نامه

CHAPTER FOUR

The Letter

Captain Ramon hurried angrily up the hill to the fort.

‘Zorro never stays in one place long’ he thought. ‘So even if I send my men to Don Diego’s house, the outlaw won’t be there. I need another plan.’

Once in his office, he sat down and wrote to the governor.

Excellency,

We haven’t caught the outlaw Zorro yet. But we’ve Learned that same people are helping him.

Last night I found him hawing dinner at the country house of Don Carlos Pulido. I fought the criminal, but he escaped. Don Carlos didn’t help me, and his daughter, Senorita Lolita, laughed at me for trying to catch Zorro. I’m waiting her know what to do next.

Also I think that one of the richest families here is perhaps working against gene, Excellency. I can’t sag more in a letter which I’m sending by messenger. Your obedient servant,

Ramon, Captain of the fort in Reina de Los Angeles

He made a copy of the letter. Then he told one of his men to ride with it to the governor’s house in San Francisco de Asis. After this, he sat in his office, reading his copy and smiling.

‘Soon,’ he thought, ‘the governor will move against the Pulidos. Perhaps even the Vega family will be in trouble. Lolita won’t say “no” when I ask her to marry me again!’

He thought that the ‘Curse of Capistrano’ was far away by then, but he was wrong.

Just after he left Don Diego’s house. Zorro got on his horse - which was waiting obediently for him - and rode slowly to the fort. He heard a horse galloping away down the highway. ‘Perhaps Ramon’s ordering Gonzales to come back,’ he thought.

He knew that most of the soldiers were away in Pala. Quietly he left his horse by a tree, and walked around the fort to Ramon’s office window. Inside he saw the captain at his desk reading a letter, and he heard the man talking to himself.

‘Lolita will say “yes” to me when her father’s in prison.’ Ramon laughed loudly.

Quickly Zorro went to the fort door. He came up silently behind the soldier there and hit him on the head with the heavy handle of his gun. The man fell and lay still, and Zorro hurried inside to the captain’s office, gun in hand.

Ramon looked up when the outlaw came in.

‘Don’t move or call for help,’ said Zorro.

‘Why are you here’ asked the captain, his face white.

‘I heard you through the window. You were reading a letter aloud. Where is it?’

Ramon gave him the letter and Zorro looked at it quickly. Then the outlaw put it into the flame of one of the candles on the desk, and burnt it.

‘What a coward to work against Senorita Lolita in this way’ he said. ‘Don’t try to send another letter like that.’

Just then, they heard the sound of horses and Sergeant Gonzales’s voice at the fort door. ‘Wait here, men,’ cried Gonzales. ‘I’ll take the news from Pala to the captain. Then we’ll ride out again after Zorro - and catch him this time!’

‘Sergeant’ shouted Ramon suddenly. ‘Quickly! Zorro’s here - in my office!’

Gonzales ran into the room. ‘Hurry men! We have him’ he shouted. All the soldiers in the fort ran to the captain’s office.

Suddenly, with his sword, Zorro knocked the candles from the captain’s desk. In the dark, the outlaw caught the captain by the neck and held him. ‘I have Captain Ramon,’ said Zorro, ‘and my gun’s at his head. I’m going to walk out of the fort with him. If anyone tries to stop me, your captain will die.’

‘Don’t do anything stupid, men,’ cried Ramon.

So Zorro walked with the captain out of the fort. Then he pushed Ramon to the ground, jumped on his horse, and galloped away down the road to San Gabriel.

Gonzales and his men rode after the outlaw, but they could not find him. Then the sergeant saw the house of the priest, Fray Felipe, near the San Gabriel road.

‘Zorro always helps the church,’ he thought. ‘So perhaps Zorro’s hiding here.’

He knocked on the door. When the priest opened it, Gonzales and his men hurried inside to look for Zorro, but he found only his old friend Don Diego Vega, who was visiting.

‘My dear friend,’ said Don Diego, ‘I came here for some quiet. With all this talk of Zorro, I’m afraid. I’m going back to my house in town tomorrow.’

After drinking some of the priest’s wine with his friend, Sergeant Gonzales went on his way with his men.

When Lolita told her mother and father about Captain Ramon’s visit, and how he tried to kiss her. they were very angry. She also told them how Zorro heard her cry from the street and came to help - but she said nothing about kissing the outlaw.

The next day Don Diego arrived back from the country. Don Carlos and Dona Catalina told him about the captain’s visit.

‘So Captain Ramon tried to kiss you,’ Don Diego said.

‘Yes. I think that he was drinking before he visited me. He smelt of wine. He’s an animal! Go to the fort, fight him, and kill him,’ Lolita said.

‘Must I?’

‘If you’re a true man - and if you want to marry me - you’ll kill this man who’s offended me.’

‘I’ll go and find him,’ said Don Diego.

Don Carlos did not think that this was the best plan. But he said nothing, and so Don Diego left for the fort.