At the Hacienda of Don Alejandro

When Don Diego arrived at his father's hacienda, Don Aiejandro was in his dining room. He was finishing his evening meal.

"Ah, Diego!" he said. "It's good to see you, my son. Sit down and have some wine. Tell me, what's the news from Los Angeles?"

"The news is terrible!" replied Don Diego. "There has been violence in the town. Fray Felipe was whipped today. And that man, Zorro, has been in Los Angeles. Nobody can catch him."

"Yes, I've heard many things about Zorro," said Don Aiejandro.

"There's something else," began Don Diego. "1 went to the Pulido hacienda. I asked Señorita Lolita Pulido to marry me. Her father agreed. But the señorita doesn't want to marry me."

"What?!" shouted Don Aiejandro. "She doesn't want to marry a young man from the great Vega family?"

"That's right," said Don Diego. "The problem is this— she wants me to say sweet words to her. She wants me to play a guitar under her window. But these things are very boring for me, Father. I can't do them."

"Listen to me, my son," said Don Aiejandro. "Señorita Lolita is the best young woman in the country. You can't buy her like a horse! You're my only son. You're nearly twenty-five. You must have awife and you must have children. Then our family name will not die. Go back to the señorita and win her love. If you don't, you won't get my money when I die. I'll leave all my money to the Franciscan brothers."

"But, Father—" Don Diego began.

Suddenly, the two men heard the sound of horses outside the house. A few minutes later, ten young caballeros came into the room. They were carrying swords and pistols.

"What do you want?" asked Don Alejandro in surprise.

"We're chasing Señor Zorro," replied one of the caballeros. "Did you see him on the road, Don Diego?"

"No," replied Don Diego. "But please sit down and drink some wine."

Don Alejandro's servants brought wine and cake. The caballeros took off their swords and they sat down. They began to eat and drink. Soon they forgot about Zorro. Don Alejandro told his servants to put the swords in a comer of the room.

Don Diego talked with the caballeros for a long time. At last, he stood up.

"Please excuse me, everybody," he said. "I've ridden a long way today and I'm very tired. Good night."

He left the dining room. Don Alejandro sat with the caballeros. They continued to eat and drink. Soon, they were all very drunk. They began singing.

"Where is Zorro?" one of them shouted. "Why isn't he here?"

A strong voice from the doorway answered them. "Señores, he is here!"

The caballeros stopped laughing and talking. Zorro walked slowly into the room. He was wearing his long cloak and his black mask, and he had a pistol in his hand. The swords of the caballeros were in the corner of the room. They could not reach them.

"Listen to me, caballeros!" said Zorro. "What kind of men are you? You sit here, drinking wine and singing. But look around you! Terrible things are happening every day in this country. The governor and his friends are only interested in money. They take money from poor people!" "You are men from the best families in the country," he went on. "Together you are very strong. Work together against the governor and stop these bad things! Do some­thing useful with your lives!"

Zorro talked for a long time and the caballeros listened to him. He was right, they knew that. The governor and his friends did many bad things. So the caballeros decided to work with Zorro and to fight against the governor. "Excellent!" said Zorro. Then Don Alejandro spoke.

"I agree with you, señor," he said. "I will help you too." When the caballeros heard this, they were very happy. "Good," said Zorro. "Now listen! This meeting must be a secret. Tomorrow morning, you must all go back to Los Angeles. I'll send for you when I need you. So be ready at all times! Now, good night. Don't try to follow me."

Zorro left the room. The caballeros were very excited. They began to talk about their plans for the future.

A few minutes later, Don Diego came back into the dining room.

"What is all this noise?" he said in a tired voice. "I can't sleep."

"Listen, my son," said Don Alejandro. "Señor Zorro was here. He talked to the caballeros. They are going to fight together against the governor. Now you can be a brave caballero too. You must join these men. Ride to the town with them tomorrow!"

"But Father, I don't like—" began Don Diego.

"Don't argue with me," said Don Alejandro angrily. "Do what I tell you!"

The Pulidos Are Arrested

The Governor of California was in San Francisco. When he received Captain Ramon's letter about the Pulido family, he was very angry.

"The Pulido family is helping that thief, Zorro," he said. "They are enemies of this country, and they are my enemies too. I will go immediately to Los Angeles and I will punish them."

