Mezzoni the Brigand — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

174 MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. ‘““What treasures?”’ “The result of your robberies. ”’ “Oh, they are taken charge of by the captain. We do not know,” was the honest reply. ‘Do you mean to say that your captain, Mezzoni, takes all the booty to himseli?’’ “Vas.” ‘Is that the truth?” - ‘“‘T shall not take the trouble to tell you a false- hood,’’ replied the robber. ‘‘How do the men like that sort of division of the booty ?”’ asked the officer. “It is according to agreement. They are regu- larly enlisted and paid like these soldiers of the gov- ernment, only they are paid ten times as much. How could they dispose of the booty? They would betray themselves upon the first operation. No. Mezzoni arranges those matters.”’ ‘“‘“Ah, I see; they are so well paid that they are satisfied at the share'they receive.’’ , ‘This explains much to me which has been a mys- tery heretofore,’’ said the captain of the soldiers to the detective. ‘‘It is important information.’’ ‘“Do those women inside belong with the band ?’’ ‘‘One does; she is stewardess. Her husband is the man who is tied and handcuffed yonder.”’ ‘“Who is the other?”’ ‘I do not know.”’ ‘“How came she here?’’ ‘“By Mezzoni’s orders.”’ ‘**Held for ransom ?”’ “Oh, no.”’ “We have secured twenty-three men in the cave— is that your whole force?”’ ‘All at this point.”’ <S:-CcO (ECO AA Kel exeye)