Chapter 36 - All Against Them
And he rushed into danger.
The dawn had
come; the first pink streaks had appeared in the eastern sky, and then the sun
had risen quickly above the heights to the east, and now the plaza was bathed
in brilliance. There was no mist, no high fog even, and objects on the
hillsides far away stood out in relief. It was no morning in which to ride for
life and freedom.
Señor Zorro had
delayed too long with the governor and comandante, else had misjudged the hour.
He swung into his saddle and urged his beast out of the patio—and then a full
realization of his imminent peril came to him.
Down the trail
from San Gabriel came Sergeant Pedro Conzales and his troopers. Down the Pala
road came another detachment of soldiers that had been trailing the caballeros
and Don Carlos and had given up in disgust. Over the hill toward the presidio
came the third body of men, who had been in chase of those who had rescued the
Dona Catalina. Señor Zorro found himself hemmed in by his foes.
The Curse of
Capistrano deliberately stopped his horse and for a moment contemplated the
outlook. He glanced at the three bodies of troopers, estimated the distance.
And in that instant one with Sergeant Gonzales's detachment saw him and raised
the alarm.
They knew that
magnificent horse, that long purple cloak, that black mask and wide sombrero.
They saw before them the man they had been pursuing throughout the night, the
man who had made fools of them and played with them, about the hills and
valleys. They feared the rage of his excellency and their superior officers,
and in their hearts and minds was determination to capture or slay this Curse
of Capistrano now as this last chance was offered them.
Señor Zorro put
spurs to his horse and dashed across the plaza, in full view of some score of
citizens. Just as he did that, the governor and his host rushed from the house,
shrieking that Señor Zorro was a murderer and should be taken. Natives scurried
like so many rats for shelter; men of rank stood still and gaped in
astonishment.
Señor Zorro,
having crossed the plaza, drove his horse at highest speed straight toward the
highway. Sergeant Gonzales and his troopers rushed to cut him off and turn him
back, shrieking at one another, pistols in their hands, blades loosened in
their scabbards. Reward and promotion and satisfaction were to be their lot if
they made an end of the highwayman here and now.
Señor Zorro was
forced to swerve from his first course, for he saw that he could not win
through. He had not taken his pistol from his belt, but he had drawn his blade,
and it dangled from his right wrist in such fashion that he could grip the hilt
of it instantly and put it into play.
He cut across the
plaza again, almost running down several men of rank who were in the way. He
passed within a few paces of the infuriated governor and his host, darted
between two houses, and rushed toward the hills in that direction.
It appeared that
he had some small chance of escaping the cordon of his foes now. He scorned
paths and trails, and cut across the open ground. From both sides the troopers
galloped to meet him, flying toward the angle of the wedge, hoping to reach it
in time and turn him back once more.
Gonzales was
shouting orders in his great voice, and he was sending a part of his men down
into the pueblo, so they would be in proper position in case the highwayman turned
back again, and could keep him from escaping to the west.
He reached the
highway and started down it toward the south. It was not the direction he would
have preferred, but he had no choice now. He dashed around a curve in the road,
where some natives' huts cut off the view—and suddenly he pulled up his horse,
almost unseating himself.
For here a new
menace presented itself. Straight at him along the highway flew a horse and
rider, and close behind came half a dozen troopers in pursuit.
Señor Zorro whirled
his horse. He could not turn to the right because of a stone fence. His horse
could have jumped it, but on the other side was soft plowed ground, and he knew
he could make no progress across it, and that the troopers might cut him down
with a pistol bullet.
Nor could he turn
to the left, for there was a sheer precipice down which he could not hope to
ride with safety. He had to turn back toward Sergeant Gonzales and the men who
rode with him, hoping to get a distance of a couple of hundred yards, where he
could make a descent, before Gonzales and his men arrived at the spot
He gripped his
sword now, and was prepared for fight, for he knew it was going to be close
work. He glanced back over his shoulder—and gasped his surprise.
