desert to the Gulf on motor trucks,
ship it to Guaymas, and sell it there to an exporter. He is not even
going to pay poor old Ah Sing for picking it; and as a final get-away
stake he is trying to hold us up for $150,000 on the water. He has
moved across the line for safety, and never intends to move back."

"He won't need to," said Noah Ezekiel. "He is due to get away with
about half a million. But what do we care?" Noah shook his head
solemnly. "As my dad used to say, 'Virtue is its own reward.' That
ought to comfort you, Brother Rogeen, when you are working out that
$78,000 of debts at forty dollars a month."

CHAPTER XXV

Early next morning Bob went to the executive offices, and waited two
hours for the arrival of the governor. Rogeen knew of course that
Madrigal, the Mexican Jew, was engineering the Mexican end of the
conspiracy; but he wanted to discover who the Mexican official was from
whom they were securing protection.

Bob stated his business briefly, forcibly. He was one of the ranchers
who got water from the Dillenbeck canal. The company was endeavouring
to rob them. The ranchers wanted protection, and wanted water at once.
The official was very courteous, solicitous, sympathetic. He would
look into it immediately. Would Senor Rogeen call again tomorrow?

Senor Rogeen would most certainly call again tomorrow. When he left
the office he went direct to Ah Sing's ranch.

"Ah Sing," said Bob, "I want you to turn over to me your $80,000 claim
against Reedy Jenkins for picking his eight thousand bales of cotton,
and give me power of attorney to collect it."

"Allee light, I give him."

The next morning when the Mexican official came down to the office at
ten o'clock he assured Bob most regretfully that although impetuous and
violent efforts had been made to right his wrongs, unfortunately so far
they had found no law governing the case. The Dillenbeck Company was a
private water company, owned by American citizens; the Mexican
officials had no power to fix the rate.

Bob went direct to the Mexican cotton gin.

"Jenkins"--Bob sat down on the edge of the offered chair, his feet on
the floor, his knees bent as though ready to spring up--"I need to
begin watering the Red Butte to-day, but your man tells me he has
orders to keep the gates shut."

Reedy nodded, his plump lips shut tight, an amused leer in the tail of
his eye. "You got my notice, didn't you? No cash, no water. Eithe