Adventure, August 30, 1923

  L TIGRE! Madre de Dios! “ A

  beard belies his character. “Are we weaklings?

  man must indeed have the soul of

  One man—bah! Tiger, indeed! The devil may

  “E a devil to draw such an own his soul, but his body is mortal—and exclamation at the mere mention of his name.

  mortal man dies.”

  “The Tiger! Mother of God! “

  Mendez gulped his warm beer and

  We of Santa Ynez, a little handful of waited for someone to challenge his statement.

  folks living in a little mission village, near the It was very warm in the little, one-Mexican border, knew him only by reputation.

  story adobe cantina; too warm for heated But that was enough.

  argument, even over the Tiger.

  Riders dropped in at the little cantina

  “Mendez speaks true,” nodded

  and over their cups of tequila or warm beer Pasquale, who is not a Mexican, but Italian.

  would tell us of some new deviltry done by

  “Mortal man dies—when he is killed. That is Jeff Tigard, the killer. And Felipe’s hands the point, compadres. This Tiger will most trembled as he drew the beer, while we surely die—when he is killed. More beer, laughed at him for being such a coward.

  Felipe.”

  What would the Tiger do in Santa

  “But why should the Tiger come to

  Ynez, we asked each other. There is nothing Santa Ynez?” asked Felipe nervously,

  for him here.

  clattering the mug-bottoms on the rough table-

  “Who

  knows,

  señores? ” trembled top.

  Felipe. “Always the tales come closer to Santa

  “Dios! ” swore Mendez angrily. “One Ynez. Some day he will come.”

  might think he had sent you a message, Felipe.

  “Perhaps to cut off your ears,” laughed You are like a timid hen which hears the rustle Ramon, who is very brave. “I hear that the of a hawk’s wings in every stirring breeze.”

  Tiger strings them on a gold thread and wears Ramon laughed softly and drained his

  them for a girdle.”

  mug.

  “Diable!” swore Mendez, whose fierce

  “Why should we have fear of that

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  2

  man? It is true that he has the soul of a devil.

  Gone were the laughing voices of the

  Men have told us that he is without a children, which had filled the street. Even the conscience and that he kills men for sport. It dogs were in hiding. It was as if a great must be so.

  calamity had fallen, although there was

  “But we of Santa Ynez need not fear

  nothing—except fear and caution.

  this man. We live at peace with everyone. Our And then, from the westward, high

  vineyards are loaded, the hills are dotted with over the tops of the mountains, which look our cattle and horses and there is nothing but down upon the Pacific, came the cloud; like good in our hearts. There remains only the fact the belching of a mighty furnace. Swiftly it that Felipe serves his beer too warm. “

  blotted out the sun, and a semidarkness settled Ramon laughed joyously and slapped

  upon the valley. But there was none of the Mendez on the back.

  coolness of the night.

  “Is it not so, compadre? We do not At the door of the cantina we watched fear the Tiger, eh?”

  it come—that cloud. There were Ramon,

  “Fear?” Mendez rumbled deep in his

  Mendez, Pasquale, Pancho, a herder, Felipe beard. “I fear no man. I am Mendez.”

  and myself. None of us had wives to go home

  “And thou art full of warm beer,” to.

  stated Pasquale, laughing loudly.

  We had been intently watching this

  Mendez joined the laugh, even at his

  cloud, but now the whole sky seemed

  own expense, for Mendez was full of beer, overcast, dropping lower and lower, as if to which always makes him boastful, but not crush out the world.

  angry.

  A dog started across the street toward us, but stopped, sniffing at the air. A gust of IT WAS very hot in Santa Ynez, as I have said wind stirred the dust at its feet, and, with a before, but that day it was oppressive. The whimper, as if of pain, it turned back, leaning very sky seemed to press down upon the earth.

  sideways in its walk, as if bracing against the Even the cattle seemed to stand in silent wind which had not yet come.

  wonder and did not eat.

  “Let us have beer,” said Mendez

  The piñon pines on the high hills were softly. “Madre de Dios! That dog bracing as black blots against the sky-line, and the against a ghost wind makes me weak of the cañons seemed to send out faint whisperings spine.”

  to the hills and valleys. Perhaps the cañons

  “Thou art Mendez,” said Pasquale, as

  knew and were telling that a storm was if to remind Mendez of his former boasting.

  coming.

