The Wolf Cub

h-bearded fellows of impetuous courage but of little skill or fame; reckless scapegraces whom he had pick

preferred, whenever he could, to keep his heels clean of confederates and coadjutors; he preferred to hold himself aloof and so

Benito. The rest, under the supervision of Jacinto Ques

ards are eternally themselves, and their souls glow frankly and incandescently out through their bodies in everythi

, frightened drove on the open plain to the right of the stalled coaches, the passengers were herded by the four taciturn

, clenched their teeth in their lips, held their eyes pasted upon the bandoleros, and did silently and with utter obedience that whic

urneymen. He stood aloof, his revolver in hand, his eyes studying pensive

is smooth brown cheeks. They did not know him. They thought Jacinto Quesada, he who had be

racts on the grape, olive, orange, and apricot crops. Then came a wine taster, one cork grower, and three cattle breeders; and then a troupe of Gitanos, Gyp

ioned that they should be brought back to their old places without suffe

n as any bullfighter. He was square of face, his jaw was a round resolute knob, and his eyes were blue and hinted of being quick to laugh. Struck by th

ers for either Frenchmen or Englishmen. And they nev

er, muchacho. I am what you Spaniar

mino, you Yanquis seem to me! But sometimes it does a person or a country good to be beaten and robbed. Spain is the better for having had her buttocks soundly spanke

sed his eyebrows in surprise. Yet he had traveled in Spain some months alr

any peasant will argue or exchange racy jokes with Alfonso and even slap him on the back in the ensuing hurly-burly of merriment, where a hidalgo will eat

hom all Spain had commenced talking about! Smil

r. You Spaniards are certainly long on common sense.

g in Spanish and he was not altogether at home in the idiom

him, when a child, to seek to be the dorado of the poor dead Pernales-that savage philosophy which had finally moved him to become a bandole

the same time, rid his system of a sally typically American i

showing his clean white teeth, and retu

e while in such an awkward and even perilous position,

ymen won the recent war. You are a man of the great

lnerable he is to others' opinions of him; and his extreme reserve is only a cloak worn eternally to mask the weakness. This particular American changed count

you sa

ut falter and without affected ease; because you act like a man who is a man!" explained Jacinto Quesada with sincerity. And to

lushed slightly, and smi

your men herded me out on the prairie with the rest, and then yanked me forward to pick my

he hidalgo don, Quixote of La Mancha," returned Que

ed, "Relieve the Yanqui caballero of the pistol

lfighters. A few of them wore the ordinary street dress of men of the profession. They would be known anywhere in S

from town to town, from bull ring to railroad train and straightway again to bull ring-and they have little or no time to change from bull ring costume into street clothes and scarcely more time to spend in eating, sleeping, or doing anything else than mur

, the dexterous with the sword, the

en with gusto cried, "Por los Clavos de

gold-braided green silk breeches, waistcoat, and jacket, a white ruffled shirt, a crimson tie, and a black cap. He wore the black rosette and ribbons of th

brown Andalusian face was the typical young bull fighter's face, boyish, almost effeminate with its mild contours; a face made expressive and plea

oked at him, for he recognized in this man whom he had long admire

fe and the children

h, thank you, Jacinto! A

lle bull ring at this moment, instead of doing what I am-setting my dogs of ladrones upon you to

no, I would rather not

de matar, the stroke of death! Why, to sit in the sun and watch you perform, I have ventured into Seville in disguise when the men of

n in Spain, as you say, who are the othe

d! Can you

Yourself, Jacinto Q

the t

ssional jealousy. Tentatively he asked, "Yo

stros of the good old charge-and-take-a-chance Sevillian school. I mean tha

one American. Then he slapped his breeches and jacket and i

America; then a pretty flight of rosy and demure young convent girls, bound northward under the vigilant watch

arp, clever face, but a peculiar ashy pallor overspread it and, about the mouth, there were hard grim lines. The nose was long, high-bridged, predatory. The eyes were

xious. She was a golden-haired girl of the rare Castilian blond type. She seemed made all of gold, ivory, and rose petals. Among all those frightened people, she alone was without fear. As she stood there, looking calmly about her

search when, aroused by something more than curiosity, Jacinto Qu

renchman,

do you make signs w

, had been persistently making covert signals with those hands. First he drew two fingers down across his left cheek; then he made certain finger movements