The Mucker
under Captain Billy Byrne. An old service jacket and a wide-brimmed hat, both donated by brother officers, constituted Captain By
nd of each. Miguel rode, silent and preoccupied. The evening before he had whispered something to Bridge as he had crawled out of the darkness t
the time, but later he smiled more than was usual
Miguel. Behind them trailed the six swarthy little
ainy season had cut deep into the soft, powdery soil. Upon either bank grew cacti and mesquite, formi
pered Miguel, as they neare
and it also hid them from the sight of any possible enemy which
waterway and around the base of the hill, or rather in that direction, for he had scarce deviated from the dire
n' about?" asked Bill
the arroyo, Senor Capita
s Byrne's laconic rejoinder, as he pushe
he reined in front of Billy, and by this time his
cried. "Come this other way, Cap
their remarks, Billy w
d. "Get out o' the way, an' be quick a
ir leader cocked his carbine. His attitude was menacing. Billy was close to him. The
tal principles of sudden brawls. It is safe to say that he had never heard of V
ght of his body behind his blow, and catching the man full beneath the chin he
rom their shirts and as Billy wheeled his pony to
xcellent revolver shot, brought him down at a hundred yards. He then, with utter dis
n to carry false tales
ized the necessity which confronted them though he could not have brought himself to
when he had assured himself that eac
el to the arroyo for a matter of a hundred yards, where they espied two Indians, carbines in hand, standing in evident con
and fired. Billy's horse stumbled at the first report, caught him
arters, firing as they came. One of the two men Pesita had sent to assassinate his "guests" dropped his gun, clutched at his breast, screamed, and sank back
om one bit of scant cover to another Billy Byrne stepped to the edge of the washout and threw his ca
!" he cried, and
ed jackrabbit, sprawled forward upon his face, made a sin
now, came to Byrne's side. The
would admire such a man as the captain. Doubtless he would make hi
e?" asked
or of poor, bleeding Mexico
uess I'll stick. He's given me more of a run for my money in the last twenty-fou
that you are going back to Pesita! He will shoot you down w
not," s
You've cost him eight men today and he hasn't any more men than he needs at best. Bes
r a while yet. Anyhow until I've had a chance to see his face after I've made my report t
he slain marksmen were hidden, turned o
f his hand wheeled about and spurred back al
direction. Bridge recited no verse for the balance of that day. His heart lay heavy in his bosom,
d then Fate had flung him upon the savage shore of Yoka to find other forms of adventure where the best that is in a strong man may be brought out in the stern battle for existence against primeval men and conditions. The West Side had developed only Billy's basest characteristics. He might have slipped back easily into the old ways had it not been for HER and the recollection of that which he had read in her eyes. Love had been there; b
thing of the political conditions of the republic. Had Pesita told him that he was president of Mexico, Billy could not have disputed the statement from any knowledge of facts wh
bout Billy knew not, nor did he care. There should be fighting and he loved that-that much he knew. The ethics of Pesita's warfare troubled him not. He had heard that some grea
ursion to the north. Only half a dozen men lolled about, smoking or sleeping away the hot day. They looked at Billy in evident surprise w
awake, and asking innumerable questions. It was almost sundown when Pesita rode in. Two riderless horses were led by trooper
y's enterprise. By piecing together the various scraps of conversation he could understand Billy discovered that Pesita had ridden far to demand tribute from a wealthy ranchero, only to find that word o
t off as well as we
ita might now be expected to receive the news that eight of his troopers had be
ragged Indian carrying a carbine and with heavy silver s
r Capitan Byrne to report t
his way through the pandemonium of
ide his shirt and loosened somethi
he-hole," he murmu
nt-an energetic bundle of nerves which no amount of
his new officer's expression whether anger or suspicion had been aroused by the killing of h
you left Senor Bridge and Migue
se I didn't have no more men to guard 'em with; but I
estioned Pesita. "Yo
is: We got as far as that dry arroyo just before the trail drops down into the valley
nd hunt cover, and then me an' my men wades in and cleans up the bunch. Th
rted an' I know that that's what you sent me to do. It's too bad about the six men we
. If Pesita noticed the apparently innocent little act, or interpreted it correctly may or may not have been the fact. He stood looking straight into Byrne's eyes for
" he said. "You are a man after my
his own blankets, and to say that he was puzzl
he's a mighty good loser or else he's a deep one who
ents later was sayin
s to come back and tell me about it when he might easily have gotten away. Villa would have made him an officer for this thing, and Miguel must have told him so. He found out in some way about your little plan and he turne
s of a different nature. Rozales was filled with rage to think that the newcomer had outwitted him, and beaten him at his own game, and he was jealous, too, of the man's ascendancy in the esteem of Pesit
derable funds in bank there, and this stranger can learn what I want to know ab