Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 150 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

El Rubio Bravo, King of the Swordsmen. only safe to go to Chepultepec in the morning, when the rob have gone home.” O wedlow and answered: ‘‘We are very grateful for your warning, but my friend and fare armed and used to takin care of ourselves, For all that we are exceed- ingly thankfulto you, senor, May I offer my card and request the pleasure of knowing your honorable name?” The old Mexican took the card with a bow. “The cavalier will excuse my Hye | to read his card in this light. I am Don Lerdo de Ximenes, and my residence is at No. 357 Calle de San Francisco, where I shall be happy to place my. house at the disposition of such noble Americans as yourselves.” Olaf started slightly as the other announced himself and then replied: _ ‘‘Then you are the cousin of my old friend Don Carlos de Ximenes of Havana and you will know me better when I say Iam Don Olavo Svenson, commonly known as—” “El Rubio Bravo!” exclaimed Don Lerdo in a tone of deli e looked nervously down the spoke, for the evening was drawing on, and the carriages and horses were ae less and less frequent, even on the frequen part of the aseo, 6 . “You must excuse me if I near. on, hurriedly, “but I am a fam ning of the sword, like you, Don will call, Ls pol Hens no He galloped awa: rd as hi Olaf eived in the dusk of Chapulte ral on con PUL LP ae UP ee , ; ntse S Ale ; A te ' ‘ «it POTLIC s Jit 66 'T ay of ” ow : AL 7) hls =) y , : J ‘7 ; ity Jah ‘a Al. a , aw i _ r, JA LOC » JL LIV ilu Jib” nw - ' . . Ff " ' 7 iy A e . > a be counbed, aiid’ Heaven knows run the gantlet of that crowd without a ’ sa ogy | e turned his horse back as he spoke, but Olaf looked longingly down the road. ‘“T’d like one little dash,” he muttered. “I have a kind of impression that I should meet the last of the Gomez brothers there, and I want to close my accounts with them.” Charley Brown shrugged his shoulders. ‘You seem to have a great love for running ll into danger. What is there to gain wn there? Thieves don’t carry much in the bec 5 Si plunder, and you don’t want to turn ‘on your Own account.” ‘‘ All the same,” returned Olaf, obstinately, ‘*T have made up my mind to take a ride to Che- ultepec to-night, let who will come on the road. Paver let pic ‘kets scare me in American or English cities. I am fond of seeing all that is to be seen, and I want to find what sort of peo- le are these gentlemen of the Mexican road. ill yo come with me, or shall I go alone, my friend?” Charley growled: ‘You're a fool, and I’m another. Come on. We'll try it, anyway.” SS) CHAPTER XXVIL. . A STRANGE RIDE. Boru t were well armedin the modern | hion; that is to say each had a pair of vers. Behind them the paseo was rapidly emptyin as the last rays of twilight vwidanal: the nA 3) Popocatepetie; before them stretched the broad and beautifully level paseo to the foot of the hill of Chepultepec, for several miles, bordered with trees, and clothed with occasional horse- men coming lazily on, Our two friends loosened their pistols in the holsters and cantered gently on, the best point of the Mexican horses they rode. In about five minutes they came to the first horseman, a dashing cavalier in velvet and silver, who looked like any other Mexican gen- tleman andsaluted them with a polite ‘‘ Buenos noches, senores.” ‘Not much like a robber,” was the comment of Charley Brown. ‘Perhaps he’s only com- ing home from the castle.” they swept past him Olaf took asly glance over his shoulder, and saw that the cavalier was also looking back, and had slackened his to a walk. ‘* He’s a robber sure enough,” said the Dane; “but it seems to me I saw him only this morn- ing on the plaza smoking a cigarette.” ™ road as he wr a mile further on. “ : . . , «< » ‘ ‘ inn wt e - 4 <i sities tf, b= coal ; F) ,= i ie to . . 