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34 - Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley · Mark of Zorro

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The blood of the pulidos. The two troopers came back
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: into the room. They had searched the house well, they reported,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: invading every corner of it, and no trace had been
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: found of any person other than Fray Felipe's native servants,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: all of whom were too terrified to utter a falsehood,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: and had said they had seen nobody around the place
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: who did not belong there ha hidden away will no doubt.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Gonzalez said, Fray, what is that in the corner of
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: the room, bales of hides? Fray Felipe replied, I have
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: been noticing it from time to time. The dealer from
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: San Gabriel must have been right when he said the
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: hides he purchased of you were not properly cured. Are those?
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: I think you will find them? So then, why did
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: they move? Sergeant Gonzales asked, three times I saw the
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: corner of a baale move. Soldiers searched there. Fray Filipes
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: sprang to his feet. He enough of this nonsense, he cried,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: you have searched and found nothing. Searched the barns next,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: and then go at least let me be a master
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: in my own house. You have disturbed my rest enough
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: as it is, you will take a solemn oath fray
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: that there is nothing alive behind those bales of hides. Fray.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: Felipe hesitated, and Sergeant Gonzales grinned. Not ready to forswear yourself, eh,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: The sergeant asked, I had a thought you would hesitate
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: at that. My robed Franciscan soldiers search the bales. The
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: two men started toward the corner, but they had not
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: covered one half the distance when Senorita Lolita Polito stood
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: up behind the bales of hides and faced them. Ha
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: On earthed at last, Gonzalez cried, here is the package
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Sigorzarro left in the phrase keeping at a pretty package.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: It is back to Carsel Well she goes, and this
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: escape will but make her final sentence the greater. But
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: there was pulito blood in the Senorita's veins, and Gonzales
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: had not taken that into account. Now, the senorita stepped
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: to the edge of the pile of hide, so that
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: light from the candellero struck full upon her. One moment, Signoris,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: she said, One hand came from behind her back, and
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: in it she held a long keen knife such as
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: sheep skinners used. She put the point of the knife
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: against her breast and regarded them bravely. Senorita Loriita Pulito,
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: does not return to the foul carsel now or at
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  Speaker 2: any time, Senoris, She said, Rather, would she plunge this
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: knife into her heart and so die as a woman
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: of good blood should. If his excellency wishes for a dead.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Prisoner, he may have won. Sergeant Gonzalez uttered an exclamation
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: of annoyance. He did not doubt that the Senorita would
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: do it. She had threatened if the men made an
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: attempt to seize her, And while he might have ordered
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: the attempt in the case of an ordinary prisoner, he
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: did not feel sure that the governor would say he
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: had done right if he ordered it now. After all,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Senorita Pulito was the daughter of a don, and her
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: self inflicted death might cause trouble for his excellency. It
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: might prove the spark to the powder magazine. Senorita, The
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: person who takes his or her own life risks eternal damnation,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: the sergeant said, ask this, Phray, If it is not so,
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: you are only under arrest, not convicted and sentenced. If
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: you are innocent, no doubt you soon will be set
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: at liberty. It is no time for lying speeches. Signor,
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: the girl replied, I realize the circumstance is only too well.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: I have said that I will not return to Garcel,
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: and I meant it, and mean it now. One step
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: toward me and I take my own life, Senorita, Fray,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Felipe began. It is useless for you to attempt to
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: prevent me. Good Fray, she interrupted, I have pride left me,
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: Thank the saints. His excellency gets only my dead body
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: if he gets me at all. Here is a pretty mess.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: Sergeant Gonzalez exclaimed. I suppose there is nothing for us
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: to do except retire and leave the Senorita to her freedom. Ah. No, Signor,
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: she cried quickly. You are clever, but not clever enough
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: by far. You would retire and continue to have your
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: men surround the house. You would watch for an opportunity
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: and then seize me. Gonzales growled low in his throat,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: for that had been his intention, and the girl had
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: read it. I shall be the one to leave, she said,
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: Walk backward and stand against the wall. Signories, do it immediately,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: or I plunged this knife, into my bosom. They could
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: do nothing except obey. The soldiers looked to the sergeant
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: for instructions, and the sergeant was afraid to risk the
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Senorita's death, knowing it would call down upon his head
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: the wrath of the governor, who would say that he
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: had bungled. Perhaps, after all, it would be better to
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: let the girl leave the house. She might be captured afterward,
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: for surely a girl could not escape the troopers. She
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: watched them closely as she darted across the room to
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: the door. The knife was still held at her breast. Fray, felipe,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: you wish to go with me, she asked. You may
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: be punished if you remain. Yet I must remain, Senorita,
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: I could not run away. May the Saints protect you.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: She faced Gonzales and the soldiers once more. I am
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: going through this door, she said, You will remain in
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  Speaker 1: this room. There are troopers outside, of course, and they
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: will try to stop me. I shall tell them that
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  Speaker 1: I have your permisition to leave. If they call and
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: ask you, you are to say that it is so.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: And if I do not, then I use the knife signor.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: She opened the door, turned her head for an instant
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: and glanced out. I trust that your horse is an
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: excellent one signor for I intend to use it, she
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: told the sergeant. She darted suddenly through the door and
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: slammed it shut behind her. After her, Gonzales cried, I
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: looked into her eyes. She will not use the knife.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: She fears it. He hurled himself across the room, the
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: two soldiers with him. But fray Felipe had been passive
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: long enough. He went into action now. He did not
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: stop to consider the consequences. He threw out one leg
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: and tripped Sergeant Gonzales. The two troopers crashed into him,
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: and all went to the floor in a tangle. Fray
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: Felipe had gained some time for her, and it had
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: been enough for the Senorita had rushed to the horse
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: and had jumped into the saddle. She could ride like
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: a native. Her tiny feet did not reach half way
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: to the sergeant's stirrups, but she thought nothing of that.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: She wheeled the horse's head, kicked at his sides. As
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: a trooper rushed around the corner of the house. A
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: pistol ball whistled past her head. She bent lower over
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: the horse's neck and rode. Now a cursing Sergeant Gonzales
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: was on the verandah, shouting for his men to get
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  Speaker 1: to horse and follow her. The tricky moon was behind
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: a bank of clouds. Again, they could not tell the
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: direction the Senorita was taking except by listening for the
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: sounds of the horse's hoofs, and they had to stop
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  Speaker 1: to do that, and if they stopped, they lost time
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: and distance. End of chapter