Show tham hie erf vale valm of ale A le a 6 a n by fred freel mclaughlin author of the blade of oj copyright by bobbs merrill co ce 1 CHAPTER VIII vill 13 the bugle of maracay karacay emerging again into the qun sunlight light I 1 found the irish captain still offering sturdy support to the adobe wall every very time our colonel wins a bat tie tle said he be he thinks hes lies alex under ander you speak in parables monahan pint falls a deal short of alexander he ile grinned and bent his red head to indicate a massive rods rock house a stone s throw to the north of us that s his bead headquarters quarters or will be until the spaniards run us out again amin he ile has lately entered it with a lady a reluctant lady it its s true but ahe the manner of pint was gently but brinly coercive so 1 I shall apprise him of our danger at once we must reform re form and we must keep in touch with the main body of dollars army else we are lost for our ammunition sure he said he ile caught hold of ply arm as I 1 turned away Is your pistol loaded garde there was a strange light in bis his blue eyes and under his air of seeming indifference I 1 read a definite tenseness do I 1 require a pistol to ap pur colonel ile shrugged go ahead you went in caracas without a gun and out again this lion ron s den should be vast ly simpler A providence watches lover over you I 1 the heavy wooden door with its ex carvings stood open and as 1 I would have entered a sentry put a gun across the doorway the colonel has issued orders that he Is not to be disturbed will the major wait the major won t will you tell the colonel ile showed white teeth in a wide grin I 1 I 1 cannot it would be as much as my life Is worth to d esturb him while I 1 waited wondering what should be done the colonel colonels s tenor carrying the burden of a caress came down the hallway would not the wines of caress thy palate bonita I 1 tailed failed to catch bonita s reply but it was as not acquiescence for the col onel spoke again when the lards take a city senorita they take all that Is in it may we then do less lie ile laughed at her rejoinder and continued had I 1 known Alar maracas maracay acay held so gorgeous a beauty I 1 should have taken it long ago so fair a vision of loveliness may not be kept tor for a mere spaniard he cannot properly appreciate be not so cold he lie pleaded a I 1 atle wine a I 1 atle no no she cried ah ab no nol I 1 name of G d the one voice I 1 in all the world I 1 it had called to me in my dreams it had ridden the wings of the wind and now with no thought of consequences I 1 thrust the sentry aside with a sweep of my arm sped along the hallway and threw my body against the door which crashed inward under the im pact of my fall by the time I 1 had regained my feet pint pistol held ready was standing across the table from me and the senorita Li martina leaned against the wall tear fear in her pale face and slim hands pressed against her bosom S fenorl she gasped D duice ulce colonel pint misunderstanding me laughed aye duice dulce indeed major garde for she Is the sweetest by far of all those that the stupid spaniard has yet brought over but why do you enter my quarters by such forceful means I 1 think I 1 I 1 must think I 1 must con arol myself blind luck so far had abeen been my portion but now gra clous G d give me the use of my brain I 1 pint did not recognize her did not realize the value of the prize that he be had won then manifestly he should remain in ignorance A vis on in truth I 1 said I 1 laugh ing I 1 but do you not know my col onel that the taking of maracay karacay has cost us over a hundred men 11 e would hasten she looked at me in amazement re sentiment sent ment in the deep blue eyes and I 1 thought an expression of pleading also aye pint agreed a hundred men indeed but it s worth it the senorita alone Is worth two hundred I 1 think the garrulous colonel had bad partaken too freely of the wines of Montal ball yet there Is much to do did not bolivar say to take the city and have I 1 not done so yes but general bolivar also said to hold it do you not know my col onel that half our ind an solders sold ers having fired away their remaining am in celebration of our victory have discarded their guns assuming them empty to be of no further me use he laughed A misfortune but nothing tragic it has ever been the habit of the stupid savages A thing to be discounted as inevitable and I 1 continued that the forces of paez and blaza have fallen bael before the spaniards freeing the two wings that may now close in upon us that if it we do not move swiftly alir lines of communication with bolivar Bo livars a army will be braen so that half ac couteret cout ered and without ammunition we will mill be lost how gloomy a tale do you bring me in th s the hour of my happiness ills acquisitive ees took in the slim beauty of the senorita ani I 1 could have throttled h in for or the evil in his look does your american coward ce come to the fore ore at such a time as this do you not real ze that of 0 the entire line of 0 attack only we