then," she murmured in liquid Spanish, "I had not beheld thee,
thou great, red mountain of a man! And thou art kind and good, as well
as strong. Could one choose him, knowing thee? Let him die; for then I
will not be filled with fear by day and night lest he hurt thee or
me."

"How can I know when he comes?" asked Sandridge.

"When he comes," said Tonia, "he remains two days, sometimes three.
Gregorio, the small son of old Luisa, the _lavendera_ [74], has a
swift pony. I will write a letter to thee and send it by him, saying
how it will be best to come upon him. By Gregorio will the letter come.
And bring many men with thee, and have much care, oh, dear red one,
for the rattlesnake is not quicker to strike than is '_El Chivato_,'
[75] as they call him, to send a ball from his _pistola_."

[FOOTNOTE 74: lavendera--(Spanish) laundress, washerwoman]

[FOOTNOTE 75: El Chivato--(Spanish) literally translated as The
Sneak or The Informer but more likely meaning The
Villain or The Evil One. This was one of the
nicknames of Billy the Kid.]

"The Kid's handy with his gun, sure enough," admitted Sandridge, "but
when I come for him I shall come alone. I'll get him by myself or not
at all. The Cap wrote one or two things to me that make me want to do
the trick without any help. You let me know when Mr. Kid arrives, and
I'll do the rest."

"I will send you the message by the boy Gregorio," said the girl. "I
knew you were braver than that small slayer of men who never smiles.
How could I ever have thought I cared for him?"

It was time for the ranger to ride back to his camp on the water hole.
Before he mounted his horse he raised the slight form of Tonia with
one arm high from the earth for a parting salute. The drowsy stillness
of the torpid summer air still lay thick upon the dreaming afternoon.
The smoke from the fire in the _jacal_, where the _frijoles_ [76]
blubbered in the iron pot, rose straight as a plumb-line above the
clay-daubed chimney. No sound or movement disturbed the serenity of
the dense pear thicket ten yards away.

[FOOTNOTE 76: frijoles--(Spanish) beans, usually cooked a long
time until very soft, with various seasonings
added]

When the form of Sandridge had disappeared, loping his big dun down
the steep banks of the Frio crossing, the Kid crept back to his own
horse, mounted him, and rode ba