eker of pleasure
adventures in the provinces! It would not be well that word of risk or
danger be sent across seas--and the Viceroy could of course only say
"god speed you" to a gentleman going for a ride with his servants and
his major domo.

And thus:--between a hair brained adventurer and a most extolled
priest, began the third attempt to reach the people called by New
Spain, the Pueblos:--the strangely learned barbarians who dwelt in
walled towns--cultivating field by irrigation, and worshipping their
gods of the sun, or the moon, or the stars through rituals strange as
those of Pagan Egypt.

Word had reached Mexico of the martyrdom of Fray Juan Padilla at
Ci-bo-la, but in the far valley of the Rio Grande del Norte--called by
the tribes the river P[=o]-s[=o]n-ge,--Fray Luis de Escalona might be
yet alive carrying on the work of salvation of souls.

The young Spanish adventurer listened with special interest as the
devotion and sacrifices of Fray Luis were extolled in the recitals.

"If he lives we will find that man," he determined. "He was nobly
born, and of the province of my mother. I've heard the romance for
which he cloaked himself in the gray robe. He should be a prince of
the church instead of a wandering lay brother--we will have a human
thing to search for in the world beyond the desert--ours will be a
crusade to rescue him from the infidel lands."

CHAPTER VIII

THE STORY BY THE DESERT WELL

Don Diego marvelled much at the briskness of the plans for a season of
hunting ere his troublesome charge was well able to see out of both
eyes. But on being told that the range might be wide, he laid in a
goodly stock of quills and parchment, for every league of the land
would bring new things to his knowledge.

These records were to be entitled "Relaciones of the New and Wondrous
Land of the Indian's Island" and in those Relaciones the accounts of
Padre Vicente were to loom large. Among the pagan people his war
against the false gods had been ruthless. Maestro Diego was destined
to hear more of the padre's method than he dared hope in the earlier
days.

Jose, the Indian of the North whose Te-hua name was Khen-zah, went
with them--also his wife--the only woman, for without her the man
would not go in willingness. Two only were the members added by Don
Ruy to the cavalcade--one a stalwart fellow of many scars named Juan
Gonzalvo who had known service with Pizarro in the land of gold--had
lost all h