pletely
crazed now, darted under the single horse, under a Mexican wagon, under
a team of horses, and forth into a little clearing. Here he came to a
stop, trembling in every part, gazing about in wildest terror.

Following its shrill blast, the engine puffed across the crossing, the
gates slowly lifted, and the foremost vehicles began to move. Soon the
whole line was churning up clouds of dust and rattling across the
railroad tracks. Felipe was of this company, cracking his whip and
yelling lustily, enjoying the congestion and this unexpected opportunity
to be seen by so many American eyes at once in his gorgeous raiment. In
the town proper, and carefully avoiding the more rapidly moving
vehicles, he turned off the avenue into a narrow side street, and pulled
up at a water-trough. As he dropped the reins and prepared to descend, a
friend of his--and he had many--hailed him from the sidewalk. Hastily
clambering down, he seized the man's arm in forceful greeting, and
indicated with a jerk of his head a near-by saloon.

"We go gettin' soomt'ing," he invited. "I have munch good luck to tell
you."

Inside the establishment Felipe became loquacious and boasting. He now
was a man of comfortable wealth, he gravely informed his friend--a
wizened individual with piercing eyes. Besides winning a bet of fifteen
dollars in money, he explained, he also held a note against Franke
Gamboa for fifty dollars more on his property. But that was not all.
Aside from the note and the cash in hand, he was the owner of a colt now
of great value--_si_--worth at least ten dollars--which, added to
the other, made him, as anybody could see, worthy of recognition. With
this he placed his empty glass down on the bar and swung over into
English.

"You haf hear about thot?" he asked, drawing the back of his hand across
his mouth. Then, as the other shook his head negatively, "Well, I haf
new one--_potrillo_--nice li'l' horse--_si_!" He cleared his
throat and frowned at the listening bartender. "He's comin' couple days
before, oop on thee mesa." He picked up the glass, noted that it was
empty, placed it down again. "I'm sellin' thot _potrillo_ quick,"
he went on--"bet you' life! I feed heem couple weeks more mebbe--feed
heem beer and soom cheese!" He laughed raucously at the alleged
witticism. "Thot's thee preencipal t'ing," he declared, soberly. "You
must feed a horse." He said this not as one recommending that a horse be
well fed, but as one advi