| Show i I II I THE CHRONICLES THE DARK BROTHERS OF THE x BY K AND OF DO DON Q CIVIL GUARD GU D PRITCHARD 1 I J I The name of Don spelled despair to the civil guards of Spain Time after time lime he had foiled their Yet It must be owned that he was a fair and even an appreciative enemy He Ho had been heard to t say sa s more morn than once that but for the existence of f 1 the civile he would In hi one of his h black moods have taken his hi own life Ufe from sheer ennui He Ho was wont to add that he owed ocd a debt to none nono nono In the world orld save only to the guardia civile and the ibex of the sierra For the ibex lured sportsmen to travel ur up into the tho solitudes of the mountains mour where now no and again they were captured by Don Q scouts and an held to ransom while the civil guard kept alive his Interest in preserving his own o life since they were always trying to take It IL The guardia civile Is a picked corps of or military police poUce who possess a man manual manual ual containing one of the most remark remarkable remarkable able and noble codes of regulations the World has over ever seen Part I opens with the following sentence Honor must be the chief object of the civil guard and it must be ho preserved spotless and intact The outcome ou of such a codo as this added to a 0 gathering halo of tradition has produced a body of men well equipped In every sense of the word splendidly disciplined only to be bo matched by the famous Irish constabulary constabulary constabulary I Unless you have traveled through h some of ot the despoblado the desert desArt tracts of Spain or in the lonely sierra it Is hard fully to understand the du duties duties ties iles and the qualities of a civil guard lard He holds a roving commission to pa patrol patrol patrol the highways and mountain passes and always alwa s works with a n comrade for forthe forthe forthe the wild roads owe their safety ty to his presence Don Q had defied them year after year setting at nought their ef efforts efforts efforts forts baffling their plans by acuteness of brain and a perfectly systematized Intelligence nt Ultimately after the visit paid by the brigand to Don Hugo a sum which In some eyes took on the form of a fabulous fabulous lous bus fortune fortun was put on the head of ot Don Q At this time Ume among his numerous foes was counted one perhaps the most inveterate of them all of whom Don Q knew nothing Manuelo Moruno was a member of the civil guard as was his brother They were very si sl silent lent men and after the custom of their corps worked together A chance allusion to the ears of or the governor of the prison of Castelleno flung in mockery at Manuelo with a aibe agibe gibe Kibe ibe that he h and Gregorio should try their hand at capturing the mysterious brigand who had for so 50 long check checkmated checkmated checkmated mated every plot formed against him planted a seed in the heart of the elder Moruno that soon his whole thoughts Therefore a certain amount of Inter Interest Interest est was awakened at the headquarters of that tercio of the civil guard to toA A which the brothers belonged when they i requested leave of cf absence for an in indefinite indefinite Indefinite definite term You want an unusual favor Man lIan ulo u lo the commander said to the elder I will see what I can do for you both You are good men at your work though a trifle Later a month was conceded It is not enough said Manuelo We will take no leave senor The officer looked look d thoughtful May I inquire where you propose to spend your leave he asked after a pause vause face grew gre more somber I Gregorio and I have given the years of our manhood to the honor of the guardia civile If we cannot have leave without words spoken we stay that thatis is all senor senorIs Is It true then that you OU would go to the sierra Have Hae you ou a plan The officer put the question almost in a aw w whisper There is a saying in my birthplace A loose tongue cuts the throat senor True He of the sierra hears hoars every everything everything everything thing the said half to himself III I wonder If Ir you realize the difficulty No Xo one has ever got the better of him We have made a vow ow returned returnee Manuelo rigidly The sporting instinct awoke in the and sent a glow through his veins It rested with him to slip sUp the dogs on the wildcat Go he said and lIand may the saints go with you The plan formed by the was such Bucha a one as might have been expect expected ed from men of their character After many discussions they decided that the I chance of success lay in one direction only By no attempt from the outside could they ever hope to reach the war wary and terrible Don Q They The resolved therefore to make the desperate Yen von venture ture of following him deep into his unascertained hiding places in the sier sierra ra and there to gain accurate and first firsthand hand band knowledge of his habits with perhaps some measure of confidence confidence confidence dence In a word they were going to turn brigands and enroll themselves amongst the who owed him allegiance Two days later there arrived at a small village not far from Castelleno a couple of unshaven men In a safe place they had burled their passports It is necessary in Spain for every ev ry man who goes any any dis distance