At which she came running and panting up to him, all in a flutter of excitement.
"Oh, Madre de Dios! I am so much happeeness! I have de great fear when you I do see. Oh, you weel come to heem? You weel do for heem de saveeng?"
The girl was rather pretty, and she was not more than eighteen or nineteen years of age. She was tanned to a dark brown, but had white teeth, which were strangely pointed and sharp.
"Who do you mean?"
"My fadare. Ay-de mi! he ees hurt! De bad men shoot heem. They rob heem! He find de gold. He breeng me with heem here to de mountain, all alone. He theenk some time he be vera reech. He have de reech mine. Then de bad men come. They shoot heem. They take hees gold. He come creep back to me. What can I to do? Ay-de mi!"
"Your father—some bad men have shot him?" said Merry.
"Si, si, señor!"
"It must have been Cimarron Bill's gang," thought Merry.
The girl was greatly excited, but he continued to question her, until he understood her quite well.