under the lantern and carefully composed that
telegram. This was their one last hope, and it must get action.

"There, that will do it," Imogene nodded sagely. They were sitting
side by side, their heads close together, studying the final draft of
the appeal. The night wind blew a strand of her hair against his face,
and for a moment he forgot the desert, forgot the fight, forgot the
telegram, and saw only her. Then he shook himself free from the spell.
He must save the girl and himself before he dared speak.

Imogene roused up her father, and had him sign the message. And an
hour later by a combination of bribes, threats, and pleadings Bob got a
sleepy operator to reopen the telegraph office and speed the message to
Washington.

At five o'clock the next day the reply came. Bob signed for it, and
his fingers shook as he tore it open.

DEAR THEO:

State Department instructing consul by wire to take any action
necessary to protect American ranchers.

W.

By eleven o'clock that night he got a message from the consul; and
thirty minutes later Bob was speeding toward Tia Juana, a hundred and
fifty miles west, to see the Mexican governor.

CHAPTER XXVIII

Early next morning Rogeen got an interview with the executive of the
Mexican province, whom he had never met. The governor received him
most courteously and manifested both alert intelligence and a spirit of
fairness. During that long night ride Bob had thought out most
carefully his exact line of appeal.

"Your Excellency," he said, earnestly, "wishes, of course, for the
fullest development of the Imperial Valley in Mexico. To that end the
ranchers must know they have full protection, not alone for their lives
as they now have, but also for their crops. They must know it is
profitable to farm in Mexico. I, myself, have five thousand acres of
cotton, which will pay in export duties alone perhaps $25,000. Next
year I wish to grow much more. Besides, I'm the agent for a very rich
man who lends hundreds of thousands of dollars to other ranchers in
your province.

"But this can continue only if those who do business on your side of
the line obey the laws and pay their debts. Such men as Reedy Jenkins
must be compelled to deal honestly or get out."

The governor agreed to what Rogeen said, and promised to take prompt
action.

"But," insisted Bob, "to save us, it must be done quickly. Jenkins'
cotton must be seized and held for his debts,