turned his back on his friend--or--(the words grated a little here)--his
enemy."

Miguel would have replied, but Victor was ready. "Fool," he said,
pinching his arm, "'tis an old friend. And--and--the application is
still to be filled up. Are you crazy?"

But on this point Miguel was not, and with the revenge of a rival added
to his other instincts, he permitted Victor to lead him away.

On their return to the fonda, they found Master Manuel too far gone with
aguardiente, and a general animosity to the average Americano, to be
of any service. So they worked alone, with pen, ink, and paper, in the
stuffy, cigarrito-clouded back room of the fonda. It was midnight, two
hours after Concho had started, that Miguel clapped spurs to his
horse for the village of Tres Pinos, with an application to Governor
Micheltorena for a grant to the "Rancho of the Red Rocks" comfortably
bestowed in his pocket.


CHAPTER VII

WHO PLEAD FOR IT


There can be little doubt the coroner's jury of Fresno would have
returned a verdict of "death from alcoholism," as the result of their
inquest into the cause of Concho's death, had not Dr. Guild fought nobly
in support of the law and his own convictions. A majority of the jury
objected to there being any inquest at all. A sincere juryman thought