procured my discharge. And that was humiliation enough."

"Yet what difference does it make, Gato. As soon as Don Luis
is through with the Americanos he will restore you to your old
position."

"It is because the Americanos treated me with such contempt,"
retorted Pedro. "No man sneers at me and lives."

"You unhung bandit!" muttered Tom under his breath. "Why don't
you tell your bandit friends that you are angry because of the
trouncing I gave you before a lot of men? But I suppose you hate
to lose caste, even before such ragged specimens as your friends."

Suddenly one of the men around the fire snatched at his rifle.
Next scattering the embers of the fire, the fellow threw himself
down flat, peering down the road.

"The troops are coming," he whispered. "I hear their horses."

"The horses that you hear are mules," laughed Gato, harshly.
"It is the nightly transport of ore down to _El Sombrero_. Just
now Don Luis is having fine ore brought over the hills from another
mine and dumped into _El Sombrero_."

"Why should he bring ore from another mine to _El Sombrero_?"
asked one of the men, curiously.

"How should I know?" demanded Gato, shrugging his shoulders and
spitting on the ground. "Why should I concern myself with the