. An archer with Columbus;. hed on again, 86 AN ARCHER WITH COLUMBUS. determined to continue the pursuit even tothe gates of Lisbon, if necessary. About three miles beyond the hamlet, asthey were riding through a wild mountainpass, Perrito paused, and seemed for a mo-ment at fault. Hastening up, they saw that the softearth was marked with numerous hooftracks, which finally led in a distinct trailup the side of the densely wooded mountain. While they were exchanging surmisesabout this, they were surprised and startledto see the dog move forward and take thetrail up the mountain. The Portuguese
. An archer with Columbus;. hed on again, 86 AN ARCHER WITH COLUMBUS. determined to continue the pursuit even tothe gates of Lisbon, if necessary. About three miles beyond the hamlet, asthey were riding through a wild mountainpass, Perrito paused, and seemed for a mo-ment at fault. Hastening up, they saw that the softearth was marked with numerous hooftracks, which finally led in a distinct trailup the side of the densely wooded mountain. While they were exchanging surmisesabout this, they were surprised and startledto see the dog move forward and take thetrail up the mountain. The Portuguese thief has met a squadof his friends, sure, growled Tortosa se-riously. Follow —follow! cried Felix. Wemust see where they have gone. They followed Perrito up the dizzy trail,turning in sharp zigzags back and rifts in the thick foliage of thewoods they saw below them a vast moun-tain panorama. After climbing in this way for an hour,they reached open woods, where the ground THE PURSUIT. 87 -^ ^- j^ , {J.^ ^;/^. was less rugged. In half an hour morethey suddenly found themselves in thevicinity of the people they had been i)ur-suing. 88 AN ARCHER WITH COLUMBUS, At that place the precipitous hillsideabove them descended abruptly to the morelevel land. Built against the steep slopewas a small stone hut, with a roof of thickthatch. Gathered before this hut were adozen ill-looking fellows, and among themthey easily distinguished the more gracefulform of Vascona. A number of horses andmules were tied to trees near by. Diego trembled as he saw his fatherscharts unrolled in the hands of a tall, uglyman, whose big ears stood out almoststraight from his head. He sprang fromhis mule and secured Perrito by his leash. Even Tortosa recoiled at sight of thisassemblage. Zooks I They are too many for us, hegrumbled. But it was too late to retreat, for thestrangers had seen them, and instantlysprang to their arms. Crossbows weredisplayed, and the man with the chartslevelled a huge a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectcolumbuschristopher
