"Morning Light"
Don Alejandro closed his book and placed it on the table next to him in the sala. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes as he looked at the clock on the other side of the room. It was late. He was going to turn in. Old Juan came in then and was seeing to the candles before he was to retire.
Don Alejandro addressed him. "Juan. Have you seen Diego tonight? I have not seen him come home from the pueblo. And come to think of it, I have not seen Bernardo either."
"No, Patrón," said Old Juan. "But I heard Gilberto speaking to Cresencia and he said Bernardo’s horse is missing from the stables. Perhaps he has gone somewhere to meet Don Diego?"
"Mmmph," snorted Don Alejandro. No one told him anything anymore. "Well, I will not wait up for them. I am going to bed. See that Crescensia has my breakfast ready early tomorrow morning. I am going to inspect the cattle we have herded to Verde Valley tomorrow with Gilberto and Raul. I want to get an early start. I will be leaving an hour before sunrise."
"Sí, Patrón," said Old Juan. "I will make sure all is ready for you." Old Juan bowed and left the room.
Don Alejandro rose and went to his room mumbling under his breath about sons who were never home and servants who would not keep him informed.
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Bernardo finally pointed to Diego’s pocket watch as the hours went by without any sign of the imposter or his camp. Diego pulled it out and squinted at it in the fading moonlight. It was almost four o’clock in the morning. Sighing, Diego said, "Graciás, Bernardo. I suppose we had better turn back. We will barely make it home before the sun rises if we start now." He gave one more look at the hills around them. "If only we had found something, anything, which would have given us a clue as to the imposter’s whereabouts. But there is nothing. If we could have had more daylight hours to follow the trail with the marked hoof print, we might have found something. But now we must go home." With that, they turned their weary horses toward the de la Vega hacienda.
Don Alejandro rose early, while it was still quite dark, and set about getting ready for his long ride of the day. He threw his cloak over his shoulders against the chill of the morning and went down to the kitchen to get his breakfast. Crecensia was nowhere to be seen, but his warm breakfast was settled beside the coals of the fire. Don Alejandro smiled. Cresencia was good enough to awaken this early and provide his breakfast, but just selfish enough to take herself back to bed for another hour’s sleep. He did not fault her for that. Like himself, she was getting older too. Sleep, when you could get it, was nothing to do without.
Don Alejandro finished his breakfast and pulled his cloak around him as he went out and found his horse already saddled and waiting in the darkened stable yard. Gilberto and Raul were already mounted and waiting for him. Greeting them, Don Alejandro mounted his horse and the three of them rode away from the hacienda. Mornings were Don Alejandro’s favorite time of day and he let the anticipation wash over him. He looked up and saw the shining, twinkling stars hanging in the velvety blackness of the sky. He marveled as always over their beauty. But soon, the sun would begin to make its presence known and the stars would have to give way to its brilliant light. The world of the morning always looked fresh and new to Don Alejandro, wrapped in its coat of dew drops and wisps of fog, illuminated by the rising sun.
Don Alejandro judged they would be several miles away from the hacienda when the sun came up over the horizon. He and the vaqueros rode up the hills, climbing ever higher as they rode toward the valley where the cattle herd was bedded down for the night. He was going to mark those cattle which would be slaughtered for their hides and tallow as well as marking those he would set aside to produce the next generation of the finest cattle in California. This was a task he preferred to handle personally in order to insure the quality of his herds. He could see the greying of the dawn approaching as they stopped to give their horses a breather, and he knew it would not be long. He would wait here to see the sun come up. From this place, they could see for miles across the landscape and Don Alejandro did not want to miss the sun’s first rays as they shone forth. He leaned his elbow on the saddle horn as he waited, watching the plumes of smoke from the horses’ nostrils that wafted on the chilled air, watching the land come alive before him.
Just as the sun came up over the hills, Don Alejandro noticed something moving against the landscape spread before him. Although the specks were very small, he could tell that two horsemen were riding toward the de la Vega hacienda. From this great distance, he could not make out who they were. They were still just dark little shadows moving across the land. The rising sun illuminated the landscape here and there, but the riders were still in the shadows cast by the hills. He pointed out the riders to the vaqueros who were with him. Neither one of them could identify the distant horsemen. After a few more moments, the unknown riders cantered up a little rise in the ground and rode through a pool of sunlight which was splashed across it. Don Alejandro relaxed. He recognized Diego’s palomino, and, with a little closer scrutiny, he could recognize Bernardo’s horse as well.
"It is just Diego," he said to the others. "And Bernardo."
"Sí, Patrón, I recognize the horses," said Gilberto. "But I wonder what they are doing out here?" Seeing Don Alejandro’s look, he continued, "I mean, there is nothing in those hills where they are coming from. No houses, no ranchos, nothing . . . ." He trailed off when he saw that Don Alejandro’s face was growing darker.
