San Felipe, a picturesque village of white houses with thatched roofs, lay in a wide well-cultivated valley, looking south, and watered by a shallow stream which in the rainy season was probably a wide river. At each corner of the village, well away from the houses, was a large block-house, no doubt pierced for musketry. From one block-house to another ran an earthen parapet with a ditch, and on each parapet were mounted three guns.
"Well, what think you of San Felipe, and our chances of taking it?" asked Carmen, after a while.
"I don't think its defences are very formidable. A single mortar on that height to the east would make the place untenable in an hour; set it on fire in a dozen places. It is all wood. But to attempt its capture with a force of infantry numerically inferior to the garrison will be a very hazardous enterprise indeed, and barring miraculously good luck on the one side or miraculously ill luck on the other cannot possibly succeed, I should say. No, Carmen, I don't think we shall be in San Felipe to-morrow night, or any night, just yet."
"But how if a part of the garrison be absent? Hist! Did not you hear something?"
"Only the crackling of a branch. Some wild animal, probably. I wonder whether there are any jaguars hereabout--"
"Oh, if the garrison be weak and the sentries sleep it is quite possible we may take the place by a rush. But, on the other hand, it is equally possible that Griscelli may have got wind of our intention, and--"
"There it is again! Something more than a wild animal this time, Fortescue," exclaims Carmen, springing to his feet.
I follow his example; but the same instant a dozen men spring from the bushes, and before we can offer any resistance, or even draw our swords, we are borne to the ground and despite our struggles, our arms pinioned to our sides.
"Be good enough to rise and accompany us to San Felipe, señores," said the non-commissioned officer in command of the detachment, "and if you attempt to escape I shall blow your brains out."
"_Dios mio!_ It serves us right for not keeping a better lookout," said Carmen, with a laugh which I thought sounded rather hollow. "We shall be in San Felipe sooner than we expected, that is all. Lead on, sergeant; we have a dozen good reasons for not trying to escape, to say nothing of our strait waistcoats."