And when the
arboreal crown was finished, and its edges were straight and
sharp, an hour had passed since he began near noon. Then he
drilled a hole near the rim and, drawing a thin green ribbon from
his pocket, he passed it through the hole and, rising, he suddenly
hung it round Rodriguez' neck.
"Wear it thus," he said, "while you go through Shadow Valley."
As he said this he stepped back among the trees, and Rodriguez
followed to thank him. Not finding him behind the tree where he
thought to find him, he walked round several others, and Morano
joined his search; but the stranger had vanished. When they
returned again to the little clearing they heard sounds of
movement in the wood, and a little way off where the four horses
had grazed there were now only two, which were standing there with
their heads up.
"We must ride, Morano," said Rodriguez.
"Ride, master?" said Morano dolefully.
"If we walk away," said Rodriguez, "they will walk after us."
"They" meant la Garda. It was unnecessary for him to tell Morano
what I thus tell the reader, for in the wood it was hard to hear
anyone else, while to think of anyone else was out of the
question.
"What shall I do to them, master?" said Morano.
They were now standing close to their captives and this simple
question calmed the four men's curses, all of a sudden, like
shutting the door on a storm.
"Leave them," Rodriguez said. And la Garda's spirits rose and they
cursed again.
Pages:
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135