" He let his hand rest quite unconsciously
on the leathern holster of his dragoon revolver, yet with a strong
suggestion to me of his ability "to make the riffle" if he wanted
to, and added: "But just now I was reck'nin' on taking a little
pasear with you."
There was nothing offensive in his speech save its familiarity, and
the reflection, perhaps, that whether I objected or not, he was
quite able to do as he said. I only replied that if our pasear was
prolonged beyond Heavytree Hill, I should have to borrow his beast.
To my surprise he replied quietly, "That's so," adding that the
horse was at my disposal when he wasn't using it, and HALF of it
when he was. "Dick has carried double many a time before this," he
continued, "and kin do it again; when your mustang gives out I'll
give you a lift and room to spare."
I could not help smiling at the idea of appearing before the boys
at Red Gulch en croupe with the stranger; but neither could I help
being oddly affected by the suggestion that his horse had done
double duty before.
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