night with the Stevensons by chance a month previous, a stranger, his
speculation was aroused when through questions about the ranch he
learned of the unused Pinas River water right, a right valid but
apparently impracticable. Was it indeed impracticable? Would the cost
of bringing water to the land be, after all, prohibitive? In fact, had
a competent engineer ever gone into the matter? He doubted it. The
history of the property, so far as he could glean from Stevenson,
disclosed on the part of no one any serious effort ever to develop the
ranch. In the beginning Menocal had probably had some faint notion of
carrying out the scheme, but if so, had afterward abandoned the
enterprise. The tract of five thousand acres of land had originally
been a small Mexican grant; it lay in the midst of government land;
and when Menocal came into possession of the ranch, some conception of
utilizing water from the Pinas must have inspired him to acquire the
appropriation of one hundred and twenty-five second feet. Well, the
land, theoretically at any rate, had water; and if water actually
could be delivered, an extraordinary value would accrue to the now
nearly worthless tract. It was a problem for engineers; it was one of
the possibilities that if seized might be converted into a fact.
Bryant was an engineer, and he was just then foot-loose.

From the worried ranchman, Stevenson, who appeared glad to talk of his
affairs to someone, he learned that the man was both dissatisfied with
the country and straitened in circumstances. Bryant judged that his
host would consider any offer which would enable him to realize
something on the ranch and to depart; so that particular aspect of the
matter if undertaken, namely, securing title to the land and water
right, seemed favourable. If no insurmountable obstacle stood in the
way of building a dam and a canal, arising from construction elements,
it assuredly looked as if money was to be made out of the project.