without
great difficulty; in the second place, the butte was of limestone, and in
a limestone region water makes for itself strange reservoirs and outlets.

His trust was well-grounded. In a sharply indented hollow, twenty feet
below the general surface of the enclosure, and not more than thirty yards
from the Casa Grande, he found a copious spring. About it were traces of
stone work, forming a sort of ruinous semicircle, as though a well had
been dug, the neighboring earth scooped out, and the sides of the opening
fenced up with masonry. By the way, he was not the first to discover the
treasure, for the acute senses of the mules had been beforehand with him,
and a number of them were already there drinking.

Calling Meyer, he said, "Sergeant, get a fatigue party to work here. I
want a transverse trench cut below the spring for the animals, and a guard
at the spring itself to keep it clear for the people."

Next he hurried away to the spot where he had posted Kelly to watch the
Apaches.

Climbing the wall, he looked about for the Apaches, and discovered them
about half a mile distant, bivouacked on the bank of the rivulet.

"They have been reinforced, sir," said Kelly. "Stragglers are coming up
every few minutes."

"So I perceive. Have you seen anything of the girl Pepita?"

"There's a figure there, sir, against that sapling, that hasn't moved for
half an hour. I've an idea it's the girl, sir, tied to the sapling."

Thurstane adjusted his glass, took a long steady look, and said sombrely,
"It's the girl. Keep an eye on her. If they start to do anything with her,
let me know. Signal with your cap."

As he hurried back to the Casa Grande he tried to devise some method of
saving this unfortunate. A rescue was impossible, for the savages were
numerous, watchful, and merciless, and in case they were likely to lose
her they would brain her. But she might be ransomed: blankets, clothing,
and perhaps a beast or two could be spared for that purpose; the gold
pieces that he had in his waist-belt should all go of course. The great
fear was lest the brutes should find all bribes poor compared with the
joys of a torture dance. Querying how he could hide this horrible affair
from Clara, and shuddering at the thought that but for favoring chances
she might have shared the fate of Pepita he ran on toward the Casa, waving
his hand cheerfully to the two women on the roof Meantime Clara had been
attending to her housekeeping and