spacious apartment, having four large windows, which opened clown to the floor, and overlooked a grass park which lay behind the palace. The members of the court, over which the town-major (who, from the first, had constituted himself my deadly enemy) presided, were solemnly sworn across their swords; they promised to administer justice according to the laws of war, and so forth, and then the prosecution proceeded.
"I was charged with murdering, or causing to be shot, two peasants; robbery, in levying contributions; blasphemous sacrilege, in destroying a statue of the Blessed Virgin. My horizon was now black as it could be! I knew very little of the language. Save Crogan, who remained beside me in court, I had not a friend or a comrade near me; for the whole of my guard had marched for Belem four hours before, while Maurice Quill, and the other sick officers, could neither defend nor succour me. I perceived in a moment, that, as Crogan said, I had been accused of outrages committed by les Chasseurs Britanniques (who wore scarlet uniform); but I resolved, that unless matters went hard with myself, not to criminate their officer, who, by leaving his own proper route, and relaxing his discipline, had become guilty of the acts for which I was that day to suffer. The three principal witnesses against me were, the alcalde, the muleteer, and a farmer from the partida of La Guardia.