ton's horse?" asked Jose.

"Yes," said Chot. "Do you know the owner?"

The man muttered something which Chot could not understand.

"Then you come from Rosado?" questioned Jose. This after a pause
during which he eyed Chot narrowly.

"I have been stopping there," answered Chot.

"Are you going back there?" asked Miguel.

"I am going to meet Mr. and Mrs. Shelton," replied Chot, getting
somewhat uneasy under the insistent questioning.

"That is what I told you," remarked Jose to Miguel, as the men started
back to the Inn.

"I wonder what it was he told him?" mused Chot. "The best thing I can
do is to get away from here as quickly as possible."

As soon as Chot could get his breakfast he was off on his way, having
seen nothing more of the bandits.

From Estrada a good part of the journey was along the course of a
stream that came down from the mountains and as the road was good Chot
urged his horse on, but in spite of all his efforts the animal lagged;
so that when at noon he stopped to rest in a small grove, he was much
less than half way to Rosado. The presence of the bandits at the Inn
had disquieted him and as soon as the worst of the heat was over he
re-saddled his horse to resume his journey.

As he was starting off, as a matter of precaution he glanced back over
the road and was disturbed to see two horsemen rapidly approaching.

"The quicker I can get away from here the better," he thought, and he
urged his horse on as fast as he could.

"They may be all right," he reflected, "but I don't like the looks of
it and it will be just as well to keep out of their way."

"I wonder what is the matter with Brownie," he cogitated after a bit,
for in spite of all his efforts the horse's pace became more labored
and slower. His pursuers, if such they were, were rapidly gaining on
him.

"They may be after me and they may be only traveling in this
direction," he reasoned, "but I am going to find out. I will ride over
to the woods, it is out of my way and off the trail, if they follow
I'll know they are after me."

Turning his horse's head in the direction of the forest he proceeded
as fast as he could. Looking back after a few moments he saw that the
men had changed their course and were plainly headed toward and
rapidly gaining on him. His position was decidedly unpleasant. The
outlaws he was sure, had recognized him as one of the comrades who
were visiting at the hacienda, and of whom they had heard enough,