s gun back into the holster.
And Floyd had the sense to return his weapon. As Rosemary had said,
there was grave danger in firing, for at best only a few of the Yaquis
could have been disposed of, and the others would have taken a terrible
revenge.

Right up to the stalled car--stalled because it had lurched to one side
in the ditch--rode the yelling Yaquis. Some of them got in the path of
the evident leader, but he bumped them to one side with his horse--a
more powerful animal than any ridden by his followers--shouting at them
in vigorous Spanish as he knocked them out of his way.

"La Paz! La Paz!" is what Rosemary and Floyd heard shouted at the
leader, and this they took to be his name, or, at least, his title.
From then on they referred to him as "Paz," which was as good an
appellation as any.

Up to the auto he rode, at breakneck speed, pulling his horse to a
sliding stop, so that the animal almost sat down on its hind legs in an
effort to avoid crashing into the car. To the credit of Rosemary be it
said that she did not scream, nor did Floyd flinch, though it seemed,
for a moment, that there would be a crash.

Then the Yaqui leader, with a grunt, and a wave of his begrimed
hand--in which grime Rosemary noticed with a shudder, blood was
mingled--indicated that the travelers were to alight.

"Nothing doing, Chief! That is if you are a chief!" boldly answered
Floyd. "We're United States citizens, on United States soil, and we
don't have to do what you tell us. Pull your freight--get your men out
of the way and we'll mosey along. That is we will if I can get the car
out of the ditch!"

The Yaqui grinned, but did not take his eyes from Rosemary or Floyd,
and muttered:

"No _sabe_!"

"Oh, you _understand_ all right--you don't want to, that's the
trouble," exclaimed Floyd. "Come now, be a sport. I don't know what
your fight is with the men down there," and he motioned to the town
below, where sounds of fighting could still be heard, "but we haven't
done anything. If some of your men will help me get out of this ditch
I'll pay 'em."

Evidently "pay" was one word not only Paz, but some of his followers,
understood, for there were grunts and eyes gleamed more brightly while
some of the Indians started forward.

Paz shot out a few words at his men, and those who had had the
boldness, to move forward pulled back their ponies. Evidently he had
them well in hand.

Rapidly he uttered something in Span