old female, threatened with death, was
unromantic enough to prefer her own safety
to her master's, and without saying a
word, pointed to a closet in the thickness
of the wall, and this being opened, the
missing man was found buried alive under
a heap of papers. The terror of Vasconcelles
exceeded the fright, that on any
preceding occasion had been felt by any of
the conspirators, and he was unable to
utter a word. Nor was there any demand
for his discourse; Dom Rodrigo do Saa,
firing a pistol, began the work of vengeance,
which was completed by several stabs;
and when the unfortunate man was dead
his body was flung out of window to be
stabbed anew by the people below, amid
shouts in honour of liberty and John, King
of Portugal.

This operation performed, Pinto set off
to join the other insurgents, who were to
occupy the vice-regal apartments, and was
glad to find that they were perfectly
successful. In answer to the menaces of the
persons who besieged the door, and further
moved by the howls of the populace without,
who threatened to fire the palace, the
vice-queen, accompanied by her maids of
honour and the Archbishop of Braga, tried
to make the best of the situation.
Cordially detesting the secretary, as a low
person placed over her head, she could
honestly admit that he had fully deserved
his fate, and requested the conspirators to
retire as quickly and as quietly as possible,
that she might be able to make a good case
for them with the king. The slight
misunderstanding exhibited in her very civil
address was speedily corrected by Menejès,
who entreated her not to suppose for a
moment that the movement had been
organized for the mere purpose of getting rid of
a wretch so despicable as Vasconcellos.
No, their object was to place John of
Braganza on the throne, of which he
had been unjustly deprived by usurpers.
Changing her plan, the vice-queen now
expressed a desire to appear before the people,
and awe them by the majesty of her
presence. The Duke of Noronha assuring her
that she possibly over-valued the expedient,
which might be rather perilous than otherwise,
she asked what the people could
possibly do to her? "Nothing at all,"
replied the courteous duke, "but throw
your highness out of window." This curt
answer so highly infuriated the bold
Archbishop of Braga that he snatched a sword
from a soldier, and was about to rush on
the conspirators, but he was promptly held
back by Dom Miguel d'Almeida, and peace,
such as could be had, was preserved.

The rest of the work was easily done.
The most obnoxious persons were secured
without difficulty, persons imprisoned by
the Spaniards were released, and Count
Antonio Saldanha formally proclaimed
John of Braganza, King of Portugal.
There was only this little difficulty, that
the citadel was still in the hands of the
Spaniards. Application was therefore made
to the vice-queen, who was required to sign
an order for the governor to deliver it into
her hands; and though she at first refused,
the threat of D'Almeida to stab her on the
spot, enforced her compliance. The necessary
order was therefore obtained, and Dom
Louis de Campeo, the governor of the
citadel, was only too glad to find himself
authorised in retreating from his dangerous
post. A provisional government being
formed under the presidency of the
Archbishop of Lisbon, with whom were joined
Miguel d' Almeida, Pedro Mendoza, and
Antonio d'Almada as councillors, its first
office was to seize three Spanish vessels in
the port of Lisbon, and to order the
provincial magistrate to proclaim the Duke of
Braganza as king.

But of all the people who had felt
alarmed during the progress of the revolution
none was more terribly frightened than
the Duke of Braganza himself, who while
his victory was preparing at Lisbon,
remained shaking in his shoes at the Villa
Viciosa, about thirty leagues distant from
the citadel. His first notion was to excite
the inhabitants of all the towns immediately
subject to his dominion, but he afterwards
thought it would be safer to see which way
the wind blew, and to keep quiet till
intelligence from Lisbon had arrived. The
province Algare was his, at all events, and
thither he could retire, and perhaps make
the king believe that he had nothing to do
with the insurrection. The Spaniards were
not very strong at that moment, and would
perhaps be ready enough to feign a conviction
of his innocence without asking troublesome
questions.

His mind was made up in the right
direction, when Mendoza and Mello, who had
hurried themselves to the utmost, arrived
at Villa Viciosa with glorious news from
Lisbon, throwing themselves at his knees,
and thus letting him know, before they had
spoken a word, that he was already a king.
At once he conducted them to the apartments
of the Duchess, whom they likewise
saluted with the most profound respect,