impervious to shot, spear, or sabre. Those who had fired their carbines
at him while on the bridge fully believed this. They were ready to
swear--each one of them--that they had hit the cibolero, and must have
killed him had he not been under supernatural protection!

Wonderful stories now circulated among the soldiers and throughout the
settlement. The cibolero was seen everywhere, and always mounted on his
coal-black horse, who shared his supernatural fame. He had been seen
riding along the top of the cliffs at full gallop, and so close to their
edge that he might have blown the stump of his cigar into the valley
below! Others had met him in the night on lonely walks amid the
chapparal, and according to them his face and hands had appeared red and
luminous as coals of fire! He had been seen on the high plains by the
hateros--on the cliff of "La Nina"--in many parts of the valley; but no
one had ventured near enough to exchange words with him. Every one had
fled or shunned him. It was even asserted that he had been seen
crossing the little bridge that led out of Don Ambrosio's garden, and
thus brought down a fresh shower of scandal on the devoted head of
Catalina. The scandal-mongers, however, were sadly disappointed on
hearing that this bridge no longer existed, but had been removed by Don
Ambrosio on the day following the discovery of his daughter's
misconduct!

In no part of the world is superstition stronger than among the ignorant
populace of the settlements of New Mexico. In fact, it may be regarded
as forming part of their religion. The missionary padres, in grafting
the religion of Rome upon the sun-worship of Quetzalcoatl, admitted for
their own purposes a goodly string of superstitions. It would be
strange if their people did not believe in others, however absurd.
Witchcraft, therefore, and all like things, were among the New Mexicans
as much matters of belief as the Deity himself.

It is not then to be wondered at that Carlos the cibolero became
associated with the devil. His feat of horsemanship and hair-breadth
escapes from his enemies were, to say the least, something wonderful and
romantic, even when viewed in a natural sense. But the populace of San
Ildefonso no longer regarded them in this light. With them his skill in
the "coleo de toros," in "running the cock,"--his feat of horsemanship
on the cliff--his singular escapes from carbine and lance, were no
longer due to himself, but to t