“Ah, señor, you again come this way—is your stay to be short, as before?”
“On the contrary, Señor Riel, I am here to stay.”
“Ah, señor! you like the Silver Lake Valley, then?”
“Very much.”
“You are a gambler, perhaps, señor, or you have no business?”
“Oh, no, I am a ranchero, and have come to settle down the valley, near the lake.”
“You amaze me, señor, for there is no ranch to sell there.”
“There is one unoccupied, and may be for sale. I shall take possession of it, herd my cattle in the surrounding country, and, when the owner appears, will pay him what is just. Now, tell me, Señor Riel, if the padre is at home—— Oh, I see him there now,” and Buffalo Bill walked rapidly away to where a small, dark-faced man was standing, dressed as a Mexican priest.
“The Padre Juan, I believe?” he asked politely.
“Yes, my son, but I know you not.”