Beadle's Dime Novels No. 300: The Crested Serpent — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

14 . THE CRESTED SERPENT. bave made me the same as I would a sacred vow of friend- ship from one whom I bad deemed my deadly enemy.” “Yon will not be deceived, Senor Vallejo,” softly re- marked Murieta, the Arab woman, and again a darker hue overspread her face, “The White Tiger of the Tropics,” cud she laughed a liquid ripple at the name she had conjured up, ‘is as tender as a child, and he desires your friend- ship.” “ Senora, he has won that already,” replied Vallejo, as he reclined on oriental cushions, and sipped wine until his heart warmed to a passionate glow. Murieta, with all her Arabic cunning and art, played with nimble fingers upon the harp, and sung for bim songs that had been taught her on the great sandy desert be- tween the Arabian and the Red seas; sung with such pathos that his senses became bewildered, and he almost imagined he had been transported to the sandy plains of Danah. Where was Humfredo? He lay crouched in a ledge of rocks that reared themselves at the end of the moun- tain spur, and from there saw preparations that caused his heart to quake. A tall, slender tree was bent down, and from its end dan- gled a rope. It formed an arbor, but it was the arbor that hid the asp. The folds of the tent opened, and _ his master, Jose Val- lejo, the Arab woman, and Boussard, came forth. Vallejo mounted his horse that stood ready to receive him, and as the sun shone upon his smiling face and the richly- costumed horse, it was a picture irresistible in its beauty. «One more glass, Senor Vallejo,” said the Arab woman, and she poured one full of the sparkling beverage, and with hat off he raised it to his lips and drank to his host and hostess, and wished them a long and happy existence. Pouring a glass full of. wine, Murieta raised it to her lips, her eyes resembling the red embers of a dying fire, and — . drank : “Thedynasty and thy proud janehiag Sefior Jose Vallejo.” Ie was fascinated. The gaze of the serpent was upon him, and its coil was hovering over bis head, ready to envelop ba his Castilian neck i in its deadly folds. > 2 eacomicbooks.com,- ? y -