L Toro, bandit
-་
CHINA
FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT. JULY 22, 1938
E murderer, and horse-thler, "SIX-GUN JUSTICE"
laughed as Sanchez, his lieuten- ant, placed before him a freshly printed reward notice taken from a tree along the Pine Notch Trail. The Mexican bandit's white teeth flashed.
"So the Americanos have raised the price on El Toro's head, eh, Sanchez?"
His tall figure rumbled with mirth, but the light in his dark eyes was not the light of amuse- ment. They resembled, more, the eyes of a rattler, reared to strike.
"Twenty thousand dollars is a lot a money, amigo," Sanchez grinned.
-Pride lit the Mexican's swarthy face.
"But not too much for EI Toro," he boasted. "That extra ten thousand dollars is for the raid on the Bar Y. Before we have left that Pine. Notch country, Sanchez, they will be glad to offer fifty thousand dollars.”
Sanchez's eyes gleamed. They always gleamed when money 'was mentioned.
"There is the Americano senorita," he reminded the ban- dit chief.
El Toro nodded, his eyes cloudy.
"The Big Tom Yelland of the Bar Y defied El Toro. Sanchez, and now the Bar Y is a ruin, its herds are with us in the moun- tains, his men slain, and his daughter..
Sanchez waited, his malicious eyes narrowed.
44
his daughter, amigo," said the bandit chief, "shall brighten the nights for El Toro, and then" he shrugged-"per- haps she will be glad to sing in a cantina, or maybe the caballero Pedro Sanchez would plan other- wise?"?
They laughed with enjoyment. "The American senoritas are cold," said Sanchez.
"Mexican suns can warm their blood," mused El Toro.
"But their hearts remain chill, El Toro."
"Hearts can be broken, like mustangs, Sanchez,”
"True, amigo, but...”
El Toro's lieutenant stopped abruptly as a sentry's challenge rang out. They heard a shout, and shortly afterwards steps ap- proached the rude hut that was the Mexican bandit's headquar- ters in the Sierra Indios.
In the doorway appeared two armed Mexicans with a sallow faced young man, dishevelled, alkali dust thick on his clothes, a vacuous look on his face:
"What is this?" El Toro de- manded. "A spy?”
The Mexican sentries laughed. "Perhaps, El Toro. But says he is a recruit, that fame of El Toro has gone south beyond the Sierra Indios, to the village of Rosarita, and that his muchacha will not marry him un- · less he is brave enough to fight the Americanos with El Toro.”
The
expression on the bandit's. face, did not change as his slow gaze wandered over the quaking figure of the young captive.
"So, a recruit. Your name, muchacho?"
Manuel."
“And you are not a spy "Madre di Dios, no, El Toro!": "That is good
good."
7
and down with an eye-baffling' movement. A six-gun roared. The bullet knocked the battered sombrero from the young man's head, clipping off, close to the scalp, a look of dark hair!".
The sentries jumped aside. But the young man looked at El Toro, then stooped and picked up his hat and the clip of hair.
"El Toro is merciful," he mut- 'tered..
The bandit fingered his dark jowls, then spread his hand in a conclusive gesture.
•
"Take him away, feed him, and give him a rifle. You are an El Toro man, Manuel, und your muchacha is a fool-"
"She is as lovely as a flower—” "Bah! Get out before I change my mind."
"Gracias
The latest recruit to the notori- ous El Toro's raiding band was hauled away by the sentries. For
Short Story
a week he was watched closely, but he seemed a simple fellow with a mind filled only with thoughts of his dark-eyed Inez in Rosarita, and the men soon learn- ́ ed to leave him to himself. His speech was slow, but he had all the true Mexican's love of a lazy life.
}
Meanwhile El Toro was 'slow- ly losing his patience with the fair captive he had brought from his last raid upon the Pine Notch Valley.
Barara Yelland showed plainly that she was not afraid of the bandit
His or his intentions. amorous advances were met with.
cold warning.
-"You'd better release me, El- Toro, before the American sol- diers reach Pine Notch.".
And always the warning wounded El Toro's pride. Pride was the bandit leader's vulner- able spot in his mental and moral make-up. He boasted that he had never loved a woman who had never given herself freely to him, and he vowed that the cold Americano should feel that same spark of passion that had in- flamed the affections of the Mexi- can beauties who had fallen for his manly qualities.
