Show 11 X 01 I 1 ohe aci vale je of I 1 clag 0 1 lay by fred abt hor 5 c ike blade of ficai d W Y ta cavat bw doff merrill co THE STORY at nightfall in the city of new orleans in 1821 roren loren garde rea re bontly an officer under general jackson is surprised by the ap cearan bearance pe arance ce of cf three figures in abil ari elent dent 13 spanish costume two me men achl and a woman whose beauty en chants him resenting the tha arrogance of the elder of the two tivo men garde flights a duel dual with hl him with swords and wounds him lie ile learns hta his opponent Is adolfo 1 de a fuentes colonel in the span ish army in venezuela garde from gens dearmes de armea over hears a plot to overthrow sp spanish n rule in venezuela discovered and threatened he lights b but ut I 1 Is overpowered garde finds himself a prisoner on the santa luerecia Luc a ship chip bearing contraband arms arm and ammunition tor for the tha vene zue lans on board aie are the conspirators spira tors the lady of 0 his love her brother polito and do de fuentes an attel al tempt to seize the ship falls prom from the girl garde learns her name Is dulca lamar tina lie ile loves her but does not reveal hla his love the vessel la Is wrecked and garde reaches the venezuelan shore alone making his way inland he encounters a stranger awaiting the arrival ot of the sante santa lucrecia Luc lie ile tells him of the tha wreck and sees dulce with do D fuentes and polito folluo CHAPTER ill continued he ha pulled at his y pipe his bread broad shoulders ili shaking aking with laughter 1 I am Mo monahan he said at length captain inthe british legion wider under gen simon bolivar the liberator will be deeply interested when I 1 tell him about the american senor garde who ho loves the intended of colonel de fuentes and who rides the wings of the storm alone alon ewhen when his ship am cornea es to grief bolivar can use such men my friend there was waa a frank friendliness about this transplanted patriot something that called for confidence so I 1 began with the cabildo and completed my account with bucayan Tu cayan skipping only those portions which dealt dalt with jibe the senorita lamartina Lamart Lamar lna and falling failing in my alq deletions alons forshen for ori lyhn when I 1 had bad baddonr dorie done he on said sol the blond loren lore P will hie himself to Car caracas acaO whither the dark b empty his lady jove ove Is bound and he will find there I 1 all ih th pa power of spain in venezuela against him ill it Is worth a try at least I 1 said jOfs Course but you go not to a love tryst but to fight a battle with death 1 I hive fought such battles before as you have also no doubt I 1 have been too close to death inthe in the fear it now ile he chic chickles kled that yellow thatch ot of yours will sIn sink kyou you for it at cries your identity coall to all and sundry I 1 touched my chin which bore about a weeks growth of corn colored whig ker 1 I fear you aie are right it ik you might suggest ila iio picked up a stone and hurled it into the foliage of a nearby near by tree and half a dozen objects resembling our huge green walnuts thudded to the ground ile he crushed one under the heavy sole of a grenadier boot the jule juice of this pulp Is an excellent dye lio lie explained it will make your hair and beard a very dark brown browh and it will give to your too fair skin the deep bronze of a man who has ap spent ent hi with ships As tho the pig ment will last some weeks you need h have ave no fear of I 1 it t fading before the spaniards lards are prepared to hang yau apu 11 so using a broad flat reek feck as a mortar we crushed from the thick pulpy covering of a number of odthe the half ripe nuts a quantity of pale liquid which on dryl drying ng left my skin a reddish brown and my hair and beard nearly black deoh you have funds lie he questioned none tho the leathe leathern rii wallet containing asdall a small quantity of money hud and a few papers of purely personal value alue was taken from the pocket of my jacket while I 1 lay unconscious on board the santa lucrecia Luc the good francisco probably did it then said Alo monahan laughing as 9 friend of francisco I 1 would donld proffer such financial old aid as you may require 1 lie ile placed ten silver pieces the siz size e of our american dollar into my hand band this will bw buy you a lint hat and cl clothe that shall be less identifying and pay for food oo 00 d an and d quarters in caracas for at least a fo fortnight r 11 lie ile sighed 1 I think your needom need of food and quarters will hardly last so BO long then ab raptly 1 I I 1 cannot you from this mad mis mission slon I 1 shook my head bad andee and he went on it if caracas Is your goal I 1 might tell you sou that in the hii humble hoi homo neof of senor romas comas carrasco which lies iles less than two hundred meters south of san jacinto plaza you ou will find safe lol hodg in ent and anil in the Cati tinn ll erlda ord air sided aided over by tho the faithful Carri carrita Tp in h few I 1 t s on gather I 1 nm hm sure that ilat w f you ou have lide had burtor fuer opportunity to study the methods of spain in venezuela you will could come to us though you ou will need a vast amount of luck to get into caracas and safely out again and these few patriots who sometimes times gather gabber in the menage of carrizal how shall I 1 know them i rd he extended his right hand third finger folded into the palm that in shaking hands Is the sign used by members of the dad an organization t ion foun founded ded by simon bolivar and miranda nearly ten y years ears 1 0 aa ago 0 he pressed my hand in a warm firm grip 1 I think I 1 shall not see bee you again too many forces are against you but lie be erred for I 1 was vaa destined to fight side by side with wit h captain mona lian through a bitter camp campaign against tile the spanish I 1 was yet to meet the moving spirits of that famous and miscalled mi british legion which did so much to win from ferdinand vil VII independence for venezuela and halfon halt of south america as well hardy souls veterans most of them of the napoleonic onic w wars ars who after the fall of the corsican could not go back to the peaceful pursuit ddn but chained to the charlot chariot of mars must needs follow the lure of the sword CHAPTER IV A wedding disarranged