conclusion, "you are tough! And two
mirages in the bargain. I was lost on Mojave once, and to my mind the
mirages was the wust part of the hull game."

"What do you mean?" asked Roldan. "What are mirages?"

"Mirages, Rolly, are what ought to be and ain't, what you want and
can't git, and they bear a hell-fired resemblance to life. I see you
don't quite understand. Well, that there beautiful city and that there
beautiful lake was what we call mirage for want of better name!" And he
explained to them the meaning of the phenomenon, as far as he
understood it.

"We have certainly learned a good deal since we left home," said
Roldan, thoughtfully.

"There's room for more. There's room for more. Now, I suppose you'd
like to know how I come here. Wall, I've got a confession to make fust,
and seein' as you've been so nigh to death in the last few days,
p'r'aps you'll furgive me. The day after you left I went down to see
the priest, as agreed. I found him--well, I don't know as I'll tell
everything, not even to excuse myself. It's enough to say that he was
half luny between fear and remorse. He told me--I suppose he'd got to
that state where he had to tell somebody or bust--about leavin' you in
the tunnel to die, and bein' willin' after to kill you with his own
hands--he was that mad. But he felt terrible sorry, and said that if
you told on him it would serve him right; only that would mean
ruin--ruin--ruin--a terrible word, young man. And he's not a day over
forty and calkilates to git out of Californy with that there gold and
be a big-bug in his native land. I hesitated some time, fur I ain't no
slouch at keepin' a promise; but in the end I had to tell him. Why, a
man's a criminal if he don't put another man out of misery when he
kin--"

"You did quite right," interrupted Roldan. "I am glad that he was
punished, but I would not have any one punished for ever."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way. He felt good, I kin tell you that.
He looked ten years younger in five minutes, for he said as how he knew
you'd keep your word. I went straight off and managed to have a word
with young Carrillo. It warnt no trouble to make him promise to keep
his mouth shet; he's more afraid of the priest than he is of his
father's green-hide lariat, and that's sayin' a heap. When I went back
to the Mission I told the priest that I thought as how I'd go on to
Ortega's, and see if you got there all right. When I got there and
heard as how you