“Told you I was going to try and find out something about this fellow Ramirez,” he said. “Well, this morning I bumped into Jack Hannaford on my way here. Nobody knows anything about Ramirez, out at the field, by the way. But Jack’s an old-timer. Used to be a Ranger. He’s the same man who told me last night that the government was about to close the International Bridge at nine o’clock at night hereafter.”
“‘Ramirez?’ said Hannaford, ‘Ramirez?’ He looked thoughtful. ‘Would he be a little fellow now, with blue powder burns on the left cheek an’ a hooked nose like a poll parrot an’ a limp in ’is right leg?’
“I laughed. ‘How do I know what he looks like when I’ve never seen him?’
“‘Yes,’ said Jack, not one bit phased by my remark, ‘yes,’ that would be him. An’ what would ye be after wantin’ with Ramirez? He’s a bad hombre.’
“‘I gathered that much,’ I said. ‘But I don’t want to find him. Somebody else does, though. So he’s a bad hombre, Jack? How bad? Is he a Mexican revolutionist?’
“‘Revolutionist?’ snorts Hannaford. ‘No, he ain’t no petty bandit callin’ himself a General. He’s a bigger crook than that. Why, he’s the biggest crook on the Border by all odds. Government’s been after him for twenty years, but never could get the goods on him. You know all about him. Why d’ye ask me?’
“‘Crook?’ said I. ‘How come, Hannaford?’
“‘Smuggler,’ said he.
“Then I did get excited, fellows. It all came back to me. I remembered the name. When you first mentioned it, Jack, back there at your home it sounded familiar. But like you I got to thinking of revolutionists. That put me off the track. So now I said to Hannaford, ‘Look here. You mean the Master Mind?’
“Hannaford snorted again. ‘Yeah, that’s what the newspapers call him. But he ain’t any Master Mind. He’s just a doggone smart crook. But he’ll get his some day. I only hope it’s on this side of the Line, so I can get a crack at him. His gang croaked my old side-kick, years ago. Just the same, you’ll have to admit he is smart. Why, he fools you boys of the Border Patrol in your airplanes just as easy as he used to fool us when we chased him on horseback. He’s smuggled everything from Chinamen to diamonds in his time. What he’s up to now, I don’t know. You’re the first that’s mentioned him in a year.’