The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-10-30

combination ought to make you fight
and love-like the DEVIL"
II fear l have had my share OF
fighting" admitted. but as for
howe | sighed because | visualized
the glorious Lamartina.
IF you have come to Venezuela TO
fight. the ranks of Simon Bolivar are
open TO you. and can promise you"
Francisco Perez intimated much
the same thing"
There was studied calculation in his
survey of me. 'You know Francisco
PereZ?"
Il have come from New Orleans with
him on the Santa Lucrecia."
He twisted finger in his ear.
"Balmy." he said" a touch of the SUM-"
He looked at me with professional
sympathy. did you say the Santa
Lucrecia ~.
Exactly; would l not know the
name of the ship that brought me
from New Orleans"
"Oh, sure" He laughed. "Only,
the Santa Lucrecia has not been
sighted. When it is | shall hear
whistle from the east, and when !
hear it | shall face west and whistle,
and another man a kilometer from here
will send the signal along. On the
Puerto Cabello road other sentinels
will signal to one another, and on the
Valencia road. and the road to BARGE
Dc tr. raI nd
mare a man stationed upon che
heights will sight it as it enters the
harbor of La Guaira. which IS the port
of Caracas, and in five minutes every
follower of Bolivar within fifty miles
shall know it, and soldiers will spring
up like spirits out of the earth, for
the Santa Lucrecia brings a cargo of
arms and knives and ammunition suffi-
cient for an army. And then we will
take"
eff the men of Bolivar can whistle
the Santa Lucrecia into the harbor Of
La Guaira, my freckled patriot, or
into any other port except that dread
full port of missing men, they may
take the prize as the champion
whistlers of the ages, for, only two
nights and a day ago the deck of that
unfortunate ship was the scene of mu-
tiny, and a tropical storm came up
and washed the palm of victory upon
a reef. AS l fell into the water ] saw
them working with the lifeboats. A
friendly spar, and the wind and waves,
carried mt. on to the land"
He stood. long in thought. Then
Francisco and the cargo"
He stopped. alert. for the road gave
out the sounds Of approaching horse
men. l pushed my way quickly through
the hedge and crouched beside him as
the cavalcade came INTO view.
Adoifc led the van. He rode in
silence, his heavy features exhibiting
lines of grimness. The Senorita rode
beside him. mules length behind
age around his head. eyes appraised 20
fleecy, westward-winging clouds, and
upon his lips a softly whistled tune
There was something about the boy
that made one love him. Two other
women. and two men-doubtless sur
vivors of the wreck-trailed along,
and a score of soldiers brought up the
rear.
Now my eyes went back to the
Senorita, who had come out of the
storm and into my arms | drank
deeply of the beauty of her. exulted
in my dreams, and gasped at my
recollectioIs. 4 wild eXhilaratiOn
seized me, and | came up slowly. to
find myself shoulder to shoulder with
the freshman from London" whose
eyes were cleaning, whose breath was
kissing through his teeth. and whose
gun was rising carefully to bear upon
De Fuentes. NO" | whispered, mol"
| grabbed him and. as we contended
grimly and in silence for possession
of the weapon. the cavalcade passed
on. Then / loosed him and waited.
"What a powerful brute you are!"
And then, blizzard" he gasped. "you
poor doodlel That man is De Fuentes
aide of Morales. and a greater butcher
by far than the Infamous Butcher
himself
You might have missed him." |
said; land killed the lady"
"Oh, the lady? Humph."
"Yes, the lady. Besides, Adolfo be
longs to me-"
He found his sombrero and pulled
it down over tumbled red hair. "Sc
Adolfo belongs to you My eyer
he cried. "Yet De Fuentes went to
Spain to get a bride-and | can say
this much for him: He has surely
picked the fairest flower in the Span.
ish garden!"
Its long way from Spain to the
cathedral" | said
CTo BE CoNTINUED.)