Vinnie stared at his partner. The other men present likewise looked at one another. What had happened? Where had Johnny been? Gallup had seen his ghost, eh? The laugh was on Aaron. “He’s rearin’ right up for a ghost, ain’t he?” Scanlon declared. “Sumthin’ goin’ to happen right soon, now,” somebody stated. “I ain’t never seen Johnny so hostile.” “That’s too bad,” Scanlon muttered. “Trouble comin’—and Doc Ritter forty miles away. They ain’t no advantages in this town!” CHAPTER XXV MADEIRAS ASSERTS HIMSELF Johnny combed the town without finding the Basque. No one would even admit that they had seen him. The boy refused to give up. Madeiras was there, somewhere, and he intended to find him. It was wasted effort, Tony having left the Rock as Johnny crouched upon the freight car. The day had been one of misery for the Basque. He believed that he had killed Johnny. He was hardly less certain about having seen the boy’s ghost. He was primitive and superstitious enough, too, to accept the fact that a dead man’s spirit could return to haunt its enemies. Tony had promised himself that Gallup should never get Molly. For this reason he slept in Brackett’s stable. Aaron kept his rig there. If he set out for the Diamond-Bar, Madeiras would know it. The Basque, brooding all day long over Johnny’s death, found the fact that he was keeping Gallup from Molly small recompense for the loss of the body. More than once the Basque wished that he had killed the coroner. He told himself that he would have to do it some day. Gallup would have to pay his debt. Tony had managed to secure more than enough to drink during the last day or two. He had been half intoxicated when Gallup had entered the stables an hour back and hitched up his team. Soon after the old man had left, the Basque slid down from his nest in the hay mow. “_Por Dios!_” he cursed. “So he go after all, eh? Better I tak’ her than heem. I say, sometime I keel that man—tonight be the time!” Madeiras had left his horse with an uncle at the _Casa Español_. The animal was under lock and key when Tony got there. Half an hour was wasted in awakening Felipe and unlocking the barn. But at last the Basque set sail for the Diamond-Bar. He raked his pony with the spurs as he urged him on. Gallup could not be far ahead. The ride began to sober him and he wondered how Gallup had come so far. Miles unwound until the Basque had covered half the distance to the ranch. He had yet to catch a glimpse of Aaron. After another mile Madeiras pulled up his horse. “Where I mees that man?” he asked himself. “I come fas’—no team keep ahead of me.” He snapped his fingers at a sudden thought. “Mebbe he leave those team behin’ while I was’e all that time wit’ ole Felipe, and some mens tak’ him in those dam’ flivver.” Madeiras uttered a wild cry as he caught sight of the ranch. He was breaking all records tonight.