STORY OF CATTLEYA SKINNERI ALBA 6i 



Suddenly a ragged rascal sprang out from the bushes ahead 

 with levelled gun. Roezl glanced back. Two others barred 

 his retreat. 



Not unfamiliar with such incidents, he laughed and 

 offered his purse — never well filled. Good humour and wit 

 had carried him through several adventures of the kind with- 

 out grave annoyance ; once in Mexico, when he had not one 

 silver coin to ransom himself, a party of bandits kept him 

 twenty-four hours simply to enjoy his drolleries, and dis- 

 missed him with ten dollars — which was a godsend, said 

 Roezl. But these fellows only spoke Quiche, and they 

 were sullen dogs. 



The purse did not satisfy them by any means. They 

 made their prisoner dismount and enter the forest, marching 

 behind him. The camp was close by, and here Roezl found 

 his guide, hitched to a tree by the neck. The brigand 

 officer and some of the men talked Spanish, and they 

 appreciated Roezl's ' chaff,' treating him with boisterous 

 familiarity ; but they would not hear of letting him go until 

 the Captain's arrival. He sat upon the ground, exchanging 

 jokes with the ruffians, drinking their aguardiente and 

 smoking their best cigars, like a jovial comrade. 



Meantime the Indian members of the band were out of 

 the fun, and they attended to business. What they wanted 

 of the lad Roezl did not understand, but when he persisted 

 in refusing they beat him savagely. At length it went so 

 far that Roezl could not bear to hear the poor fellow's cries. 

 Putting the matter humorously, he begged the lieutenant to 

 interfere, and that worthy commanded the Indians to desist. 



After an hour or so the Captain appeared, and Roezl's 

 case was put before him ; at the same moment, however, the 

 scouts brought in a priest. He had resisted probably, for 

 they had bound and beaten him. Such treatment was novel, 

 doubtless. It had taken all spirit out of the holy man, who 



