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"A tornado, senores, a real hurricane of stampeded men, wild horses,
mounted Indians, swept over me as I cowered on the ground by the side
of Gaspar Ruiz, still stretched out on his face in the shape of a
cross. Peneleo, galloping for life, jabbed at me with his long chuso in
passing--for the sake of old acquaintance, I suppose. How I escaped the
flying lead is more difficult to explain. Venturing to rise on my knees
too soon some soldiers of the 17th Taltal regiment, in their hurry to
get at something alive, nearly bayoneted me on the spot. They looked
very disappointed, too, when, some officers galloping up drove them away
with the flat of their swords.
"It was General Robles with his staff. He wanted badly to make some
prisoners. He, too, seemed disappointed for a moment. 'What! Is it you?'
he cried. But he dismounted at once to embrace me, for he was an old
friend of my family. I pointed to the body at our feet, and said only
these two words:
"'Gaspar Ruiz.'
"He threw his arms up in astonishment.


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