Mezzoni the Brigand — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. 13 ‘“Were you armed?”’ asked the examining officer. ‘‘T was not.” ‘“‘It would have been better, perhaps.”’ But the gentleman freely admitted that if he had possessed a revolver he should have hesitated to risk the lives of the rest of the _party, being ladies only, by the use of a deadly weapon. He should have paused, however well armed, before provoking re- taliation from one who was not only himself fully armed, but who could doubtless call any needed number to his aid in case of a struggle. With a male friend to help him, both armed, the French- man said he would have resisted, but not with two women dependent upon him alone. The robber had addressed them in excellent French, and was not by any means vulgar. When asked to describe this man all were puzzled todo so. They could only say that he seemed to be a tall, stout-built man, with a heavy beard, and a disfiguring wound was also remembered as being conspicuous upon his left cheek just under the eye. But disguised, as he probably was, the description of his figure was not to be relied upon, though a scar upon the face might have been immovable. When under such an excitement as attends upon an experience ot this sort, few persons can trust to their memory to describe a figure seen but for four or five minutes, at most, and never before nor since. The instance, before mentioned, when the heavy ransom was demanded and paid, was also so pecu- liar as to require mention in this connection, and as familiarizing the reader with the doings of these _ brigands who will enact so important a part in the coming chapters. | An Englishman had come to Salerno by cars, and €O Gomicbooks