Boy's Cinema (1935-39)

24 friends loose if ho comes here an.! sur- renders. That's a fair enoflfh trade, isn't it?" "You mean—you're demanding his life in return for theirs "Thai's about the hang of it, Miss Colton. How do you suppose he'll react to my suggestion? You regard him as a pretty brave man, don't you ?" A far-away expression came into the girl's lovely eyes "He's the bravest man I've ever known," she answered. "Well, if he's as brave as you think he is, I'm quite sure he'll take me up on this proposal," Burr observed smugly. " Bearding tha Lion " WHEN Don Loring reached Father Jose's chapel in San Antonio he found Whipsaw and Salvation already installed within the kindly old padre's quarters. Stripped to the waist, Salvation was lying on a divan, and while Father Jose looked on, Whipsaw was doctoring the big fellow's wound, which was obviously paining the injured man to a consider- able extent. Moving to the burly frontiersman's side, Don knelt down by the divan. "How do you feel, amigo?" he in- quired solicitously. Salvation raised himself with an effort. "Right now I ain't feelin' so good," he said. "But you wait till I'm on me feet again. I'll show them Cossacks that they can't make a dictator outa that rattler Jason Burr!" "You bctcha you will," declared Whipsaw. "But. say. Don. you really think the- Vigilantes will be able ter hold off the Roosians at the canyada, don't yuh?" " There's no reason why they shouldn't," was the reply. "They've got plenty of ammunition now, and, de- fended by a mere handful of determined men, that canyada could be made im- pregnable against a whole army." There was a pause, and then Father Jose spoke. "My son," he murmured, "I do not know whether you have heard the news, but it is said that many towns in the south have thrown off the yoke of Mexico and pronounced allegiance to Burr. The people down there do not realise, of course, that their lot under the general will be far unhappier than it was under (he Mexican Government." "No, and by the time they do realise it they won't be able to do nothin' about it," Whipsaw struck in, "because the Russian Tsar will have shown his hand an' flooded the country with troops. The point is, what's Uncle Sam gonna say about it in the meantime? I can't see the American Government standin' for a foreign power like Russia colonisin' a province that borders the U.S. frontier." Don Loring clenched his fist. "The U.S.Governmentnever will stand for it," he said, "particularly as they've had hopes of bargaining for the posses- sion of California themselves. And let me tell you this, Whipsaw: I may have Spanish blood in me. but I'd welcome U S. rule above any other in this pro- vince. I have certainly no feelings of loyally towards a Government so incom- petent as that of Mexico, anyhow." Salvation entered into the discussion. " Fremont and his regiment up in Oregon are the nearest, U.S. troops ter Californy," he mused. "If they got their marnhin' orders they'd be down at the Ortega Pass in a brace o' shakes." "Yes, the Ortega Pass," Don agreed. "The one route open to an invading force, And Salvalion, I'm convinced it will come lo thai I'm convinced the people of California must look to the United States if they want peace and August 2! it, i I BOY'S CINEMA prosperity in this territory. That's why we've got to prevent him from gaining a strangle-hold on the Sonoma Valley— the key to his ambitions—so that he will have no chance of concentrating his energies on defending the pass." It was at this point in the conversa- tion that a flutter of wings attracted his attention, and, turning his head, he saw a pigeon had settled on the ledge of a window near by. It was one of the pigeons which had belonged to Father Jose, and it had been smuggled to Doris Colton. and at sight of it Don started to his feet with an exclamation. He had soon laid hold of the bird, and. espying a folded scrap of paper attached to its leg. he quickly unfastened the missive and read it. Then he looked at his companions with an expression of awe on his handsome features. "What is it?" Whipsaw demanded. "A message from Miss Doris?" "No," Don rejoined. "From Burr. He must have found out how Doris was passing information to us." "From Burr!" Salvation ejaculated. "What's he say?" "He says." the young California!! answered slowly, "he says that the Vigi- lantes have been taken and are im- prisoned at his stronghold. He says that they will only be released if I give my- self up in their stead. Should I fail to do so within twenty-four hours, they will be executed to a man." Whipsaw gave vent to a cry. "The Vigilantes—taken?" he ejacu- lated "But it ain't possible. You said yourself the canyada was impregnable. It's a bluff, Don." "I'm afraid it's no bluff. Somehow the