The Wolf Cub

ands, a course parallel to that of the bandoleros. From the coach windows on one side, the passengers could see Rafael Perez, Ignacio Garcia, and Pio Estra

da and the golden-haired girl. Distinctly the passengers could make out Fel

glint of her golden hair in the sun! They were taking her off with them, carrying her away into the savage mountains! Had there been no men among all those creatures in

yes; visions of the bandoleros in some craggy retreat shaking dice fo

ew small, smaller. They were little as bounding rabbits; then they were little as low-skimming birds. A

s steps slowly and cautiously along the footboard on the right side of the train-that footboard used by the train guards in going from compartment to compartment of the many-coached continental-st

en, that quivered and rang with bass and baritone curses in both Spanish and French. When he had closed in u

a surf of rolling breakers. Masses of words struck him with the velocity and flying weight of charging mass

ded, drew back, ebbed away. Then, before the great zipizape of words could r

ped by bandits, quite well I know what we Yanquis would do. But this

the cuadrilla of bullfighters, a banderillero

by Spanish highwaymen and carried off into the mountains. One reads about such happenings in the bizarr

mble and pious and hardworking labrador, so these bandoleros en grande feared God and public opinion. Right well they knew they could continue to exist as outlaws only by reason of the favor of Spanish public opinion, not to speak of the favor of God. And they set the

Because they have been altogether masculine, varonil, and yet treated our womenkind with the utm

he struck me as being a bandolero of the splendid good old sort-the José Maria, the Visco el Borje sort! Why, he even asked after the health of my wife, Marta, a

ce flamed with anger and wit

o bay, and made to pay with his life for the crime. The posse would be composed of every rich man, poor man, beggar man and thief in

ullfighters sp

have never he

yer's term for the citizens who may be summoned to assist an officer in enforcing the law. My father was a pioneer in the State of California; he made his start in Inyo County mines and his millions in Bakersfield

es was on his feet, his swarthy face r

hat!" he cried. "I, Coruncho Lopez, the most superb

ledo, a banderiller

nd

of bullfighters looked sheepish and confused. The youthful matador, Manuel

ro. You will do exactly that which I order you to do and nothing else! But,

uadrilla replied at once, "Forgive

. With the easy magnificence of a matado

s, I am as much a slave to my fame as any of my peones is the slave to me. In his offices in Seville sits my manager, the Senor Don Arturo Guerra, signing contract after contract; and these

dren. If I did not rule them with a hand of iron, they would be off on a thousand wild escapades in a month! But one of t

ould be, but my heart tells me those words are good words! My heart leaps with eager

e girl! If you wish it, I will command my whole cuadrilla to come with us; but it is my own wish, that we two go alone and unencumbered. This same Jacinto Quesada who stole the girl called me one of the

e; he did not quite know how to take the matador's

better take the whole cuadrilla along with us. We two may be as wonderful as you say we are, but

I am included,

ieved by Jacinto Quesada's outrageous conduct, had played little part in the proceedings up to th

cour

e Cristo! we can'

roduced a penc

details. There will be horses need

n the mountains," s

ies are cheap,

s, too," said a third. "We cannot

l Frenchman. "Myself, I have not a franc, what you call a pe

off at the next stop, and so much money will be sent me by Don Arturo, my manager, that you will be surprised, astounde

d the American dryly. "Please

to. You and I will share the expense, then. We get off at the nex