7 t- hp ; | soeuy hiding in the bushes. og have. to rob each other to-night, for I don’t care. to f 19 ‘Shouldn’t wonder. These Greasers are all | cate here, before I know if you are fit to be the alike,” commented Brown. The people they met were twoin number of the same Saale appearance, and Olaf said to his companion: ““ Draw your pistol, but keep it down by your leg.’’ ot They rode on, and the new-comers opened to either side of the road and halted. ‘‘ Good-evening, cavaliers,” criedone. “You ? seem in a hurry. His tone was jeering, but Olaf did not notice it as he swept past. Neither offered to pursue the Rubios, but as the Dane looked back he saw that the first man was coming to join the other two. ‘I see their plan,” was his only comment. Ahead of them were three more men on horse- back, and these halted in the road as they came. ‘“Take out your other revolver and be ready to charge,” quoth Olaf, coolly. ‘1 know these fellows toa dot, They’re used to having fools give in like lambs,” ‘hne the passive parties in of this As they went, one of them uttered a cry of pain, and they noticed him reeling on his horse. A little further on were about a dozen more groups of two or three at a time strung along and the first three galloped to them, when they all clustered together, pz d to dispute theypa , about, a, of “They’re too strong for us,” observed the Englishman. ** We'd better turn back.” ** Not from Mexicans,” replied the Dane in a tone of determination. ‘‘I’m going to give these fellows a lesson and show them that two good men can ride to Chepultepec in spite of em,” On they went now at a stretchi lop and Hit se the bandits mh ny tols at.them with an uncertain for the bul- whistled wide ee Fact what I thought,” uoth Olaf coolly, “Firearms are not natural to these people, The knife is their national weapon. Don’t till you are sure.” : Ina few moments more they were close on the Mexicans, who showed signs of wavering, all but one man. He rode out in front and fired a pistol with such good aim that Charley Brown ducked his head to avoid the bullet. Then the two an firing and the whole crowd of bandits fled, crying: ‘* Los diablos Yanguis !” {The Yankee devils!] All but the man who had so near shot Brown. He flashed out a sword and rode at Olaf, who wore his own battle-blade, Mexican fashion, and in a moment more the two swords were clashing in a regular duel, the swordmaster a8 Gor and taunting his opponent as he par- ried his savage cuts. “Not quite enough, my friend. Very well meant, but that was a false cut. ig again. bak you have good notions! Aha! Did you youhad me then? Take that!” He made a rapid slash at the other’s face, but to his surprise it was ied and the bandit cut back with such skill and force that it almost reached his sword-arm. ‘Halt! one moment!” cried the Dane, as he wheeled his horse out of distance. ‘‘ You are too ies a swordsman to be a thief. Who are yout Idon’t want to kill you. I am a profes- sional, you an amateur.” ee strange horseman uttered a cry of amaze- ment: ‘I know that voice, Are you not El Rubio Bravo?” ‘‘ The same, senor.” The stranger threw down his sword. ‘“‘And we were fighting together,” he cried. ‘‘ Ah, my friend, do you not know me? In my fallen fortunes I am still your friend, Jose Ramirez.” ——- CHAPTER XXVIII. THE GENERAL BANDIT. For several seconds Olaf was too much amazed to do more than repeat: ** Jose irez! Here!” ‘Yes, my friend,” said the ex-general, ‘‘ Jose Ramirez, here. Once a general at the headof a allant troop, now fallen to seeking purses on he road, but always your friend.” He turned in his saddle, and shouted out: “It isa friend, Itis alla mistake. Come up again. ‘‘No closer, if you please, my friend,” said Olaf, abruptly. ‘‘Ihave had enough of your comrades, for the present. Tell me how you escape.” att, Oh, they are liable to make mistakes as well ne any one else,” answered Kamirez, lightly. rable soldier.” “You t L was dead.” ‘* Of course I d I saw you struck down in the battle. Had* alone, 1 should have tried to rescue y T had a lady in charge, and—” we 4 “That is all right, my Norse friend. Td6not blame you one bit: It is true I went down.! One of those confounded Indians hit me with a stone and I was stunned; but I came to myself while the confusion was still wild, found my- self alone im a heap of dead with my horse eee | by me and saw the men of that con- found st City—which I wish we'd never one near—busily cutting out the hearts of the ast of my poor devils. Not wishing to have that ch operation performed on myself, I made a spring to my horse and gall away with a whole posse after me, down the moun- tain into the plain, and, by Jove! they followed me half-way to Tabasco, where I finally ar- rived more dead than alive.” “Then that was the reason they did not chase us,” said Olaf, thoughtfully. “Tf 1 often wondered how they came to t you I had quite a little time of it, and still ores, when I got to Tabasco.’ “Wh “Why! simply because I was too well-known The Ortega party had been beaten, and I wastome of Ortega’s principal followers. To make along story short, they clapped me into prison there and I only escaped ten days ago.” ‘How did you escape?” - ‘A woman, of course. There always is a wo- man in the case. The jailer’s wife, a pretty, kind-hearted creature, took pity on the Rubio, and thanks to a jealous husband who used to beat her, and a few looks of eager on my part, she let me out one night and insisted on running away without me. at could a man do? I took the gifts of Heaven, got back my horse and arms, left the lady at one of her friends, and made for Mexico, the only place short of the United States where I am not well known by wm 4s adi ** And what made you adopt this life?’ “This life? It is only a change of names. We gentlemen of the road make war just as our soldiers of fortune did—onglas libres—nails free. It isa fine life, my friend. You would do well to join us. My friend Ortega is sure to succeed and I have here the nucleus of a very pretty little band to join him as soon as he has taken Tabasco. You can have any situation under the new government you wish.” ‘* Thanks,” was the ae oe ‘*T have seen all I wish to see of this delightful count As soon as I have done some business which I in- tend to do to-morrow, I shall take the first steamer for New Orleans.” Ramirez sighed as if he felt grieved. He looked around up and down the road, where the bandits, to the number of twenty, were clustered as if hesitating. ‘‘T am so sorry,” he observed. ‘‘ Wecould make such a find troop of these fellows, and Or- tega is certain to succeed.” The Dane smiled a little scornfully. ‘‘ These fellows! You know well enough that they are not worth half their number of your old men. They let us two drive them like wi ‘That is true,” replied Ramirez, in a tone of confidential regret, ‘‘ but what is a man to do? All they need is teaching and you and I to- ether might make our fortunes with them, lavo. Ihave a scheme to take them all into the city some evening and make asweep of the Bank of Mexico. It could be done easy enough with the right men, and we could put Ortega funds at cnce to raise a hundred thousand men, Just think of what might be done with a hun- dred thousand men.” “Yes, if the bank were in our hands; but in the mean time, my friend, from being a general and a cavalier, you have become what the world calls a common robber.” ‘* And what would you have?” asked Rami with some bitterness. ‘‘In our preg! lan the robber is the only gentlemen who lives at his ease and is Scared and respected. I have tried to make war like a gentleman, but it is no use. The men would not follow. me without liberty to plunder. Now I am chief of this lit- tle band simply because I am the boldest man and the best shot among them. You think I am only a common robber now. 1 will show you that I can walk into Mexico on the plaza be- fore all the world and no one dare touch me.” ‘*Oh, come, my friend, you are joking. True you hold this road; but the police must know you, andin the city—” Ramirez laid his hand on the Dane’s knee. ‘*T tell you what I will do,” he said. ‘“‘I will wager you two gold onzas [forty dollars] that I can meet you on the plaza at noon under the shadow of the cathedral, and have all my men in plain view armed and mounted as they now are, and that not a single officer or man dare molest us,” com (Ele) Gboo - cS wi oa ee a et A >>", ~ . es _ . - , . ° < $ 6 ‘ » .: ‘ - ~ me * « ° e — + land tw a-* i aoe Ss ~ ,* a. ” . > . - fs >. ee ES ee > re ee ee pe ee ne * ; . _— . a Oe CE ee EF ae