"El Toro is a bull among men," he would boast,
"He is a yellow rat," the plucky Barbara Yelland retorted, remembering the murderous on- slaught on the ranch-house and the picture of her father and brother dying as Mexican bullets slashed through the broken door, El Toro would return to his room, muttering with spite, and Sanchez would suggest, a game. of cards-and win, because El Toro's mind was not on his play. Once El Toro's pride receded enough to allow him to grasp the American girl in his arms. But she had kicked and clawed, and with 2 hand suddenly wrenched free struck him a stinging blow in the face.
alone, you filthy
"Let
PRE cried, anger
The last word, murmured soft- ly after a pause, was uttered as the bandit's right hand sped up staining her cheeks,
greaser
The blow and the accompany- ing words had wounded El Toro's pride beyond recovery.
"Sanchez," he said as he and bis lleutenant sat together at their cards, "my mind is made up. The American senorita. is too cold."
Sanchez grinned covertly. knew of that blow.
"Yes, amigo?" he murmured. "She shall be yours, Sanchez or any man's who is prepared to take her from you."
Sanchez's grin widened into a smile. Where was any in El Toro's band, gave El Toro him self; who would try to shoot it out with Pedro Sanchez? ⠀⠀
"You are giving her to me, El Toro."
"A gift of which I have tired, Sanchez."
El Toro himself told his band of his decision, but it brought. smiles to few faces. Sánchez
By Lester Gregory
stood up, six-guns swinging low against his thighs.
"And who wishes to take the Americano senorita from Pedro Sanchez?" he challenged.
Two Mexicans went, for their guns.
Both died, bullets from San- chez's Colts in their hearts,
El Toro frowned,
"Careful amigo," he warned. "This is El Toro's camp, not plaza del toros.”
The joke brought a roar. laughter.
Sanchez grinned.
"True, El Toro," he replied. "The next man I shall merely cripple. Who is he?"
Arrogant eyes swept over the sea of nodding sombreros. Sud- denly a louder roar of laughter went up from two score throats. A man had risen,
"Ho!" shouted El Toro, with Inez's glee. "The dark-eyed charms are waning, eh, Manuel?” The new recruit stood in front of the others in the band, Round his waist was -slung an old lea- ther cartridge-belt, and a tatter- ed holster held a black-håndled six-gun.
He said nothing,
A man near by shouted, "Care- ful Sanchez, Manuel has been practising with his gun! He can shoot a rancho at ten yards.”
Another roar of laughter greet- ed this sally.
Sanchez scowled.
Which log do you want broken, fool?" he threw at the man standing facing him.
"The left," said Manuel, in a clear voice "It has cramp, and is stiff in the joints
The retort brought a flush to Sanchez's cheeks. He stood, feet spread apart, glaring at the other, murder in his eyes. Then his right hand dived for his open holster. What happened none watching saw clearly. Two shots rang out almost simultaneously. When the smoke cleared Sanchez lay upon the ground, dead. Manuel was sheathing his gun.
A broken cheer went up from the band. Sanchez, had not been popular.
El Toro watched the man who had killed his lieutenant narrow-
"You killed him, Manuel,” he said slowly.
“El Toro did not tell me not to," said the young man,
The bandit leader nodded. "Is there any reason why I shouldn't shoot you, Manuel?”
Manuel's head reared high. "Yes, El Toro."
The men gasped, and waited. "Tell me what it is, invited El Toro.
"I am a better shot than Sanchez. I shall make a better lieutenant, El Toro."
Mên held their breath. The ten- sion relaxed when El laughed.
"I believe you will, Manuel. If you don't I shall kill you. Think well on that. As for the senorita
-she-is yours. Take her."
El Toro watched Manuel take the girl from her prison to his hut, and there was a hungry smile on his face. He noted that before Manuel led the girl into the sun- light he placed a bandage over her eyes.------
"Why, amigo?" he asked.
"In Rosarita, El Toro," said the new lieutenant, "we always blind an outlaw before breaking him
or her."
El Toro laughed.
"You have a wit, Manuel." "And a heavy hand."
"You should have used it on Inez."
"Heavy, but not sufficiently cunning
yet."
(Continued on Page 7)
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