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Vaca thought that the gold was still safe in his tapaderas. The gringo was a fool. Waring led the two saddled horses to the house. Ramon, coming from the kitchen, blinked in the sunlight. "It is my horse, but not my saddle, señor." "You are an honest man," laughed Waring. "But we won't change saddles. Come on!"
Hanging on the wall was a pair of Mexican tapaderas deep hooded stirrups with a great superfluity of leather extending below as if they were wings for the feet. "Oh! no, no, no," said the saddler, turning hastily and holding up his hand as if to quell this mental disturbance before it had gone too far. "These go on it these." He held out a pair of plain wooden hoops.
Budlong in flame-coloured angora at a little distance looked as if his legs were afire. Their ponies peered out shamefacedly through brilliant, penitentiary-made, horse-hair bridles, and old Mr. Penrose was the envy of everybody in a greasy, limp-brimmed Stetson he had bought from a freighter. Also he had acquired a pair of 22-inch, "eagle's bill" tapaderas.
It was a big stock saddle and heavy; yet it seemed too heavy. On his knees he turned it over, examining it. He smiled grimly as he untied the little canvas sacks and drew them from the tapaderas. "Thought he showed too much boot for a hard-riding chola," muttered Waring. He rose and threw some hay to the horses. He could hear Ramon and Armigo talking in the ranch-house.
Perplexed, stunned by the realization that he was alone and free, the young Mexican gazed about him. Waring was a tiny figure in the distance. Ramon dismounted and examined the empty tapaderas. Heretofore he had considered subtlety, trickery, qualities to be desired, and not incompatible with honor. In a flash he realized the difference, the distinction between trickery and keenness of mind.
Or would he wait until they were in some hidden fastness of the Agua Fria, and there kill them and leave them to the coyotes? The youth Ramon knew that the two little canvas sacks of gold were cleverly tied in the huge tapaderas of his uncle's saddle. Who would think to look for them there? The gringo had said that they would ride to the ranchito of Juan Armigo.
It was of black, hand-carved leather, with sterling-silver trimmings and long tapaderas a saddle to thrill every drop of the Castilian blood that flowed in the veins of its owner. The bridle was of finely plaited rawhide, with fancy sliding knots, a silver Spanish bit, and single reins of silver-link chain and plaited rawhide. At the pommel hung coiled a well-worn rawhide riata.
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