"Never mind," growled Don Alejandro. He was suddenly ill-tempered because a special part of the day had been ruined for him and because his son had apparently been out all night on some folly of his. A folly, about which he was sure Diego would never tell him. Closing his mind against the familiar ache which caught in his breast, he swung his horse’s head around and kicked him into a gallop. The two vaqueros hurried to catch up. They exchanged glances as they both realized that this was going to be a very difficult day with the patrón. Nothing was going to please him today.
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"Diego, you look tired," said the Magistrado as he greeted the young don coming into his office at the usual time of the morning. "Are you not sleeping well?" Sergeant Garcia stood by the Magistrado’s desk.
"I . . . am subject to insomnia at times, Your Excellency," said Diego. The all night ride had left him tired. He envied Bernardo who would have the chance to catch up on some sleep back at the hacienda. "It is nothing. It will pass. Buenos diás, Sergeant Garcia."
"Buenos diás, Don Diego," said Garcia.
"I am glad to hear it is nothing serious," said Santiago to Diego. "My wife also has trouble with insomnia when she is not taking so much of that medicine which she requires. However, of late, she has been taking a great deal more of it to help her deal with the pain. I have scarcely seen her awake for more than a few moments in the last day or so. She just lays there without moving or speaking a word. When she takes so much of the medicine, it is as if she is no longer here; as if her soul has fled to some dark place no one can reach." He looked down at the floor in sadness as he spoke.
"I am sorry to hear that, Your Excellency," said Diego, feeling very sorry for the Magistrado. Things must be growing much worse for him to have revealed so much about the señora’s condition. He usually kept such things to himself. Diego said, "I and my father continue to keep Señora Gracilia in our prayers."
"Graciás, Diego. Graciás," said Santiago, smiling softly. "That means a great deal to me. And to Gracilia, I’m sure. But, how is your father, Diego? You know, I have not seen him at the pueblo in quite a while. He is well?"
"Sí, Your Excellency, his health is fine. He has been quite busy with his cattle of late." Crescensia had informed him of his father’s excursion when he had gone to the kitchen for some breakfast after he had cleaned up and changed clothes.
"Ah, yes. He is very dedicated to his rancho and his cattle," said Santiago, with a smile.
"Sí, Your Excellency," replied Diego. "He is indeed." Changing the subject to one which held great interest to him, Diego said, "Is there any news of El Zorro?"
"No, Don Diego," said Sergeant Garcia, speaking up. "We have found nothing."
"The Sergeant and I were just starting to examine this map to try and decide where we would send the lancer patrols today," said Santiago pointing to the map on his desk. Garcia and Diego came closer to look. "I think we should concentrate on this area," the Magistrado said, pointing to a spot just south and east of the de la Vega rancho. "It is not too far from the San Gabriel Mission and the terrain would provide good cover for an outlaw. Don’t you agree, Diego?"
Diego knew that this was the very area which he and Bernardo had just searched all night and had found nothing. It would be a waste of manpower to have Garcia’s lancers search it again. "I don’t know, Your Excellency," he said. "Would an outlaw such as Zorro stay in the vicinity where he was discovered?" Looking more closely at the map, he pointed and said, "I would search here if I were you Sergeant." He indicated an area more to the north, where he and Bernardo had not searched. It was the next place he intended to search if he could not get Garcia to go there.
"And why do you say that, Diego?" asked Santiago. He was curious. Diego seemed so certain.
Diego shrugged his shoulders a little. He would have to come up with a good reason and fast. He said, "It just seems to me that an outlaw as intelligent as Zorro would know and expect the obvious. He would expect you to search for him around the mission. There is water and grazing for his horse in the high meadows to the north and only a few shepherds live in those hills. It is a likely place to make camp."
Santiago knew Diego had made the right choice if it had been true that the Magistrado wanted to capture Zorro. He was rather impressed once again with the young man’s intellect. But it would not do at all for the lancers to search that area, for it was indeed the very place where Uresti would have made his camp last night. No, he wanted the lancers far to the south today. Zorro would be visiting the hacienda of Don Alfredo Caldón today to kidnap one of the don’s children. He would need time to get away before the lancers could arrive and begin searching.
"Very good, Diego," he said. "But I think we must search thoroughly where he was last seen in order that we do not overestimate his intelligence. Zorro has been seen many times at the San Gabriel Mission in the past and I think he must have a base camp near there somewhere."
"Sí, Don Diego," Sergeant Garcia chimed in. "I, myself, have seen Zorro at the mission when he was trying to help Don Nacho to escape. Do you not remember?"
Diego could not press his arguments any further. He felt frustrated yet again. He knew Garcia’s lancers would find nothing and more time would be wasted. But there was nothing he could do. "Of course, Sergeant, I remember now," he said with a smile. "Perhaps he is in the hills there. I wish your lancers well as they search for him." Inwardly, he shook his head.
"Graciás, Don Diego," said Garcia, smiling back.
"Well, Sergeant, you had better see to your assignment then. Have the patrol search this area east of the mission and report back to me the minute they return," ordered Santiago.
"Sí, Magistrado," said Garcia saluting. He turned and left the office and Diego could hear the portly sergeant going down the stairs.
