ling of flames
and men's voices, and saw sparks. Very quietly they squirmed around on
their stomachs until they could peep out of the opening of their cave.

This is what they saw!

There on the ground a few feet in front of their hiding-place was a
fire, and two men were beside it. Their horses were tied to bushes not
far away. One of the men was broiling meat on the end of a stick. The
smell of it made the children very hungry. The other man was drinking
something hot from a cup. They both had guns, and the guns were leaning
against the rocks just below the cave where the children were hidden.

The man who was standing up was tall and had a fierce black mustache. He
had on a big sombrero, and under a fold of his serape Tonio could see a
cartridge-belt and the handle of a revolver.

"It's the Tall Man that Father and Pedro were talking to in front of the
pulque shop," whispered Tonio.

Tita was so frightened that she shook like a leaf and her teeth
chattered.

Pretty soon the Tall Man spoke. "The others ought to be here soon," he
said. "They'll see the fire. Put on a few more sticks and make it flame
up more."

The other man gave a last turn to the meat, handed it stick and all to
the Tall Man, and disappeared behind the bushes to search for wood.

[Illustration]

He had not yet come back, when there was the sound of horses' feet, and
a man rode into sight, dismounted, hitched his horse, and joined the
Tall Man by the fire.

One by one others came, until there were ten men standing about and
talking together in low tones. Last of all there was the thud-thud of
two more horses and who should come riding into the firelight but
Pancho on Pinto, and Pedro on another horse!

When they joined the circle, Tonio almost sprang up and shouted. He did
make a little jump, but Tita clutched him and held him back. He loosened
a pebble at the mouth of the cave by his motion and it clattered down
over the rock. The man who had gone for the wood was just putting his
load down by the fire when the pebble came rattling down beside him.

"What's that?" he said, and sprang for his rifle.

Tonio hastily drew in his head. The men all listened intently for a few
minutes, and looked cautiously about them.

"It's nothing but a pebble," said the Tall Man at last. "No one will
disturb us here. And if they should,"--he tapped the handle of his
revolver and smiled,--"we'd give them such a warm welcome they would be
glad to stay wi