farmer from a hill valley bringing supplies to sell to the patriotic
army. Would his wares turn out to be mescal or vegetables or perhaps a
leggy steer that he had butchered?

As he drew nearer it was to be seen that a crate hung from one side of
the burro. In it were chickens. Balancing this, on the other side, were
two gunnysacks. Through a hole in one of these pushed the green face of
a cabbage. Interest in the new arrival declined. The chickens would go
to the quarters of the officers, and cabbage was an old story.

When the burro was opposite the corral one of the sacks gave way with a
rip. From out of the hole poured a stream of apples upon the dusty road.
That part of the Legion which was nearest pounced upon the fruit with
shouts of laughter. The owner tried to fight the half-grown soldiers
from his property. He might as well have tried to sweep back an ocean
tide with a broom. In ten seconds every apple had been gleaned from the
dust. Within thirty more everything but the cores had gone to feed the
Legion.

The vendor of food wailed and flung imprecations at his laughing
tormentors. He cursed them fluently and shook a dirty brown fist at the
circle of troopers. He threatened to tell Pasquale what they had done.

A harsh voice interrupted him. "What is it you will tell Pasquale?"

The army began to melt unobtrusively away. The general himself,
accompanied by Major Ochampa, sat in the saddle and scowled at the
farmer. The latter told his story, almost in tears. This was all he had,
these chicken, cabbages, and apples. He had brought them down to sell
and was going to enlist. His Excellency would understand that he, Pedro
Cabenza, was a patriot, but, behold! he had been robbed.

He was at any rate a very ragged patriot. There was a hole in his cotton
trousers through which four inches of coffee-colored leg showed. His
shoes were in the last stages. The hat he doffed was an extremely
ventilated one.

Pasquale passed judgment instantly. It would never do for word to get
out that those bringing supplies to feed his army were not paid fairly.

"Buy the chickens and the cabbage, Ochampa. Pay the man for his apples.
Enlist him and find him a mount."

He rode away, leaving his subordinate to deal with the details. Major
Ochampa was the paymaster for the army as well as Secretary of the
Treasury for the Government of which Pasquale was the chief. His name
was on the very much-depreciated currency the insurgents h