Diego looked forward to the arrival of the new mission padre Benitez, whom he knows from correspondence on ornithology. The priest who greets don Alejandro proves a brute who claims to take orders only from the cardinal; he makes all caballeros triple their contributions, for unnecessary renovations, and has his servant Carlos falsely arrested for stealing the church silver. Diego notices the handwriting is different- Zorro rides at night and hears him haggle the alcalde's share. In the morning Carlos is to be whipped, but Zorro brings the silver

Diego's photographic experiment after Joseph Eeps is a bright failure, twice. Señor Casey Hawkes' gold transport worth 6000 pesos for the Spanish colonies to the north, where Russians must be kept away, is raided by Indians; although Diego remarks their arrows are unknown, a bounty is awarded on every Indian's head. When Zorro saves some innocent local Indians, Hawkes' men attempt to apprehend him, only to be delivered to jail themselves; the alcalde quickly releases them. With Victoria's help, Zorro searches Hawkes' room at her inn and follows him to his gang