The Argosy, August 1905 — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

right and a single Mexiean turned his mount and galloped back toward the hollow. “Tt is as I thought,” said Haddon quietly. “It is their purpose to place guards on every side of the inn, so that the man in there will have no oppor- tunity of making his escape. It is plain that this guerrilla‘leader is no bungler.” Several of the Mexican - horsemen were already crossing the fields on either side of the inn, their purpose being to form a circle of men completely around the building. “Tt appears,” said the Texan dryly, “that we are to be surrounded.” “Which proves it fortunate that we left our horses a mile or more from this spot. Let us see what these fellows are going to do,” replied the Virginian. The Mexicans who had separated themselves from the main body were following the are of a great circle. At certain points in this circle a horseman pulled up and retired to the shelter of a clump of bushes or behind a rise of ground. The inn was now surrounded on three sides; a single guerrillero continued on his course. He was the man detailed to take his position directly in the rear of the deserted hostelry. The Virginian and his companion looked at each other and a grim expres- sion of satisfaction came into the face of the Texan. The lone guerrillero had completed half of the are of the circle, and on his left and right his companions had sta- tioned themselves, perhaps a quarter of a mile separating the watchers. The Mexican pulled up his horse and looked carefully around him; he had been or- dered by Mazatlan to take a position directly to the north of the inn, and he was examining the ground to discover the most likely hiding-place. His eyes 2 fell upon the low hill crowned by the thick fringe of bushes and rank vegeta- tion; it commanded every fod of ground in the rear of the house an afforded an excellent view in all direc. Phe guerrillero gathered up his reins and began slowly to approach the base of the hill. Reaching the ascent, he ‘ . rh Wel y - { - te . ; Tg it? up the incline ~ oe", 4 a) aE -. » hea * THE ARGOSY. At the top he halted and again ex- amined his SUTTOWnenaee the dry ditch appealed to him as an excellent hiding- place for a horse. He descended the farther side of the hill and entered the hollow, still leading his steed by the bridle. A soft step sounded behind him. It might have been the noise made by a rabbit scurrying away in fright. The Mexican turned his head quickly, but what he saw was only a fleeting vision. A hand closed like a steel vise about his throat, and something flashed in the fading sunlight. A sharp pain darted through the querrillero’s body—a pang of agony which ceased almost as soon as it began. The inert body of a man dropped noise- lessly to the ground and lay without motion. Sergeant Bradley bent down and wiped the blade of his knife upon the dead man’s embroidered jacket. Turn- ing, he faced Haddon. ‘I fancy, sir,” he said grimly, “ that when the time comes Mazatlan will find a gap in the circle which he has drawn about the inn down there.” ‘ ; CHAPTER XIIT. WHAT THE MOON SAW. THE moon, balancing in a cloudless sky, bathed the landscape in a light of weird silver. Somewhere among the dis- tant hills a lone wolf howled dismally. Sergeant Bradley swore softly. | Since the sun had set, a yellow ball in the west, he had watched from the sum- mit of the hill behind the inn of Senor Perote. It was well toward midnight,_ and nothing had happened, Looking down upon the roof of the tavern and beyond across the unculti- vated fields, he saw only desolation—not a living object stirring, not a sound ex- cept those incident to the night. Yet he knew that in the silent hostelry the prisoner who had escaped from the stone house of Chaleo kept vigilant guard; that among the hills which bor- co ue the deserted fields Mazatlan’s guerrilleros were patiently waiting for . the handful of unsuspecting rid from the north. an Heit ‘ i t ma’) ts \. >. comlebooks.cony