For it was
Señorita Lolita Pulido who rode that horse and was pursued by the half-dozen
troopers, and he had thought her safe at the hacienda of Fray Felipe. Her long
black hair was down and streaming out behind her. Her tiny heels were glued to
the horse's flanks. She bent forward as she rode, holding the reins low down,
and Señor Zorro, even in that instant, marveled at her skill with a mount.
"Señor!"
he heard her shout.
And then she had
reached his side, and they rode together, dashing down upon Gonzales and his
troopers.
"They have
been chasing me—for hours!" she gasped. "I escaped them—at Fray
Felipe's!"
"Ride close!
Do not waste breath!" he screeched.
"My horse—is
almost done—señor!"
Señor Zorro
glanced aside at the beast, and saw that he was suffering from fatigue. But
there was scant time to consider that now. The soldiers behind had gained some;
those in front presented a menace that required consideration.
Down the trail
they flew, side by side, straight at Gonzales and his men. Señor Zorro could
see that pistols were out, and he doubted not that the governor had given
orders to get him dead or alive, but to see that he did not escape again.
Now he spurred a
few paces in advance of the señorita, and called upon her to ride his horse's
tracks. He dropped the reins on his mount's neck, and held his blade ready. He
had two weapons—his blade and his horse.
Then came the
crash. Señor Zorro swerved his horse at the proper instant, and the señorita
followed him. He cut at the trooper on his left, swung over and cut at the one
on his right. His horse crashed into that of a third trooper, and hurled it
against the animal the sergeant rode.
He heard shrill
cries about him. He knew that the men who had been pursuing Señorita Lolita had
run into the others, and that there was a certain amount of confusion, that
they could not use blades for fear of cutting down one another.
And then he was
through them, with the señorita riding at his side again. Once more he was at
the edge of the plaza. His horse was showing signs of weariness, and he had
gained nothing.
For the way to
San Gabriel was not open, the way to Pala was closed, he could not hope to
escape by cutting across soft ground, and on the opposite side of the plaza
were more troopers, in saddle and waiting to cut him off, no matter in which
direction he started.
"We are
caught!" he shouted. "But we are not done, señorita!"
"My horse is
stumbling!" she cried.
Señor Zorro saw
that it was so. He knew that the beast could not make another hundred yards.
"To the
tavern!" he cried.
They galloped
straight across the plaza. At the door of the tavern the señorita's horse
staggered and fell. Señor Zorro caught the girl in his arms in time to save her
from a hard fall and, still carrying her, darted through the tavern door.
"Out!"
he cried to the landlord and the native servant. "Out!" he shrieked
to half a dozen loiterers, exhibiting his pistol. They rushed through the door
and into the plaza.
The highwayman
threw the door shut and bolted it. He saw that every window was closed except
the one that fronted on the plaza, and that the board and skin coverings were
in place. He stepped to the table and then whirled to face the señorita.
"It may be
the end," he said.
"Señor!
Surely the saints will be kind to us."
"We are
beset by foes, señorita. I care not, so that I die fighting as a caballero
should. But you, señorita—"
"They shall
never put me in the foul cárcel again, señor! I swear it! Rather would I die
with you."
She took the
sheep skinner's knife from her bosom, and he caught a glance of it.
"Not that,
señorita!" he cried.
"I have
given you my heart, señor. Either we live together or we die together."
Chapter 37 - The Fox at Bay
He darted to the
window and glanced out. The troopers were surrounding the building. He could
see the governor stalking across the plaza, crying his orders. Down the San
Gabriel trail came the proud Don Alejandro Vega, to pay his visit to the
governor, and he stopped at the plaza's edge and began questioning men
regarding the cause for the tumult.
"All are in
at the death," Señor Zorro said, laughing. "I wonder where my brave
caballeros are, those who rode with me?"
"You expect
their aid?" she asked.
"Not so,
señorita. They would have to stand together and face the governor, tell him
their intentions. It was a lark with them, and I doubt whether they take it
seriously enough to stand by me now. It is not to be expected. I fight it out
alone."
"Not alone,
señor, when I am by your side."
He clasped her in
his arms, pressed her to him.
