"

"With white priests scattered through Sonora for two centuries
one would suppose those old superstitions would be pretty well
eradicated," remarked Singleton.

Dona Luz glanced at him as at a child who must be let have his own
ideas so long as they were harmless, but Pike laughed.

"Lord love you, Singleton, nothing eradicates superstition from
the Indian mind, or any other mind! All the creeds of the earth are
built on it, and a lot of the white ones are still alive and going
strong! And as for priests, why man, the Indian priests are bred of
those tribes, and were here before the white men came from Spain. It's
just about like this: If 'Me und Gott' and the U-boats took a notion
to come over and put a ball and chain on all of so-called free
America, there might be some pacifist mongrels pretend to like it,
and just dote on putting gilt on the chain, and kow-towing to that
blood-puddin' gang who are raising hell in Belgium. But would the
thoroughbreds like it? Not on your life! Well, don't you forget
there were a lot of thoroughbreds in the Indian clans even if some
of their slaves did breed mongrels! And don't forget that the ships
from overseas are dumping more scrub stock on the eastern shores right
now than you'll find in any Indian rancheria either here in Pima or
over in Sonora. The American isn't to blame for all the seventeen
dozen creeds they bring over,--whether political or religious, and I
reckon that's about the way the heads of the red clans feel. They are
more polite than we are about it, but don't you think for a moment
that the European invasion ever changed religion for the Indian
thoroughbred. No sir! He is still close to the earth and the
stars, and if he thinks they talk to him--well, they just _talk to
him_, and what they tell him isn't for you or me to hear,--or to sit
in judgment on either, if it comes to that! We are the outsiders."

"Now, Cap," said Billie, "I'm going to take it away. It's too near
your elbow, and you have had a double dose for every single one you've
been handing out! You can take a rest until the others catch up. Tia
Luz, give him a cup of coffee good and strong to help get his politics
and religion straightened out."

Pike laughed heartily with the rest of them, and took the coffee.

"All right, dear little Buttercup. Any medicine you hand out is good
to me. But say, that dope about hidden ores may not be all Indian at
that, for I recollect that mountaineers of Te