Pasquale's boiled in p'ison, especially when he is drunk.
He'd do whatever he had a mind to do."

"What's the matter with us sending a messenger down there with a fake
wire from the old man to Threewit telling him to hustle up and get busy
right away on a feature film? Pasquale would have to show his hand,
anyhow. We'd know where we were at."

Yeager assented. "He'd have to turn them loose or hold them. But even if
he turned them loose, he might arrange to have them accidentally killed
by bandits before they reached home. Still, it would put one thing right
up to him--that their friends know where they are and are ready to sick
Uncle Sam on him if he don't act proper."

Manderson, Miss Winters, and Daisy Ellington were called into council
after breakfast. The situation was canvassed from all sides, but in the
end they stood where they had been at the beginning. Nobody felt sure
what Pasquale would do or knew whether the visitors at his camp would
be detained as prisoners. The original suggestion of Lennox seemed the
best under the circumstances.

Old Juan Yuste was brought in from the stables and given the telegram.
He was told nothing except that it was urgent that Threewit get the
message as soon as possible. The five-dollar gold-piece which Lennox
tossed to the Mexican drew a grin that exposed a mouth half empty of
teeth.

In the absence of both Threewit and Farrar the business of producing
films was at a standstill. The members of the company took an enforced
holiday. Manderson read a novel. Daisy wrote letters. Lennox and Miss
Winters went for a long stroll. Steve helped Baldy Cummings mend broken
saddles and other property stuff. The extras played poker.

Juan returned late in the evening on the second day. He brought with him
a letter addressed to Lennox. It was from Pasquale. The message was
written in English. It said:--

Greetings, senor. Your friends are the guests of General Pasquale.
They came to Noche Buena to find one Senor Yeager. They are
resolved to stay here until he is found by them, even though they
remain till the day of their death.

The note was signed, "Siempre, Gabriel Pasquale."

After reading, it, Yeager handed the note back to Lennox and spoke
quietly.

"Pasquale passes the buck up to me. I've been thinking he might do
that."

"You mean--?"

"--That he serves notice he's going to kill our friends if I don't give
myself up to him."

"But would he? Dare h