Beadle's Dime Novels No. 300: The Crested Serpent — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

A SPIRIT. 49 _~ “Senor Vidal, send the youth you call Humfredo in her - Path. Tell him not to lose sight of ber until she quits the — Mountain,” said Boussard. -. — “He will trail her until she leaves the mountain,” replied . Vidal, as he left the marquee. | a On his return, all that had transpired was discussed at length, = And the superstitious Arabian woman thought she saw in Marta _ 4 being possessed of supernatural powers. “Senor Vidal, if what she says is a reflection of the future, the south will take up arms first; then we will raise the stan- _ dard here and drive our enemies into the sea, She read to US the past as though it lay open before her as a book,” said Oussard, as he stood reflecting over what bad transpired, As they still continued to discuss the visit of Marta, Hum- YVredo returned. “Well,” said Boussard, “ did you trail her to the outlet ?” ‘Senor, I followed her to the center of the muuntain, and _*Cr one moment—ouly one moment—took my-eyes from her, _. *8"a wolf ran by, when she disappeared. I believe she van- 33 ished in the air.” _ “ Were there rocks about ?” queried Boussard. “Few; yet I was so close upon her that she could gain no ‘me to secrete herself. No, senor,” and a look of apparent ¥° dread passed over the face of Humfredo; “ she disappeared _ Mair. Sbe is not human. Besides, I have often heard strange © _ Slorics of this mountain, and that a spirit of prophecy inhab- Ms it—one that foretells wars and famines, and people say | that she is a spirit of the old Aztecs.” “She will come again,” said Murieta, as her eyes glowed With the old light that glowed in them when she sat before Ms her father’s tent and listened to the eloquent legendary tales + ‘hat were told by the Arab poet-orators who roamed the sandy . “Serts from camp to camp. . 3 “Senor Vidal,” remarked Boussard, “ we must know mor her, be has encouraged us in our enterprise, and if her Prophecies prove true, we will be among the great of the kat th» “ e. Again the music from Murieta’s harp filled the marquee ay: With melody, and her voice warbled and trilled, as if it over _ “ped the tension of the human sound. aoe CONMIE IOO<SaEOlin)