e loves a dollar, too, and
MacDougall has bought him, I'm afraid. I think MacDougall is lending money
through him, getting mortgages on ranches that way."

"Well; what do you think we had better do?" Ramon enquired. The situation
looked bad on its face, but he could see that Cortez had a plan.

"Just one thing I thought of," the little man answered slowly. "We have
got to get Alfego on our side. If we can do that, we can keep out
MacDougall and everybody else {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} buy when we get ready. We couldn't pay
Alfego much, but we could let him in on the railroad deal {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} something
MacDougall won't do. And Alfego, you know, is a _penitente_. He's _hermano
mayor_ (chief brother) up there. And all those little _rancheros_ are
_penitentes_. It's the strongest _penitente_ county in the State, and you
know none of the _penitentes_ like gringos. None of those fellows like
MacDougall; they're all afraid of him. All they like is his money. You
haven't so much money, but you could spend some. You could give a few
_bailes_. You are Mexican; your family is well-known. If you were a
_penitente_, too.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}"

Cortez left his sentence hanging in the air. He nodded his head slowly,
his cigar cocked at a knowing angle, looking at Ramon through narrowed
lids.

Ramon sat looking straight before him for a moment. He saw in imagination
a procession of men trudging half-naked in the raw March weather, their
backs gashed so that blood ran down to their heels, beating themselves and
each other.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} The _penitentes_! Other men, even gringos, had risen to power
by joining the order. Why not he? It would give him just the prestige and
standing he needed in that country. He would lose a little blood. He would
win {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} everything!

"You are right, _amigo_," he told Cortez. "But do you think it can be
arranged?"

"I have talked to Alfego about it," Cortez admitted. "I think it can be
arranged."

CHAPTER XIX

He was all ready to leave for Arriba County when one more black mischance
came to bedevil him. Cortez came into the office with a worried look in
his usually unrevealing eyes.

"There's a woman in town looking for you," he announced. "A Mexican girl
from the country. She was asking everybody she met where to find you. You
ought to be more careful. I took her to my house and promised I would
bring you right away