een the
grandest, most successful velorio ever held in that part of the world.
At eleven o'clock I announced that my battery was overheated and too
dangerous to reload, which stopped the praying and the grand baile
began. There were several hundred dancing couples, who enjoyed
themselves to the utmost until sunrise, and nobody thought of leaving
for home until everything eatable and liquid was disposed of.

Now the date of our departure had arrived, and very sad, indeed, was I
to leave these people who had done their very best to make me feel at
home with them and who seemed to be really fond of me. I consoled Dona
Josefita somewhat with the promise that I would return some day and
find her the treasure of La Gran Quivira. Don Juan Mestal, the
freighter, seemed as reluctant to leave as I was; something was always
turning up to delay our start. But at last we were off.

After three days of travel, we came to a small town, where I met a
Mexican whom I knew on the Rio Grande, where he had formerly lived. He
invited me cordially to the wedding of his sister, which was to be on
the next day at old Fort Wingate, an abandoned fort, and then a Mexican
settlement. This man said that he had come on purpose to meet me, as he
had heard of my intentions to leave the country. Although I did not
like the man, who was said to be jealous of Americans, I accepted his
urgent invitation more from curiosity to learn what he meant to do than
for other reasons.

The next morning I started early from camp and rode over to the little
town, distant fifteen miles. When I arrived in front of my prospective
host's house I caught a glimpse of two men, who were sneaking off
toward an old corral. Then I knew what was in the wind, for those two
men were known to me as desperate cutthroat thieves and highwaymen;
their specialty was to waylay and murder American travelers. My kind
friend professed to be overmuch delighted at my arrival. He took charge
of my horse and invited me into his house, where I met the bridal
couple and their friends, who were carousing and gambling. I joined and
made merry with them. At ten o'clock the whole party made ready to
proceed to the chapel, where the marriage ceremony was to be performed.
I simulated the part of a very inebriated person, a condition which
they looked forward to with hope and satisfaction, and told them that I
would stay at the house to await their return. When everybody had left
I thought I might as