precious it is, as it must be a full five thousand miles from its
birthplace."

He handed the little cup in grandiose manner to Paul, and Paul, meeting
his humor, accepted it in like fashion. He had not tasted wine often in
his life and he found it a strong fluid, but, in this crisis, it
strengthened him and put a new sparkle in his blood.

"Thanks," he said as he politely returned the empty cup, and resumed his
seat on the knoll. Then Alvarez walked aside, and talked again in whispers
with the renegade.

Wyatt urged that Paul be held indefinitely. He would not talk at first,
but they must get from him the fullest details about the settlements in
Kentucky, the weak points, where to attack and when. If the settlements
were left alone they would certainly spread all over Kentucky and in time
across the Mississippi into the Spanish domain. Spain was far away, and
she could not drive them back. But the Spaniards could urge on the tribes
again, and with a hidden hand, send them arms and ammunition. White men
with cannon could even join the warriors, and Spain might convincingly say
that she knew nothing of if.

The words of the renegade pleased Francisco Alvarez. Deep down in his
crafty heart he loved intrigue and cunning.

"Yes, we'll hold him," he said. "He is a trespasser here, although I will
admit that he is not the kind of person that I expected to find in the
heart of this vast wilderness."

He glanced at Paul, who was sitting on the knoll, calm and apparently