t wonder at it. I have had some experience with him, and, if he
had a few more years on his shoulders, I should be afraid of him
myself."

"I can't punish them unless I have help," repeated Arthur; "and, if you
will lend me your assistance, you can make sixty thousand dollars by it.
I heard those fellows say, yesterday, that they are going on a hunting
expedition, next week. I will make friends with them again, and find out
when they intend to start, and I propose that you capture them, and take
them to some safe place in the mountains, and demand twenty thousand
dollars apiece for them. You can demand more, if you choose, and get it,
too; for Mr. Harris is rich, and so is Mr. Winters. You must have some
men to assist you, however."

"I understand that," said Pierre. "I'll find the men."

"Will you do it?"

"Certainly, I will."

"Give me your hand, Pierre; I knew you would help me. But let me tell
you one thing, and that is, when you capture them you must look out for
yourself. They will have plenty of weapons, and, from what I have seen
of them, I don't think they would hesitate to use them if they got a
chance. There's one thing about this business I don't exactly admire. Of
course, I shall start with their expedition--I want to have the
satisfaction of seeing them captured--and my idea was, that, when you
made the attack on them, you should give me a chance to escape; but
Joaquin says, that won't do at all."

"Certainly not;" said Pierre, quickly. "I shall have five men with me,
and if we should let you get away, the boys would be suspicious of you
at once."

"That's just what Joaquin said; and since I have thought the matter
over, I have come to the conclusion that he was right. I don't want them
to know that I had a hand in this matter, for they might make me some
trouble."

"Very likely they would. You must allow yourself to be captured with the
others."

"Well, I sha'n't mind that, for, I believe, I can enjoy myself among the
mountains for a month or two. But, Pierre, when you get them you must
hold fast to them."

"I am not the man to let sixty thousand dollars slip through my
fingers," said the Ranchero, with a laugh.

"And there are three other things I want you to remember," continued
Arthur, earnestly. "The first is, you must not demand any ransom for
me."

"Oh no; of course not."

"The second is, I shall expect to be treated at all times like a
visitor. I am a gentleman, and a gentleman's