Mexico Missouri message., 1918-06-27
CHAPTER xI-continued.

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But the time came when he could
walk no farther. He tried repeatedly
and fniled, and meanwhile the earth
spun even more rapidly, threatening 10
whirl him or into space. It was a ter
xible sensation; he lay down and
hugged the ground, clinging to roots
and sObbing weakly. Rosa, he knew,
was just around the next bend In the
trail; he called to her, but she did not
answer, and he dared not attempt to
creep forward because his grip was
failing. He could feel his fingers slip.
ping-slipplng. His last thought, as he
went whirling end over end through
space, was OF his sister. She would
never know how hard he had tried to
reach her.
Late on the second day after the bat
tie Asenslo returned to his bohio. Rosa
and Evangelina, already frantic at the
delay, heard him crying to them while
NE was still hidden in the woods, and
knew that the worst had happened.
There was little need for him to tell
his story, for he was weaponless,
stained, ard bloody. he had crossed
the hills on foot after a miraculous es-
cape from that ravine Of death. OF his
companions he knew nothing what
ever; the mention of Esteban's name
caused him to beat his breast and cry
aloud. He was weak and feverlsh, and
his incoherent story of the midnight
encounter was so highly colored that
Rosa nearly swooned with horror.
The girl stood swaying while he told
how the night had betrayed them, how
he had wrought incredible feats of
valor before the shifting tide Of battle
had spewed him out the end Of the
sunken road and left him half dead in
the grass. Asensio had lain there un-
al, finding himself growing stronger
ne had burrowed into a tangle OF vines
at the foot Of a wall, where he had re-
anained until the fighting ceased. When
the Spaniards had finally discovered
'Sheir mistake and had ceased riding
one another down, when lights came
and he heard Colonel Cobo cursing
them like one insane, he had wriggled
away, crossed the calzada, and hidden
An the woods until dawn. He had been
walking ever since; he had come home
60 die.
AsenslO recovered. but he was sadly
changed. There was no longer any
martial spirit in him; he feared the
SpAniards, and tales Of their atrocities
cowed him.
Then CObo came into the Yumuri.
The valley. already well-nigh deserted,
was flled to the brim with smoke from
burning fields and houses, and through
II the sun showed like a copper shield.
1aefugees passed the bohio, bound
farther into the hills, and AsensiO told
? the two women that he and they must
also go. So the three gathered up
what few things they could carry on
lear backs ana fed.
They did not stop until they had
gained the Businesses of the Pan de
MatanZas. Here they built a shelter
and again took up the problem of liv-
Ing, which was now more difficult than
ever.
The Pan de Matanzas, so called be-
cause OF its resemblance to a mighty
loaf of bread, became a mockery to
the hungry people covering In its shell
ter. Breadi Rosa Varonn could not
remember when she had last tasted
such q luxury. Raw cane, coconuts,
the tasteless fruita bomba, roots, the
pith from palm tops. these were her
articles Of diet, and she did not thrive
upon them. She was always more or
less hungry. She was ragged, too, and
she shlvered misernbly through the
long. chill nights. Rosa could measure
the change in her appearance only by
Studying her reflection from the sur
face of the spring where she drew wa
ter, but she could see that she had be-
come very thin, and she judged that
the color had entirely gone from her
cheeks. II saddened her, for o'Reilly's
sake.
Time came when Asenslo spoke of
giving up the struggle and going in.
They were gradually starving, he said,
and Rosa was III the risk of discovery
was ever present, II was better to go
while they had the strength than slow
~ but surely 10 perish here. He had
heard that there were twenty thousand
reconeentrados In Matanzas; in such Q
crowd they could easily manage to