Evening star., 1918-01-20


Esteban waited only until he saw
that his work of devastation was well
under way. then he led his followers
back toward the hills. At sunset he
looked behind him into the valley. The
whole sky was black with smoke, as
if city were in flames.
Removing his wide jipi-japa hat, the
young man swept a mocking salutation
to the east.
so now. good Pancho Cueto.'' he
cried Il leave you the compliments of
those twins you love SO we'll"
In the shelter of ravine the party
took time to eat supper. their first meal
since leaving home. and it was after
dark when they finished The negroes.
who were thoroughly tired. were for
spending the night here. but Esteban.
more cautious than they. would not
have it So Accordingly, the men re-
mounted their weary horses. though
not without some grumbling, and set
out. 1t slow travelling, for the
woods were dark and the trails were
blind: the men were fairly obliged to
feel their way. At length they crossed
the summit and worked down toward
the Yumuri. but 1t seemed as if day
light would never come.
"A weary ride" tiSteban yawned. Il
shall sleep for q week.
Asensio agreed That Cueto will be
furious" said he. Some day, perhaps.
he and I viii meet face to face. Inen
I shall kill him
Esteban refined in his horse. Look
said he. 'Yonder is light
The other horsemen crowded close,
staring through the darkness. 1t was
very still in the woods; dawn was less
than half hour away.
What is EvangeIina thinking about?'
Asensio muttered.
But see. 1t grows brighter" There
followed moment or two during 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 be-
low them. Then ESteban cried:
"Comet Im-afraid it's our house
Fear gripped her, but he managed to
say, calmly. Perhaps there has been
an-accident."
Asensio. muttering excitedly. was try
ing to crowd past him; for a few yards
the two horses brushed along side by
side. The distant point of light had
become glare now; it winked bale
fully through the openings as the party
hurried toward it. But it was still a
long way off and the eastern sky had
grown rosy before the dense woods of
the hillside gave way to the sparser
growth of the low ground.
Esteban turned a sick, white face
over his shoulder and jerked out his
orders: then he kicked his tired mount
into a swifter gallop. 1t was he who
first broke out into the clearing. One
glance. and the story was told.
The hut was but crumbling skele-
ton of charred poles. Strung out across
the little field of malangas, yuccas and
sweet potatoes were several hilarious
volunteers, their arms filled with loot
from the cabin. Behind them strode an
officer bearing Rosa struggling against
his breast.
Esteban did not pause; he drove his
horse headlong through the soft red
earth of the garden. His sudden ap-
pearance seemed briefly to paralyze the
marauders. 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 half
the distance to his sister. Those rifle
shots came family to Esteban's ears;
he scarcely heard them; he merely low
cred his head and rode straight at
that black-visaged colonel. sobbing and
whfmpering in his fury.
But in spite of his speed he made
no difficult target. A bullet brought
his horse down and the boy went fly
ing over its neck. Nothing but the
loose loan saved him from injury. AS
he rose to his feet. breathless and COW
cred with the red dirt, there came a
swift thudding of hoofs and Asensio
swept past him like rocket. Esteban
caught one glimpse .ef the negro's face,
a feetfng vision of white teeth barred
to the gums, of dfstended yellow eyes,
Of fat. distorted features; then Asensio
was fairly upon Col. Cobo. The colonel.
WHO udU uTOppeu MS DuTuen, now IrleQ
to dodge. Asensio s1ashed once at him
with his long, murderous machete, but
the next instant he was engaged with
a trooper who had fred almost into his
face.
The other negroes also were in the
open by this time. yelling and firing as
fast as they could work the bolts Of
their rifles. and although they aimed
at nothing in particular, the effect Of
their fusillade was all that could be
wished. Cobo's men, led by the terri
fed Pancho Cueto, turned and fed for
cover, believing themselves in danger
Of annihilation. Nor was the colonel
himself in any condition to rally them
for Asensios blade had ,cloven one full
dark cheek to the bone, and the shock
and pain had unnerved him: he was
frightened at sight Of the blood that
streamed down over the breast of his
white tunic, and so, when he saw his
men turn tail. he followed suit, lunging
through the lush garden growth, hold
ing his wound in his hand and Shrek
ing profane commands which went un-
needed.
The field was small. the jungle was
close at hand. A moment and the in
terlopers had vanished into 1t, all but
one. who lay kicking among the broad
malanga leaves, and over whom Asensio
kept squirting his terrified horse, hack
Ing downward with insane fury.
This was the first hand-to-hand en-
counter EStebanS men had had, and
their swift victory rendered them
ferocious. 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
Even before Esteban had heard all,
Lorenzo, the mulatto. reappeared. lead
ing three cavalry horses and shouting
extravagant praises of his own bravery.
Esteban complimented him and the fell
low galloped away again. voicing the
most blood-curdling threats.
Evangelina, thanks to her thick skull,
was not dead. In the course of time un-
der Rosa's and Esteban's rninistrations
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 strange scene of rejoicing
Asensio. recovered now from his burst of
sayagery. was fearful, compassionate;
his comrades laughed and chartered and
Dragged about their prodigious deeds of
valor. Over and over they recounted
their versions of the encounter each
more fanciful than the other. until 1t
seemed that they must have left the for
est filed with corpses.
Esteban alone was grave. He had
heard of Col. Cobo. and remembering
that denim-ciad figure out yonder in the
trampled garden. he knew that serious
consequences would follow. The volun-
teers were revengeful; their colonel was
not the sort OF man to forgive daap