I don't know as ever I see a better
skrimmage while it lasted. After it was over Rube and I mounted two
of their horses, and rode on with the rest of them to San Miguel;
but before we started off we told our story to the Cap, and he sent
a couple of men back with a dispatch to the general, asking for
five hundred men to destroy El Zeres' band at a blow. We stopped at
Pepita's, and I never see a girl have a much worse scare than we
gave her. She made sure it was El Zeres, and came running out to
see if he had caught us; and when she found that she had fallen
into the hands of the Rangers, and that we were among them, she was
as white as a shirt in a minute. She was plucky enough, though; for
as soon as she could get her tongue she cursed us like a wild
woman. I expect she made sure we should have shot her for her
treachery--and a good many of our bands would have done so right on
end--but the Rangers never touched women. However, she warn't to go
scot free; so we got fire, and set the house and stable in a blaze.
As we rode off Rube shouted out, 'If you change your mind again
about coming with me to Missouri, you just drop me a line, Pepita.'
"I thought, as I looked at her, it was lucky for Rube she hadn't a
rifle in her hand; she'd have shot him if she had been hung for it
a minute afterward.
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