Mezzoni the Brigand — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

The leader of the gang had not yet made his appear- | ance among them, so that the Levanter, as he was called, had not regularly joined the banditti. He entered into all their pastimes, however, and was allowed entire liberty in-and about the cave, though he was not permitted to carry any arms about his person. | | This showed a little distrust, or at least not entire confidence in the new-comer, but he had not yet been accepted by the captain, which acceptance was a needed indorsement to fit him for full.confidence. If the officer in charge had not believed in the hon- esty of the Levanter, or if he had found any cause to distrust him, his life would at once have been the sacrifice. These people had no court-martial to resort to; their judgment was quick and decisive. There was no scarcity of guns and pistols in the magazine of the cave, one whole apartment being used as a sort of arsenal, its walls being hung around in a fantastic manner with various kinds of weap- ons, daggers, long knives, with sheaths, short sabers, ranged in star-shape upon the sides, and plenty of powder and ball. The place could have endured a protracted siege if required. Marion Bray, as she had written to her father, was made as comfortable as possible under the circum- stances, and save the one great wrong of her ab- duction, she had very little to complain of against the banditti. No great degree of surveillance was deemed to be necessary in her case, for were she to attempt to escape, what could a girl do unaided, in that most desolate and pathless region? Still she was MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. 87 not allowed to leave the cave, and at night was se- . curely locked within her apartment. One evening, after she had been thus locked in for | com choo <S com \é — - é ‘ : 7 * “*