As their journey together begins, Mano tells his mount, "Stay away from those low branches, if you please, eh? I know all those tricks better than you!" When he spots a fallen rider nearby, he comments, "A cousin of yours, no doubt, who derives his entertainment from throwing his master." His happy-go-lucky mood takes a turn for the serious as his efforts to help are met with a loaded gun in the hand of an unhurt man.

While Mano is regretting his act of kindness, John Cannon and Sam Butler are back on High Chaparral, discussing the quality of the mares and the fact that John has overextended himself financially to purchase them.  According to both of them, however, the stallion Mano is bringing makes it worth the risk. Little do they know that he's about to lose the horse - and more.
 

The sentry at the High Chaparral barely recognizes Mano when he limps toward the ranch gate sometime later, completely exhausted and his feet wrapped in the remnants of his jacket. His arrival is perfectly timed – John and Victoria were just discussing the fact that he was late in returning. Unhurt, but "very tired," he gives them a brief explanation of what happened, then seeks his bed.  Despite of the loss of the stallion, John proves is continuing trust in Mano by sending him back to Rancho Montoya, while Buck and the men track the horse thieves. Mano's mission this time is to deliver $800 in cash --security against the return of the stallion." It's all he can afford to pay, although the horse is worth much more. When Mano mentions that he's the one who lost the horse in the first place and asks why he's been chosen, John explains his reasoning that since Mano has been robbed once, he will be that much more careful.

Don Sebastian is much less understanding than his son-in-law. He is very angry, and as he says, "very serious," asking what Mano intends to do about the loss of the horse. He also wants "concern, genuine concern," which he does not see in his apologetic and equally serious son. In a soul-baring discussion, Mano admits that he cannot understand what drives his father and John Cannon – to him it is still only a "lost horse." Yet he respects what his father wants, "even though it is completely different" from what he wants. When Don Sebastian responds that he would like to respect him for what he wants as well, and asks what that is, Mano replies in a bewildered tone, "I do not know." Explaining that such an answer is fine for a child, but not for a man, his father calls upon him to do whatever he has to do, no matter how long it takes, to get the stallion back.