The governor traveled to Los Angeles and he went to the presidio. He wanted to talk to Captain Ramon.

"Have you caught Señor Zorro yet?" he asked the captain.

"No, Your Excellency." replied Captain Ramon. "But I've sent my best soldiers to find him."

"And Don Carlos Pulido is helping Zorro?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. I found Zorro at Don Carlos's hacienda. And when the Pulidos stayed in Don Diego's house in the town, Zorro followed them. The whole family is helping him—Señorita Lolita too. They hide him and give him food."

The governor thought for a minute. Then he spoke.

"The soldiers must arrest Don Carlos and his family," he said. "I'll send the Pulidos to jail."

Don Carlos was sitting quietly on the veranda of his hacienda. Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses. A large group of soldiers was galloping towards the house. A sergeant was leading them.

"Are you Don Carlos Pulido?" asked the sergeant.

"Yes," replied Don Carlos.

"I have orders from his Excellency, the Governor of California. I am going to arrest you."

"But what have I done wrong?" asked Don Carlos in surprise.

"You are helping the enemies of this country."

"That's not true!" said Don Carlos. "I've never helped the enemies of this country."

"You must tell that to a judge," said the sergeant. "But now I must arrest you and take you to jail."

"To jail!" said Don Carlos. "Please let me tell my wife and daughter where I'm going. They'll be worried about me."

"I'm going to arrest them and take them to jail too," said the sergeant. "Those are my orders!"

Don Carlos's face became pale. He did not care about going to jail himself. But he did not want Doña Catalina and Lolita to go there. The jail was a horrible place. It was very dirty and it was full of thieves and murderers.

He went into the house and the sergeant followed. He told his wife and daughter the bad news. Doña Catalina looked at the sergeant. Then she spoke proudly.

"The governor has taken away our money and our land," she said. "But he can never take away our good name."

Servants brought a small carriage to the front door, and the Pulidos got into it. The carriage began its journey to Los Angeles. As they got near the town, the Pulidos saw a large crowd of people. The governor had paid these people. He had told them to stand by the road. He had told them to laugh and throw dirt at the Pulidos.

But the Pulidos looked proudly in front of them and they did not speak.

At last, the carriage stopped in front of the jail. The sergeant knocked on the heavy door and an ugly jailer came out.

"Who are these people?" he asked, smiling horribly.

"Enemies of the country," replied the sergeant. He pushed the Pulidos inside the jail. The door closed behind them.

The jailer took the Pulidos to a small dark room. He left them there and he locked the door behind him.

The room was very small and dirty. The smell was terrible. The Pulidos sat down in a corner. Tears ran down the faces of Don Carlos and Doña Catalina.

But Lolita did not cry. She was thinking about Zorro. For a moment, she felt happy. She held her father's arm.

"Don't be sad, dear Father," she said. "We'll get out of here. Perhaps a friend will rescue us!

At the Jail

Later that day, Don Diego Vega was riding towards the presidio. He was going to talk to the governor. He was not hurrying. Sometimes, he stopped and looked at the beau­tiful flowers by the side of the road. When he arrived at the presidio, he found the governor in Captain Ramon's office.

"Welcome to Los Angeles, Your Excellency," said Don Diego.

"Thank you," said the governor. "Some very had things are happening here. Today I had to send the Pulido family to jail."

"To jail?!" said Don Diego. "Why? Did they do some­thing terrible?"

"They helped the thief, Zorro," replied the governor.

"They are enemies of this country and I am going to punish them."

"Oh," said Don Diego. "But I've asked Señorita Lolita to marry me."

"You must think again about that," said the governor. "Don't marry her, señor! And don't talk to anyone from the Pulido family!"

"I will think about your words," said Don Diego. "Thank you, Your Excellency."

Don Diego left the presidio and he went home.

"I'm not feeling well," he told his servant. And soon, he went to bed.

All that day, the ten young caballeros were waiting to hear from Zorro.

"Señor Zorro will send us a message soon," they thought. "The Pulidos are in jail. We must rescue the family!"

And that evening, when it was dark, Zorro did send a message to the caballeros. He asked them to meet him. All the caballeros came to the meeting and they brought their friends too. There were now twenty-six young men ready to fight with Zorro. But Don Diego was not at the meeting.