  “But I am not that Mendez. Just now I But no whispering was needed to tell

  am sober, and I have no stomach to be sober at us that the Storm God was preparing for a ride a time like this.”

  through the valley of the Santa Ynez. Long We went into the cantina. I think we

  lines of cattle were winding their way off the were all in need of artificial courage. Felipe hills, like great jointed serpents, seeking the lighted the candles which guttered in the shelter of the lowlands.

  draught and cast grotesque shadows on the The little street of the village was wall; shadows which danced drunkenly at our deserted. Not a horse was tied at the hitch-every move.

  racks. The bright colors of the adobe houses Felipe

  swore

  softly at his drawing.

  had faded in that queer light, and were now

  “Even the beer is wild tonight. I can not keep only a gray.

  it in the mugs.”

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  3

  “That was ever my greatest trouble,”

  laughed Mendez. “They are forever becoming I TURNED. Just between me and the door empty. Hurry, Felipe, or I shall drink from the stood a man, whose eyes glittered like beads spigot.”

  under the brim of his rain-drenched sombrero.

  The wind was wailing now, and from a

  The evils of purgatory showed in every line of distance came the jarring of thunder, like roll his face; the hawk-like nose, scarred chin and of a mighty drum. It was not good to hear.

  thin-lipped, grinning mouth.

  Then the candles paled in the flash of the Two heavy revolvers rested in holsters lightning.

  at his hips, and the cartridges in his crossed Mendez drained his mug and thrust it

  belts gleamed like points of light. He wore back at Felipe.

  black leather chaparajos, with wide, flaring

  “More!” he panted. “Madre de Dios, sides, which flopped like the wings of a great what a night—for a sober man!”

  buzzard.

  He but echoed our sentiments. A drift

  “Ha, ha, ha, ha!”

  of rain pattered upon the cantina. Then, like He laughed at us mockingly, while the the roar of a stampeded herd, the storm was water spewed off his clothes and ran in dirty upon us. We sat in awe, as the cantina seemed puddles along the dirt floor.

  to fairly writhe in the grasp of that mighty

  “Welcome,

  señor,” said Pasquale in a

  wind and the thunder beat a devil’s tattoo on weak voice.

  our very roof.

  “What need have I of welcome?”

  Flash after flash, so close together that The man’s voice was like the hoarse

  they seemed one great light, the lightning croak of an angry buzzard. He took a step seemed to hiss through that whirling, howling forward and dropped his claw-like hands to tempest. And the swirling candle flame his holsters.

  danced the shadows on the wall, whenever the

  “Afraid to talk? “ he sneered. “Know

  lightning ceased for a moment. Felipe was who I am?”

  praying on his knees, with his forehead He leered around at us and hunched his against a beer cask. I think I laughed, but it shoulders, as if about to attack.

  was not with mirth. I could see Mendez, his

  “I am the Tiger.”

  eyes shut tight and lips moving. Perhaps I No need to tell us that. We knew it.

  might have prayed, but I knew no prayer at His looks did not belie his reputation. For he that time. My thoughts were jumbled.

  was every inch a killer.

  The door crashed open, letting in a

  Perhaps he could see the fear in our

  mighty swirl of wind and rain, which eyes and it served to fan his devilish egotism.

  extinguished the candles.

  He leered at Felipe, who crossed himself, and I sprang across the room and forced

  the action caused the Tiger much merriment.

  the door shut.

  “What do you want here?” queried

  I thought there was some one near the Ramon huskily.

  door, but could not see. Ramon was lighting

  “Want? H

a, ha, ha, ha!”

  the candles, bringing the room back to a half-He threw back his head and laughed,

  light again. The wind roared against the door, but his beady eyes watched closely.

  rattling the bar, as if angry at being cheated.

  “What does the Tiger always want?”

  I was looking at Mendez and he was

  He shoved out a claw-like hand, opening and no longer praying. His eyes were wide open closing it. “Gold! Give me your gold—all of now and he was staring toward the door.

  it!”

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  4

  “I have little gold, senor,” whined while I hunched in my chair, afraid to move, I Felipe. “We are poor people in Santa Ynez.”

  think.

  The storm still raged, but we gave it no Suddenly the Tiger whipped off his

  heed now.

  dripping sombrero and sent it spinning on to

  “Liars!” snarled the Tiger. “I teach the table. A whisp of the water struck me in men to tell the truth. Give me the gold, fool!”

  the eyes, but I did not blink.

  Felipe got slowly to his feet and

  “Put your gold in the hat,” said the

  moved back of his small counter, where he Tiger. “I have stayed too long.”

  kept his money.

  “But

  señor—” Ramon started to

  “Stop!” commanded the Tiger. “Do protest.

  you think I am a fool?”

