The midland journal., 1940-12-13

\ - ------~--~~-f : ~~~r~ -~-~~~ y - -"
1t for you!"
TITS a dark night, Blood, !" sug-
gested Bowie. "Better wait till
morning"
Blood stamped ferociously on the
tile pavement. He roared at Bowie.
He stormed at the padre.
Don't depend on me to hold these
hungry boys back. / can't do 1t.
They want money and they want
supplies and they'll burn this place
to the ground II they don't get both"
Blood, you're wasting your
BREATH" interviewed Bowie. IF you
or your ruffians try to touch so much
as q strip OF bacon here tonight
somebody will get killed. Now I'm
going to shut this door and 20 to
bed, and ! advise you to do the
same"
Bowie, I've got a long score to
settle with you"
''Wait till daylight, Blood. I'm
going to bed" He slammed the door
shut. Clamor outside grew to a
roar. A hasty conference took place
In the sacristy-the despairing IA
theirs, the Texans and Felipe, with
Carmen anxiously listening.
Bowie did not seek to disguise the
situation. With twenty or thirty men
behind him, Blood's boast that he
would clean the mission out might
be serious one. Simmie noticed
that Bowie looked grave. He knew
the Texan was not squeamish about
facing odds. But Garments pres
ence was another matter. Should
anything happen to him in the fight,
what might happen to her?
He asked Carmen to step outside
a moment. He then spoke to Padre
Martinez. ''I'm put in an awkward
position, Padre. I don't like to seem
to run away from you in face Of
these drunken devils. But my first
responsibility is for Senorita's safe
ty, and il they made good their
threat to fire the mission, she might
find herself in the worst kind of
danger"
Padre Martinez laid his hand on
Bowie's arm. 81 understand per-
fectly, my son. ask you to take,
before all else, whatever measures
are necessary to protect our Seno-
rita-for, as our benefactress, we
feel that she is ours as well. What
ever may happen here, it is your
duty to protect her"
Bowie called Carmen into the con-
ference. He laid the situation be-
fore her. Padre, his. hands clasped
in anxiety, listened. She looked
from one to the other and back to
Bowie in confidence. "You know
best, Don Henry" she said trust
fully.
He called in Pardaloe and Sim
mie and told them what he meant
to do. Felipe he dispatched to scout
the quadrangle and search for an
opening not covered by Blood's
men. Felipe came back with no
good news. He shook his head.
Those men are everywhere.
'Ben," he said to Pardaloe,
''when the big gate is thrown open
by Felipe, fire your pistols, you
and Simmie and Felipe, straight
into the crowd outside. I'll be shoot
ing both pistols from the saddle
while we dash through the bunch
before they can shoot back. Cover
Felipe with your rifles, boys, while
he shuts and bars the gate after
us. Is it all clear?"
"Clear as daylight, Henry" num-
bled Pardaloe. "Just say when"
Felipe, aided by a neophyte. was
bringing up the horses. Bowie be-
gan to check over the cinches. "Fe-
lipe," he said in surprise, what's
the matter with these horses? They
are trembling with sweat"
"Senor, I know. saw it. Quien
sabe? All the horses in the stable
are sweating and nervous. ! do,
not know why" Padre Martinez
came out with Carmen.
Padre" said Bowie, ''what does
this mean--these horses? See how
they sweat and tremble."
Hasten, hasten, my sonl Some
thing may happen. They know more
than we do. Hastenl" exclaimed
the agitated padre.
Bowie mounted his restive horse.
Pardaloe passed Carmen up into his
arms to face him. CLASP me un-
der the arms, querida, so as to
leave my arms free. Hand me the
hackamore for the Senorita's horse,
Felipe"
Bowie fastened this with knots for
some play to the horn Of his saddle.
With Carmen smuggling low against
him, he drew his pistols.
''When the gate is opened" he
said to the scouts, ''send your pis-
toll fire straight into their faces and
yell like Indians. Then poke our
horses hard, and away we go. Are
you ready? Open!"
The dash out was shock to the
score of men, some on foot but
most in the saddle, who were crowd
ed around the big gate. The pistol
fire, the yelling, the two horses prod
ded and spurred, trampling and
ohar0;x.o into fhu roidurc %hraxv