"I not hear."

"Them vaqueros--bah! They don't bear nothings either. What's matter over
there, nobody hear nothing? Luck, he got no tongue when camera's shut up,
perhaps?"

"Nah--I dunno."

Ramon looked at her for a minute in mute rage. It was not the first time he
had found himself hard against the immutable reticence of the Indian in her
nature.

"Why you snapping teeth like a wolf?" she asked him slyly.

"Me? I don' snap my teeth, sweetheart." It cost Ramon some effort to keep his
voice softened to the love key.

"Why you not ask Wagalexa Conka what he do?"

"I don' care, that's why I don' ask. Me, it's' no matter."

He hesitated a moment, evidently weighing a matter of more importance to him
than he would have Annie-Many-Ponies suspect. "Sweetheart, yoh do one thing
for Ramon?" His voice might almost be called wheedling. "Me, I'm awful busy
tomorrow. I got long ride away off -to my rancho. I got to see my brother
Tomas. I be back here not before night. Yoh tell Bill Holmes he come here by
this rock--yoh say midnight that's good time--I sure be here that time. Yoh
say I got something I wan' tell him. Yoh do that for Ramon, sweetheart?"

He waited, trying to hide the fact that he was anxious.