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"Gentle eye contact with the two Mexicans, for the sheer novelty if nothing else They seeentles in response

"Mrs Lynch," said the captain "Good to see you again We were just having a little talk with these two fellows here They’re fro the in the sixth car He’s abastard, and I hope he don’t leaht not be too disappointed at the chance to reprier

MacGruder cleared his throat and said more diplomatically, "I understand you’re acquainted with the Republican in question Caht?"

"Yes, that’s right I don’t believe it’s coht have "

"I see"

"Señora," said the darker of the two men, the one she’d seen at the station with the uncommonly tidy eyebrows "Please allow nacio Galeano" He said the na that sounded like music "And this is my associate, Frederico Maria Gonsalez Portilla We areinspectors From the Empire of Mexico We do not intend to cause a stir aboard this train; we are only in the process of discovering what has happened to a lost legion of our nation’s soldiers"

Mercy was glad his English was so good She didn’t need to strain to understand him, and she didn’t feel that idiotic compulsion to speak loudly She said, "I’ve heard about that--it’s in the newspapers, you know"

His fellow inspector said, "Yes, we are aware that it has reata tiny thrill over the conversation with a foreigner She’d known plenty of northerners and southerners, but she’d never met anybody as from a-​whole-​nother country before Except Gordon Rand, and he didn’t hardly count

Inspector Galeano fretted with his napkin and said, "If only we knehat had happened, out in the west of Tejas" He called the Republic by the name it’d worn as a Mexican state

"What do youoccurred, and it sent them off course, up past the low, hot country and north into the mountains We have learned that they made it as far as the territory of theof the" He searched his English vocabulary for a word, but failed to find it

"Utah," Morris Comstock provided "Where the Morious people Some of them have ot that she wasn’t supposed to know any of this, butabout the cannibalism before anyone could ask her how she’d come by the information Instead, she said, "I’m sorry to hear that Do you have any idea what happened? Do you think the Texians did sorash?"

Inspector Portilla’s forehead crinkled at the use of rash, but he gleaned the context and said, "It’s always possible But we do not think that is the case We have had reports that some Texians are implicated as well"

"What kind of reports? Terrible reports?" she asked

"Equally terrible, yes We believe"--he exchanged a glance with Inspector Galeano, who nodded to affirm that this was safe to share--"that there may be an illness of soely "Or aa poison, or so" Then, to forestall any questions about her undue interest, she said, "I’ to me"

"A nurse?" said Inspector Galeano "We were told there would be a doctor on the train, but we’ve heard of no such--"

Morris Comstock interrupted "We were supposed to pick one up in Kansas City, but he never showed So noe’re supposed to have one in Topeka,us tales"

The captain crossed his arms, leaned back, and said to the Mexicans, "Mrs Lynch is the one who patched up poor Morris here, when he got winged during that raid"

Inspector Galeano wore a look of intense interest He bent forward, laid one arestured with the other hand "We only developed this idea very recently, froencia that found us in Missouri But perhaps I can ask you this question--and I hope you will not consider h his vocabulary for a word, then found it "Rude"

"Fire away," she told hi that she looked the very picture of enthusiastic innocence

He said, "Very good These are the facts as we understand them: A partial force of soldiers was sent from a presidio in Saltillo They met with commanders and acquired more personnel in El Paso At the time, their numbers were approximately six hundred and fifty They traveled east, toward the middle of the old state, near Abilene From there they were to march on to Lubbock, and up to the settlement at Oneida--called Amarillo by your people By then they had added another hundred settlers to their nule" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>