CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER 1 II. HOW CAL EVANS RODE FOR HELP 15 III. THE BAND OF KAH-GO-MISH 23 IV. THE GARRISON OF SANTA LUCIA 27 V. CAL AND THE CAVALRY AND THE RED MUSTANG 32 VI. THE PERIL OF SANTA LUCIA 38 VII. BOUND FOR THE BORDER 51 VIII. GETTING READY TO CHASE KAH-GO-MISH 56 IX. THE HACIENDA OF SANTA LUCIA 63 X. THE TARGET ON THE ROCK 67 XI. THE STORY OF A LOG 75 XII. PING AND THE COUGAR 82 XIII. THE RETURN OF KAH-GO-MISH 89 XIV. THE FOUNTAIN IN THE DESERT 94 XV. LOST IN THE CHAPARRAL 101 XVI. AN INVASION OF TWO REPUBLICS 107 XVII. HOW PING AND TAH-NU-NU GOT TO THE SPRING 114 XVIII. HOW DICK PLAYED SENTINEL 120 XIX. BAD NEWS FOR WAH-WAH-O-BE 126 XX. HOW CAL STARTED FOR MEXICO 132 XXI. THE MANITOU OF COLD SPRING 139 XXII. ACROSS THE DESERT BY NIGHT 144 XXIII. AT THE RANCH AND IN THE CHAPARRAL 151 XXIV. CAL'S NIGHT UNDER A TREE 157 XXV. A STRANGE LETTER FROM MEXICO 163 XXVI. CAL'S VISITORS AND HIS BREAKFAST 169 XXVII. THE POST-BOY THAT GOT AWAY 174 XXVIII. THE MYSTERY OF THE STICKS 180 XXIX. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE FIRE? 186 XXX. THE MANITOU WATER 192 XXXI. PULL STICK AND THE HURRICANE 198 XXXII. UNDER A FALLEN TREE 204 XXXIII. LEAVING THE BAD-MEDICINE CAMP 210 XXXIV. TAH-NU-NU'S DISAPPOINTMENT 216 XXXV. HAND TO HAND BY FIRELIGHT 222 XXXVI. HOW CAL WAS LEFT ALL ALONE 227 XXXVII. RESCUED BY THE RED MUSTANG 234 XXXVIII. HOW THEY ALL REACHED SANTA LUCIA 239ILLUSTRATIONS "Now for Santa Lucia!" _Frontispiece_ FACING PAGE She and Ping Were Stealing Out upon the Broken Ledge 86 "Ugh!" They Said, as They Looked at Him. "Kah-Go-Mish" 110 Cal Took the Leaf, and Used His Knife for a Pen 184THE RED MUSTANG THE RED MUSTANG:_A STORY OF THE MEXICAN BORDER._CHAPTER I.THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER.Early one bright June morning, not long ago, a high knoll of a prairiein southern New Mexico was occupied as it had never been before.Rattlesnakes had coiled there; prairie-dog sentinels and wolves andantelopes, and even grim old buffalo bulls, had used that swelling moundfor a lookout station. Mountains in the distance and a great sweep ofthe plains could be seen from it. Never until that hour, however, sincethe grass began to grow, had precisely such a horse pawed and frettedthere, while precisely such a boy sat in the saddle and looked around.It is very uncommon for a mustang to show a bright and perfect blood baycolor, but this one did so, and it seemed as if the glossy beauty of hiscoat only brought out the perfection of his shape and the easy grace ofhis movements. He was a fiery, powerful fellow, and he appeared to havesome constitutional objection to standing still. The saddle upon hisback and the bridle held by his rider were of the best Mexicanworkmanship, silver mounted, the very thing to complete the elegance ofthe red mustang.