SINGLE TREE 12

dureing the night single had dozed off a time or two. but there had been no problems. as the sun was comming up ramundo was moveing about starting a breakfast meal. clara and hanford were still in their tent. after breakfast single told ramundo he was going to sleep a bit but wake him if anything happened. when he lay down he could hear hanford and clara moveing about. in just a few moments he was sound a sleep. " amigo! amigo!" ramundo was tugging on singles foot.when single sat up rubbing his eyes he looked all around as if he didnt know where he was. " que pasa?" was all he said. " a man comes. maybe the law." ramundo said. when single crawled from his bunk and went out side he saw a man sitting on a good black horse with a pack mule behind. he walked up and welcomed the rider. "ime gil snyder, u.s. marshal for this end of the state. i was told in nogalas by some mexican laborers that you had some bandit problems." the rider explained as he dismounted. single looked all around, hanford wasnt in sight. clara sat in her tent and hadnt said a word or even moved. " yes we have been fairly accosted by 5 outlaws . i did shoot one. but we havent seen the other four. when i was busy else where they tortured the mine owner but to no avail. since then we have not had any contact with them" single explained. ramundo brought gil a cup of coffee and a burro he had left over from breakfast. " as i rode up i saw a dust cloud heading south maybe the bandits lite out . " snyder talked around mouthfuls of burro and was washing it down with the coffee. ramundo was takeing the horses back to their corral. but hanford still had not materielized. single explained he better go search for him. snayder said he would come along. they walked up the slope toward the mine . as they approached the shaft they saw hanford dragging sacks of the copper ore out to stack next to the crusher with the other sacks there, when he looked up at gil and single they could see a crusty black scab along his cheek where he had been sliced. single introduced gil to hanford. gil asked some questions of hanford but was mainly concerned with his well being. the three trooped back to camp. ramundo was rattling the pots and pans makeing lunch. clara still sat in her tent. while waitting for lunch gil explained he was a traveling law man but was headquarted in the papgo nation at a village called santa rosa. but he explained the rurales under the leadership of emilio kosterlinsky was camped just below the border.single listened intently. " i heard kosterlinsky was a big bandit him self." single said. " he can be but if pressed will do whats right.if you get another visit from those bandits he would be the man to call. when i leave here ill go by his encampment and tell about you folks and the bandits."gil explained." ill be back by here in a few days working my way back home." " we need to get more laborers and get back to the mine. but i think we will send single back to tucson with a load of ore. do you think it safe for us that stay behind?" hanford asked. " if you dont mind, ill make a circle here this afternoon and spend the night then i can tell you the answer to that question. i would load your wagon and be ready. just off hand i would say you would be fine. but let me look to be sure." gil gave them his plan. single was all ready to get away he had enough of this affair.