For answer Pablo snarled and tried to stab him, so Parker, recalling a fragment of the athletic lore of his youth, got a wristlock on the old man and took the dirk away from him.  “Now then,” he commanded, as he bumped Pablo’s head against the adobe wall, “you behave yourself and help me find Don Miguel and bring him in.”

Pablo’s fury suddenly left him; again he was the servant, respectful, deferential to his master’s guest.  “Forgive me, senor,” he muttered, “I have been crazy in the head.”

“Not so crazy that you didn’t do a good job on that Jap murderer.  Come now, old chap.  Buck up!  We can’t go after him in my automobile.  Have you some sort of wagon?”

“Si, senor.”

“Then come inside a moment.  We both need a drink.  We’re shaking like a pair of dotards.”

He picked up Pablo’s dirk and give it back to the old man.  Pablo acknowledged this courtesy with a bow and followed to Parker’s room, where the latter poured two glasses of whisky.  Silently they drank.

“Gracias, senor.  I go hitch up one team,” Pablo promised, and disappeared at once.

For about ten minutes Parker remained in his room, thinking.  His wife and Kay had started, afoot, to visit the Mission shortly after Don Mike and Pablo had left the ranch that morning, and for this Parker was duly grateful to Providence.  He shuddered to think what the effect upon them would have been had they been present when Pablo made his spectacular entrance; he rejoiced at an opportunity to get himself in hand against the return of Kay and her mother to the ranch house.

“That wretched Okada!” he groaned.  “He concluded that the simplest and easiest way to an immediate consummation of our interrupted deal would be the removal of young Farrel.  So he hired one of his countrymen to do the job, believing or at least hoping, that suspicion would naturally be aroused against that Basque, Loustalot, who is known to have an old feud with the Farrels.  Kate is right.  I’ve trained with white men all my life; the moment I started to train with pigmented mongrels and Orientals I had to do with a new psychology, with mongrelized moral codes—­ah, God, that splendid, manly fellow killed by the insatiable lust of an alien race for this land of his they covet!  God forgive me!  And poor Kay—­”

He was near to tears now; fearful that he might be caught in a moment of weakness, he fled to the barn and helped Pablo hitch a team of draft horses to an old spring wagon.  Pablo’s customary taciturnity and primitive stoicism had again descended upon him like a protecting garment; his madness had passed and he moved around the team briskly and efficiently.  Parker climbed to the seat beside him as Pablo gathered up the reins and started out of the farmyard at a fast trot.

Ten minutes later they paused at the mouth of the draw down which Farrel had been riding when fired upon.  Pablo turned the team, tied them to an oak tree and started up the draw at a swift dog trot, with Parker at his heels.