"I would we
might have our chance," he said. "But it would be folly for you to
let my disaster influence your life. You never have seen my face even,
señorita. You could forget me. You could walk from this place and surrender,
send word to Don Diego Vega that you will become his bride, and the governor
then would be forced to release you and clear your parents of all blame."
"Ah,
señor—"
"Think,
señorita. Think what it would mean. His excellency would not dare stand an
instant against a Vega. Your parents would have their lands restored. You would
be the bride of the richest young man in the country. You would have everything
to make you happy—"
"Everything
Except love, señor, and without, love the rest is as nought."
"Think,
señorita, and decide for once and all. You have but a moment now!"
"I made my
decision long ago, señor. A Pulido loves but once, and does not wed where she
cannot love."
"Cara!"
he cried, and pressed her close again.
Now there came a
battering at the door.
"Señor
Zorro!" Sergeant Conzales cried.
"Well,
señor?" Zorro asked.
"I have an
offer for you from his excellency the governor."
"I am
listening, loud one."
"His
excellency has no wish to cause your death or injury to the señorita you have
inside with you. He asks that you open the door and come out with the
lady."
"To what
end?" Señor Zorro asked.
"You shall
be given a fair trial, and the señorita also. Thus you may escape death and
receive imprisonment instead."
"Ha! I have
seen samples of his excellency's fair trials," Señor Zorro responded.
"Think you I am an imbecile?"
"His
excellency bids me say that this is the last chance, that the offer will not be
renewed."
"His
excellency is wise not to waste breath renewing it. He grows fat, and his
breath is short"
"What can
you expect to gain by resistance, save death?" Gonzales asked. "How
can you hope to offstand a score and a half of us?"
"It has been
done before, loud one."
"We can
batter in the door and take you."
"After a few
of you have been stretched lifeless on the floor," señor Zorro observed.
"Who will be the first through the door, my sergeant?"
"For the
last time—"
"Come in and
drink a mug of wine with me," said the highwayman, laughing.
"Meal mush
and goat's milk!" swore Sergeant Gonzales. There was quiet then for a
time, and Señor Zorro, glancing through the window cautiously, so as not to
attract a pistol shot, observed that the governor was in consultation with the
sergeant and certain of the troopers.
The consultation
ended, and Señor Zorro darted back from the window. Almost immediately, the
attack upon the door began. They were pounding at it with heavy timbers, trying
to smash it down. Señor Zorro, standing in the middle of the room, pointed his
pistol at the door and fired, and as the ball tore through the wood and
somebody outside gave a shriek of pain, he darted to the table and started
loading the pistol again.
Then he hurried
across to the door, and observed the hole where the bullet had gone through.
The plank had been split, and there was quite a crack in it. Señor Zorro put
the point of his blade at this crack, and waited.
Again the heavy
timber crashed against the door, and some trooper threw his weight against it,
also. Señor Zorro's blade darted through the crack like a streak of lightning,
and came back red, and again there was a shriek outside. And now a volley of
pistol balls came through the door, but Señor Zorro, laughing, had sprung back
out of harm's way.
"Well done,
señor!" Señorita Lolita cried.
"We shall
stamp our mark on several of these hounds before we are done," he replied.
"I would
that I could aid you, señor."
"You are
doing it, señorita. It is your love that gives me my strength."
"If I could
use a blade—"
"Ah,
señorita, that is for a man to do. Do you pray that all may be well."
"And at the
last, señor, if it is seen that there is no hope —may I then see your dear
face?"
"I swear it,
señorita, and feel my arms about you, and my lips on yours. Death will not be
so bitter then."
The attack on the
door was renewed. Now pistol shots were coming through it regularly, and
through the one open window also, and there was nothing for Señor Zorro to do
except stand in the middle of the room and wait, his blade held ready. There
would be a lively few minutes, he promised, when the door was down and they
rushed in at him.
It seemed to be
giving way now. The señorita crept close to him, tears streaming down her
cheeks, and grasped him by the arm.
"You will
not forget?" she asked.
"I'll not
forget, señorita."
"Just before
they break down the door, señor. Take me in your arms and let me see your dear
face and kiss me. Then I can die with good grace, too."
