Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-05-21
(CopyrighLJ
By FRANK BLICHToN

" his legs drove the spurs on the high
topped boots into the sides of the horse
he was riding. The animal reared,
paving the air with peculiar and un-
accountable terror, and would have
bolted had not one of the command
grasped 1t by the reins.
Buch Williams gazed mutely at the
retributiOh which had struck down the
bandit. The cutlery Of the priyates he
scarcely beard. He did not need their
chorus Of alarm to know that Pacheco
was dying--was dead.
Yet there had been nothing absO-
luteIy nothing only the quick
bending Of Jitendra's lean body in the
captains direction swift inclination
Of the turbaned head at the instant
following the cowardly blow.
The sergeant, Jesus Corabado, vol
leyed a command and the column
halved, while the corpse Of Manuel
Pacheco was stripped of uniform and
equipment. Following the unique but
simple Mexican insurrecto method OF
promotion, COrabado donned the neat
blue jacket, with its heavily fringed
epaulets, and buckled the sword around
him.
On the same principle, a corporal
substituted the former sergeant's coat
for his own, and private in his shirt
sleeves put on the corporal's jacket.
"Volantel" cried the new captain.
The soldiers closed in and the col
umn moved forward. Manuel Pacheco
that was lay rigid and stark on the
caliche, gazing at the cerulean sky with
fixed and sightless eyes.
Buck williams turned to look at
Jitendra. The Oriental's face was in
scrutable. He was gazing straight
ahead, immovable, as II beholding some
scene yet to emerge from the womb Of
/ time.
They rode on for several miles, the
| American growing more and more per-
picked. Something-from somewhere
had annihilated the man who had
vented his brutality in contemplate
blow upon the face Of one powerless
to resist.
Had Bucks hands been unbound,
Manuel Pacheco, ex-foreman in the
employ OF the 81 Tigre mine, would
never have dared to offer such an
affront to its ownerS no, not IL he had
been in the center Of regiment OF
disciplined troops instead of mere
company of ragged poems whose coun'
terfeit military air only heightened
their ridiculous appearance and mag
nified their ignorant swagger.
They were banditti, not patriots
and their movements now were those
of a body of half-terrihed. vet revenge
full men actuated by some intelligence
superior to their own. The hideously
sudden and unexplained death Of theil
previous commander had dazed them
The more he thought, the more In
comprehensive the whole affair ap
peared to Buck Williams. He knew
Mexico. His acquisition OF the min
eral land on which ri Tlgre was 10
Gated had been achieved during Oh,
last years Of the Diaz regime.
The very name of the mine itself hat
been derived from him. 81 Tigre sig
nitied 1.-THE Tiger" and that name ha'
, fallen once from the lips Of thievinI
peon, who was overtaken and effectu
ally chastised by Buck himself 70
stealing camp supplies in the earl
days Of his operations.
For Buck was named "The Tiger
= because Of. his implacab1e fury whe
any attempt to victimize him was mad
by the subtle methods which Mexican
usually employ with a "gringo" III
, accustomed to their ways.
: Now 1.-THE Tiger was bound fast
: the back of horse. en- route to som
t tribunal of whose authority he was Il
norant but Of whose judgments }
:, could guess.
Pacheo, of himself, would not hay
e dared to presume to lay hands upC
e him, nor did the indolent Mexico
6 foreman possess sufficient initiative
9 seize on q mining property Of the ma
nitude OF FL Tigre unless with inspir
Is tion from bigger minds than bis. b
!. Pacheco was dead-a bloated purp
e corpse struck down almost at the
o slant OF his atr0clous blow and hurlt
ID into the great unknown.
It Pacheco's death was, and forev
Ie would be. utterly battling, Buck w
Ie liams knew-unless Jitendra could al
would explain L.
a. He turned to glance at the little Ell
r. du with growing feeling Of respe'
E. bordering on awe. He noticed thu
ID while surrounding them. the soldie
were riding well away from Jitend
er and himself.
The mysterious demise Of their CO
se tain had evidently not been without
d. effect. Buck wondered why Jitend
or and himself had not been shot down.
W 1t must be because definite orde
had been sent out both for his captu
at and dispositions otherwise the RID
1t OF the bandit command would, ere Il