He soon discovered that he could not possibly free
his right hand, and the agony became so great that his fingers could no
longer keep their grasp of the knife, which fell a second time to the
ground.
It was the tyrant who had come to de Sigognac's rescue, and now suddenly
roared out in his stentorian voice, "What the deuce is nipping me? Is it
a viper? I felt two sharp fangs meet in the calf of my leg."
It was Chiquita, who was biting his leg like a dog, in the vain hope of
making him turn round and loose his hold upon Agostino; but the tyrant
shook her off with a quick movement, that sent her rolling in the dust
at some distance, without relinquishing his captive, whilst Matamore
dashed forward and picked up the navaja, which he shut together and put
into his pocket.
Whilst this scene was enacting the sun had risen, and poured a flood of
radiance upon the earth in which the sham brigands lost much of their
life-like effect. "Ha, ha!" laughed the peasant, "it would appear that
those gentlemen's guns take a long time to go off; they must be wet
with dew. But whatever may be the matter with them they are miserable
cowards, to stand still there at a safe distance and leave their chief
to do all the fighting by himself."
"There is a good reason for that," answered Matamore, as he climbed up
the steep bank to them, "these are nothing but scarecrows.
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