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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: All against them, and he rushed into danger. The dawn
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: had come, the first pink streaks had appeared in the
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: eastern sky, and then the sun had risen quickly above
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: the heights to the east. And now the plaza was
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: bathed in brilliance. There was no mist, no high fog even,
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  Speaker 1: and objects on the hillsides far away stood out in relief.
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  Speaker 1: It was no morning in which to ride for life
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  Speaker 1: and freedom. Senior Czaro had delayed too long with the
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Governor and Comandante else had misjudged the hour. He swung
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  Speaker 1: into his saddle and urged his beast out of the patio,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: and then a full realization of his imminent peril came
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: to him. Down the trail from San Gabriel came Sergeant
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  Speaker 1: Pedro Gonzales and his troopers. Down the Pala road came
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  Speaker 1: another detachment of soldiers that had been trailing the Caballeros
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  Speaker 1: and Don Carlos and had given up in disgust. Over
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  Speaker 1: the hill toward the presidio came the third body of
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  Speaker 1: men who had been in chase of those who had
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: rescue the Dona Catalina. Senor Czaro found himself hemmed in
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: by his foes, the Curse of Capistrano. Deliberately stopped his
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  Speaker 1: horse and for a moment contemplated the outlook. He glanced
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  Speaker 1: at the three bodies of troopers estimated distance, and in
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  Speaker 1: that instant one with Sergeant Gonzalez's detachment saw him and
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  Speaker 1: raise the alarm. They knew that magnificent horse, that long
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  Speaker 1: purple cloak, that black mask, and wide sombrero. They saw
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  Speaker 1: before them the man they had been pursuing throughout the night,
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  Speaker 1: the man who had made fools of them and played
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  Speaker 1: with them about the hills and valleys. They feared the
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  Speaker 1: rage of his excellency and their superior officers, and in
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  Speaker 1: their hearts and minds was determination to capture or slay
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  Speaker 1: this Curse of Capistrano. Now, as this last chance was
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  Speaker 1: offered them, Signor Czaro put spurs to his horse and
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  Speaker 1: dashed across the plaza in full view of some score
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  Speaker 1: of citizens. Just as he did, the Governor and his
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: host rushed from the house, shrieking that Senor Zorrow was
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  Speaker 1: a murderer and should be taken. Natives scurried like so
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  Speaker 1: many rats for shelter. Men of rank stood still and
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: gaped in astonishment. Senior Tzarro, having crossed the plaza, drove
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  Speaker 1: his horse at highest speed, straight toward the highway. Sergeant
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: Gonzales and his troopers rushed to cut him off, and
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  Speaker 1: turning him back, shrieking at one another. Pistols in their hands,
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  Speaker 1: blades loosened in their scabbards. Reward and promotion and satisfaction
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  Speaker 1: were to be their lot if they made an end
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  Speaker 1: of the Highwaymen here and now, Senor Czarro was forced
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  Speaker 1: to swerve from his first course, for he saw that
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  Speaker 1: he could not win through. He had not taken his
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: pistol from his belt, but he had drawn his blade,
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  Speaker 1: and it dangled from his right wrist in such fashion
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  Speaker 1: that he could grip the hilt of it instantly and
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  Speaker 1: put it into play. He cut across the plaza again,
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  Speaker 1: almost running down several men of rank who were in
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  Speaker 1: the way. He passed within a few paces of the
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: infuriated governor and his host, darted between two houses and
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: rushed toward the hills. In that direction. It appeared that
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: he had some small chance of escaping the cordon of
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  Speaker 1: his foes. Now he scorned paths and trails and cut
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  Speaker 1: across the open ground from both sides. The troopers galloped
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  Speaker 1: to meet him, flying toward the angle of the wedge,
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  Speaker 1: hoping to reach it in time, and turning him back
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  Speaker 1: once more. Gonzales was shouting orders in his great voice,
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  Speaker 1: and he was sending a part of his men down
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  Speaker 1: into the pueblo so that they would be in proper
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  Speaker 1: position in case the highwaymen turned back again and could
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: keep him from escaping to the west. He reached the
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  Speaker 1: highway and started down it toward the south. It was
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  Speaker 1: not the direction he would have preferred, but he had
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  Speaker 1: no choice now. He dashed around a curve in the
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  Speaker 1: road where some natives huts cut off the view, and
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: suddenly he pulled up his horse, almost unseating himself, for
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  Speaker 1: here a new menace presented its elf straight at him.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Along the highway flew a horse and rider, and close
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  Speaker 1: behind came half a dozen troopers in pursuit. Senor Zorro
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  Speaker 1: whirled his horse. He could not turn to the right
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  Speaker 1: because of a stone fence. His horse could have jumped it,
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  Speaker 1: but on the other side was soft plowed ground, and
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  Speaker 1: he knew he could make no progress across it, and
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  Speaker 1: that the troopers might cut him down with a pistol
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  Speaker 1: bullet nor could he turn to the left, for there
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  Speaker 1: was a sheer precipice down which he could not hope
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  Speaker 1: to ride with safety. He had to turn back towards
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: Sergeant Gonzales and the men who rode with him, hoping
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  Speaker 1: to get a distance of a couple of hundred yards
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  Speaker 1: where he could make a descent before Gonzalez and his
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  Speaker 1: men arrived at the spot. He gripped his sword now
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  Speaker 1: and was prepared for fight, for he knew it was
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  Speaker 1: going to be close work. He glanced back over his
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  Speaker 1: shoulder and gashed his surprise, for it was Senorita Lolita
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  Speaker 1: Pulito who rode that horse and was pursued by the
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  Speaker 1: half dozen troopers, and he had thought her safe at
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  Speaker 1: the hacienda of Fray Felipe. Her long black hair was
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  Speaker 1: down and streaming out behind her. Her tiny heels were
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  Speaker 1: glued to the horse's flanks. She bent forward as she rode,
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  Speaker 1: holding the reins low down, and Senorzarro, even in that instant,
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  Speaker 1: marveled at her skill with the mount signor. He heard
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  Speaker 1: her shout, and then she had reached his side, and
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  Speaker 1: they rode together, dashing down upon Gonzales and his troopers.
