Jose scowled. "She's not my mistress. I am no longer of her gente. I have a debt of blood to wipe out." Longorio sat up in his bed; the smile left his face. "My Jose", he said, quietly, "if you harm her in the least I shall bury you to the neck in an ant's nest and fill your mouth with honey. Now, what is this you are telling me?" Jose, uncomfortably startled by this barbarous threat, told as connectedly as he knew how all about his cousin's death and his reasons for leaving Las Palmas. "Ah-h!" Longorio relaxed. "You gave me a start. At first I thought you came with a message from her--but that was too much to expect; then I feared you meant the lady some evil. Now I shall tell you a little secret: I love your senora! Yes, I love her madly, furiously; I can think of nothing but her. I came to this abominable village more to see her than to annoy myself over the death of Ricardo Guzman. I must see my divinity; I must hear her blessed voice, or I shall go mad. Why do I tell you this? Because I have decided that you shall lead me to her to-night." The general fell silent for a moment, then, "I intend to have her some day, Jose, and--perhaps you will be my right hand. See, I make you my confidant because you will not dare to anger me or--Well, my little friend, you must understand what fate would befall you in that case. I can reach across the Rio Grande." Amazement and then fear were depicted in Jose's face as he listened; he asserted his loyalty vehemently. "Yes, yes, I know you love me," the general agreed, carelessly. "But what is far more to the point, I intend to pay well for your services. Perhaps I shall also arrange so that you may have a reckoning with the murderer of your cousin. What is his name?" It was Jose's opportunity to make an impression, and he used it to the full, telling all that he knew of the killing of Panfilo, and describing Law with the eloquence of hatred. Longorio listened for a time, and then held up his hand. "Enough. For my sake, too, you shall kill him, for you have made me jealous." "Impossible!" Jose raised protesting palms. He was sure the general was wrong. Senora Austin was above suspicion of any kind. "And yet this man met her in Pueblo and rode with her to Las Palmas? He comes to see her frequently, you say?" The general bent his bright, keen eyes upon the visitor. "Yes. She gave him the finest horse at Las Palmas, too, and--" A new thought presented itself to Jose. "Ho! By the way, they were alone at the water-hole when my cousin Panfilo was shot. Now that I think of it, they were alone together for a day and a night. I begin to wonder--"