tance before morning. Our scouts aroused every
ranch within miles that we passed on the way, only to have reports
exaggerated as usual. One thing we did learn that night, and that
was that the robbers were led by a white man. He was described in
the superlatives that the Spanish language possesses abundantly;
everything from the horse he rode to the solid braid on his sombrero
was described in the same strain. But that kind of prize was the kind
we were looking for.

"On the head of the Arroyo Colorado there is a broken country
interspersed with glades and large openings. We felt very sure that
the robbers would make camp somewhere in that country. When day broke
the freshness of the trail surprised and pleased us. They couldn't be
far away. Before an hour passed, we noticed a smoke cloud hanging low
in the morning air about a mile ahead. We dismounted and securely tied
our horses and pack stock. Every man took all the cartridges he could
use, and was itching for the chance to use them. We left the trail,
and to conceal ourselves took to the brush or dry arroyos as a
protection against alarming the quarry. They were a quarter of a mile
off when we first sighted them. We began to think the reports were
right, for there seemed no end of horses, and at least twenty-five
men. By dropping back we could gain one of those dry arroyos which
would bring us within one hundred yards of their camp. A young fellow
by the name of Rusou, a crack shot, was acting captain in the absence
of our officers. As we backed into the arroyo he said to us, 'If
there's a white man there, leave him to me.' We were all satisfied
that he would be cared for properly at Rusou's hands, and silence gave
consent.

"Opposite the camp we wormed out of the arroyo like a skirmish line,
hugging the ground for the one remaining little knoll between the
robbers and ourselves. I was within a few feet of Rusou as we sighted
the camp about seventy-five yards distant. We were trying to make out
a man that was asleep, at least he had his hat over his face, lying on
a blanket with his head in a saddle. We concluded he was a white man,
if there was one. Our survey of their camp was cut short by two shots
fired at us by two pickets of theirs posted to our left about one
hundred yards. No one was hit, but the sleeping man jumped to his feet
with a six-shooter in each hand. I heard Rusou say to himself, 'You're
too late, my friend.' His carbine spoke, and the fellow fel