heart was hardened in some degree, by associating with those wretches my companions, and I did not feel as I should otherwise have done. From several circumstances that happened, I discovered that Zamara was your uncle, lady; and a further knowledge of your sweetness and goodness made me execrate him for his cruelty to you, as he wished me to have treated you with such severity as would have shortened your existence. When you fled the first time, Lwas under the necessity of informing our Chief of it, as many men at that period, were employed to narrowly watch every avenue of the forest, and they would have discovered your flight, if I had not acquainted them with it, and suspecting treachery, by my not mentioning it to them, would have put me to death, and you would to a certainty have fell into worse hands. The Captain was at the head of the party who seized you a second time, when your protector was wounded, and expressed so much admira

tion of your beauty, that had it not been from the fear of displeasing Zamara, I am convinced he would have had you in his power.

While his party were engaged

in taking you prisoner, I was obliged to join my companions in a skirmish with some travellers, who made a stout resistance and finally put us to the rout; and caused the ghastly figure I made when I appeared before you, and alarmed you so much, lady.

"Your sufferings afterwards, your fortitude and gentleness, had such an effect on me, that I became totally changed, and determined to quit the infernal life I led, the first opportunity I could, with any prospect of saving mine and my mother's life. The ruffian who attempted to assassinate you, I suspected was your uncle, and concluding if I had wounded him as I conjectured, that he would be revenged on me and at all events attempt your life again, I was determined at any risk to save you and

effect your escape; in which I succeeded, as you have experienced, lady. You were no sooner placed under the care of the good friar, than I returned to the palace; and telling my mother to pack up the most valuable articles we possessed, informed her there was a necessity for our quitting the forest immediately, yet we must not go away together; and desired she would repair to a town about five and twenty miles distant, and take up her abode in it till I came to her. She was rejoiced to quit the palace, but did not like to go without me: however, my persuasions prevailed, she mounted her mule and departed. As I was preparing a short time after, to set off in another direction, I perceived the Captain of the handitti coming towards our late habitation; and apprehensive if he saw me, and found that my mother and the lady were gone, his suspicion would be excited and he might wreak immediate vengeance on me; as he probably came in consequence of Zamara's late attempt, to know the

event hastened to the back of the palace, where my mule was fastened, and rode off as expeditiously as I could, fear increasing my speed.

"From that period till within these two months I have been constantly pursued by different detachments of the banditti, and have narrowly escaped by practising the greatest vigilance; sometimes obliged to conceal myself in the mountains, woods, caves, or villages, just as circumstances. made it necessary, till the pursuit, from a long interval having elapsed and not seeing any thing of the robbers who sought my life, I judged to be nearly over. I then went to my mother's residence, who was delighted to see me, having suffered considerable uneasiness on my account, as she had not heard from me for such a long time; and we both about three weeks afterwards, set forwards on our journey to Oporto, with the hope of meeting you there, to impart every thing I knew relat

ing to yourself; and likewise to implore you, if you had friends that could be of service to me, to request they would intercede to procure my pardon, for having been associated with the banditti, as it was involuntary. I dared not go, before we commenced our journey, to make any inquiries respecting you of Father Gonzalvo, fearful of being seen by the banditti, as the convent was so near the forest.

"We were necessitated to travel some distance on foot, our mule dying on the road; and when we came within a mile of this place, my mother set down to rest herself, and at that moment who should unfortunately pass by but Don Luis de Zamarą. He stared very hard at me, and from this incident I trembled, lest he should have known me and my mother, as we had nothing remarkable in our appearance to attract notice, and were dressed in clothes different from what we were accustomed to wear at the palace, as you may perceive,

lady.