Vigilantes have been trapped, other- wise Burr would not have wasted his time sending me this note." "What are you gonna do, Don?" "Go to Jason Burr's fort. The lives of those ranchers depend on me." "But Burr will shoot yuh like a dog." Whipsaw protested. "Yeah, an' he'll massacre the Vigilantes whether you show up or not. You can't bank on a rattlesnake like him keepin' his word." Don Loring gritted his teeth. "Burr won't have the chance of shoot- ing me, or the Vigilantes either," he said. A moment later he was hastening to the chest where he kept the suit of clothes that he wore as the supposed organist of Father Jose's chapel, and in the space of a few minutes he had rigged himself out in those garments, pulling them on over the sombre attire which was associated with his role of the Eagle. "Don," Whipsaw appealed, "you're crazy if you think you can get away with that organ-player set-up. I know what you're gonna do. You're gonna pull the gag that let you into Burr's fort once before. But it won't work this time. Remember that hombre Pedro, the half-breed in the general's pay ? He's seen yuh without your mask, an' he'll recognise yuh." "I doubt it. I look a very different man in this guise, my friend. Anyhow, I'm going to take the chance of meeting Pedro face to face and being recogni.-ed by him." Whipsaw bit his lip. "All right," he grunted. "Have it yowr own way. But what am I gonna wear ?" " You're not coming with me," Don (old him "You're going to stay right here and look after Salvation." It was in vain that the liitle fronti man begged I lie California!! to let him travel lo Bun's stronghold as well. Don would not hear of it, and shortly after- Every Tuesday wards he left San Antonio alone, rifling a sturdy little mule which was owned by Father Jose. Noon found him in the vicinity of the tyrant general's fortified hacienda, and as he approached the main gateway of the stronghold several men showed up there. One of them was the gangster known as Harris, and it was he who challenged Don. "What do you want here?" he de- manded. Already Don had assumed the timorous manner that he affected as the organist of the San Antonio Mission— a manner which might well have dis- armed the suspicions of the most mis- trustful of men. "I—I have a message for your com- mander," he said to Harris. "I—I was asked to—to give it to him personally." Harris frowned, and then, taking Don's mule by the rein, he conducted the animal and its rider into the court- yard, where parties of Cossacks and ruffianly looking outlaws were lounging about in idleness. Amongst one of those groups Don noticed the figure of the half-breed Pedro, and in passing that particular knot of men he was careful to keep his face somewhat averted. Then his glance was attracted to a horse which was plunging restively at a hitch-rail near the main building of the stronghold. The horse was his own white gelding, and it had obviously become aware of its master's presence. But Don gave no indication that he was familiar with Che bronc, of course, though Harris escorted him straight across to it. A tall, powerfully built individual was Crying to pacify the gelding. He was Talbot, Burr's chief henchman, and Harris addressed himself to him. "This guy here wants ter see the general," he reported. Talbot slid his eyes on Don, and then give a slight start. "Say. 1 remember you," he growled. "You're the organ-player that was here a few days back. What do you want this time?" "I—have a m-message—for the—for the general," Don stammered. "It's —it's from the man who calls hhnsefi the Eagle." Talbot, seemed to become tense. "The Eagle, huh?" he jerked. "All right, get down off that mule a:i' fol- low me." Don was lowering himself awkwardly to the ground, and, indicating the porch of Burr's private residence, Tal- bot preceded him into the building. They passed into a sumptuously fur- nished hall, and Talbot led the way to the general's study. The door of the room was half open, and as they moved towards it Don caught a glimpse of Doris Colton emerging from the apart- ment. But, though she cast a look in his direction, the girl did nor connect him with the masked man whom she knew as the Eagle, and he gained only a momentary impression of her pale, anxious face before she turned to ascend a staircase leading to the upper floor of the house. She disappeared, and by that time Don and Talbot had reached the threshold of the study, which was occu- pied by Burr, Petroff and Count Raapinoff. A snatch of conversation reached Don's cars. "In my opinion," he heard Haspinoff say. "a shrewd man like the Eagle will in/ come here." "No?" Burr retorted. "Well, I'm counting on the fellow's peculiar code of honour. From my experience of him " But the general did not complete the