e Mexican trifler.
"But there! very likely to me also they would appear alike from the top
of a rock." He looked the American over, the rifle under his leg, his
pistol, and his knife. "How clumsy these gringos are when it's about a
girl!" thought Luis. "Any fool could fool them. Now I should take much
care to be friendly if ever I did want to kill a man in earnest. Comical
gringo!--Yes, very dry weather, Don Ruz. And the rainy season gone!"

The American continued to inspect the country, his supple,
flannel-shirted back hinting no interest in the talk.

"Water is getting scarce, Don Ruz," persisted the gadfly, lighting
again. "Don Ramon's spring does not run now, and so we must come to the
Tinaja Bonita, you see. Don Ramon removed the cattle yesterday.
Everybody absent from home, except Lolita." Luis thought he could see
his Don Ruz listening to that last piece of gossip, and his smile over
himself and his skill grew more engaging. "Lolita has been telling me
all to-day that even the Tinaja will go dry."

"It was you said that!" exclaimed the brooding, helpless Lolita.

"So I did. And it was you said no. Well, we found something to disagree
about." The man in the flannel shirt was plainly attending to his
tormentor. "No sabe cuantos son cinco," Luis whispered, stepping close
to Lolita. "Your gringo could not say boo to a goose just now." Lolita
drew away from her cousin, and her lover happened to turn his head
slightly, so that he caught sight of her drawing away. "But what do you
say yourself, Don Ruz?" inquired Luis, pleased at this slight
coincidence--"will the Tinaja go dry, do you think?"

"I expect guessing won't interfere with the water's movements much,"
finally remarked Don Ruz--Russ Genesmere. His drawl and the body in his
voice were not much like the Mexican's light fluency. They were music to
Lolita, and her gaze went to him once more, but he got no answer. The
bitter Luis relished this too.

"You are right, Don Ruz. Guessing is idle. Yet how can we help wondering
about this mysterious Tinaja? I am sure that you can never have seen so
much of the cross out of water. Lolita says--"

"So that's that place," said Genesmere, roughly.

Luis looked inquiring.

"Down there," Genesmere explained, with a jerk of his head back along
the road they had come.

Luis was surprised that Don Ruz, who knew this country so well, should
never have seen the Tinaja Bonita until to-day.

"I'd have seen it if I'd had a