And perhaps Diego, absorbed in
his political activities as the confidential agent of Wenceslas, would
have been content to let his claim upon the child lapse, after many
months of quiet, had not Don Jorge inadvertently set the current of
the man's thought again in her direction.

For Don Jorge was making frequent trips along the Magdalena river. It
was essential to his business to visit the various riverine towns and
to mingle freely with all grades of people, that he might run down
rumors or draw from the inhabitants information which might result in
valuable clues anent buried treasure. Returning one day to Simiti from
such a trip, he regaled Jose with the spirited recital of his
experience on a steamboat which had become stranded on a river bar.

"_Bien_," he concluded, "the old tub at last broke loose. Then we saw
that its engines were out of commission; and so the captain let her
drift down to Banco, where we docked. I was forced, not altogether
against my will, to put up with Padre Diego. _Caramba_! The old fox!
But I had much amusement at his expense when I twitted him about his
daughter Carmen, and his silly efforts to get possession of her!"

Jose shook with indignation. "Good heaven, friend!" he cried, "why can
you not let sleeping dogs alone? Diego is not the man to be bearded
like that! Would that you had kept away from the subject! And what did
you say to him about the girl?"

"_Caramba_, man! I only told him how beautiful she was, and how large
for her few years. _Bien_, I think I said she was the most beautiful
and well-formed girl I had ever seen. But was there anything wrong in
telling the truth, _amigo_?"

"No," replied Jose bitterly, as he turned away; "you meant no harm.
But, knowing the man's brutal nature, and his assumed claim on the
girl, why could you not have foreseen possible misfortune to her in
dwelling thus on her physical beauty? _Hombre_, it is too bad!"

"_Na_, _amigo_," said Don Jorge soothingly, "nothing can come of it.
Bien, you take things so hard!" But when Don Jorge again set out for
the mountains he left the priest's heart filled with apprehension.

A few weeks later came what Jose had been awaiting, another demand
upon him for the girl. Failure to comply with it, said Diego's letter,
meant the placing of the case in the hands of the civil and
ecclesiastical authorities for action.

Rosendo's face grew hard when he read the note. "There is a way,
Padre. Let my woman take