The Valiant Runaways [48]
him the other day that he wanted to see me mighty particular, and
I'm wonderin' what's in the wind. Maybe you heard him say."
"No," said Roldan; but he guessed.
"Now," said Hill, "spin your yarn. I'm just pinin' to hear those
adventures."
Roldan appreciated the sarcasm, but was too secure in the wealth of the
past month to resent it. He began at the beginning and told the story
with his curious combination of reserve and dramatic fire. As he had
already told it several times it ran glibly off his tongue and had
several inevitable embellishments. The man, whose cold blue eyes had
wandered at first, finally fixed themselves on Roldan; and his whole
face gradually softened. When Roldan finished with his and Adan's rescue
by Don Tiburcio's vaquero, he held out his hand and said solemnly,--
"Shake."
Roldan allowed his hand to be gripped by that hairy paw; he was too
elated to resent it as a familiarity.
"You've got pluck," continued Hill, "and I respect pluck mor' 'n
anything else on earth. You're a man and a gentleman, and Californy'll
be proud of you yet. Got any more?"
Roldan related the tale of Rafael's prowess with the bull, his own
encounter with the bear, and Adan's timely interference. Hill then shook
the hands of the two other boys, and told them that as long as he had a
roof above his head they could share it, and that he'd do anything to
help them but steal horses, so help him Bob. Roldan then told the tale
of the earthquake and stampede.
"Ugh!" exclaimed Hill, with a shudder. "That's one thing I can't abide--
your earthquakes. I tell you it's enough to take the grit outen a
grizzly to hear the land sliden on the mountain and the big redwoods
that has got their roots about the bed-rock come roarin' down. When an
earthquake comes I go and stand in the middle of the creek so as I can
see what's comin' all round. Once I was on the side of the mountain when
one of those shakes come and I slid down twenty feet before I could stop
myself. It's just the one thing that has happened to me that I can't
help thinkin' about. Well, what kin I do for you? You're welcome to stay
here, but this hut ain't no great shakes for such as you. Be you goin'
home, now that the conscription's over?"
"No!" said Roldan, emphatically, "we are not. There are other reasons
why we must go to Los Angeles as quickly as we can. Could you get us
three horses?"
"I could get them from the priest--"
"No! no!"
"Why, what's the row with the priest? Got in his black books? I
shouldn't like to do that myself."
"You said just now that you would do anything for us. Would you even
hide us from the priest if he came here?"
"I would. And I ain't the one to ask questions. If you don't want to see
the priest, it's not Jim Hill that will assist him to find you. Been
there myself."
"Couldn't you get us three horses from my father's corral--the Rancho
Encarnacion?" asked Rafael.
"I could, if you'd go with me; but horse-stealing is just the one thing
I agreed not to do."
"You might go with him, Rafael," said Roldan. "You would get there after
dark if you started now; and even if the vaqueros were not asleep they
would not call your father."
"And I could send a message to my parents," said Rafael, eagerly. "Then
they would not worry. Yes, I will go. The priest would not dare to harm
me while I was with the Senor Hill."
"Oh, the two of us would be a match for even him, if it came to that,"
said Hill. "Well, we'll start right now, there bein' no call for delay.
We'll have to foot it, as my mustang's laid up. If the priest should
turn up here--which ain't likely--jest run up that ladder inter the
garret and pull it after yer. Well, hasta luego, as they say in these
parts. Make yourselves ter home."
XX
"Now," said Roldan, as Rafael and Hill trudged into the perspective of
the canon, "we must sleep, but by turns. That priest will surely go to
the cave to-day, and when he finds us gone he'll come straight for the
mountains; and not through the tunnel either;
I'm wonderin' what's in the wind. Maybe you heard him say."
"No," said Roldan; but he guessed.
"Now," said Hill, "spin your yarn. I'm just pinin' to hear those
adventures."
Roldan appreciated the sarcasm, but was too secure in the wealth of the
past month to resent it. He began at the beginning and told the story
with his curious combination of reserve and dramatic fire. As he had
already told it several times it ran glibly off his tongue and had
several inevitable embellishments. The man, whose cold blue eyes had
wandered at first, finally fixed themselves on Roldan; and his whole
face gradually softened. When Roldan finished with his and Adan's rescue
by Don Tiburcio's vaquero, he held out his hand and said solemnly,--
"Shake."
Roldan allowed his hand to be gripped by that hairy paw; he was too
elated to resent it as a familiarity.
"You've got pluck," continued Hill, "and I respect pluck mor' 'n
anything else on earth. You're a man and a gentleman, and Californy'll
be proud of you yet. Got any more?"
Roldan related the tale of Rafael's prowess with the bull, his own
encounter with the bear, and Adan's timely interference. Hill then shook
the hands of the two other boys, and told them that as long as he had a
roof above his head they could share it, and that he'd do anything to
help them but steal horses, so help him Bob. Roldan then told the tale
of the earthquake and stampede.
"Ugh!" exclaimed Hill, with a shudder. "That's one thing I can't abide--
your earthquakes. I tell you it's enough to take the grit outen a
grizzly to hear the land sliden on the mountain and the big redwoods
that has got their roots about the bed-rock come roarin' down. When an
earthquake comes I go and stand in the middle of the creek so as I can
see what's comin' all round. Once I was on the side of the mountain when
one of those shakes come and I slid down twenty feet before I could stop
myself. It's just the one thing that has happened to me that I can't
help thinkin' about. Well, what kin I do for you? You're welcome to stay
here, but this hut ain't no great shakes for such as you. Be you goin'
home, now that the conscription's over?"
"No!" said Roldan, emphatically, "we are not. There are other reasons
why we must go to Los Angeles as quickly as we can. Could you get us
three horses?"
"I could get them from the priest--"
"No! no!"
"Why, what's the row with the priest? Got in his black books? I
shouldn't like to do that myself."
"You said just now that you would do anything for us. Would you even
hide us from the priest if he came here?"
"I would. And I ain't the one to ask questions. If you don't want to see
the priest, it's not Jim Hill that will assist him to find you. Been
there myself."
"Couldn't you get us three horses from my father's corral--the Rancho
Encarnacion?" asked Rafael.
"I could, if you'd go with me; but horse-stealing is just the one thing
I agreed not to do."
"You might go with him, Rafael," said Roldan. "You would get there after
dark if you started now; and even if the vaqueros were not asleep they
would not call your father."
"And I could send a message to my parents," said Rafael, eagerly. "Then
they would not worry. Yes, I will go. The priest would not dare to harm
me while I was with the Senor Hill."
"Oh, the two of us would be a match for even him, if it came to that,"
said Hill. "Well, we'll start right now, there bein' no call for delay.
We'll have to foot it, as my mustang's laid up. If the priest should
turn up here--which ain't likely--jest run up that ladder inter the
garret and pull it after yer. Well, hasta luego, as they say in these
parts. Make yourselves ter home."
XX
"Now," said Roldan, as Rafael and Hill trudged into the perspective of
the canon, "we must sleep, but by turns. That priest will surely go to
the cave to-day, and when he finds us gone he'll come straight for the
mountains; and not through the tunnel either;