Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-05-28

rev pieces Of crude furniture e,ona
were smoldering when he called his
men together and gave the word
to go. "oiu
come my sweetheart" Cobo adj
dressed himself to the girl. Leave
that carrion for the buzzards.
Rosa looked up to find him 1aer,no
at her. She brushed the tears from
her eyes, crying:
Go away! In Gods name haven,+
you done harm enough?"
Oh' but you're going with me-"
Inc girl rose; her face was color.
iess' she was aquiver with indigna-
ton. Leave mel" she stormpd
What have done to you? Don't"
Caramba! A temper. And Won
nave strength, too, as 1 discovered
Must 1 bind those pretty hands or" "
Colonel CObo reached forth, laugh
ing and encircled her in his power
tul arms. Rosa fought him as she
had fought at the first moment of dos
peratlon, but he lifted her easily and
went striding across the field behind
his men.
Esteban's party made good time
over the hills and into the San Juan,
Tor AsensiO knew the country well.
Mfd-afternoOn found them in sight of
La Joya. Cueto's cane was thick and
nigh; 1T was ready for the knife or
Tor the torch. The incendiaries dis
mounted In the shelter of a wood and
removed the bags which they had
carried on their saddles. Inside these
bags were several snakes, the largest
perhaps eight feet in length. To the
tail Of each the negroes fastened a
leather thong, and then to each thong
length of telegraph wire, the end
of which had been bent into a loop
to hold a bundle of oil-soaked waste,
These preliminaries accomplished.
they bore the reptiles into the cane
fields at widely separated places and
lighted the waste.
Soon tongues of flame appeared
and the green tops of the cane began
to shrivel and to wave as the steady
east wind took effect. Smoke bill
lowed upward and was hurried west
ward before the breeze; in a dozen
places the fields burst INFO flame.
From somewhere came a faint shout
ing, then a shot or two, and finally
the ringing of a bell.
Esteban waited only until he saw
that his work of devastation was well
under way, then he led his followers
back toward the hills.
In the shelter OF ravine the party
took time to eat supper, their first
meal since leaving home, and il was
after dark when they finished. The
negroes, who were thoroughly tired.
were for spending the night here. but
Esteban, more cautious than thew.
would not have it so. Accordingly.
the men remounted their weary
horses, though not without some
grumbling, and set out. At length
they crossed the summit and worked
down toward the Yumuri, but 1t
seemed as if daylight would never
come.
Esteban suddenly refined in his
horse. Look !" said he. "Yonder is
a light"
what is Evangelina thinking
about?" Asensio muttered.
But see! 1t grows brighter /"
There followed a moment or two dur
ing which there was no sound except
the breathing of the horses and the
creak of saddle feathers as the riders
craned their necks to see over the low
tree tops before them. Then Esteban
cried:
Comet fm-afraid it's orr
house" Fear gripped him. but he
managed to say, calmly, Perhaps
there has been an-accident."
Asensio, muttering excitedly, was
trying to crowd past him; for few
yards the two horses brushed along
side by side. The distant point of
light had become a glare now; 1t
winked balefully through the open.
ings as the party hurried toward II.
But 1t was still a long way off. and
the eastern sky had grown ROSY he
fore the dense woods of the hillside
gave way TO the sparser growth of
the low ground.
Esteban turned sick. white face
over his shoulder and jerked ont his
orders; then he kicked his tired
mount into swifter gallon. II was
he who first broke out into the clear
ing. One glance, and the story was
told.
The hut was but a crumbling skel-
eton of charred poles. Strung ont
across the little field of malangas
yuccas and sweet potatoes were sew
eral hilarious volunteers, their arms
filled with loot from the cabin. Be
hind them strobe an officer bearing
Rosa struggling against his breast.
Esteban drove his horse headlong
through the soft red earth of the
garden. His sudden appearance
seemed briefly TO paralyze the ma
rauderS. 1t was a moment before
they could drop their spoils, unsling
their rifles, and begin TO fire at him.
and by that time he had covered hall
the distance to his sister. A bullet
brought his horse down and the boy
went flying over its neck. Nothing
but the loose loan saved him from
injury. AS he rose TO his feet, breath
less and covered with the red dirt.
there came swift thudding of hoofs
and AsensiO swept past him like
rocket. Esteban caught one glimpse
of the negro's face, fleeing vision
of white teeth barred TO the gums, of