Mezzoni the Brigand — page 177: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. 169 ‘‘Perhaps you are right. They would be very apt, if we came to a fight, to single you out.”’ ‘Tl know I am right; revenge is one of their car- dinal principles,’’ he replied. ‘“‘T have great confidence of success with these items of information you have supplied.”’ ‘Take plenty of men with you.’’ ‘*T shall.” ‘‘And be sure of one thing,’’ said Walter, seriously ; ‘‘you must give no quarter. These men are as treacherous as our American Indians.”’ “Tl fear that mercy is thrown away upon such scoundrels. They fight us, as it were, with halters about their necks, and are desperate men.”’ “They will show you and your party no mercy, . you may depend upon that.” ‘True, the risk 1s considerable,’’ said the detective, ‘‘but you know it is distinctly incident to my profes- sion.”’ A whole company of the soldiers was detailed, composed of over seventy men, for this special ser- vice. By request of the detective no one but the head of the department was to know what this ser- vice really was, for he was thoroughly convinced that the brigands had means of information which would enable them to partially thwart the enterprise, unless the utmost precaution was observed. To ren- der his movements as secret as possible, the first ad- vance was to be made after nightfall, and the sol- diers were to meet him at Resina, so that he should not be in any way identified with their movement. until they were out of the city proper. The enterprise had been carefully prepared, and as far as possible every contingency guarded against. Arrived at the base of the mountain a patrol was €O / | | comicbooks