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  Speaker 1: They have been chasing me for hours. She gasped, I
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  Speaker 1: escaped them at fray Philip's ride close. Do not waste breath,
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  Speaker 1: he screeched, my horse, it is almost done. Signor Senor
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  Speaker 1: Czarro glanced aside at the beast and saw that he
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  Speaker 1: was suffering from fatigue. But there was scant time to
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  Speaker 1: consider that. Now the soldiers behind had gained some those
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  Speaker 1: in front presented a lively menace that required deep consideration.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Down the trail, they flew side by side, straight at
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  Speaker 1: Gonzales and his men. Signor Zaro could see that pistols
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  Speaker 1: were out, and he doubted not that the Governor had
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  Speaker 1: given orders to get him dead or alive, but to
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  Speaker 1: see that he did not escape again. Now he spurred
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  Speaker 1: a few paces in advance of the Senorita and called
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  Speaker 1: upon her to ride his horse's tracks. He dropped the
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  Speaker 1: reins on his mount's neck and held his blade ready.
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  Speaker 1: He had two weapons, his blade and his horse. Then
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  Speaker 1: came the crash. Senor Zorro swerved his horse at the
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  Speaker 1: proper instant, and the Senorita followed him. He cut at
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  Speaker 1: the trooper on his left, swung over and cut at
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  Speaker 1: the one on his right. His horse crashed into that
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  Speaker 1: of a third trooper and hurled it against the animal.
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  Speaker 1: The sergeant rode he heard shrill cries about him. He
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  Speaker 1: knew that the men who had been pursuing Senorita Lolita
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  Speaker 1: had run into the others, and that there was a
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  Speaker 1: certain amount of confusion, that they could not use blades
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  Speaker 1: for fear of cutting down one another. And then he
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  Speaker 1: was through them, with the Senorita riding at his side. Again,
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  Speaker 1: once more, he was at the edge of the plaza.
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  Speaker 1: His horse was showing signs of weariness, and he had
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  Speaker 1: gained nothing. For the way to San Gabriel was not open.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: The way to Pallo was closed. He could not hope
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  Speaker 1: to escape by cutting across soft ground, and on the
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  Speaker 1: opposite side of the plaza were more troopers in saddle
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  Speaker 1: and waiting to cut him off, no matter in which
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  Speaker 1: direction he started. We are caught, he shouted. But we
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: are not done. Senorita, my horse is stumbling, she cried.
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  Speaker 1: Senor Tzarro saw that it was so. He knew that
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  Speaker 1: the beasts could not make another hundred yards to the tavern.
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  Speaker 1: He cried, They galloped straight across the plaza. At the
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  Speaker 1: door of the tavern, the Senorita's horse staggered and fell.
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  Speaker 1: Senor Czarro caught the girl in his arms in time
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  Speaker 1: to save her from a hard fall, and, still carrying her,
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  Speaker 1: darted through the tavern door. Out. He cried to the
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  Speaker 1: landlord and the native servant. Out he shrieked to half
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  Speaker 1: a dozen loiterers, exhibiting his pistol. They rushed through the
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  Speaker 1: door and into the plaza. The highwayman through the door,
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  Speaker 1: shut and bolted it. He saw that every window was
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  Speaker 1: closed except the one that fronted on the plaza, and
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  Speaker 1: that the board and skin coverings were in place. He
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  Speaker 1: stepped to the table and then whirled defaced the Senorita.
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  Speaker 1: It may be the end, he said, Signor. Surely the
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  Speaker 1: saints will be kind to us. We are beset by foes, Senorita.
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  Speaker 1: I care not so that I die fighting as a
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  Speaker 1: caballero should. But you, Senorita, they shall never put me
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  Speaker 1: in the foul carcel again, Signor, I swear it. Rather
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  Speaker 1: would I die with you. She took the sheep skinner's
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  Speaker 1: knife from her bosom, and he caught a glance of it.
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  Speaker 1: Not that, Senorita, he cried, I have given you my heart.
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  Speaker 1: Signor either we live together or we die together. End
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  Speaker 1: of chapter