At this moment shouts were heard in the rear of the Indians, and Wilhelm rushed upon them like a hurricane at the head of his band. The redskins, surprised at this unexpected attack, fell back in disorder, and dispersed over the country. Leon, taking advantage of the opportunity, dashed forward at the head of twenty men to support his ambuscading party and complete the defeat of his enemies. The pursuit did not last long, however, and the smugglers returned to the hacienda, for the Indians had vanished like shadows.
Two hours passed without any incident. Leon gave orders to repair the damage done by the enemy, and then went to the young ladies, in order to learn how they had endured this fearful assault. On entering the room, he stumbled over the body of an Indian. The captain recoiled; a cold perspiration bathed his face; a convulsive tremor seized upon him, and he was on the point of losing his senses. A terrible thought crossed his mind; he feared he should see the young ladies killed. Looking sharply about the room, he saw them crouching in a corner, and a cry of delight burst from him.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, "what has happened here?"
Maria, without answering, took the torch, which was burning in a ring against the wall, and illumined the Indian's countenance.
"Yes," she said, "and it was this that killed him." She displayed with savage energy the pistol that she held in her hand.
"Oh!" said Leon, falling on his knees, "Heaven be thanked!"
"Captain, captain!" Wilhelm shouted, as he rushed into the room, "here are the Indians!"
Leon hurried out. The fight had recommenced between his men and the Indians. Day was beginning to break, and discovered an entire army of Indians forming a circle round the hacienda.
"Comrades!" Leon said, in a thundering voice, addressing the smugglers, "we cannot hope to conquer, but we must die like brave men."
"We will!" they replied, with an accent of sublime resignation.
They were only twenty-nine in all, for sixty had been killed in the first two attacks.
"Do not let us waste our powder," Leon added; "but make sure of our aim."
The horizon was gradually growing clearer, and friend and foe could perfectly distinguish each other. There was something painful in this spectacle of twenty-nine calm and stoical men, who had all made a sacrifice of their life, and were preparing with heroic carelessness to support the onrush of thousands of implacable enemies.