either of the words she had
spoken, "it is good. It shows to us the way."

"Thar, naow, say he can't understand English!" thought Aunt Ri.

Benito and Baba travelled as if they knew the errand on which they were
hurrying. Good forty miles they had gone without flagging once, when
Aunt Ri, pointing to a house on the right hand of the road, the only one
they had seen for many miles, said: "We'll hev to sleep hyar. I donno
the road beyant this. I allow they're gone ter bed; but they'll hev to
git up 'n' take us in. They're used ter doin' it. They dew consid'able
business keepin' movers. I know 'em. They're reel friendly fur the kind
o' people they air. They're druv to death. It can't be far frum their
time to git up, ennyhow. They're up every mornin' uv thar lives long
afore daylight, a feedin' their stock, an' gittin' ready fur the day's
work. I used ter hear 'em 'n' see 'em, when we wuz campin' here. The
fust I saw uv it, I thought somebody wuz sick in the house, to git 'em
up thet time o' night; but arterwards we found out 't wan't nothin' but
thar reggerlar way. When I told dad, sez I, 'Dad, did ever yer hear
sech a thing uz gittin' up afore light to feed stock?' 'n' ter feed
theirselves tew. They'd their own breakfast all clared away, 'n' dishes
washed, too, afore light; 'n' prayers said beside; they're Methodys,
terrible pious. I used ter tell dad they talked a heap about believin'
in God; I don't allow but what they dew believe in God, tew, but
they don't worship Him so much's they worship work; not nigh so much.
Believin' 'n' worshippin' 's tew things. Yeow wouldn't see no sech
doin's in Tennessee. I allow the Lawd meant some time fur sleepin'; 'n'
I'm satisfied with his times o' lightin' up. But these Merrills air reel
nice folks, fur all this I've ben tellin' yer!--Lawd! I don't believe
he's understood a word I've said, naow!" thought Aunt Ri to herself,
suddenly becoming aware of the hopeless bewilderment on Felipe's face.
"'Tain't much use sayin' anything more'n plain yes 'n' no, between folks
thet can't understand each other's langwedge; 'n' s' fur's thet goes, I
allow thar ain't any gret use'n the biggest part o' what's sed between
folks thet doos!"

When the Merrill family learned Felipe's purpose of going up the
mountain to the Cahuilla village, they attempted to dissuade him from
taking his own horses. He would kill them both, high-spirited horses
like those, they said, if he took them over that road. It