rit of the festive occasion, and
manifested their appreciation of it by refraining from signal mischief
for the space of a whole hour: at the end of which period Pancha,
perceiving that they were engaged in imitating the process of washing
clothes in the stream, and judging rightly that the earnestness of
their operations boded no good, was just in time to rescue the yellow
cat from a watery grave.

And it was on this happy day, as Pancha knew afterward, that her love
for Pepe first began.

This was a year past, now; and for many months Pancha had been
gladdened by the knowledge that her love was returned--though, as yet,
this sweet certainty had not come to her in words. Indeed, during the
past twelvemonth Pepe had been but little in Monterey. As became a
young captain of _contrabandistas_ who longed to prove that he
deserved to wear his spurs, his time had been passed for the most part
in making handsome dashes from the Zona Libre into the interior.
Already the fame of his brilliant exploits was great along the
frontier; already to the luckless officers of the _contraresguardo_
his name was a mocking and a reproach. What with his knowledge of the
mountain paths and hiding-places, his boldness and his prudence, his
information--coming it might be treason to say from where, but always
exact and trustworthy--of where the revenue people would be at any
hour of any day or night, the _contraresguardo_ seemed to have no
more chance of catching him than they had of catching the wind of
heaven or the moon itself.

Once, indeed, Pepe had a narrow escape. At the outskirts of Lampazos
word came to him that the customs guard was at his very heels. There
was no hiding-place near; to run for it with a train of heavily laden
_burros_ was of no earthly use at all; to run for it without the
_burros_ would have been a disgrace. And Pepe did not attempt to run.
As fast as they could be driven he drove the _burros_ into the town,
and halted them in squads of three and four at friendly houses; spoke
a word or two at each door, and then galloped off with his men into
the outer wilderness of _chaparral_. And when, ten minutes later,
the men of the _contraresguardo_ came flourishing into Lampazos,
certain of victory at last, not a vestige of the _contrabando_ could
they find! True, in the _patios_ of a dozen houses were certain
weary-looking _burros_ whose backs were warm, and near them were
pack-saddles which were warm also; but what had