own in the shadow with a certain shy stolidity, until Kit
spoke, when they at once beamed recognition, and made jokes of his
beard as a blanket.

But they had news to tell, great news, for a child of Miguel had
broken away from the slavers and had hidden in the mountains, and at
last had found her way back to Palomitas. She was very tired and very
poor in raiment, and the people were weeping over her. Miguel, her
father, was dead from a wound, and was under the ground, and of the
others who went on she could tell nothing, only that Conrad, the
German friend of Don Jose, was the man who covered his face and helped
take the women. Her sister Anita had recognized him, calling out his
name, and he had struck her with a quirt.

The women left their work to listen to this, and to add the memories
of some of their friends who had hidden and luckily escaped.

"That white man should be crucified and left for the vultures," said
the boy Benito.

"No," said the soft voice of Valencia, "God was sacrificed, but this
man is a white Judas; the death of God is too good for that man. It
has been talked about. He will be found some place,--and the Judas
death will be his. The women are making prayers."

"It will soon be Easter," said Isidro.

Kit did not know what was meant by a "Judas" death, though he did know
many of the church legends had been turned by the Indians into strange
and lurid caricatures. He thought it would be interesting to see how
they could enlarge on the drama of Judas, but he made no comment, as a
direct question would turn the Indians thoughtful, and silence them.

They all appeared alert for the return of Rotil. No one believed he
had retired utterly from the region without demanding tribute from
Soledad. It was generally suspected that Perez received and held
munitions for use against the revolutionists though no one knew where
they were hidden. There were Indian tales of underground tunnels of
Soledad Mission for retreat in the old days in case of hostile
attacks, and the Soledad ranch house was built over part of that
foundation. No one at Soledad knew the entrance except Perez himself,
though it was surmised that Juan Gonsalvo had known, and had been the
one to store the mule loads and wagon loads of freight shipped over
the border before Miguel Herrara was caught at the work from the
American side. Perez was a careful man, and not more than one man was
trusted at one time. That man seemed marked by th