Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1918-08-29

distended yellow eyes, of fiat, distort-
ed features; then Asensio was fairly
upon Colonel Cobo. The colonel, who
had dropped his burden, now tried to
dodge. Asensio slashed once at him
with his long, murderous machete,
but the next instant he was engaged
with a trooper who had fired almost
in his face
Cobo's men, led by the terrified Pan
cho Cueto, turned and fled for cover,
believing themselves in danger of an
Inhalation. Nor was the colonel him
self in any condition to rally them,
for Asensios blade had cloven one
| full dark cheek to the bone, and the
shock and pain had unneryed him.
The field was small, the jungle was
close at hand. A moment and the In
terlopers had vanished into it, all but
one, who lay kicking among the broad
malanga leaves, and over whom Assem-
sio kept squirting his terrified horse,
hacking downward with insane fury.
This was the first hand-to-hand en-
counter Esteban's men had had, and
their swift victory rendered them fero-
cious. Flinging their guns aside, they
went crashing into the brush on the
trail of their enemies.
Rosa found herself in her brothers
arms, sobbing out the story of the out
rage and Quivering at every sound of
the chase. He was caressing her, and
telling her to have no further fears;
both of them were fairly hysterical.
Evangelina, thanks to her thick skull,
was not dead. In the course of time
under Rosa's and Esteban's ministra-
tons she regained her senses, and
when the other men returned they
found her lying sick and dazed, but
otherwise quite whole.
| Then, there beside the ruins of the
hut, was a strange scene of rejoicing.
Asensio recovered now from his burst
of savagery, was fearful, compassion
ate; his comrades laughed and chat
tered and Dragged about their prodig-
| ious deeds of valor. Over and over
they recounted their versions of the
encounter, each more fanciful than the
other, until it seemed that they must
have left the forest filled with corpses.
Esteban was grave. He had heard
of Colonel Cobo, and, remembering
that denim-clad figure out yonder in
the trampled garden, he knew that Sc
rious consequences would follow. The
volunteers were revengeful; their
colonel was not the sort of man to
forgive a deep humiliation. Doubt
| less he would put a price upon the
heads of all of them, and certainly he
void never allow them another en-
/ e7inter upon anywhere like even
| t. is. Then, too, the narrowness of
r, as escape caused the boys heart
! 10 dissolve with terror.
ter a conference with Asensio he
i decided that they must prepare for
/ flight, and late that afternoon they all
! set out to seek a safer refuge, Evange-
lima in tears at leaving her precious
/ garden plot. Their led horse, one of
those Lorenzo had captured carried
a pitifully light burden-only some
tools, some pans and kettles, and roll
of charred bedclothes.
Johnnie O'Reiny had no difficulty in
locating the residence of Ignacio Alv:
RADIO, but to communicate with him
was quite another matter, inasmucA
as his every step was logged by that
persistent shadow from Nuevitas
One evening, several days after his
arrival a sudden rain storm eraye
O'Reilly indoors, and as he assembled