Mezzoni the Brigand — page 183: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. 175 ‘This is the headquarters ?”’ ‘It is.”’ | At this moment the guard, who had been secured at the mouth of the cave, succeeded when unob- served in getting off his handcuffs, and leaping upon a rock beside the plateau, dropped himself off its edge, a distance of nearly thirty feet, to a ledge be- low, and thence climbed along, dropping again and again from one rock to another of the precipitous side. With great dexterity he avoided presenting himself as a mark for the soldiers’ bullets above him. In five minutes the man was entirely out of sight, and unless he should be captured by the patrol below, he had actually made good his escape. The only one of the gang who did so. The heutenant of the robbers had spoken truly as to there being no treasure at the cave. With the exception of a great variety of fire-arms and ammu- nition, and a fair supply of provisions, there was nothing there. The arms were carefully secured and a guard left upon the spot to await further disposi- tion of affairs, while preparations were made to march the captured brigands at once to prison in Naples. There were twenty-two of them, and be- sides being securely handcuffed, they were so tied together in couples that escape was rendered nearly impossible. The guard was ordered, however, to shoot down the first one who should attempt it. . All the preparations were made with the utmost care, for the officers knew very well that they had desperate men to deal with, and it was even feared that the escaped robber might bring some outlying friends of the gang to attempt a rescue. If this were to occur, both the captain and the detective had re- solved to shoot down the prisoners without mercy, (ele) comicbooks