"You must
live—"
"Not to be
sent to a foul cárcel, señor. And what would life be without you?"
"There is
Don Diego—"
"I think of
nobody but you, señor. A Pulido will know how to die. And perhaps my death will
bring home to men the perfidy of the governor. Perhaps it may be of
service."
Again the heavy
timber struck against the door. They could hear his excellency shouting encouragement
to the troopers, could hear the natives shrieking and Sergeant Gonzales crying
his orders in his loud voice.
Señor Zorro
hurried to the window again, chancing a bullet, and glanced out. He saw that
half a dozen troopers had their blades ready, were prepared to rush over the
door the moment it was down. They would get him—but he would get some of them
first! Again the ram against the door.
"It is
almost the end, señor," the girl whispered.
"I know it,
señorita."
"I would we
had had better fortune, yet I can die gladly since this love has been in my
life. Now—señor—your face and lips. The door—is crashing in!"
She ceased to
sob, and lifted her face bravely. Señor Zorro sighed, and one hand fumbled with
the bottom of his mask.
But suddenly
there was a tumult outside in the plaza, and the battering at the door ceased,
and they could hear loud voices that they had not heard before.
Señor Zorro let
go of his mask, and darted to the window.
Chapter 38 - The Man Unmasked
Twenty-three
horsemen were galloping into the plaza. The beasts they rode were magnificent,
their saddles and bridles were heavily chased with silver, their cloaks were of
the finest materials, and they wore hats with plumes, as if this was somewhat
of a dress affair and they wished the world to know it. Each man sat straight
and proud in his saddle, his blade at his side, and every blade had a jeweled
hilt, being at once serviceable and a rich ornament.
They galloped
along the face of the tavern, between the door and the soldiers who had been
battering it, between the building and the governor and assembled citizens, and
there they turned and stood their horses side by side, facing his excellency.
"Wait! There
is a better way!" their leader cried.
"Ha!"
screeched the governor. "I understand. Here we have the young men of all
the noble families in the southland. They have come to show their loyalty by
taking this Curse of Capistrano. I thank you, caballeros. Yet it is not my wish
to have any of you slain by this fellow. He is not worthy your blades, señores.
Do you ride to one side and lend the strength of your presence, and let my
troopers deal with the rogue. Again I thank you for this show of loyalty, for
this demonstration that you stand for law and order and all it means, for constituted
authority—"
"Peace!"
their leader cried. "Your excellency, we represent power in this section,
do we not?"
"You do,
caballeros," the governor said.
"Our
families say who shall rule, what laws shall be just, do they not?"
"They have
great influence," the governor said.
"You would
not care to stand alone against us?"
"Most
assuredly not!" his excellency cried. "But I pray you, let the
troopers get this fellow. It is not seemly that a caballero should suffer wound
or death from his blade."
"It is to be
regretted that you do not understand."
"Understand?"
queried the governor, in a questioning tone, glancing up and down the line of
mounted men.
"We have
taken counsel with ourselves, excellency. We know our strength and power, and
we have decided upon certain things. There have been things done that we cannot
countenance.
"The frailes
of the missions have been despoiled by officials. Natives have been treated
worse than dogs. Even men of noble blood have been robbed because they have not
been friendly to the ruling powers."
"Caballero—"
"Peace,
excellency, until I have done. This thing came to a crisis when a hidalgo and
his wife and daughter were thrown into a cárcel by your orders. Such a thing
cannot be countenanced, excellency, and so we have banded ourselves together,
and here we take a hand. Be it known that we ourselves rode with this Señor
Zorro when he invaded the cárcel and rescued the prisoners, that we carried Don
Carlos and the Doña Catalina to places of safety, and that we have pledged our
words and honors and blades that they shall not be persecuted more."
"I would
say—"
"Silence,
until I have done! We stand together, and the strength of our united families
is behind us. Call upon your soldiers to attack us, if you dare! Every man of
noble blood up and down the length of El Camino Real would flock to our
defense, would unseat you from your office, would see you humbled. We await
your answer, excellency."
"What—what
would you?" his excellency gasped.
