Evening star., 1921-10-30

at the mention Of his fighting rivals.
replied at once:
Have you any plan. excellency. as
to how I should carry out the-ah-
wishes of the government"
The governor shrugged his shoul-
ders.
None" said he. IT only tell you
this. The thirty thousand dollars are
waiting when you come to claim them.
The rest is with you"
II should like 1t on paper" said the
bullfghter with his grim smile. In
our profession. excellency. one learns
the value Of written contracts"
The governor wrote few sentences
and signed his name to them. Fuentes
read the agreement through atten-
lively, folded the paper. and put 1T in
his pocket.
you have signed the death warrant
Of Don O." he said gravely.
II am sure Of it," replied the gov
ernor.
Fuentes picked up his hat.
This meeting must remain secret.
That Is understood" he said. "One
whisper and it would go i'll with me
up there-the bullfghter made gesture
toward the mountains.
"Have no fear. There is no vessel
in my house that leaks" replied the
governor. II will let you out myself.
This way"
NOW we must follow Fuentes. leav-
~ ing Don Manuelo, the governor,
to lick his lips over the hunt he had
set on foot, for the governor was a
bit of gambler. and a bit of a sports
main (of the spectator type) and it
amused him to loose so fierce hound
as Fuentes at Don O., the old wolf of
the mountains. To him the thing
promised entertainment.
Fuentes, however, was in deadly
earnest, and all his acts proved this.
Well he knew that to approach Don
O. with poor credentials meant fail
ure and death. so after a week of
morose dissipation deliberately under
taken, he, during q wine-shop brawl.
drove q knife into one of his compan-
ions "a man he had never liked) and
ernor, who was fully alive to all that
was occurring. raised formal hue
and cry behind him. notices and ad-
vertisements offering reward for
his recapture were sown broadcast
over the country, while Fuentes, hid
ing by day, was passed on at night
from cigarette seller to an out-of,
work picador, who in turn introduced
him to one Gaspar, q lowering in
dividual. as full of suspicion as bad
egg. This Gaspar. for a fee. most re-
luctantly consented to guide Fuentes
into the mountains. He said he was a
poor man, and crossed himself when
ever Don Q.'s name was mentioned,
but in the end he went.
% q
Fuentes, on a mule, with Gaspar on
foot, found himself entering the dark
and forbidding gorges of the Sierra
As they passed upward Fuentes felt
the need of speech and turned to Gas
par:
comrade?"
well enough"
Fuentes laughed.
"Perhaps you yourself have been a
bandit" said he. smiling.
II have been q bandit for the last
thirty years" said Gaspar: calmly.
''One of Don Q.'s menu
"1t is true that I serve my Lord OF
the Mountains" answered Gaspar.
Fuentes shot q quick glance at him.
you denied that in Castelleno
comrade."
Gaspar nodded.
Fuentes considered the position.
oe0 yOu Ac0p An1Ih win AiC Au0 ASou
me to Don O." he said at last.
"You wish to see my lord of the
mountains, and my Lord Of the Noun
tains wishes to see you, so all Is WE'LL
Don @. wishes to sec me?" cried
Fuentes.
Had 1t not been so I should not
have brought you thus far. Instead
would have given the signal when we
passed our first outpost six hours ago
Then I should have ridden the mule,
said Gaspar regretfully.
"And To- smiled Fuentes.
Dead mon flll no saddles
Fuentes. brave man as he was
shuddered.
'But how did Don Q. know I was
coming?' he questioned.
I'm the mountains many ask ques.