“Don’t say a word,” Rice greeted him swinging suddenly in his chair. “Listen to what I say. I’ve heard all about everything, and I know just where everybody stands.” David had no idea what the man was talking about, but kept his mouth shut. After a moment the ranchman continued: “Somebody is going to have a surprise coming to him soon and it won’t be a pleasant one either. What I mean is this. Cattle have been disappearing. Two hundred yearlings are gone. They were stolen. Now, that ought to be enough. Be mighty careful because we’ll find out the guilty one and then----. That’s all. Get out.” David was stunned by this information. At first he could not fully comprehend the meaning of the words he had just heard. Cattle had been stolen! Two hundred of them! What was the man driving at? Surely, he did not suspect him of being guilty of the deed. Why should he do such a thing? What could he do with the cattle even if he had taken them? These and similar thoughts raced through his mind in a bewildering stream, followed by bitter resentment that the subject had been mentioned to him at all. He had not been accused directly, it is true; but there was the insinuation of guilt or suspicion of it. His first impulse was to return to Rice instantly and to tell him what he thought of the whole outfit and then to leave, regardless of the consequences. He had succeeded in getting there alone and unaided; he could go away in the same manner. But after a moment’s consideration he decided to do nothing of the kind; a better plan had suggested itself. He would catch the thief and thereby clear his own name. Not until then would he be justified in leaving. To go now might be interpreted as an admission of guilt. That night he conversed long and seriously with Miguel. And the next day the latter, who was supposed to be in the thick of the round-up but whose absence was not missed in the excitement of the work, was far away, engaged in another enterprise. He reported fully to David that night, as they made their customary visit to the corrals. “I found it,” he said, so soon as they were out of hearing of the men in the huts. “I know it’s the trail made by the missing cattle, because the tracks are all the same size.” David was inclined to be skeptical. “If you could find it, why couldn’t the boss?” he asked. “He has been looking all day for some clue that would lead him to the recovery of his property.” “He didn’t look in the right place. First, the cattle were driven through the marsh so as to cover their trail. Then they went through that wide patch of forest over there,” pointing to a black clump of trees far in the distance, “and when they had passed through that they were several kilometers away--far enough to make picking up their tracks a difficult matter.” “That’s great! What else did you find out?” David said. “There was a strange man in the corrals this evening when I got back. He was talking to Dom Carlos.” “I wonder if he is still here!”