The ceremony of dedication was to be followed by mass at high noon.  Don Mateo Gonzales of Santa Maria sent his regrets, as did likewise Don Alejandro Travino of the Mission, but the other invited guests came early and stayed late.  The women and children of the outlying ranchitas had not yet returned to their homes, and with our invited guests made an assembly of nearly a hundred and fifty persons.  Unexpectedly, and within two hours of the appointed time for the service to commence, a cavalcade was sighted approaching the ranch from the west.  As they turned in towards headquarters, some one recognized the horses, and a shout of welcome greeted our ranger guests of over two weeks before.  Uncle Lance met them as if they had been expected, and invited the lieutenant and his men to dismount and remain a few days as guests of Las Palomas.  When they urged the importance of continuing on their journey to report to the governor, the host replied:—­

“Lieutenant Barr, that don’t go here.  Fall out of your saddles and borrow all the razors and white shirts on the ranch, for we need you for the dedication of a chapel to-day, and for a wedding and infare for to-morrow.  We don’t see you along this river as often as we’d like to, and when you do happen along in time for a peaceful duty, you can’t get away so easily.  If you have any special report to make to your superiors, why, write her out, and I’ll send a vaquero with it to Oakville this afternoon, and it’ll go north on the stage to-morrow.  But, lieutenant, you mustn’t think you can ride right past Las Palomas when you’re not under emergency orders.  Now, fall off those horses and spruce up a little, for I intend to introduce you to some as nice girls as you ever met.  You may want to quit rangering some day, and I may need a man about your size, and I’m getting tired of single ones.”

Lieutenant Barr surrendered.  Saddles were stripped from horses, packs were unlashed from mules, and every animal was sent to our remudas under herd.  The accoutrements were stacked inside the gate like haycocks, with slickers thrown over them; the carbines were thrown on the gallery, and from every nail, peg, or hook on the wall belts and six-shooters hung in groups.  These rangers were just ordinary looking men, and might have been mistaken for an outfit of cow hands.  In age they ranged from a smiling youth of twenty to grizzled men of forty, yet in every countenance was written a resolute determination.  All the razors on the ranch were brought into immediate use, while every presentable shirt, collar, and tie in the house was unearthed and placed at their disposal.  While arranging hasty toilets, the men informed us that when they reached Espontos Lake the redskins had left, and that they had trailed them south until the Indians had crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico several days in advance of their arrival.  The usual number of isolated sheepherders killed, and of horses stolen, were the features of the raid.