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Ricardo asks for Diego's help in winning Anna Maria's heart, for he feels Zorro is too much competition for the two men to overcome. If they can make it seem that Zorro is seeing another woman, Anna Maria will scorn him, thus dropping the field of suitors to a more manageable size. Ricardo plans to accomplish this by dressing as Zorro and serenading Anna Maria's cousin, Milana del Carmen.
Diego sees this as a chance to cure Ricardo of his fondness for practical jokes. He arranges for Garcia to arrest his friend, and charge him with all of Zorro's crimes. The sergeant realizes Ricardo cannot really be Zorro, for he saw the outlaw and Ricardo side-by-side when the payroll was robbed. Unfortunately for Ricardo, the commandante chooses not to believe this, for Ricardo has angered him with his jokes. Also, killing the notorious Zorro would be a help to his career, so he orders Ricardo hanged.
Aghast at this turn of events, Diego realizes he must save his friend from death. He does this in dramatic fashion by shooting a flaming arrow through the noose, which drops Ricardo to the ground. Before he leaves, Zorro forces Ricardo into a watering trough and warns the shaken man that he will punish anyone who impersonates him. In return for his humiliation, Ricardo swears vengeance on Zorro.
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