about as far as it could be safely carried, for Gabriel was both a
ruthless and a hot-tempered despot.

Harrison sat down sullenly without speaking and stared straight in front
of him. He was boiling with impotent fury. Pasquale had the whip hand
and meant to carry things his own way. Of that he no longer had any
doubt. In bringing Ruth to Noche Buena he had made a great mistake.

"Do you want to make some money, you--what's your name?" he presently
rasped out.

Yeager answered with the universal formula of the land. "Si, senor. And
my name is Cabenza--Pedro Cabenza."

The prizefighter glanced warily around, then lowered his voice. "I mean
a lot of money--twenty dollars, maybe."

"Gold?" asked the peon, wide-eyed.

"Gold. How far would you go to earn that much?"

"A long way, senor."

Harrison caught him by the wrist with a grip that drove the blood back.
"Listen, Cabenza. _Would you go as far as the camp of Garcia Farrugia?_"
The close-gripped, salient jaw was thrust forward. Black eyes blazed
from a set, snarling face.

So, after all, the man was trafficking with the Federal governor all the
time just as he was with the Constitutionalists. Yeager had once or
twice suspected as much.

"To the camp of Governor Farrugia," gasped Cabenza. "But--what for,
senor?"

"To carry him a letter. Never mind what for. You will get your pay. Is
it not enough?"

"And--Pasquale?"

"Need never know. You can slip away this afternoon and be back by
to-morrow night."

Cabenza shook his head regretfully. "No. I am one of the horse
wranglers. My boss would miss me if I was not here. I cannot go."

The other man swore. At the same time he recognized the argument as
effective. He must find a messenger who could absent himself without
stirring up questions.

"Then keep your mouth clamped," ordered Harrison. "I may be able to use
you here. Anyhow, I want you to be ready to help if I need you."

He slipped a dollar into the brown palm of the peon and left him.

Steve looked after him with narrowed eyes. "Mr. Harrison is liable to
bump into trouble if he don't look out. He's gone crazy with the heat,
looks like. First thing, he'll pick on the wrong greaser and Mr.
Messenger will take the letter to Pasquale instead of Farrugia. That's
about what'll happen."

Something else happened first, however, that distracted the attention of
Mr. Yeager, alias Cabenza, from this regrettable possibility. A man
rode into camp, followed