n in the
direction of the corrals, where he could observe them at his leisure
from the recesses of the garden without attracting attention.

Notwithstanding the fact that the dark woman was at a disadvantage in
her dust-covered riding-habit, he could not for the life of him tell
which was the more beautiful of the two as he passed behind a thicket of
lilac bushes, and seated himself on a rustic bench and began rolling a
_cigarillo_ between his long slim fingers.

Juan was a born gambler, and like all of his tribe, was usually in want
of money. To-day he needed it more than ever, for that very morning his
mistress had taunted him and threatened to leave him if he did not pay
for the new dresses she had recently purchased, and for which she was
now being dunned by her creditors. Never had he had such a run of bad
luck. During the great week of the _Fiesta_ he had tried everything from
roulette to monte, but fortune's wheel had turned steadily against him.
It was truly the devil's own luck and no mistake. If only the luck would
turn, he would quit the game of chance forever--cast off the ungrateful
Dolores, and.... He drew a much-worn pack of cards from his breast
pocket and began cutting them with a dexterity acquired through long
years of practice.

Like all of his race, and the majority of mankind for that matter, he
was intensely superstitious. Three times in succession he cut and dealt
the cards, and three times the ace of hearts, the luckiest card in the
pack, turned face upwards on the bench.

"_Santa Maria!_ 'tis a miracle--the luck has changed at last!" he
muttered excitedly, as with dilated eyes and trembling hands he gathered
up the cards and replaced them carefully in his pocket. His dream of the
_hacienda_ and the fair Rosita might yet come true. But how? The cards
were too fickle to trust for long. Just then the rich, deep voice of
Chiquita fell upon his ears. Without knowing why, yet intuitively he
seemed to connect her with the turn in his fortune--and it set him
thinking.

Ever since the _Fiesta_, curiosity had prompted him to learn something
concerning Chiquita's motive for dancing; and whenever the opportunity
presented itself, he had shadowed her. His patience was soon rewarded by
learning that she made frequent visits to the Indian _pueblo_, Onava,
often riding there in the late evening under cover of the dusk. On one
occasion he saw an Indian ride forth from the village and meet her on
the plain