"I went to his house," said one caballero, "but Don Diego's servant came to the door. Don Diego is in bed. He is ill."

Zorro told the caballeros about his plan to save the Pulidos. Then all the young men put black masks over their faces. They rode quickly to the town.

The caballeros sat on their horses outside the jail. Zorro and four others rode up to the jail door and got off their horses. There were no lights burning inside the building and everything was quiet. Zorro knocked loudly on the door with the handle of his pistol. At last, the ugly jailer came to the door. "What do you want?" he asked. Then he saw Zorro's pistol. It was pointing at him. The jailer was very afraid!

"Open this door wide," said Zorro. "If you don't, I'll shoot you!"

The jailer opened the door of the jail wide, and the five men went inside. Zorro took the jailer's keys. He tied the man's feet and hands with strong rope. Then he found the door of the room where the Pulidos were prisoners. He unlocked it quickly.

One of the caballeros held up a candle. By its light, Zorro saw Lolita and her parents. When he saw the dirty room, he felt very sad and angry.

Lolita looked up and she saw Zorro. She shouted happily and ran towards him. "You are free!" said Zorro.

Don Carlos was very surprised. But before he could say anything, the caballeros took him out of the room. Lolita and Doña Catalina followed them. When they were all safely outside, Zorro spoke to the other men.

"Take Don Carlos and his wife to the hacienda of Don Alejandro Vega. The governor's soldiers will not look for them there. I'll take care of Señorita Lolita."

Suddenly he saw Sergeant Gonzales and his soldiers riding towards the jail. Gonzales had returned to Los Angeles that afternoon. He had been drinking wine at the inn when he heard the noise from the jail. Now he was here with his soldiers, ready for a fight.

Gonzales's men had pistols. They saw Zorro and the caballeros, and they began to shoot. Quickly, the caballeros rode away with Don Carlos and Dona Catalina.

Zorro pulled Lolita up onto his horse and followed them.

Sergeant Gonzales saw Lolita with Zorro. He told his soldiers to chase them.

Zorro was riding very fast. He wanted to take Lolita to a safe place. But where could he go? He made a decision. He rode to the farm of Fray Felipe. He got down off his horse and knocked loudly on the door. After a minute, Fray Felipe opened it.

"I need your help, Brother," said Zorro. "This young lady is the daughter of Don Carlos Pulido. Please, will you hide her in your house? The governor's soldiers are follow­ing us. If they capture her, they'll take her to the jail." "Of course I'll help you, Señor Zorro," said Fray Felipe. Lolita got off the horse and Zorro kissed her gently on the lips. The he jumped onto the horse and rode away. Fray Felipe took Lolita into his house and he closed the door.

Sergeant Gonzales had seen Zorro riding up to the brothers' farm. There had been two people on Zorro's horse—Zorro and the young woman. But when Gonzales saw Zorro riding away, the masked man was alone on the horse.

"So, Zorro has left Lolita Pulido with Fray Felipe," thought Gonzales.

The sergeant rode up to the house and he knocked on the door loudly with the handle of his sword. After a minute, Fray Felipe opened the door.

"Why are you making all this noise?" the old brother asked. "What do you want? We're trying to sleep."

"You are hiding the Pulido girl here!" said Gonzales rudely. He called his soldiers. "Search the house!" he told them.

The soldiers jumped down from their horses and rushed into the house. They began to search all the rooms. Gonzales pushed Fray Felipe out of his way and he went into the living room. In the corner of the room there was a pile of animal hides. Gonzales saw something moving behind the pile. He began to walk towards it.

But before he could reach it, a young woman stood up. It was Lolita. She was holding a long sharp knife in her hand. Gonzales stopped and he stared at her in surprise. What was she going to do?

"If you come closer, I'll kill myself!" Lolita said. "That is the truth! I'm not afraid to die!"

Gonzales did not move. He did not want Lolita to kill herself. "If that happens, the governor will be very angry," he thought.

Lolita moved quickly towards the door and she ran out of the house. The soldiers' horses were outside. Lolita was an excellent rider. She jumped onto one of the horses and rode quickly away from the farm.

