He bowed to her with the native courtesy that belongs to even the peons of his race. A swift patter of Spanish fell from his lips. Miss Ellington shook her head. "No sabe Espanol." The man gushed into a second eruption of liquid vowels, accompanied this time by gestures which indicated that he wanted food. The young woman nodded, went into the house, and secured from Mrs. Seymour a plate of broken fragments left over from supper. With this and a cup of coffee she returned to the pergola. "Gracias, senorita." The shining black poll of the man bowed over the donation as he accepted it. He sat cross-legged among the roses and ate what had been given him. Daisy observed critically that his habit of eating was not at all nice. He discarded the fork she had brought, using only the knife and his fingers. The meat he tore apart and devoured ravenously, cramming it wolfishly into his mouth as fast as he could. A few days before she had fallen into an argument with Steve Yeager about the civilization of the Mexicans. She wished he could see this specimen. The man spoke, after he had cleaned the plate, licked up the gravy, and gulped down the coffee. His words fell in a slow drawl, not in Spanish, but in English. "Don't you reckon mebbe I could get a ham sandwich too?" The actress jumped. "Steve, you fraud!" she screamed, and flew at him. "Do I win?" he asked, protecting himself as he backed away. "Of course you do. Why haven't we been using you up stage in the Mexican sets? You're perfect. How did you ever get your hair so slick and black?" "I've been studying make-ups since I joined the Lunar Company," he told her. "How about your Spanish? Is it good enough to pass muster?" "I learned to jabber it when I was a year old before I did English." "Then you'll do. I defy even Harrison to recognize you." He gave her his Mexican bow. "Gracias, senorita." CHAPTER XVI THE HEAVY PAYS A DEBT When Threewit and Farrar reached Noche Buena, Pasquale was absent from camp, but Culvera made them suavely welcome. "Senor Yeager has recovered and was called away unexpectedly on business," he explained; adding with his lip smile, "He will be desolated to have missed you." "He is better, then?" "Indeed, quite his self. He nearly died from gunshot wounds, but unless he suffers a relapse he is entirely out of present danger." "Shouldn't have thought it would have been safe to travel yet," Farrar returned. He was uneasy in his mind, sensing something of mocking irony in the manner of the Mexican. It was strange that Yeager, wounded to death as his letter had said, was able in two days to be up and around again. "We were anxious to have him stop, but he was in a hurry. Personally I did my best to get him to stay." Culvera's smile glittered reminiscently: "The truth is that he thought our climate unhealthy. He was afraid of heart failure."