Excerpt: ...he realized that all this high praise was hearsay and that not a single man in Natera's army had ever laid eyes on Villa. "Well, when you get down to it, I guess it doesn't mean so much! No man's got much more guts than any other man, if you ask me. All you need to be a good fighter is pride, that's all. I'm not a professional soldier even though I'm dressed like hell, but let me tell you. I'm not forced to do this kind of bloody job, because I own ." "Because I own over twenty oxen, whether you believe it or ...
Read More
Excerpt: ...he realized that all this high praise was hearsay and that not a single man in Natera's army had ever laid eyes on Villa. "Well, when you get down to it, I guess it doesn't mean so much! No man's got much more guts than any other man, if you ask me. All you need to be a good fighter is pride, that's all. I'm not a professional soldier even though I'm dressed like hell, but let me tell you. I'm not forced to do this kind of bloody job, because I own ." "Because I own over twenty oxen, whether you believe it or not!" Quail said, mocking Anastasio. XXI The firing lessened, then slowly died out. Luis Cervantes, who had been hiding amid a heap of ruins at the fortification on the crest of the hill, made bold to show his face. How he had managed to hang on, he did not know. Nor did he know when Demetrio and his men had disappeared. Suddenly he had found himself alone; then, hurled back by an avalanche of infantry, he fell from his saddle; a host of men trampled over him until he rose from the ground and a man on horseback hoisted him up behind him. After a few moments, horse and riders fell. Left without rifle, revolver, or arms of any kind, Cervantes found himself lost in the midst of white smoke and whistling bullets. A hole amid a debris of crumbling stone offered a refuge of safety. "Hello, partner!" "Luis, how are you!" "The horse threw me. They fell upon me. Then they took my gun away. You see, they thought I was dead. There was nothing I could do!" Luis Cervantes explained apologetically. Then: "Nobody threw me down," Solis said. "I'm here because I like to play safe." The irony in Solis' voice brought a blush to Cervantes' cheek. "By God, that chief of yours is a man!" Solis said. "What daring, what assurance! He left me gasping--and a hell of a lot of other men with more experience than me, too!" Luis Cervantes vouchsafed no answer. "What! Weren't you there? Oh, I see! You found a nice place for yourself at the right time. Come here, Luis, I'll...
Read Less
