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Meanwhile, the marquess, learning the nature of the tumult, called out to Francisco de Chaves, an officer high in his confidence, and who was in the outer apartment opening on the staircase, to secure the door, while he and his brother Alcantara buckled on their armour.
As he marched down the valley of the Lima, he had learned from Romana that he and Silveira had decided to fall back to Chaves, and that he agreed with Terence's opinion that he had better remain in the rear of the French, and intercept their communications with Orense. On the following morning the French advanced in force to Monterey.
The first signal was to be the hanging of washing upon the line. If this should be removed before nightfall, Bellamy was to wait until he should hear from her again. Bellamy believed that the Chaves woman was playing square with him, but he preferred to take no chances.
"Was Juan Valdez a member of the party that took the rifles from Lieutenant Chaves and his escort?" Bucky laughed out his contempt. "Speak, sir," broke in Chaves. "Answer the governor, you dog." "If I speak, it will be to tell you what a cur I think you." Chaves flushed angrily and laid a hand on his revolver. "Who are you that play dice with death, like a fool?"
The troops, however, not only spurned the advice, but fell upon and killed several of those who offered it, and demanded from Silveira that he should lead them down to defend Chaves. This he refused to do, saying that the fortifications were old and useless, the guns worn out, and that were they to shut themselves up there, they would be surrounded and forced to surrender.
They entered the palace, killed Francisco de Chaves, who had appeared in haste on hearing the noise, and gained the hall, where was Francisco Pizarro, with his brother Francisco-Martin, the doctor Juan Velasquez, and a dozen servants.
"Your calculations were all well founded; but, of course, you could not calculate on Soult's night march across the Catalena hills, and, as you knew nothing of the whereabouts of Beresford and Silveira, you had good reason to suppose that Soult would continue his march up the valley of the Tamega to Chaves.
Had this order, coolly given, been as coolly obeyed, it would have saved them all, since the entrance could easily have been maintained against a much larger force, till the report of the cavaliers who had fled had brought support to Pizarro. But unfortunately, Chaves, disobeying his commander, half opened the door, and attempted to enter into a parley with the conspirators.
That Chaves would submit to this O'Halloran did not for a moment suspect. But the track would be kept obstructed till six o'clock in the morning, and a sufficient guard would wait in the underbrush to see that the right of way was not cleared.
"And after that, it ain't likely you'll do much more eating." "I don't quite get the point of that joke." "You'll get it soon enough! You'd savez it now, if you weren't a muttonhead. As it is, I'll have to explain it. Do you remember capturing Tony Chaves two years ago, lieutenant?" The ranger nodded, with surprise in his round, innocent eyes. "What happened to him?" demanded the other.
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