He
forgot that the antagonism was there--except when he came face to face
with Manuel, perhaps, or when he chanced to see on the face of Jose a
brooding look of dissatisfaction, and guessed that he was thinking of
Jack and Teresita.
CHAPTER XVI
"FOR WEAPONS I CHOOSE RIATAS"
There must have been a good deal of gossip amongst the vaqueros of the
various ranches, as they rode on circle or lay upon their saddle
blankets around the evening camp-fires. As is ever the case when a man
is young, handsome, rich, and holds proudly the gold medal which
proclaims him the champion of the whole State--the golden disk which
many a young vaquero longed to wrest from him in a fair test of
skill--there were those who would rather like to see Jose humbled. True,
they would never choose an alien to do the humbling, and the possibility
was discussed with various head-shakings amongst themselves.
But there were the Picardo vaqueros stanchly swearing by all the saints
they knew that these two gringos were not as other gringos; that these
two were worthy a place amongst true Californians. Could they not see
that this Senor Hunter was as themselves? And he was not more Spanish in
his speech and his ways than was the Senor Allen, albeit the Senor
Allen's eyes were blue as the lupines, and his hair the color of the
madrona bark when it grows dark with age--or nearly the color. And he
could shoot, that blue-eyed one!
Valencia, having an audience of a dozen or more one night, grew eloquent
upon the prowess of the blue-eyed one.
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