The girl had found a lamp which she placed on the ground, and the stranger looked at her sharply as she bent over it. Nobody spoke until Grahame came in.
"Are you alone?" he asked the messenger.
"Quite."
"What's your name and business?"
"Carson, agent for the trading firm, Henniker and Gillatly."
"Where were you going and why did you come here?"
Carson turned to Walthew, who had been wondering whether he recognized him.
"I imagine this gentleman knows my business," he said. "He did me a service in Rio Frio which I'm glad to acknowledge. As a matter of fact, I stopped here to look for something to eat; the owner of this house is on the President's side. It's pretty plain, though, that he has cleared out. Taking it all round, I haven't had much luck this trip."
"Who warned you not to call at the hacienda Perez?" Blanca asked.
"I don't know his name—he stopped me for a moment in the dark. I'm sorry I had to put one of your friends out of action, señorita, but I hadn't much choice, because he struck at me with his knife. For all that, I hope the man's not badly hurt."