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