Johnny paused, and another coin slipped tinkling into the can.

"What did you say?"

The Mexican hesitated. He would like very much to see that other coin.
It had sounded heavy--almost as heavy as a dollar. He turned his head
and looked attentively at the house.

"Quien sabe, senor." The senor he added for sake of the coin he had
not seen. "Mucho name, Ah'm theenk."

"Think some more." Johnny poured the last of the gas and caused
another clinking sound in the can. The Mexican's eyes were as wide
open now as they would ever be, and he even called a faint smile to his
countenance.

"Some-_times_--Sawb," he recollected, and reached for the can.

"Sawb--What y'mean, Sawb? That's no name for a man. You mean Schwab?"

"Si, senor--Sawb." He glanced again at the house distrustfully, as if
he feared even his murmur might be overheard.

"All right. Get the water now."

"Si, senor." And he went for it at a trot, that he might the sooner
investigate the source of those clinking sounds.

"Schwab! Uhm-hm--he looks it, all right." He stepped down to the
ground, pulled a handful of silver from his pocket and eyed it
speculatively, glancing now and then after the receding Mexican. "He'd
tell a lot to get it all," he decided. "He'd tell so much he'd make up
about four thirds of it. I guess those birds ain't taking greasers
like him into their secrets, and he's spilled all he knows when he
spilled the fellow's name. Four bits more will do him fine." Wealth,
you will observe, was inclining Johnny toward parsimoniousness.

He got the water from the hopeful Mexican, gave him the half dollar and
brief thanks, filled the radiator, and waited for Cliff. And in a very
few minutes Cliff came out, walking as though he were in a hurry. The
florid gentleman stood framed in the doorway, watching him as friendly
hosts are wont to gaze after departing guests, out west where guests
are few. Like a departing guest Cliff turned for a last word.

"I'll be back soon as possible," he called to the man Schwab. "A
little after sunrise, probably. Better wait here for me."

Schwab nodded and waved his cigar, and Johnny grinned to himself while
he straddled into his seat.

Cliff went straight to the propeller. "Take me to Los Angeles, old
man. You can light where you did before; there won't be any bean vines
in the way this time. I had the Japs clear off and level a strip for a
landing. It's marked off with white flags