Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-12-20

we had seen the day before from Shell
ter island. and a couple Of PAGES behind
these two were the rest OF the band.
among whom we recognized the two
doughty champions whose flying backs
had given us a little while before so
much satisfaction.
AS the party drew up in the open
Willie Trehalion saluted them with a
shrill mocking laugh. which had the
effect of making the rank and file turn
round as If preparing to bolt. But the
two officers dealt such hearty buffets
right and left with the fat Of their
swords that the fellows had evidently
thought that the danger OF being run
through by the fiery Don Miguel was
a more pressing one than that of being
devoured by a mere stone serpent
They stood their ground. therefore; the
five arquehusiers unSlung their crutch-
es and blew their matches, the two
bowmen fitted an arrow apiece, and
the rest crammed their bonnets well
iown over their foreheads and waited
Cor they knew not what.
Come up, good senores all" croaked
the serpent's grating voice, when Don
Miguel gave the word for advance.
Come up ard defile this holy court
and commit any indignity that pleases
you Come and build your signal fires
on my wall and make my stones ring
with your impious cursing. Ha, ha, ha!
Pluck up your faint hearts, caballeros.
| will not hinder while you work your
wicked wills. Batter down these stones
and hurl them into the sea if you wish.
will not harass you in the work. but
fterward-then-ha ha, hap'
The serpent said no more, but the
pause and the wild yell of laughter
were sufficiently suggestive.
The Spaniards stood for moment
aghast. He of the bassinet was appar-
emily the most scared of the lot, for his
handy legs shook visibly under him
and his sword clattered to the ground
as he clasped his hands and began to
call upon the saints to shield him. Had
he been in command every man would
have used his heels as soon as his quiv-
ering muscles gave him strength to do
so. But Don Miguel was different. he
stormed. he cursed, he ground his yel-
low teeth, he all but foamed at the
mouth in his frenzy of rage, and yield
ing to the greater terror of the two
each man stood his ground.
Miserable cowardw yelled Don Mi
guel at his lieutenant. ''What do you
! fear?"
"The devil" said the handy legged
man, taking off his bassinet and wiping
the perspiration from his brow with
| the sleeve of his doublet.
"The devil, you poor fool! Where's
your wit? Is not the devil clever be-
yond all human learningT
"Aye, surely. We believe so," replied
the other, crossing himself devoutly.
Good! Then how do you account for
his speaking such villainous Spanish as
| came from up yonder2 Full half of the
words were not understandable, and In
those which did bear some faint resem-
| blance to Castilian there was, or my
ears deceive me, strong flavor of the
barbarous English tongue. Bah! Don
| Sancho, you're little short of a pol
troon."
Hard words, Don Miguel, and / may
call upon you to prove them," said the
| other sullenly.
"Do it then. My sword is ever ready
| to back up my tongue. But first follow
me up this STEEP. and IL 1 see you be-
have as q man against the English
devil whSm VIII anearth fer rou per-
haps | will take back part of what has
been said Forward"
And up they came with all their fol-
lowing. The serpeut sent down a per-
feet rain of warnings and curses, but
they were not to be stopped again.
"Well," said l, when from sheer lack
| of breath Willie Trehalion had ceased
his outcry, they've got the better of US
now, fancy. Don Miguel will soon
find the entrance to our snalrs home.
What are we to do, Willie?"
There's two ways O. getting at a
snails body, Master Topp," replied
| Willie sententiously. "One Is by boil
ing the shell, an the other Is by crush
ing it. Don Miguel can do neither"
"a pinch Of salt or Whit Of smoke
will make him show his horns"
| don Miguel balnt able TO get hgn
us to plant the salt-leastways l pities
the man as tries to come up them
stairs, an as for the reek they may
build as big a fire as they like below,
but we shall always be able to get
fresh wind at the chimney top here"
"And with our store of bananas we
can stand considerable siege on short
rations? Exactly so. But l was not
thinking OF our own skins. ] was hg-
uring out how we might manage to
trap Don Miguel, and now think l see
q way. You noted n small dark cell
lust at the foot of the stair leading up
here? Well, my plan is this: You stay
where you are, and I'll go below ana
hide I'm that cell. Don Miguel VIII en-
ter-if he doesn't come of his own ac-