At his interposition the major had at least done one
thing, — warned Moreno not to sell a drop of his fiery
mescal to any one of the men ; and, when the Mexican
expressed entire willingness to acquiesce, Feeny's sus-
picions were redoubled, and he picked out Trooper
Latham, a New Englander whom some strange and
untoward fate had led into the ranks, and stationed
him in the bullet-scarred bar-room of the ranch, with
strict orders to allow not a drop to be drawn or served
to any one without the sanction of Sergeant Feeny
or his superior officer, the major. Even the humili-
ation of this proceeding had in no wise disturbed
Moreno's suavity. ** All I possess is at your feet,'* he
had said to the major, with Castilian grace and gravity ;
" take or withhold it as you will.''

" Infernal old hypocrite !" swore Feeny, between his
strong, set tetth. " I believe he'd like nothing better



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FOES IN AMBUSH. 21

than to get the escort drunk and turn us over bag and
baggage to the Morales gang/^

Thrice during the hot afternoon had Feeny scouted
the premises and striven to find what number and
manner of men Moreno might have in concealment
there. Questioning was of little use. Moreno was
ready to answer to anything, and was never known to
halt at a lie. Old Miguel, the half-breed, who did
odd jobs about the well and the corral, expressed pro-
found Ignorance both of the situation and ^eeny^a
English. The Mexican boy had but one answer to
all queries: "No sa-a-abe.^' Other occupants there
were, but these even Feeny's sense of duty could not
prompt him to disturb. Somewhere in the depths of
the domestic portion of the ranch, where the brush on
the flat roof was piled most heavily and the walls
were jealously thick, all scouting-parties or escorts
well knew that Moreno's wife and daughter were
hidden from prying eyes, and rumor had it that oft^n
there were more than two feminine occupants; that
these were sometimes joined by three or four others, —
wives or sweethearts of outlawed men who rode with
Pasqual Morales, and all Arizona knew that Pasqual
Morales had little more Mexican blood in his veins
than had Feeny himself. 