reter. Del Rio spoke absolutely no English and had informed
himself that Engle's Spanish was inadequate for the occasion.

"He is Senor Don Enrique del Rio," explained Ignacio, touched by the
spell of the other's munificence and immaculate clothes. "He would
like to shake the hand of Senor Engle to become acquainted and then
friends. . . . He brings papers to tell who and what he is in Mexico
City, whence he has departed because of too damn much fight down there;
he wishes to put some money here in the _banco_, which he can take
away again to buy a big ranch and many cattle and horses. He has the
other money in a _banco_ in New York, where he sent it out from Mexico
two, three months ago."

And so on, while Engle gravely listened and shrewdly, after his fashion
in business hours, probed for the inner man under the outer polish,
while del Rio nodded and smiled and never withdrew his night-black eyes
from Engle's face.

Del Rio, it appeared, had gone first to the Casa Blanca because he had
heard of Jim Galloway as one of the most influential men of the county.
Since arriving in San Juan, however, he had heard this and that, mere
rumors, which caused him to come to Engle. He, a stranger, could ill
afford in the beginning to have his name coupled with that of any man
not known for his spotless integrity. Senor Engle understood? . . .
Later, when del Rio had found the properties to his liking and had
builded a home, his wife and two daughters would arrive. Now they
travelled in California.

In the end Engle accepted the Mexican's deposits, which amounted to
approximately a thousand dollars, and which were to be drawn against
merely as an expense account until del Rio found his ranch. And the
first item of expense was the purchase from Engle himself of a fine
saddle-animal, a pure-blooded, clean-limbed young mare, sister to
Persis. After which the Mexican spent a great deal of his time riding
about the country, looking at ranches. He visited Engle's two places,
called upon Norton at Las Flores, ferreting out prices, looking at
water and feed, examining soil.

It was a bare fortnight after the coming of del Rio when out of Las
Palmas came word of fresh lawlessness. The superintendent of the three
Quigley mines had been surprised the night before pay-day, forced at
the point of a revolver to open his own safe, and robbed of several
thousand dollars. A man on horseback rushed word to San Juan, found
Tom Cutter,