As I 1 set out that morning on the road to caracas and on the road to adventures beyond my wildest dreams the ebol cool blue dome of the sky was unmarked by a cloud the sun swung overhead and went swiftly down the western path as I 1 trod the smooth stones s that formed the road the I 1 lar f ill take some cumana camana rum I 1 said to carrizal Carrl Caril zal shor short t t twilight came and went and a golden moon pushed above the timbered ra range that lay beyond caracas in the moonlight I 1 bent my steps toward the city where I 1 hoped to find the lady in white the gracious lady who had come into my arms to find pr protection tion from the storm the city of Cara caracas cast stronghold of spain in venezuela and the key to its control lies iles in a vast fertile basin called the vale of aragan the north rim of which forms a barrier between the city and the sea As I 1 came in sight of the elty city a morning sun em emerging erg from the mists of the east tou touched ched the red tiled roofs with gold it was a city of beauty a city of dreams it held tor for me the present as well its as the future my mad worship would not permit me to consider the dangers that might beset me I 1 saw only the face of her whose whose life I 1 hoppo hoped was to be bound ury up with mine fo for r ever I 1 I 1 had reached a tiny roadside store on the outskirts of the city before I 1 realized that no plan had been made no thought of what I 1 might do biter after I 1 had unfired entered this the headquarters 1 f oi ino forces corces 1 IQ venon 1 I 1 went into tho the store traded traders trad edS five sil 8 ver pieces for clothes and the ari of a room where I 1 might change camo came out again garbed in the co and brown two dicce suit coarse and the M turban like COP copa affected by rain blue the F french re n h sti bailers bailors llo r s of the isla islands moty of ali tho d r road 0 h d I 1 li had a d taken led adt ta th H plaza san jacinto Jacl nto where wh ere I 1 turn south and asked my way AWRY to the borne ann of carrasco which B proved be beaded ared and brown rock to nod and bofto structure of considerable size tomas was wao noncommittal non committal his 1113 dart dart eyes sirve surveyed ine me wi with th grave concern and after assuring himself of n strangeness 1 1 ho he announced sorrow my jully but bra with unmistakable firmness that he had no quarters that might be offered to travelers expressing Express Ex int my disappointment in halting Span lalL I 1 offered my hand in parting salute As he grasped it vastly relieved I 1 folded my third finger into the palm pain he gasped his swarthy face went an a ashen 9 hen gray and his sharp eyes pe searched arched my face ile he tur turned ne my en hand and studied it ii there Is a comfortable room for you senor andwood and food A chiva lately baked frijoles golden brown tort tortilla llla the sauce of papaya fruit luscious peaches from my own garden oranges orange and melons from coro wine from madeira and rum from cumana camana and a house of safety senor if there t era Is anything you might require you are very kind tomas I 1 salk said A dozen listless loiterers loiter ers sat eat it t tables or leaned against the bar as I 1 entered and made ray my way toward car rizal who stood behind the bar he considered me with the calculating eye bye of a man who anticipates a sale I 1 gave the subject of my order careful thought I 1 did not dare dara to ask for american whisky and wins wine was still considered a european drink while I 1 pondered thus a familiar voice came to me there Is no rum in all the world senor like rum from cumana camana 10 ill take some cumana camana rum I 1 sail bali to carrizal Carrl zal as another voice agreed with the connoisseur of rum thi tag connoisseur whose back was turned to me turned at the sound of my voice turned swiftly the mug afrum of rum poised between the bar and his face he opened a wide mouth that bull stia showed traces of the bruises from my fist and let out a great laugh that fairly rattled the windows senor loco he cried the sea has given up its dead I 1 I 1 stared aghast for manuel stood before me manuel who twice had stopped my fist with parts of his hl face and who could therefore have had no love for me my thoughts were racing wildly manuel belonged to bolivar yet the spanish captain alvarez according to the senorita dulce had called him a good sailor and dulce had said he was wai stupid name of G C d dl I 1 and here her was manuel in caracas drinking and visiting boldly in a saloon less les than a square from the plaza free in the city as unconcerned as though hewer strolling along the levee in the safo city of new orleans are you not mistaken senor I 1 ventured la Is there anything about me that should make you call mg me crazy now he went off od into another convulsion of merriment did the sea water dye thy athy whiskers he roared and that yellow thatch ot oc speak up senor loco and tell us how you came liere here and why I 1 had ad made an unpropitious entry into the stronghold of spain I 1 had bad fa failed led ere I 1 had begun and I 1 had failed by a grotesque twist of fate because of the ints misplaced placed enmity 01 ol those who should have been my friends ali ah well I 1 c could at least show them the american indifference toward death it Is manuel I 1 said no manuel the sailor who does not like th flavor of my fist 11 I 1 smiled exten extending dIN my hand he too found my third finger folded into the palm ills his mug of rum ruin clattered to the floor the grin disappeared from his face and the evil light that had been in hiis his eyes faded he drew lif in a harsh hissing breata and spat out a spanish oath 1131 manuel anuel I 1 met cried has this AM cumana camana runn rump fouchea touched your brain ot of do you merely jest jes with a poor french frenchi sailor stranded ai at la gualia guaira w seeking eni employment P in caracas I 1 manuels left eyelid dr dropped and ana raised quickly again and his face was wa blank 1 1 think I 1 should offer apology to you senor I 1 must have been in 14 error for you cannot be the senor loco whom I 1 saw fall fr from lom the tha deck of the santa lucrecia Luc no man co conia I 1 aid have lived in that raging sea yet 1 I 1 have seen you somewhere or perhaps the rum has put a fancy afancy in n my beal bead TO DB big CONTINUED |