Beadle's Dime Novels No. 300: The Crested Serpent — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

12: > THE CRESTED SERPENT, - ments that characterized the imperial army dncing the reign ‘of Napoleon’s victim. On the front of the plateau, command- ing a view of Jose Vallejo’s hacienda, that lay bathed in the mellow sunshine, and the valleys stretching on either side of the mountain-spur, was a marquee, circled with ropes. In the doorway, or raised flap, trimmed with crimson, yellow and purple cloths and cords, stood a man with hair as white as snow, but whose face denoted a man of not more than forty years. His eyes were black and piercing, and complexion sal- low, hight almost six feet, with a form muscular and grace- ful. He shaded his eyes with his left hand and looked in the direction of Vuallejo’s hacienda, saying to some one inside the tent: : 3 “We cannot resist the temptation. The bait is too power- ful. I have caught them all but this fine Mexican gentle- man, and all have died with ropes around their necks. I would have let this one go, but you set the trap, and he is your victim. Itis for the good of his imperial highness,” he said, sneeringly, “and perhaps for our own good in the fu- ture,’ and he looked away in the distance, and a cold smile stole over his sallow face. A woman’s voice, rich, soft, and languid, came from the inside of the tent. : “We must die, Arnaud. These rich Mexicans who op- “a the empire now will oppose us.” ; eens. “Tie comes; he comes, Murieta! The hook was well baited. We must give him a reception worthy our exalted position,” and he laughed a low, bitter laugh. “Come, Ma- rieta, and see our victim on the gilded hook. I wenie not give my blooded horse for a thousand Mexican curs. A woman came from the tent. She was a woman of me- dium hight, features brown, of the Arabic cast, and fault-_ lessly perfect in contour; hair intensely black, and eyes a: dark red, almond-shaped, fatiel sceming to hide beneath their heavy lashés sinothered lightning. A hand, delicate and brown, shaded her eyes as she looked across the valley, and “upon a finger of it was a ring representing a serpent, its jaws expanded and fangs of diamond ready to sink into a victim, | eyes of ruby, and surmounted wilh a diamond edging, — comichooks. scom: