Ramón de Lopez.”
Cañuela read the note slowly and felt as though the words would not percolate her mind.
“It cannot be true! This is impossible!” Señor Naón exclaimed.
“It is true, señor,” Alberto assured him miserably. “They came upon us unexpectedly. We were riding home from the estancia. We had been galloping hard, for the Señor had a new horse.”
He made an expressive gesture with his hands.
“Even if the horses had been fresh, we could not have got away. They came towards us and at first we did not realise who they might be.”
“You say there were fifteen of them?” Señor Naón asked.
“About fifteen, señor, perhaps more. I did not count. I was so agitated, so frightened! They encircled us.”
“What did the Señor do?”
“He asked them what they wanted,” Alberto answered. “They talked wi
