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Updated: June 19, 2025
The country between this and San Miguel is peaceful enough, but we hear that El Zeres' band is out somewhere in that direction. He has something like two hundred cutthroats with him of his own, and there is a rumor that other bands have joined him. Now I want you to go on tomorrow to San Miguel.
They weren't left to wonder long, for in a moment there was a trampling of horses, and down came our fellows on both sides of them. Just before they got up we stepped forward with our rifles up. 'El Zeres! Rube shouted, and startled as the Mexican was, he looked round. He had just time to see who it was, when Rube's ball hit him in the head, and down he went as dead as a stone.
After it was over Rube and I mounted two of their horses, and rode on with the rest of them to San Miguel; but before we started off we told our story to the Cap, and he sent a couple of men back with a dispatch to the general, asking for five hundred men to destroy El Zeres' band at a blow. We stopped at Pepita's, and I never see a girl have a much worse scare than we gave her.
When we had done I said: 'Now, Rube, tell me what you have planned out, that is, if you're downright in arnest. 'In arnest! says he, almost angry; 'of course I'm in arnest. Do you think I'm going to be fool enough to stop here to be frizzled and sliced by that El Zeres to-morrow? 'No, it's just as I said: we must get our hands free; we must kill all these fellows, and be off.
The man with him was a tall, swarthy, ferocious-looking villain. "El Zeres looked at us for some time without a word. Then he said, 'I've got you at last; I've been on the lookout for you for a long time past. "'It hasn't been our fault we haven't met before, said Rube; which was true enough, for we had given him a close chase several times.
Some of them made a grab for their knives, but they had no time to use them. In a moment their eyes would seem to start from their heads; and then, as he threw 'em away, they fell in a dead lump." How long this went on I can't say some minutes, though when a Mexican snatched the lasso, which every Mexican carries, from the saddle of El Zeres' horse, and dropped the noose over Rube's neck.
He had vowed solemnly to his patron saint that if we fell into his hands he would put us to death with unheard-of tortures; and as El Zeres was rather celebrated that way and it was the anticipation of an unusual treat which decided the majority to reserve us it warn't altogether pleasant to listen to.
One of the other leaders was standing talking to him. 'Jehoshophat! said I, 'he is going out. We are safe for awhile. "El Zeres was a slight, wiry man, with a small wicked-looking eye, which gave one the 'squerms' to look at, and a thin mouth curved up in a cruel smile. He was the savagest and most bloodthirsty of all the Mexican partisans.
Round this the band of El Zeres was encamped. Rube and I guessed them at four hundred strong. There was an attempt at military order, for, by the bundles of wearing apparel, etc., it was evident that the men slept round a series of bivouac fires, extending in a circle round the foot of the mound. Within the line of fires the horses were picketed in two rows.
A quarter of an hour of this and we were through them, and far enough out on the plain to be able to get up on to our feet and break into a long stride. Ten more minutes and we broke into a run: there was no fear now of our steps being heard. 'Done them, by thunder! Rube said; 'won't El Zeres curse?
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