Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-03-08

SILVER CROSS TOM us i1eCk anu &iNiHR
it to Harry. "It may be of use to
you if we ever meet again. And, as
you seem anxious to meet with some
Spanish hrigands, it may please you
to learn that you have seen half a
dozen OF them to-day
So saying, he spurred his horse and
vanished into the forest with his grim
comrades, while Harry turned slowly
back to the town, hardly knowing
whether he was awake or only dream
ing.
"Just like my luckl I've lost my
way, sure enoughl And this strikes
me as the very place to fall in with
that nice man, Pedro Gonsalyez, the
brigand captain, who seems to be ter
rorizing the whole country at this
time.
The speaker was no other than our
friend, Harry White, now grown into
tall young man, and reyisiting, af-
ter five years absence beyond the At
lantic, his former haunts in southern
Spain.
He had certainly good cause to feel
uncomfortable just then. To lose
ones way in a gloomy forest among
the Spanish mountains, with night at
hand and storm coming on, is not
pleasant experience in any case;
but when to all this is added a very
strong probability OF falling in with
band of robbers, whose usual mode
of demanding ransom for "a captiveis
to mail his ears or nos5 to his anX-
ious friends as a hint that speedy
payment is requested he must in
deed be a brave man who canface the
situation without hinching.
What Harry feared came only too
soon. A hoarse shout was suddenly
heard among the bushes, and before
he could draw his revolver he was
surrounded by gang of fierce look
ing men, whose grim, ruffianly faces
and scowling eyes boded him no
good.
A smart stroke from the butt of
Harry Whites heavy whip felled the
foremost man, but the rest at once
dragged him from his horse, and, in
spite of his furious struggles, bound
him hand and foot.
LET me kill the dogl" roared the
injured robber, whose head was bleed
ing freely. she shall ns-er strike a
Spaniard againI'
Not so fast, Brother JUAN" said
another He looks like an English
man, and the English are all rich.
Wen make him pay fat ransom"
"And ifhe dom Upay it quickly, put
in q third, with a defiant whisk of
his knife close to the prisoners ear,
'his friends won't find him quite SO
handsome the next time they see
him."
Harry's blood ran cold at the hor-
rible threat and the roar of brutal
laughtet that followed it. He was
now completely disenchanted, for the
brilliant and chiyalrous bandits of
his boyish dreams were utterly diff
ferent from these ragged, hang-dog
ruftians, who almost choked him
with the sitting odor OF garlic and
bad tobacco.
Then his horror turned to rage ut
the thought of being plundered and
insulted by these brutal rascals, and
he inwardly vowed that when he did
get free he would spend all the money
he had in hunting them down. But,
as we shall see, he never got the
chance of doing so.
The robbers laid their prisoner on
the horse and led him up steep,
zigzag path to kind of rocky plat
form, walled in on three sides by I'M
scalable cliffs, while on the fourth lay
a precipice of several hundred feet.
Here about twenty more brigands
were encamped; and Harry White,
suddenly remembering his silver
cross, looked eagerly to see if the
man who had given it to him was one
of the band; he could see no one in the
least like him.
HAS Capt. Gonsalvez come back
YETI" asked one of his conductors.
"No," was the reply; "but we are
expecting him every moment"
just then hasty step was heard
below, and tall dark figure, spring
ing up the rocks as nimbly as a
mountain goat, came bounding on
to the platform.
up with you, comrades!' shouted
the new conner, who was no other
than the formidable Pedro Gonsal-
vez himself. I'VE have been betrayed,
and all the soldiers from La Redon-
da are upon our trail. We must re-
treat at once. Ha! who is this-a
prisoner"
"We took him in the valley yon-
der, and have kept him for ransom"
replied one of the bandits.
There is no time to think ofran-
SONS now, when our very lives are at
stake" said the robber chief, stern
ly. "Take what money he has ON
him, and then fling him over the
precipice."
Instantly dozen eager hands were
rifing Harry's pockets, and the brave
lad, giving himself up for lost, pre-
pared to die like man. But, as his
watch was dragged forth by the rob