The Episodes Continue

Elena, fearful for the life of the man she loves, tells Monastario that she will sign his statement about her father if Benito can go free.  Monastario says that only she and her mother will go free; there is nothing she can do to save Benito. As the time of the execution draws near, a monk comes to stay with Benito.  When the vaquero is put on the back of a wagon, the monk accompanies him.  Benito asks that he die with his hands unbound.   Monastario agrees.  No sooner are Benito's hands free than the monk pulls back his cowl.  It's Zorro!  He hurriedly shrugs out of the robe, grabs the reins, and drives the cart - and Benito - safely out of the cuartel. A wheel breaks on the wagon.  Zorro instructs Benito to get on the horse and ride away.  Zorro himself hurries up the scaffolding located on the front of the church.  Monastario and his lancers are only a half a step behind.  The lancers are unable to capture or even corner El Zorro.

Zorro taunts Monastario when they meet on the scaffold of the old church.

"Monastario, why send children to do a man's job?" Zorro tosses a verbal challenge to the commandante. Monastario accepts the challenge and goes after Zorro himself.  They have another furious duel precariously high above the ground.  Finally, Zorro cuts a rope holding the piece of scaffolding flooring on which Monastario is standing.  Monastario falls to the ground below; Zorro makes his escape. Monastario is even more frustrated than before.  He knows that if he had competent help, he could capture or kill his nemesis.  But he is saddled with Sergeant Garcia and the rest of the rag tag collection of lancers.  At least, Monastario reminds himself, he still has the Torres women in his jail.  He is not completely foiled yet. ~*~

Don Alejandro de la Vega arrives at the cuartel demanding to see the Torres women.  At first Monastario refuses to let him in, but Licenciado Pina advises the capitan that it will be better if he allows Don Alejandro to visit.  Monastario sends a spy to eavesdrop on the conversation between the Torres women and Don Alejandro. Alejandro calls a meeting of his friends to discuss the situation about the Torres women being in jail.  A drunken soldier shows up at the de la Vega hacienda and tells the dons that the Torres women have been threatened into lying that Monastario is treating them well.  The dons become angry and plan to storm the cuartel to free the women.  Diego argues against rash action, but the men are enraged and will not listen to him.  They do not realize that Monastario's spy hears everything and hurries back to Monastario to report what he has learned. Monastario hides his lancers in various places within the cuartel.  His clever plan is to freely admit Don Alejandro and the other dons, close the cuartel gates behind them, and effectively have the dons trapped within the cuartel.  Once that is accomplished, Monastario and his lancers will shoot to kill.

Zorro, fearing just such a trap, gets to the cuartel first.  He tries to lure the soldiers away so that Don Alejandro and the other dons won't have to confront them.  Monastario, who has learned not to underestimate Zorro, is quick to figure out Zorro's intent.  He tells Sergeant Garcia to take some of the soldiers and pretend to chase Zorro.  However, they are only to chase him for a mile or two and then turn back.  The capitan tells his sergeant that he and the soldiers with him should cut around the cuartel so that they will flank Alejandro de la Vega and the other dons, thus capturing them between two divisions of soldiers.

Monastario sends his troops after Zorro as a trick  to lure the dons into the cuartel and their death.

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