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He unknotted the cinches and drew off the saddle, propping it against one hip while he surveyed his mount. In spite of all his vainglory he was human enough to show some concern, it appeared. He called for a bucket of water and offered it to the dripping pony. Marianne repressed a cry of warning: a drink might ruin a horse as hot as that.
Beth rode up uncertainly, her brown eyes closely scrutinizing his face. It appeared as if they had come to the end of everything the place for leaping off into downward space. "Let me see if the cinches are tight," said the horseman quietly, and he looked to the girth of her saddle. It was found to be in a satisfactory condition.
Duke Morgan tested the cinches of the saddle on the Lady once more, unloosed the tugs once more from the horse's shoulder, examined each buckle of the collar and every inch of the two strips of leather, the reinforced fastenings on the whiffletree, rolled all up again, strapped it, and stood by the head till de Spain swung up into the saddle.
Presently a tall man, with a drooping, sandy mustache, leisurely detached himself from the crowd. "Howdy, stranger," he said. The stranger had bent over to loosen the cinches; he straightened up and nodded. Then: "I'm thirsty!" That brought a broad smile to faces. It was characteristic greeting. One and all trooped after the stranger into the hotel.
On mountain weather forecasts, Kit was authority so the girls quickly seized their horses' bridles, tightened the cinches as Kit directed, then hastily mounted and started toward home. "It's beginning to look worse and worse! Don't waste a minute. We must reach the pass down there before it catches us. Otherwise we'll be in a jam."
Bannon was leaning on the rail, his face away from Peterson. After a while he spoke thoughtfully. "Well, that cinches it. I guess he meant to hold us up, anyway, but now he knows we're a good thing." "How's that? I don't see," said Peterson; but Bannon made no reply. "What did he have to offer the next time he came around? More in the same friendly way? When was it?" "Just this afternoon.
“Ha! you like the saddle!” Ramon exclaimed in well-stimulated delight. He rose, swiftly undid the cinches, and dropped saddle and blanket at the feet of his host. “It is yours!” he announced.
After Sheila had completed the tightening of the cinches she led the pony beside the corral fence, mounted, and without looking at Duncan started to ride away. "Wait!" he shouted, and she drew the pony to a halt and sat in the saddle, looking down at him with a contemptuous gaze as he stood in front of her. "I thought you was going with your father?" he said. "You are mistaken."
Haig paused, on one foot as it were, and looked over his shoulder. "It was fortunate for you that he's been well gentled," he said. "You should look to your cinches rather often when you ride these hills." "Yes, it was careless of me," she answered, trying to say it brightly, but really wanting to shriek. "It happens to everybody once in a while," he said.
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