people--these of the valley of the Jaula--and certainly in appearance
looked harmless enough. Yet there was no doubt but what now they had
deliberately blocked the path of these two.

Wilson looked to Stubbs.

"What does this mean?"

"Looks as though we had been brought to anchor. D' ye know 'nuff
Spanish to say 'Howdy' to 'em?"

"Perhaps a few presents would talk better?"

"Too many of 'em. Try your parley-vous."

"Might move ahead a bit first and see what happens."

"Then get a grip on your gun, m' boy."

"No," objected Wilson, sharply. "You'd have a fight in a minute. Move
ahead as though we did not suspect we were checked."

He flicked the haunches of the leading burro and the patient animal
started automatically. But soon his nose reached the breast of an
impassive brown man. Wilson stepped forward.

"Greeting," he said in Spanish.

He received no response.

"Greetings to the chief. Gifts for the chief," he persisted.

The eyes of the little man in front of him blinked back with no
inkling of what lay behind them. It was clear that this was a
preconceived, concerted movement. It looked more serious. But Stubbs
called cheerily to him:

"See here, m' boy, there's one thing we can do; wait for _them_ to
make a move. Sit down an' make yerself comfortable an' see what
happens."

They gathered the six burros into a circle, tied them with their heads
together and then squatted back to back upon the ground beside them.
Stubbs drew out his pipe, filled, and lighted it.

"Keep yer gun within reach," he warned in an undertone to Wilson.
"Maybe they don't mean no harm; maybe they does. We'll make 'em pay
heavy fer what they gits from us, anyhow."

The surrounding group watched them with silent interest, but at the
end of a half hour during which nothing happened more exciting than
the relighting of Stubbs' pipe, they appeared uneasy. They found the
strangers as stoical as the burros. Many of the men lounged off, but
their places were promptly filled by the women and children so that
the circle remained intact. Wilson grew impatient.

"It would be interesting to know whether or not we are prisoners," he
growled.

"When yer feel like beginnin' the row we can find out that."

"I should feel as though shooting at children to fire into this
crowd."

"Thet's what they be--jus' so many naked kids; but Lord, they can
swing knives like men if they're like sim'lar children I've seen."

"We're losing valuabl