“More of them around!” said the sailor grimly.  “There’s trouble coming to them if they mean to corral us.  Jake’s at the side window, and he had to get out of Mobile because he was too handy with his gun.  Not often had to pull mine, but I can shoot some.”

“Quit talking!” Kit rejoined, and his mouth set firm when the figure vanished.

He thought the rebels meant to surround the building.  If so, they were probably numerous, and the rifle shot some hours before justified the supposition.  They had first tried to kill him quietly and, finding this impossible, had resolved to seize the party.  Well, there was good cover behind the broken walls, his men were a reckless lot, and he meant to fight.  He wished the others would begin, for standing, highly-strung, in the dew was nervous work.

The light had got clearer when he noted a movement in a festoon of trailing vines.  The wet leaves shook as if somebody were cautiously pulling them back, and Kit stiffened his muscles.  It was a comfort to feel his hand was steady, and although he had not used a pistol much he was a good shot with a gun.  He thought he could send a bullet through the moving leaves, but wanted his lurking enemy to begin the fight.

A face appeared at an opening and an arm pushed through.  The man was coming out and Kit felt his nerves tingle.  Then, as the fellow’s body followed his arm, the sailor said quietly, “Don’t move, boss.  I’ll fix him.”

Next moment, Kit swung round, for the man who stepped out into the road wore a white uniform.  The sailor leaned against the wall to steady his aim, and his tense pose and rigid hand indicated that he was pressing the trigger.

“Hold on!” Kit shouted.  “Don’t shoot!”

The sailor lowered his pistol and Kit, springing out of the shadow, waved his hat.

“Come forward.  We are friends.”

The rural turned and called to somebody, and then joining Kit glanced at the sailor’s pistol with a dry smile.

“It looks as if I had run some risk.  You did not mean to be surprised.”

“No,” said Kit; “one takes precautions.  I came very near being surprised last night.”

“So the Galdareros are about?  We suspected something like this.”

“I suppose it was why you meant to search the hacienda.  But did you see us?”

The rural indicated a plume of smoke that curled up from behind the ruined wall.

“We saw that.  When one takes precautions it is prudent to see they are complete.”

Kit nodded.  There was no use in getting angry; his men were rash and careless, but, to some extent, this was why he had chosen them.  They had, no doubt, lighted the fire to cook breakfast.

“Where is your companion?” he asked.

“There are three of us; you will see the others in a few moments.  They watch the road farther on.  It is usual for us to patrol in twos, but of late some have not returned.  A revolution is a bad time for rurales; one pays old reckonings then.”