he devil. The "diablo" was at the bottom
of all!

If the outlaw appeared so often during the next few days to those who
did not wish to see him, it was somewhat strange that those who were
desirous of a sight and an interview could get neither one nor the
other. The lieutenants, Yafiez and Ortiga, with their following of
troopers, were on the scout and look-out from morning till night, and
from one day's end to the other. The spies that were thickly-set in all
parts where there was a probability he might appear, could see nothing
of Carlos! To-day he was reported here, to-morrow there; but on tracing
these reports to their sources, it usually turned out that some ranchero
with a black horse had been taken for him; and thus the troopers were
led from place to place, and misled by false reports, until both horses
and men were nearly worn out in the hopeless pursuit. This, however,
had become the sole duty on which the soldiers were employed--as the
Comandante had no idea of giving up the chase so long as there was a
trooper left to take the trail.

One place was closely watched both by day and by night. It was watched
by soldiers disguised, and also by spies employed for the purpose. This
was the rancho of the cibolero himself. The disguised soldiers and
spies were placed around it, in such positions that they could see every
movement that took place outside the walls without being themselves
seen. These positions they held during the day, taking others at night;
and the surveillance was thus continual, by these secret sentries
relieving one another. Should the cibolero appear, it was not the duty
of the spies to attack him. They were only to communicate with a
troop--kept in readiness not far off--that thus insured a sufficient
force for the object.

The mother and sister of the cibolero had returned to live in the
rancho. The peons had re-roofed and repaired it--an easy task, as the
walls had not been injured by the five. It was now as comfortable a
dwelling as ever.

The mother and sister were not molested--in fact, they were supposed to
know nothing of the fact that eyes were continually upon them. But
there was a design in this toleration. They were to be narrowly watched
in their movements. They were never to leave the rancho without being
closely followed, and the circumstance of their going out reported to
the leader of the ambushed troop at the moment of its occurrence. These
orders were of