good deal to say about Belding's horses.
It took no keen judge of human nature to see that horses constituted
Ladd's ruling passion.

"I've had wimmen go back on me, but never no hoss!" declared Ladd, and
manifestly that was a controlling truth with him.

"Shore it's a cinch Beldin' is agoin' to lose some of them hosses," he
said. "You can search me if I don't think there'll be more doin' on
the border here than along the Rio Grande. We're just the same as on
Greaser soil. Mebbe we don't stand no such chance of bein' shot up as
we would across the line. But who's goin' to give up his hosses
without a fight? Half the time when Beldin's stock is out of the
alfalfa it's grazin' over the line. He thinks he's careful about them
hosses, but he ain't."

"Look a-here, Laddy; you cain't believe all you hear," replied Jim,
seriously. "I reckon we mightn't have any trouble."

"Back up, Jim. Shore you're standin' on your bridle. I ain't goin'
much on reports. Remember that American we met in Casita, the
prospector who'd just gotten out of Sonora? He had some story, he had.
Swore he'd killed seventeen Greasers breakin' through the rebel line
round the mine where he an' other Americans were corralled. The next
day when I met him again, he was drunk, an' then he told me he'd shot
thirty Greasers. The chances are he did kill some. But reports are
exaggerated. There are miners fightin' for life down in Sonora, you
can gamble on that. An' the truth is bad enough. Take Rojas's
harryin' of the Senorita, for instance. Can you beat that? Shore,
Jim, there's more doin' than the raidin' of a few hosses. An' Forlorn
River is goin' to get hers!"

Another dawn found Gale so much recovered that he arose and looked
after himself, not, however, without considerable difficulty and rather
disheartening twinges of pain.

Some time during the morning he heard the girls in the patio and called
to ask if he might join them. He received one response, a mellow, "Si,
Senor." It was not as much as he wanted, but considering that it was
enough, he went out. He had not as yet visited the patio, and surprise
and delight were in store for him. He found himself lost in a
labyrinth of green and rose-bordered walks. He strolled around,
discovering that the patio was a courtyard, open at an end; but he
failed to discover the young ladies. So he called again. The answer
came from the center of the square. After stooping to get under