Blaze Jones thrust his daughter aside and advanced toward the speaker.
"There's no mistake," he declared, belligerently. "I don't make
mistakes when I go grave-robbin'. Don Ricardo was shot by your men. He
had five thousand dollars on him, or he should have had, and he was an
American citizen. Your Colonel Blanco covered the body, but he'll have
a hell of a job coverin' the facts. It's time we came to a showdown
with your murderin' outfit, and I aim to see if we've got a government
in this country."

"Heaven guided my hand," devoutly breathed the general. "It is
regrettable that you used this means when a word to me would have
served the purpose, for--it is no trivial matter to desecrate a Mexican
graveyard. My country, too, has a government. An officer of the State
of Texas, under arms, has crossed the Rio Grande. What does that mean?"

Captain Evans had a sense of humor; Longorio's ominous words amused
him. "Say, general, it ain't the first time," he chortled. "And you're
an officer, too, ain't you? You're in Texas at this minute, and I'll
bet if I frisked you I'd find that you was under arms." The Mexican
understood English sufficiently well to grasp the significance of these
words. After a moment's consideration, therefore, he modified his
threatening tone.

"But my mission was friendly. I had no criminal purpose," he said,
mildly. "However--perhaps one offense condones the other. At any rate,
we must have no international complications. There is a more practical
side to the matter: if Don Ricardo Guzman met his death in Mexico there
will be a rigid investigation, I assure you."

Evans agreed. "That's fair! And I'll make a bargain with you: you keep
still and so'll we. We never aimed for this affair to get out, anyhow.
I reckon these men"--he indicated Lewis and his followers--"ain't
liable to talk much."

The two Guzman boys, greatly moved, returned to announce that they had
indeed identified their father's body, and Longorio could not well
refuse to accept their evidence.

"Very well," said he. "I am indebted to you. Since there is nothing
more to be said, apparently, I will return to Romero." With a bow to
Mrs. Austin, who had silently watched the play of these opposing
motives, he turned away, and Tad Lewis followed him.

But Dave Law had recognized Adolfo Urbina in the crowd, and, stepping
forward, disarmed him, saying:

"Adolfo, there's a warrant for you, so I'll just take you in."

For a moment