"Ho! Senor Parker!" he shouted. "Come forth. I have something for
the _senor_. Queeck, _Senor_!"
The gate opened and John Parker stepped out. "Hello, Pablo! What's
all the row about?"
Pablo turned in his saddle and pointed. "_Mira_! Look!" he croaked.
"Good God!" Parker cried. "What is that?"
"Once he use' for be one Jap. One good friend of you, I theenk, Senor
Parker. He like for save you much trouble, I theenk, so he keel my Don
Mike--an' for that I have--ah, but you see! An' now, senor, eet is all
right for take the Rancho Palomar! Take eet, take eet! Ees nobody for
care now--nobody! Eef eet don' be for you daughter I don't let you
have eet. No, sir, I keel it you so queeck--but my Don Mike hes never
forget hes one great _caballero_--so Pablo Artelan mus' not forget,
too--you sleep in theese hacienda, you eat the food--ah, senor, I am so
'shame' for you--and my Don Mike--hees dead--hees dead--"
He slid suddenly off the black mare and lay unconscious in the dust
beside her.
CHAPTER XXIV
Once again a tragic scene had been enacted under the shade of the
catalpa tree before the Farrel hacienda. The shock of a terrible,
unexpected trend of events heralded by the arrival of Pablo Artelan and
his victim had, seemingly, paralyzed John Parker mentally and
physically. He felt again a curious cold, weak, empty feeling in his
breast.
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