have broken through aye and I 1 real ze also that the spaniard will close in behind us and this american cowardice of 0 mine senor does not presume to celebrate a half victory with drunkenness and other unseemly conduct pint brought the pistol to bear upon me do you speak thus to me your colonel your commanding officer ander similar conditions my col onel I 1 would mould speak so to bolivar bolhar him self had he fallen so low a thing I 1 cannot imagine for of all our officers I 1 think colonel pint Is the only man who nho might have planned an act so vile madness aye a veritable mad ness yet his eyes had offered insult to the senorita and I 1 worshiped her ah ali loren she cried fear in her voice and love I 1 think as wall how vast a blunder can you not see pint laughed loren well I 1 etis ills olce was as icy ley menacing ah ali duice dulce mia I 1 gasped I 1 can not think I 1 love thee very pretty said pin pint he ile offered a sour smile I 1 have waited garde for such a time as this he ile thought a moment it Is the senorita lamar W t a I 1 did not bolivar say to take the city and have I 1 not done so tina no then she shall see how we deal with insubordination a grievous crime at such a time I 1 may be judge and jury and executioner for it Is jy my right the pistol Is not made my col onel I 1 said that may kill me n scantly and if I 1 am given so much as half a minute no said duice dulce no I 1 she came forward arms outstretched toward the man who waited weapon pointing at my heart anything colonel pini pint but I 1 thrust her aside no nol I 1 I 1 cried leaping toward him as the gun roared fill ng the room with thunder alame traversed my arm and sent the red hot pain coursing through my body my right arm fell useless and the fingers of my left hand found his throat and held io no matter what befell I 1 knew that only death awaited me for this attack upon a superior officer regardless of the circumstances or the provocation could mean but one thing a court and a decree of death so with the weight of my body and the strength of my legs I 1 held him against the wall while my fingers dd d d their work I 1 even laughed a shrill maniacal out burst and I 1 talked do you see duice dulce say my own how a craven d es iso no loren no it Is murder if you love me dear heart you will not do it iti I 1 but he offered insult to thee shall I 1 not kill him for tl at does he not deser cesene e listen loren do you not hear it now there came to us the clear high notes of a bugle a penetrating elec trie summons I 1 guess I 1 am and have always been first a soldier for that call to arms cleansed my mind of hatred and found a soldier soldiers s ready acquiescence in my heart colonel pint freed at last staggered to the table and braced his swaying body with his hands you will pay for this senor he rasped through a tortured throat wild yells followed the call of the bugle and intermittent chudd ng of guns then an orderly fusillade I 1 knew that the spaniards having reformed behind us to cut us off were investing the city I 1 expect to pay colonel and you will doubtless pay when bolivar hears how you have thrown away the fruits of a dearly bought victory after this skirmish he said amov ing unsteadily toward the wreckage of the doorway there will be a court I 1 shall be ready my colonel 0 ah ali loren that you should have found me thus I 1 I 1 am thankful that I 1 was able to find you at all I 1 went to my knees and pressed my lips against a slim hand for my love for her has been the sort of worship that mortals offer up to saints am ara I 1 not forgiven senorita that I 1 was so blind as not to see through your masquerade she put her hand upon my head it Is light again your hair I 1 am glad loren the tumult of conal ct approached and I 1 knew the force of colonel pint drunk with a fake falbe victory and too much wine and insufficiently outfitted with nith guns and ammunition were beaten and moving back do they lose your men I 1 nodded I 1 am sorry spain does not belong in N venezuela ene zuela I 1 have seen you must go you must save yourself your life do you love me duice dulce mia now she came to her knees beside me ah ali loren mio into there is noth ing in my life but love for thee then you forgive aye dear heart kiss me kiss me and hold me hold me close then loren you are wounded there Is blood ah ali god preserve thee my arm only but I 1 can hold thee well with one I 1 laughed in an ex cess of happiness so I 1 kissed the shining hair the tear d mined eyes and the tender I 1 ps and I 1 held her close to my heart again for I 1 knew that this would be the end defeat or victory for the forces of boli bolivar ar my fate was vas sealed poll 0 I 1 said lies wounded but not seriously in an adobe house less tl an two hundred meters south from here isow now she clung to me face upraised in plead ng Is there blame in thy heart loren that polito should be fight ng for the spanish A solder sold er may not turn his back upon h s country my sweet polito owes his service to his king bless thee my own ad os I 1 TO BE CONTINUED |