st at the moment the latter had made his thrust, and he fell to
the ground simultaneously with his victim, still clutching the handle of
the spear!

A fearful group lay dead upon the sward; but Carlos did not stay to
contemplate it. The fight still raged in another part of the field,
and, putting spurs to his horse he galloped off to take part in it.

But the Panes had now lost many of their best warriors, and a general
panic had seized upon them, ending in their full flight. Carlos
followed along with the victorious pursuers, now and then using his
rifle upon the fleeing robbers. But fearing that a stray party of them
might attack his own little camp he turned from the line of pursuit, and
galloped in that direction. On arriving, he found Antonio and the peons
fortified within their corral, and all safe. Stray Indians had passed
them, but all apparently too much frightened to have any desire for an
attack upon the little party.

As soon as the cibolero had ascertained these facts, he turned his horse
and rode back toward the scene of the late conflict.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

As Carlos approached the spot where the chief had been slain he heard
the death-wail chanted by a chorus of voices.

On getting still nearer, he perceived a ring of warriors dismounted and
standing around a corpse. It was that of the fallen chief. Others,
fresh from the pursuit, were gathering to the place; each taking up the
melancholy dirge as he drew nigh.

The cibolero alighted, and walked forward to the ring. Some regarded
him with looks of surprise, while others, who knew he had aided them in
the fight, stepped up and grasped him by the hand. One old warrior
taking Carlos' arm in his, led him forward to the ring, and silently
pointed to the now ghastly features, as though he was imparting to the
cibolero the news that their chief was dead!

Neither he nor any of the warriors knew what part Carlos had borne in
the affair. No one, now alive, had been witness to the conflict in
which the chief had fallen. Around the spot were high copses that hid
it from the rest of the field, and, at the time this conflict occurred,
the fight was raging in a different direction. The warrior, therefore,
thought he was imparting to Carlos a piece of news, and the latter
remained silent.

But there was a _mystery_ among the braves, and Carlos saw this by their
manner. Five Indians lay dead upon the ground _unscalped_! That was
the mystery.