CHAPTER XVI.

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR.

It was an exceedingly great peril which had menaced Howard and Estella. The advancement of the three savage bloodhounds was rapid, and both knew only too well that if once the baying beasts got at them, all would quickly be over. The bloodhounds were especially trained to follow human beings, and would not hesitate to rend them limb from limb.

Yet in that awful moment the young war correspondent did not think of himself, but only of the beautiful girl at his side. Willingly would he have died a dozen deaths rather than allow her to be touched. His heart went out to her, and he instantly caught her to his breast, as if to thus shield her.

The sugar-cane field was on one side of them. On the other were bushes, and farther on, trees of various kinds. Raising Estella in his arms, Howard made a dash for the nearest of the trees.

"Never mind me, Howard," murmured the noble girl; "save yourself."

"Never, Estella, my love!" he replied. "They shall not touch you if I can possibly prevent it."

The vicinity of the trees was reached none too soon, and raising Estella high over his head, Howard enabled the girl to catch hold of the limbs of a mahogany tree, and lift herself to a safe place. He was about to climb after her when the nearest of the bloodhounds caught him by the foot and dragged him back.

A man less quick-witted would have been lost; but as he fell the young war correspondent drew the pistol he had taken from the gipsy. The bloodhound pounced upon his breast, only to receive a bullet in its throat which killed him almost instantly.

The two remaining beasts lagged behind, and before they reached the scene of the exciting but short encounter Howard had reached the lower branches of the tree, and was temporarily safe.

"Oh, Howard, did that dog bite you?" gasped Estella, as she clung closely to his arm.

"No, his teeth did not penetrate the boot, thanks to the thickness of the leather," he replied. "But I am afraid we are in a bad situation now," he went on. "The pistol has but one cartridge left in it, and there are two dogs."

"And the prison officers will follow on horseback," moaned Estella. "It will not be long before they arrive."

Howard said nothing, but set his teeth hard. He would not give up without a brave struggle for liberty. Taking careful aim at one of the remaining bloodhounds, he fired.

The wound did not kill, but it was mortal, and with a whine of pain the savage brute turned tail and slunk away. Seeing this, and noting that the other dog was dead, the third beast hesitated for a moment and then turned and ran back, as if to await the arrival of his masters.

"The coast seems clear now," said Howard, when the bloodhound had disappeared. "Come! let me conduct you to your house, and then I will be off."

"If that third beast should return----" shuddered Estella.

"I have this," said her lover, drawing the dagger. "I will fight him to the last."

He assisted Estella to the ground, and the two hurried through the sugar-cane fields until they came in sight of the various out-buildings belonging to the plantation. Presently a horseman rode up to them. It was the faithful Tomasso.

"I could not find out anything----" began the servant, when Estella stopped him.

"Mr. Sherwood is here," said the beautiful girl. "Tomasso, I wish to trust you still further."

"Yes, Doña Estella."

"Señor Sherwood is in dire peril. His enemies are hunting him as a rebel spy. Can you not take him to some place of safety in this vicinity?"

Tomasso scratched his head and thought for a moment. Cara had told him how dear Howard was to his young mistress.

"I can take him to the cane-house, and he might hide in the sweet-potato pit," he answered.

She shook her head. "No, that will not do. Do you think----" she hesitated. "Could he not find a place in our house? There are many rooms not in use. He might go in disguised as yourself."

"But, Estella----" remonstrated the young war correspondent.

"No, no, Howard. I know you do not wish to place me in danger. But I have a fear of something--I cannot tell what--and it would give me confidence to have you near me."

At this Howard said no more. A plan was rapidly formed, and the upshot of the matter was that Howard entered the plantation home disguised as Tomasso. The servant's clothing was afterward returned to him, and he went off to explain to some approaching horsemen how he had been called upon to fight off the bloodhounds in order to save the life of his young mistress!

"Then you saw nothing of that rascally American spy, Howard Sherwood," asked Captain Nocolo, who was one of the horsemen.

"No, capitan," replied Tomasso. "He came not this way," and after cursing over the loss of two of the bloodhounds, the captain and the others rode away.

Howard was conducted by Estella to a small room in a wing of the mansion. He had a key to the door, a heavy one, and was to unlock it only on a given signal. The room was comfortably furnished, and Estella's lover saw that he could pass the time there comfortably until it was safe for him to proceed on the mission that had brought him to Cuba.

Howard was furnished with an elegant repast, brought to him by Estella herself, and never had a happier hour passed between them.

"You are one girl in a million, darling Estella!" he said, passionately, as he drew her to him and sat her down, a willing captive, upon his lap. "I thank Heaven that I was so fortunate to meet you."

She smiled sweetly upon him, and brushed back the curly hair from his noble brow. "You make too much of me, Howard; I am only a simple Cuban girl, nothing more."

"You are my queen, the one light of my heart, Estella!" he asseverated, embracing her passionately between the kissing.

"There, there! don't be so energetic in your wooing," she laughed, finally, as she at last resisted his endearments with maidenly reserve. "I must go below now, or the servants may grow suspicious. In such times as these they are watching every move."

"No doubt they wish to know how your sympathies stand," he said. "They, I presume, favor the rebels."

"Undoubtedly, but they know what papa's ideas were on the subject and they would not dare to cross him."

"It is a pity your father is so prejudiced in favor of Spain," mused Howard. "He must know that this heavy taxation, with hardly anything to return for it, is unjust."

"Papa only thinks of the old guard, and considers a rebel a traitor, and nothing less. Poor papa, I fear that he is lost to me forever. If he were alive, he would surely come home," and two big tears coursed down her soft, dark cheeks.

"Don't worry, my darling," he replied, as he kissed the tears away. "If your father was dead, you would certainly have evidence ere this. He may have heard of a premeditated attack upon this plantation and gone off to secure protection. By the way, what of that recent battle in this vicinity."

"It was upon the De Bruno plantation. The owner refused to pay the war levy to the rebels, instead of the Spanish authorities, and the cane-fields were burned to the ground and the barns and store-houses blown up."

"They may come here next," mused Howard.

"I am afraid of that. If they do, and papa is not back, I shall take sides with the rebels, not because I fear them, but because I believe they are in the right," and Estella raised her head proudly.

"Bravo! you ought to be a Yankee!" cried Howard, and then he prudently lowered his voice. "But let us hope that the insurgents will pass this plantation without doing any harm, I fancy they will, for, so far as I can judge, General Gomez and Maceo wish to push on to Havana as rapidly as possible. If they reach the capital with a sufficiently large force, the final victory will be with them."

"True; but Havana is still a good way off," sighed Estella. "But now I must really go," she went on, and gathering up the tray of dishes, she kissed him and left the room.

She passed down stairs by a back way, and had just set the dishes down in the dining-room when a servant called her.

"Lieutenant Mazenas is here to see you," said the servant.

"Lieutenant Mazenas!" exclaimed Estella, and all the color left her cheeks. "Tell him I cannot see him to-day--that I am not well," she faltered.

"Excuse me, but it is highly important that I speak with you," said an unpleasant voice from the parlor doorway, and, turning, she found herself confronted by the lieutenant himself. A crafty smile shone upon his yellow, repulsive features.

He motioned for the servant to depart and waited for Estella to enter the parlor. Full of vague fears, the beautiful girl followed him from the dining-room, and sank down on a couch to hear what he might have to say.