"First,
proper consideration for Don Carlos Pulido and his family. No cárcel for them.
If you have the courage to try them for treason, be sure that we will be on
hand at the trial, and deal with any man who gives perjured testimony, and with
any magistrado who does not conduct himself properly. We are determined,
excellency."
"Perhaps I
was hasty in the matter, but I was led to believe certain things," the
governor said. "I grant you your wish. One side now, caballeros, while my
men get at this rogue in the tavern."
"We are not
done," their leader said. "We have things to say regarding this Señor
Zorro. What has he done—actually—excellency? Is he guilty of any treason? He
has robbed no man except those who robbed the defenseless first. He has whipped
a few unjust persons. He has taken sides with the persecuted, for which we
honor him. To do such a thing, he took his life in his own hands. He
successfully evaded your soldiers. He resented insults, as any man has the
right to do."
"What would
you?"
"A complete
pardon, here and now, for this man known as Señor Zorro."
"Never!"
the governor cried. "He has affronted me personally. He shall die the
death!" He turned around and saw Don Alejandro Vega standing near him.
"Don Alejandro, you are the most influential man in this south
country," he said. "You are the one man against whom even the
governor dare not stand. You are a man of justice. Tell these young caballeros
that what they wish cannot be granted. Bid them retire to their homes, and this
show of treason will be forgotten."
"I stand
behind them!" Don Alejandro thundered.
"You—you
stand behind them?"
"I do, your
excellency. I echo every word they have spoken in your presence. Persecution
must cease. Grant their requests, see that your officials do right hereafter,
return to San Francisco de Asis, and I take my oath that there shall be no
treason in this southland. I shall see to it myself. But oppose them,
excellency, and I shall take sides against you, see you driven from office and
ruined, and your foul parasites with you."
"This
terrible, willful southland!" the governor cried.
"Your
answer?" Don Alejandro demanded.
"I can do
nothing but agree," the governor said. "But there is one thing—"
"Well!'
"I spare the
man's life if he surrenders, but he must stand trial for the murder of Captain
Ramón."
"Murder?"
queried the leader of the caballeros, "It was a duel between gentlemen,
excellency. Señor Zorro resented an insult on the part of the comandante to the
señorita."
"Ha! But
Ramón was a caballero—"
"And so is
this Señor Zorro. He told us as much, and we believe him, for there was no
falsehood in his voice. So it was a duel, excellency, and between gentlemen,
according to the code, and Captain Ramón was unfortunate that he was not a
better man with a blade. That is understood? Your answer."
"I
agree," the governor said weakly. "I pardon him, and I go home to San
Francisco de Asis, and persecution ceases in this locality. But I hold Don
Alejandro to his promise—that there be no treason against me here if I do these
things."
"I have
given my word," Don Alejandro said.
The caballeros
shrieked their happiness and dismounted. They drove the soldiers away from the
door, Sergeant Gonzales growling into his mustache because here was a reward
gone glimmering again.
"Within
there, Señor Zorro!" one cried. "Have you heard?"
"I have
heard, caballero!"
"Open the
door and come out amongst us—a free man!"
There was a
moment's hesitation, and then the battered door was unbarred and opened, and
Señor Zorro stepped out with the señorita on his arm. He stopped just in front
of the door, removed his sombrero and bowed low before them.
"A good day
to you, caballeros!" he cried. "Sergeant, I regret that you have
missed the reward, but I shall see that the amount is placed to the credit of
you and your men with the landlord of the tavern."
"By the
saints, he is a caballero!" Gonzales cried.
"Unmask,
man!" cried the governor. "I would see the features of the person who
has fooled my troopers, has gained caballeros to his banner, and has forced me
to make a compromise."
"I fear that
you will be disappointed when you see my poor features," Señor Zorro
replied. "Do you expect me to look like Satan? Or can it be possible, on
the other hand, that you believe I have an angelic countenance?"
He chuckled,
glanced down at the Señorita Lolita, and then put up a hand and tore off his
mask.
A chorus of gasps
answered the motion, an explosive oath or two from the soldiers, cries of
delight from the caballeros, and a screech of mingled pride and joy from one
old hidalgo.