A moment later, Gonzales ran out of the house, shout­ing for his men. They got onto their horses and they began to chase Lolita. But the moon was hidden by the clouds. They could not see Lolita in the darkness.

The Mark of Zorro

After Zorro left Lolita at Fray Felipe's farm, he rode back to the town. He wanted to surprise somebody!

He rode to the presidio. Then he got off his horse and walked quietly to the window of Captain Ramon's office. He could see the captain inside the room. Ramon was alone. All of his soldiers were chasing the caballeros.

Zorro went inside the building and he pushed open the door to the office. The captain looked up and he saw the masked man. Zorro was pointing a pistol at him.

"Don't move! Don't make a sound!" said Zorro. "Where's the governor?"

"He's at the house of a friend—Don Juan Estado," Ramon replied.

"That's good!" said Zorro. "Come with me, Captain. We're going to visit the governor."

Zorro tied Captain Ramon's hands with rope. He pushed him out of the building.

"Get up onto my horse," said Zorro. ''But don't try to trick me. If you do, I'll shoot you!"

The captain could feel Zorro's pistol against his back. He got up onto the horse and Zorro got up behind him. They rode to Don Juan's house.

Zorro knew the house well. He entered through a servant's room, pushing Captain Ramon in front of him. It was very late, but lamplight was coming from under one of the doors. Zorro opened this door. Inside the room, the governor was talking to Don Juan. The two men looked up and they stared at Zorro and Captain Ramon in astonishment.

"Señor Zorro!" said the governor. "What are you doing here?"

"You did a very bad thing today, Your Excellency," said Zorro. "You sent the Pulido family to jail. But they haven't done anything wrong."

"They're enemies of this country," said the governor. "They help thieves and murderers. They help people like you."

"Who told you these things?" Zorro replied.

"Captain Ramon told me."

"Then Captain Ramon has told you lies," said Zorro. "The Pulidos have never helped me. When I went to their hacienda, Don Carlos sent a servant for the soldiers. But when the Pulidos were staying in Don Diego's house, Captain Ramon went there and found Señorita Lolita alone. He insulted that lovely young woman and he tried to attack her. I was passing the house and heard her scream. So I helped her. That's the truth."

"Well, Ramon," said the governor. "What do you say?"

"Tell the truth, Captain," said Zorro, pointing his pistol at Ramon's face.

"Yes," said Captain Ramon quietly, after amoment. "Zorro is speaking the truth."

The governor was angry. "You are no longer an officer in my army!" he shouted.

"Then untie my hands!" Ramon said angrily. "Let me fight this thief!"

"For those words, you will die!" replied Zorro. He held the pistol in his left hand and pulled his sword from its scabbard. He cut the rope from the captain's hands. Ramon pulled his own sword from its scabbard and he rushed at Zorro. The governor and Don Juan watched from a corner of the room. Zorro was pointing his pistol at them. They could not help the captain.

"Kill him, Ramon!" shouted the governor. "If you do, I'll make you an officer again!"

Zorro and Captain Ramon fought fiercely. Each man wanted to kill the other. Suddenly, Zorro moved his sword quickly three times. He had cut a letter Z on Ramon's face—a red and bloody letter Z.

"The Mark of Zorro!" said the masked man. "You'll wear it forever, Captain! You'll wear it in your grave!"

Then he pushed his sword through Captain Ramon's body. The captain fell to the floor. He was dead.

"My work here is finished," said Zorro. "Goodbye, Your Excellency!" Then he ran out of the building and jumped onto his horse.

Zorro rode towards the town. But he rode into danger. Night was almost gone. The sun was beginning to rise in the sky. There were many soldiers on the road. They were returning to the presidio. They could see Zorro clearly in the morning light.

Sergeant Gonzales was leading his soldiers. The big man gave a great shout.

"Zorro! There he is! Capture him, men!"

The soldiers rushed at Zorro from three sides. He turned his horse quickly, but then he had to stop. Another rider was coming towards him very fast. Zorro stared in astonishment. The rider was Lolita! Six or seven soldiers were chasing her.

"Señor!" she shouted. "Help me! I can't ride much further. My horse is very tired."

Zorro turned his horse again. He and Lolita rode towards Los Angeles. The soldiers chased them. Zorro and Lolita galloped into the town and crossed the town square.

