Nor did the mistress of the valley find it easy to lead her tenants to
her way of thinking. They were respectful, outwardly acquiescent, but
the girl saw, with a sinking heart, that they remained of their own
opinion. Whether he were man or devil, they were determined to make an
end of Gordon's intrusion.
CHAPTER XI
THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY AND THE TWENTIETH
It was the second day after Pesquiera's challenge that his rival was
called to Santa Fe, the capital of the State, to hold a conference with
his lawyers about the progress of the suit of ouster against those
living on the Moreno grant. Gordon knew how acute was the feeling of the
residents of the valley against him. The Corbetts, whose homestead was
not included in either the original Valdes or Moreno grant, reported
daily to him whatever came to their ears. He could see that the
impression was strong among the Mexicans that their champion, Dona Maria
as they called her, would be worsted in the courts if the issue ever
came to final trial.
To live under the constant menace of an attack from ambush is a strain
upon the best of nerves. Dick and his friend Davis rode out of the
valley to meet the Santa Fe stage with a very sensible relief. For a few
days, anyhow, they would be back where they could see the old Stars and
Stripes flutter, where feudal retainers and sprouts of Spanish
aristocracy were not lying in wait with fiery zeal to destroy the
American interloper.
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