The nice thing about writing Zorro stories, for both professionals and fanficcers, is that you don't have to worry about a too-strict canon. Johnston Mc Culley himself, after all, flatly contradicted the ending of The Curse of Capistrano in the third book and subsequently had Zorro's adventures happen in a nebuluous "sometime while Spain ruled Alta California."
Thus, while the events of Zorro's Fighting Legion seem unlikely to have happened with the same Zorro of the original stories, it is in fact possible.
If you've seen more than one version of Zorro, what's your favorite?
Chapter Six: Zorro to the Rescue
Brief recap, no new information.
Rewind a few moments as the baddies set the powder wagon afire and push it towards the barricade. Events play out much as before, except that this time Zorro is shown jamming the steering, then leaping off the wagon. It veers well away from the barricade before exploding. This very blatantly did not happen at the end of the last chapter.
This was a fairly common occurance in serials; the writers counted on you forgetting small details of the cliffhanger after a week had passed.
While out in the open, Zorro is narrowly missed by a Yaqui arrow, but his return fire is more accurate. He gets back behind the barricade.
Zorro reiterates the importance of not letting the Yaqui have these weapons. He decides to bluff the opposition by dividing the Legion in three. Himself and two others stay at the barricade to draw fire, while the other squads circle around and attack in a pincer movement.
Zorro and his team use multiple rifles to shoot from different positions, with one person dedicated to reloading, giving the impression the barricade is fully manned.
But the fate of fire is slow enough that Moreno thinks the Legion has weakened. He orders a mounted charge. Before that charge really gets started, the pincers move in, fooling the baddies into thinking they're fresh troops, and the black hats retreat.
Mounting up, Zorro announces that it's time for the next part of his plan, getting the munitions to San Mendolito despite the military lookouts.
In the plaza, a small group of the Legion rides in (having somehow evaded the lookouts completely; I foresee a lot of floggings) whooping, firing in the air, and generally making a ruckus. This gets the attention of the soldiers stationed around the area, and the council members come out on a balcony.
As soon as the soldiers leave in pursuit of the Legion, firing futilely at the more agile riders, Zorro and the rest of his team bring in the two intact wagons. Zorro throws a message knife into a wooden pillar on the balcony. As Zorro easily escapes, Governor Felipe reads the note. "Zorro always fulfills his promise." The non-evil council members smile.
The next day, Felipe and Commandante Manuel visit the hacienda. Bolita reports that Diego and Ramon have gone out to inspect the cattle. Felipe notes they missed the previous day's council meeting, and asks if the pair are often out.
Bolita says tghe ranch is keeping Diego very busy, "it's a man's job." Manuel asks if that's so, how Diego stands it. Bolita isn't sure herself (and has now had more screen time this chapter than in the first five combined.) Felipe decides not to leave a message, there's nothing that can't wait until the next council meeting.
While riding back to town, Felipe and Manuel stumble across an undisguised Ramon delivering medical supplies to Zorro. Zorro rides off to give these to someone named Miguel. (Evidently some fo the Legion were wounded in the big fight.)
The villainous pair swiftly ride to join the other conspirators and inform them of this. Manuel proposes capturing Ramon and forcing him to reveal Zorro's identity. Don del Oro will see to it that Ramon will not refuse to speak.
Don del Oro tells Moreno that Ramon usually attends afternoon Mass at the chapel while his driver waits. Therefore....
Outside the chapel, Ramon and Bolita get into an open carriage. Diego is staying at the chapel to talk to the padre. All these people assume Juan is driving the carriage, but it's someone else wearing his plumed chauffeur's hat.
Ramon figures out something's wrong when the carriage takes a wrong turn, and then another tough pops out of the covered luggage compartment with a gun.
Back at the chapel, Diego completes his business and is headed for his horse when he notices odd sounds coming from behind some bales. It's the bound and gagged Juan, who reports that he was lured into the alley by a mysterious noise and coshed. Diego realizes what must have happened.
Shortly he and Juan arrive where they stashed their spare horses and change into costume.
Bolita nervously wrings her handkerchief until Ramon gives her enough silent cues to casually drop it on the road.
When the carriage arrives at a deserted donjon, Bolita drops a glove. But this time the driver notices, and realizes she must have left a trail. He has the second tough handle securing Ramon and Bolita, while he backtracks and cleans up the trail.
Zorro and Juan find the handkerchief.
Ramon is strapped to a chair, torture implements nearby. Bolita claims he knows nothing, but a tough replies that Ramon's a known associate of Zorro. This is news to Bolita.
The driver. still wearing the plumed hat, finds the other glove. He could probably have gotten away clean, but when he sees Zorro and Juan coming up the trail, he can't resist taking a potshot that removes Juan's hat.
Zorro soon has the driver collared, but the villain won't tell where Ramon and Bolita are. So it's time for Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique. Zorro's first whip blow halves the hat's plume, the second removes it entirely, and the n—the crook talks.
Zorro has Juan tie up the driver and summon the Legion.
At the donjon, Zorro sneaks in a side door. The toughs are still heating up the pokers. While Zorro explores, the poker is threatened to be used, not on Ramon, but on Bolita. (The fiends!)
Zorro attempts to mug a sentry, but it doesn't take, and Flynning begins. Just as the poker is about to sear Bolita's creamy chest skin, the sentry cries for help. He's no match for Zorro's skill!
Four to one odds force Zorro back into a cell. Rather than follow him into such close quarters, Tomas slams the door shut and fastens it.
Turns out this particular cell has a pulley and chain arrangement on the outside, which causes one of the walls to move towards the opposite side. It's a slow process, and as Zorro attempts to block the wall, it knocks over a clay water jug. (The water looks awfully fresh, perhaps the gang has been living in the donjon recently?)
Zorro gets the bright idea of bracing the wall with a wooden bunk frame (the bunk has pillows, lending more support to my residence hypothesis), but to no avail as the wood easily snaps. As the wall closes in, Zorro as a last resort tries using his own leg as a brace, but the wall is unstoppable. Slowly, inexorably, it presses forward, dooming Zorro!
Tune in next week for Chapter Seven: The Fugitive!
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