And suddenly he stopped, for he had smelled smoke. Almost silently he crept forward through the brush, and came to a small clearing.
There he saw a hut, from the chimney of which smoke was issuing. Señor Zorro circled the hut, but saw no human being. He went to the crest of the slope again, and saw a woman struggling down it toward the pirate’s camp—a woman bent and old.
Señor Zorro guessed, then, that this was the hut of some aged lawbreaker no longer active in piracy. Perhaps the ancient one was down in the camp, now that the fighting was at an end, and his ancient woman was following to see the excitement.
Señor Zorro approached the hut carefully, crept around the corner of it, and peered in at the door to find the place empty. He rushed inside and sought frantically for what he desired. There came a chuckle of delight as he found it.
What he desired and found was nothing more than a ragged skirt and a wide, dirty shawl. Señor Zorro put them on quickly, bent his shoulders, and hobbled back among the trees and brush. It was a disguise that would serve for the time being.
Beneath the skirt was the sword of Zorro, ready to be whipped from its scabbard. Señor Zorro felt confident as long as the blade was at his side. He left the fringe of trees at some distance from the hut, and made his way down the slope.
As he came nearer the camp he was doubly cautious. The horses had lost some of the fright, and were grazing. The pirates, for the greater part, were gathered around the adobe building where the caballeros were being held prisoners. The women and children were there, too, only some of them were still scattered around the camp, looking at the dead and wounded.
Señor Zorro perceived that he had arrived at an opportune time. Nobody would give any attention to a woman stumbling along toward the scene of excitement. The pirates, undoubtedly, imagined that Zorro had ridden far away, perhaps to San Diego de Alcála for help.
He approached nearer. There were two large adobe buildings, and he supposed that the señorita was held prisoner in one of them, but he did not know which.
Then he stopped suddenly, and bent his shoulders more. For he saw Captain Ramón talking to Barbados, saw the commandante turn and leave the pirate chief and hurry into the nearest adobe building. Señor Zorro guessed that the señorita was there.