"No excuse, Mr Brown. On the contrary, I was about to put the same interrogatory to you. I confess that I feel a little perplexed. Now that we've started on this expedition, I begin to see the difficulty--if not the absolute idleness of it. It seems absurd to suppose that the robbers would send one of their number to meet any messenger, who may be deputed to them,--without taking precautions against a surprise?" "They never do, cap'n. They ain't sech consarned fools." "Well, I thought as much; or do now--now that I've had time to reflect upon it. It isn't the scheme I had intended to have carried out. After all, there's no alternative, but to go through with it. What's your advice?" "Well, cap'n; my advice might be no better than anybody else's; only that I've took notice to a thing or two." "Where? When?" "I kin answer both yer questions at the same time: whar and when the coach was stopped." "You noticed something strange?" "More'n one thing; several o' 'em." "What were they?" "First, then, the skunks were _craped_." "I've heard the same from Don Eusebio. But what signification is there in that?" "Not much, I admit; only that it ain't common for reg'lar robbers to wear crape. They don't care who sees _their_ faces: bein' as they make thar home among the mountings; and never put themselves in the power of the sojers, or _alguazils_. These bein' craped, shows they're a lot from the town." "What town?" "Puebla, in coorse. It's the biggest nest in all the Mexikin domeenyuns. They wore that kiver to keep from bein' recognised--shed they be met afterwards in the streets. It don't follow that they were any the less brigands on that account. Them of the town air jest as bad as them that keep out in the country. They all belong to the same school; only the outsiders don't care whether they're known by them as they plunder; while the town chaps sometimes do--for sartin reasons." "There were some other circumstances that appeared odd to you?" I asked of my intelligent guide. "One other as looked darnationed odd. It puzzled me at the time, an' do still. I had my eyes on them two saynoritas as travelled with the old Don, thar father. There's one o' them especially I'd like to know who ked keep his eyes off o'. Well, what surprised me was, that instead o' seemin' scared-like, and squealin' out--as I've heerd other Mexikin sheemales do when tuk by the robbers--they both flirted off among the trees, with two or three o' the brigands attending on 'em, jest as if they were startin' out a huckleberryin'! "All the while the old Don war down upon his belly--flat as a pancake-- from which seetuation he warn't allowed to stir, till the gurls had gone clean out o' sight. "Then one o' the band bargained wi' him about the ransom-money--tellin' him it was to be trusted to me, an' whar it was to be brought. They then bundled him back into the coach, an ordered me to drive on--the which, I reckon, I war riddy enough to do."