distance tance from his home to carry a pass passport passport passport port If ho he h is found without it the carcel Is his portion till he can make matters straight A couple of guardias came upon the pair the inevitable table question was asked and as they were ere without papers the brothers were arrested and taken off to the lockup In much the same way that they them themselves themselves selves solves had frequently arrested suspicious suspicious suspicious cious travelers Sullenly the two brothers marched to the village carcel and once within the doors they felt the tho first step that was wa to lead them to Don Q had been taken The rhe next night the lockup was wa thrown into confusion wohn it was dis discovered discovered covered that the prisoners h id d escaped e Thorough to the smallest details o or perhaps reverting to tU the tendencies o of earlier days flays Grogorio o had stunned th the theman theman man who took tham th their evening mess mes messof messof of pottage A hug and cry was imme immediately Immediately immediately raised a fter them but the two brothers had fled beyond pursuit into the sierra From one obscure 0 hand to another by ways too devious to follow the new aspirants JEor fr enrollment In the robber robbe gang gradually gra drifted into the pros pres ence of Don Q The chief huddled a as usual li L his cloak was sitting beside his lis fire when the men were brought Into nto his presence He raised his eyes from rom the book of ol world Spanish romance on his knee in which he had been eon reading readIngs A dark mood was upon him ilm Gaspar take these fellows away and make the usual examination said the chief HI I hope for your own sakes that hat you will fulfill our out requirements he added to the brothers We do not understand Manuelo said stolidly Don Q passed a slow glance over the he two fine figures By the way he began In his soft way that somehow sounded so deadly to o his hearers you are you say new newy newly newly ly y from Malaga There Is a point upon which you can perhaps enlighten me mes meIs meIs Is s it true that the chest measurement for or enlistment in the civil guard has been raised half an Inch 1 The two men kept their expression of or re dullness We are poor men answered Man Manuelo Manuelo Manuelo and when we see Bee a pair of guardias we hide in the bushes busho or r the rocks I do not know And you brother he turned toward Gregorio I i heard that a recruit must now measure Inches round the chest if he desires to be of the he corps I Don Q considered Gregorios reply Gaspar he said I can tako take no nomore nomore more nore applicants Into our band under measurement of the chest The height can remain the same then hen seeing a n look of surprise come In Ino Into Into to o the eyes of Manuelo ho added If these men do not happen ha pen to reach reah the standard you will know what to do with them Did anyone tell you OU on your way wa here that those unfit to be counted amongst our number are also unfit t to leave us 1 We were told With that the were led from the he cave still sun wearing their air of dullness and to be measured me besIde the fires In the valley below Then to etch each e ch was given a slip sUp of paper and they were led back to the presence of the chief You may speak Gasper said Don Q Their heights are 5 6 feet teet 10 and 5 I feet 9 their chests measure 87 and inches Inch s lord Good And now Don Q looked at Manuelo let me have a short history his tor of your lives Wo We are arc sons of ot one mother born bornat bornat bornat at a birth Our name They Thoy call me Miguel and my brother they call Our father was a 0 con He Is dead The guar gURr guardias guardias dias on whom be curses shot him when we were children ago we were running a cargo over the sierra on mule back The gu dias prepared an ambush They fired on us from behind the rocks s We fought with them then and escaped but Miguelito killed ore They had recognized recognized us so we fled tIed We entered Bech Iwo ivo without papers we were put In the carcel There we met certain men who told us of the ladron en grande the great Don Q We decided to seek in the sierra There was a iu torte ne in the courtyard Miguelito has been a poach poacher er He crept up behind the guard who brought our J He may ma t or may not be dead We are here Thus it was that the two brothers gained gal ed admission to the ranks of or the brigands Without t faltering they took the oath of fidelity and returned with Gasper to the valley The days passed on the Moruno 3 though it neither affected nor weakened their resolve felt something very akin to deep respect grew up in their ther minds for the Ironhanded Inexorable man who in spite of his fragle frame held in m abject subjection a bevy of the vii vil vilest est characters In Spain The courage of Don Q was so abnormal his ference to death and to danger so absolute absolute absolute lute that he compelled the unwilling admiration of the brothers It was clearly impossible to attack attackhim attackhim attackhim him among his men and though the discussed over and over again the plan of stealing up to the cave by night and taking their chance of es escape escape s cape after the deed they had come to todo todo todo do was done they were cast back and deferred by rumors and stories that passed