highway.  And with this memory would come a sudden shame of himself and occupation,—­a realisation of the barrier which he had deliberately put between the present and the past.  Up to the hour when he had parted from her, and had remained spellbound, seated on his horse at the fork of the roads, watching the vanishing coach up to the last minute, he was still a Spanish gentleman, still worthy in himself,—­whatever his father had done,—­to offer his love and his devotion to a pure and honest girl.  But now he was an outlaw, a road agent going from one robbery to another, likely at any time to stain his hand with the life-blood of a fellow man.  And this pretence that he was stealing in a righteous cause, that he was avenging the wrongs that had been done to his countrymen,—­why, it was the rankest hypocrisy!  He knew in his heart that vengeance and race hatred had nothing whatever to do with it.  It was because he loved it like a game, a game of unforeseen, unguessed danger.  The fever of it was in his blood, like strong drink,—­ and with every day’s adventure, the thirst for it grew stronger.

Yet, however personally daring, Ramerrez was the last person in the world to trust to chance for his operations, more than was absolutely necessary.  He handled his men with shrewd judgment and strict discipline.  Furthermore, never was an attack made that was not the outcome of a carefully matured plan.  A prime factor in Ramerrez’ success had from the first been the information which he was able to obtain from the Mexicans, not connected with his band, concerning the places that the miners used as temporary depositories for their gold; and it was information of this sort that led Ramerrez and his men to choose a certain Mexican settlement in the mountains as a base of operations:  namely, the tempting fact that a large amount of gold was stored nightly in the Polka Saloon, at the neighbouring camp on Cloudy Mountain.

And there was still another reason.

Despite the fact that his heart had been genuinely touched by the many and unusual attractions of the Girl, it is not intended to convey the idea that he was austere or incapable of passion for anyone else.  For that was not so.  Although, to give the bandit his due, he had remained quite exemplary, when one considers his natural charm as well as the fascination which his adventurous life had for his country-women.  Unfortunately, however, in one of his weak moments, he had foolishly permitted himself to become entangled with a Mexican woman—­Nina Micheltorena, by name—­whose jealous nature now threatened to prove a serious handicap to him.  It was a particularly awkward situation in which he found himself placed, inasmuch as this woman had furnished him with much valuable information.  In fact, it was she who had called his attention to the probable spoils to be had in the American camp near by.  It can readily be imagined, therefore, that it was not without a premonition of trouble to come that he sought the Mexican settlement with the intention of paying her a hundred-fold for her valuable assistance in the past and then be through with her for good and all.