  “Gold—not lies!” rasped the Tiger.

  Felipe stopped, and the Tiger went

  I moved my feet to enable me to get

  slowly over to him, keeping an eye on us all into my pocket, and they came in contact with the while. He shoved Felipe aside and picked something. It was Pancho under the table. I up the money box. It was nearly empty and had forgotten him. For a moment I thought the Tiger threw it aside with a curse.

  perhaps he was intending to shoot the Tiger.

  “Were you expecting me?”

  Pancho was armed, because I could see the He shoved his evil face close to Felipe, butt of his pistol, but his attitude was one of as he spoke, and Felipe recoiled in terror.

  cramped prayer.

  “But I told you that we are poor men, I tossed my slender wallet into the hat senor,” protested Felipe.

  and prayed that the Tiger might not see how

  “Bah!”

  meager it was. Behind me the door creaked, as The Tiger drew a gun and struck if from the wind, but when I looked up at the Felipe a slashing blow on the head. Felipe Tiger I knew that it was not wind.

  crumpled at his feet. It was a dastardly thing He was standing in the same position, to do, and I sprang to my feet, but the gun leveled at us, but the sneer seemed frozen unwavering muzzle of the gun pointed straight on his face and his eyes were dilated. I looked at my middle and I sat down again.

  back.

  Felipe tried to get to his feet, but the At the closed door stood a man,

  Tiger kicked him viciously.

  empty-handed. He was dressed in the loose

  “Fool! I said I wanted gold—not a few shirt, baggy pants, worn shoes of a peon. He mangy silver coins.”

  wore no hat and his wet, colorless hair hung

  “He has no gold,” said Ramon softly.

  bedraggled about his face.

  “He does not lie, senor.”

  He was rather scrawny looking, thin of

  “Did I speak to you?” asked the Tiger face, and his eyes were gray and very level. I angrily. “When I ask for your gold you may glanced back at the Tiger. He had dropped the lie—if you dare.”

  gun and stepped back against Felipe’s counter.

  It was a strange sight there in the little I think his eyes were closed, but it was hard to cantina. Poor Felipe sprawled at the feet of the tell in that weak light.

  Tiger, his hands outspread on the floor, while

  “Welcome,

  señor” said Mendez

  the Tiger leaned forward facing us, a snarl huskily.

  writhing his thin lips.

  “Gracias, señor.”

  Ramon was backed against the table,

  The man spoke softly, and there was a and almost into Mendez’s chair. Pasquale was half-smile on his lips, as he crossed to the sprawled forward, his arms on the table-top, Tiger, who threw up one arm, as if to ward off

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  5

  a blow. It was as if he were hypnotized. We

  “I was a guest at this man’s house. It was watched in amazement.

  miles from here. Not so far, perhaps, if one He looked down at Felipe and turned

  went as the crow flies, but there have been his head toward us, as he said, in Spanish, many twistings which made it long.

  “Move him to an easier position and

  “This man had a wife, and but one bed.

  wash away the blood.”

  To me they gave the bed, because I was their Mendez and I picked him up and guest. But I am not the kind of a man who placed him near the table, but we were too deprives a woman; so I gave her the bed.

  interested to take time in doctoring poor

  “This man did not know. I had much

  Felipe. The Tiger had not moved. Now the gold which he wanted. He thought that I was stranger unbuckled the Tiger’s belts and let in that bed. That is the tale, señores. It was not them fall to the floor.

  nice.”

  “Undress,” ordered the stranger.

  He turned and motioned to the Tiger.

  The Tiger slowly removed every The rain still whipped in from the west, but he garment. He seemed like a man asleep. Not drove the Tiger out into it, while we crowded once did he speak nor make a sign, and he into the doorway. Swiftly the stranger stood there, stripped to the skin, while the uncoiled a rope and dropped a loop around the stranger dressed in the cowboy garb, tossing neck of the Tiger, and mounted his horse.

  the peon garments aside.

  “Señor,” called Ramon, “we shall

  The stranger dumped the wallets out of wonder much over this, and not know whom the sombrero and put it on his head.

  we shall mention in our prayers. Who art

  “It was a terrific storm, senores,” said thou?”

  the stranger softly. “It fairly blew my horse And from out of the darkness, in the

  from under me, and at times I despaired of direction of the vanishing rider, came the finishing my quest.”

  words—

  “Señor, we do not understand,” said

  “Jefferson

  Tigard,

  señores; and thank

  Ramon, pointing at the stripped Tiger.

  you. Buenas noches. ”

  “It is a short tale,” smiled the stranger.

 

 

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