many there may be." To this, one of the assailants made answer--"You
lie; there are no traitors here. He who seeks to recover his lost honour
is no traitor, and is permitted to avail himself of every advantage."

No more was said on either side, for the impetuosity of the assailants,
who, as Don Juan thought, amounted to not less than six, left no
opportunity for further words. They pressed his companion, meanwhile,
very closely; and two of them giving him each a thrust at the same time
with the point of their swords, he fell to the earth. Don Juan believed
they had killed him; he threw himself upon the adversaries,
nevertheless, and with a shower of cuts and thrusts, dealt with
extraordinary rapidity, caused them to give way for several paces. But
all his efforts must needs have been vain for the defence of the fallen
man, had not Fortune aided him, by making the neighbours come with
lights to their windows and shout for the watch, whereupon the
assailants ran off and left the street clear.

The fallen man was meanwhile beginning to move; for the strokes he had
received, having encountered a breastplate as hard as adamant, had only
stunned, but not wounded him.

Now, Don Juan's hat had been knocked off in the fray, and thinking he
had picked it up, he had in fact put on that of another person, without
perceiving it to be other than his own. The gentleman whom he had
assisted now approached Don Juan, and accosted him as follows:--"Signor
Cavalier, whoever you may be, I confess that I owe you my life, and I am
bound to employ it, with all I have or can command, in your service: do
me the favour to tell me who you are, that I may know to whom my
gratitude is due."