Argosy, Vol. 1 (December 9, 1882) — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

118 THE ARGOSY, / ‘““ Madre de Dios!” exclaimed one of them, “ he has escaped us.” ‘No, there he is!” said his companion. I held my breath, but he had pointed down the street, and in a moment more they had hurrted on. That they had been following me was settled beyond a doubt. After they had passed I ventured to follow them, partly from curiosity, and partly because it might help me to find out where I was. I kept a little distance from them, but far enough so that they would not hear me. They were led a lively chase, for the man was walking fast. Sud- denly they turned into a dark street ahead and I lost sight of them. As I stopped to listen, afraid lest I might unexpectedly come upon them, I was startled by muffled cries and the sound of a scuffle not a hundred yards ahead of me. On the impulse of the moment I darted forward to give what assistance I could to the unfortunate man who had thus unconsciously substituted himself for me. He was making a plucky fight, but it was two against one. A blanket had been thrown over his head to stifle his cries, and he was struggling to rid himself of it. Evidently, in the darkness they had not discovered that they had the wrong man. They did not, either, hear me as I came wp, so that my onset took them quite by surprise. I hurled the nearest rufhan upon the stones, and gave the other such a stinging blow with my fist as caused him to relax his hold and stagger back dazed. Before I could get at the first fellow again he had regained his feet and was running down the street at the top of his speed. I managed to secure his companion, pinning his arms behind his back. The man who had been set upon had succeeded in freeing himself from the blanket and now came to my assistance. “Can you hold the fellow?” he asked. “I have him all right,” I replied, tightening my hold, for the fellow was making a desperate attempt to break away. “ There were two of them, were there not?” he asked, looking about him in a somewhat bewildered way. “Yes, but one of them took to his heels. “Tis not likely that he will trouble us.” “ It is a pity he escaped, for I’d have him where he'd not attempt this busi- ‘ness again. These fellows are almost too bold.” — “We are at least saved all trouble about him; and since we are neither robbed nor injured, we can afford to let him go. And as for this fellow we have here—why not let him go, too? He will be indebted to us for his liberty.” “ For his life,” he replied. I had suddenly discovered that the fellow was Fernandez; and it had occurred to me that if I interfered in his behalf, he might, in turn, do me some service in the future. Besides, I thought, if I let him go that would end the matter, and I was not likely to be troubled or brought into notoriety by the affair: but I found that the Mexican was not inclined to my views. “It would be a bad example, sefior,”’ he said. “ He should be made to serve a lesson to those of his class.” GOH GoOOO (GO) Tm