from mouth to mouth round the fires Manuelo listened and pondered these things I i would buy his life with mine Gregorio as thou the elder elde brother said but he ho is crafty craft as the devil The cave Is secure se ure by reason of his craft We must wait But the weeks drifted by and the grip of winter closed more and more harsh harshly harshh ly h upon the mountains the robbers built bunt themselves chozas and for the rest shivered round the fires And far fardown fardown down In the plains the com corn mandante shook his head and invented plausible excuses ses for the absence als nce of the In his heart he feared they must be dead for he believed in their loyalty to tha th uttermost but never neEr ii it their long service had they been op Ope opposed opposed posed to any foe so SD terrible as the im immutable Immutable mutable chief of the On a certain bitter evening In De December cember Manuelo with Gasper was wa summoned to the cave Although Man Manuelo Manuelo Manuelo had no premonition of it he was Wa about to utter a few f w w which in inthe Inthe inthe the end brought on that opportunity of dealing hand to h ind with Don Q which he had almost begun to despair of finding Don Q spoke vaguely of an errand to the Sierra Segura and desired to find a messenger acquainted with the region The Sierra Segura is that par part of the mountain range which runs across the province of Murcia and Manuelo had patrolled it from pass to plain during most of the years of his service in the civil guards For that very reason he denied all al knowledge of it and proclaimed him himself himself himself self as having been born and bred In Catalonia Catalon a aIt It is unfortunate remarked th the chief regretfully but the matter though important cap can be delayed Meanwhile Gaspar you must go down tomorrow In the early morning to the hut of ot the carbonero Tomas I have promised him a reward for information information Information tion but you shall give it to his wife for he is a spendthrift Miguel goes with you Leave me my children A day later Manuelo again found himself in the cave caye Miguel asked Don Q do you eer ever go to confession A slight change passed across the mans dark face No lord he said stubbornly fo for forthe forthe the question somehow made him un uncomfortable uncomfortable uncomfortable comfortable That is a pity returned the chief death Is never very far from one on o of your profession Miguel It is as us well wel to be prepared is It not Yes lord there was nothing for tor i it but to acquiesce a The topic was am I 1 i and might lead anywhere but buthe the he next moment the mans soul thrIlled with Joy joys HI I am am thinking of making a little journey jour ey tomorrow night went on Don Q You will accompany me Yes lord Jord o had hard work to o retain his impassive aspect The chance so long hoped for was come at last asti HI I Intend to go down to the little monastery of San Pedro The fathers are very holy men and now and again they sing masses at my ex expense expense expense pense for the souls of or o those who have hae perished in the mountains I have chosen you Miguel for you are a man Inan manof manof of a sober habit not given to gambling as are some about the fires You will now have time to prepare yourself for confession It Is sad as I myself know enow after receiving absolution of the good father when one remembers some little peccadillo such as the name of ofa ofa a 0 man one has been forced to kill In Inthe inthe inthe the way of business And as I should never dream of detaining a 3 priest as captive your opportunities may be few and far between Make the most of this his one You may die Miguel be before before before fore the next Quien sabe Manuelo left the Ute presence of the chief filled with strong g joy At last fortune had come over to the side aide of himself and his brother He sought Bought Gregorio at the earliest possible mo me moment moment ment with the news Gracias a 0 DIos Dlos tJ answered the younger man we now have him be between between tween finger and You must steal away from the val yal valey valley le ley ey tonight brother when the sentries change as we have always planned Take Tako my rifle rine It Is surer than yours Strike the bridle path three miles east eastward eastward eastward ward of the monastery where the la Ia lagoon lagoon goon lies Hes In the valley Conceal your yourself yourself yourself self about the track I go afoot the enemy rides His figure will show clear against the water You must shoot Gregorio and at the tho echo cho I will spring upon up n him himI I will shoot brother my eye Is sure Fear nothing The night and the tho day which the believed were destined to be behe bethe bethe the he last Don Q should spend on earth slipped away Each brother in his own mind rehearsed over and over again the part he had to play in the coming tragedy But events were fated to oo oc occur cur eu for which they had made no pro provision provision provision vision The moon that was almost at the full climbed up clear of the mountain summits before the party of two set setout setout setout out They left the barren crags patched with snow behind them and entered upon a region of wild and des desert desert desert ert character The brothers had In their time taken so many prisoners that Manuelo |
