While his wild brethren fought in the hills or prepared for the battles to come, it was his part to earn the money that should keep them in ammunition. It was for that, in fact, that Porfirio Diaz had seized all the peaceful Yaquis in a night and shipped them to Yucatan--for he saw that while they were working the wild Yaquis would never lack. All the time that Amigo had been doing two men's work and saving on the price of a shirt he had held that cheerful dream in his mind--to kill more Mexicans! Yet, despite the savagery in him, Hooker had come to like the Yaqui, and he liked him still. With the _rurales_ on his trail it was better that he should go, but Bud wanted him to return. So, knowing the simple honesty of Indians, he brought out his own spare pistol and placed it in Amigo's hands. Often he had seen him gazing at it longingly, for it was lighter than his heavy Mauser and better for the journey. "Here," he said, "I will lend you my pistol--and you can give it to me when you come back." "Sure!" answered the Indian, hanging it on his hip. "_Adios!_" They shook hands then, and the Yaqui disappeared in the darkness. In the morning, when a squad of _rurales_ closed in on the camp, they found nothing but his great tracks in the dust. XIX It was June and the wind-storms which had swept in from the southeast died away. No more, as in the months that had passed, did the dust-pillar rise from the dump of the Fortuna mill and go swirling up the cañon. A great calm and heat settled over the harassed land, and above the far blue wall of the Sierras the first thunder-caps of the rainy season rose up till they obscured the sky. Then, with a rush of conflicting winds, a leaden silence, and a crash of flickering light, the storm burst in tropic fury and was gone as quickly as it had come. So, while the rich landowners of the hot country sat idle and watched it grow, another storm gathered behind the distant Sierras; and, as empty rumors lulled them to a false security, suddenly from the north came the news of dashing raids, of railroads cut, troops routed, and the whole border occupied by swarming rebels. In a day the southern country was isolated and cut off from escape and, while the hordes of Chihuahua _insurrectos_ laid siege to Agua Negra, the belated Spanish _haciendados_ came scuttling once more to Fortuna. There, at least, was an American town where the courage of the Anglo-Saxon would protect their women in extremity. And, if worst came to worst, it was better to pay ransom to red-flag generals than to fall victims to bandits and looters. As the bass roar of the great whistle reverberated over the hills Bud Hooker left his lonely camp almost gladly, and with his hard-won gold-dust safe beneath his belt, went galloping into town.