"Don Diego,
my son—my son!"
And the man
before them seemed to droop suddenly in the shoulders, and sighed, and spoke in
a languid voice.
"These be
turbulent times. Can a man never meditate on music and the poets?"
And Don Diego
Vega, the Curse of Capistrano, was clasped for a moment in his father's arms.
Chapter 39 - "Meal Mush
and Goat's Milk!"
They crowded
forward—troopers, natives, caballeros, surrounding Don Diego Vega and the
señorita who clutched at his arm and looked up at him from proud and glistening
eyes.
"Explain!
Explain!" they cried.
"It began
ten years ago, when I was but a lad of fifteen," he said. "I heard
tales of persecution. I saw my friends, the frailes, annoyed and robbed. I saw
soldiers beat an old native who was my friend. And then I determined to play
this game.
"It would be
a difficult game to play, I knew. So I pretended to have small interest in
life, so that men never would connect my name with that of the highwayman I
expected to become. In secret, I practiced horsemanship and learned how to
handle a blade—"
"By the
saints, he did," Sergeant Gonzales growled.
"One half of
me was the languid Don Diego you all knew, and the other half was the Curse of
Capistrano I hoped one day to be. And then the time came, and my work began.
"It is a
peculiar thing to explain, señores. The moment I donned cloak and mask, the Don
Diego part of me fell away. My body straightened, new blood seemed to course
through my veins, my voice grew strong and firm, fire came to me! And the
moment I removed cloak and mask I was the languid Don Diego again. Is it not a
peculiar thing?
"I had made
friends with this great Sergeant Gonzales, and for a purpose."
"Ha! I guess
the purpose, caballeros!" Gonzales cried. "You tired whenever this
Señor Zorro was mentioned, and did not wish to hear of violence and bloodshed,
but always you asked me in what direction I was going with my troopers—and you
went in the other direction and did your confounded work."
"You are an
excellent guesser," said Don Diego, laughing, as did the others about him.
"I even crossed blades with you, so you would not guess I was Señor Zorro.
You remember the rainy night at the tavern? I listened to your boasts, went out
and donned mask and cloak, came in and fought you, escaped, took off mask and
cloak, and returned to jest with you."
"Ha!"
"I visited
the Pulido hacienda as Don Diego and a short time later returned as Señor Zorro
and held speech with the señorita here. You almost had me, sergeant, that night
at Fray Felipe's—the first night, I mean."
"Ha! You
told me there that you had not seen Señor Zorro."
"Nor had I.
The fray does not keep a mirror, thinking that it makes for vanity. The other
things were not difficult, of course. You can easily understand how, as Señor
Zorro, I happened to be at my own house in town when the comandante insulted
the señorita.
"And the
señorita must forgive me the deception. I courted her as Don Diego, and she
would have none of me. Then I tried it as Señor Zorro, and the saints were
kind, and she gave me her love.
"Perhaps
there was some method in that, also. For she turned from the wealth of Don
Diego Vega to the man she loved, though she deemed him, then, an outcast and
outlaw.
"She has
showed me her true heart, and I am rejoiced at it. Your excellency, this
señorita is to become my wife, and I take it you will think twice before you
will annoy her family further."
His excellency
threw out his hands in a gesture of resignation.
"It was
difficult to fool you all, but it has been done," Don Diego continued.
"Only years of practice allowed me to accomplish it. And now Señor Zorro
shall ride no more, for there will be no need, and moreover a married man
should take some care of his life."
"And what
man do I wed?" the Señorita Lolita asked, blushing because she spoke the
words where all could hear.
"What man do
you love?"
"I had
fancied that I loved Señor Zorro, but it comes to me now that I love the both
of them," she said. "Is it not shameless? But I would rather have you
Señor Zorro than the old Don Diego I knew."
"We shall
endeavor to establish a golden mean," he replied, laughing again. "I
shall drop the old languid ways and change gradually into the man you would
have me. People will say that marriage made a man of me."
He stooped and
kissed her there before them all.
"Meal mush
and goat's milk!" swore Sergeant Gonzales.