Suddenly Lolita's horse fell. Zorro caught her in his arms.

"Quickly!" said Zorro. "We must go to the inn!"

He jumped from his horse and he pulled Lolita with him. They ran to the inn and Zorro pushed the door open. The fat landlord was very frightened. He ran out onto the square. Zorro shut the door and all the windows.

"There are enemies all around us," he said to Lolita. "Perhaps this is the end for us."

"I've given you my love," replied Lolita. "I won't leave you now. We will live together—or we will die together!"

13 "Take Off Your Mask, Señor!"

Zorro looked out of a window. The square was full of soldiers. He saw Don Juan Estado, Don Alejandro Vega and the governor too.

"Señor," said Lolita. "Please make me a promise. If we are going to die, please take off your mask. Please show me who you are."

"Yes, my love," replied Zorro. "If we can't escape, I will show you my face. I make you that promise!"

They heard a loud noise from outside. The soldiers were starting to attack the door of the inn. Zorro pointed his pistol at the door and fired the gun. Immediately, the soldiers started to shoot at the door from the other side. But the door was strong and it did not break.

Then, everything was quiet for a moment. Zorro and Lolita heard the voice of Sergeant Gonzales.

"Open the door, Señor Zorro!" he shouted. "If you open it now, we won't kill you!"

"I don't believe you, Sergeant!" shouted Zorro. He laughed.

The soldiers began to attack the door again. This time, the door began to break.

Zorro and Lolita stood in the middle of the room. Zorro held his sword in his hand, ready to fight.

"It's nearly the end, my love," he said to Lolita.

"Hold me in your arms and kiss me," said Lolita. "Then show me your dear face."

Zorro kissed her and began to untie his mask.

But suddenly, they heard a new noise from the square—a different noise. The soldiers stopped attacking the door.

Zorro rushed to the window. He saw twenty-six fine young horsemen riding into the square, with their swords in their hands.

"My brave caballeros!" he said. "They will help us now."

The caballeros stopped their horses in front of the governor.

"We want to speak with you," their leader said. "Many bad things are happening in this country. These things are wrong and we want to change them. You cheat the broth­ers in the missions. And often, poor and helpless men are beaten. Then yesterday, the noble Pulido family were sent to jail. We have rescued them. But these things must stop!"

"Well, what do you want me to do?" asked the gover­nor nervously.

"First—the Pulido family must never be sent to jail again," said the leader. "Second—you must let Señor Zorro go free. He hasn't done anything wrong. He has only stolen from thieves. He has only whipped people who hurt the poor and the weak."

"No!" cried the governor. "I won't let Zorro go free." "Señor, we are the sons of the best families in this country," the young caballero replied. "We're very strong. If your soldiers attack us, we'll fight against you. If you hurt Señor Zorro, you'll lose the job of governor." The governor looked at Don Alejandro Vega. "Don Alejandro," he said, "you know these young men. Please help me."

"No," replied Don Alejandro. "These young caballeros are right. I agree with them and I agree with Señor Zorro."

"But Zorro is a murderer," said the governor. "He murdered Captain Ramon."

"No," said Don Juan Estado. "The captain died in a fight between gentlemen. It was a fair tight."

"Very well," said the governor quietly. "I'll go back to San Francisco now. Zorro can go free. But Don Alejandro must promise to take care of this town." "I promise you that," said Don Alejandro. "That is good," said the leader of the caballeros. "Don Alejandro is a fine man." He turned towards the inn.

"Señor Zorro!" he shouted. "You are safe. Come out now!"

The door of the inn opened and Zorro came out. Lolita was holding his arm. He took off his sombrero.

"Good morning, everybody," he said.

"Take off your mask, señor!" said the governor. "I want to see your face."

Zorro laughed and took off his mask. Everybody stared in astonishment. Lolita looked up at him, happy and surprised.

"Don Diego!" she said.

Don Alejandro walked forward.

"Don Diego—my son, my son!" he said proudly.

"Yes, Father," said Don Diego. "I'm Señor Zorro."

"And which man am I going to marry?" asked Lolita. Her dark eyes looked up at him proudly. "Am I goingto marry Señor Zorro or Don Diego Vega?"

"Well, which man do you love?" asked Don Diego.

"Both of them!" she said, laughing.

The End.