A
moment later he was erect again. He caught Roldan by one shoulder and
Adan by the other. By this time every Indian in the camp was pressing
about his chief.
"They are not two miles away," said Anastacio. "And the dawn will be
here in an hour. There are ten miles between us and the mountains. I
don't wish to fight in the open without knowing their numbers."
Roldan danced up and down with sudden excitement. "I have a plan," he
cried. "You can trust me. I don't want to go back."
Anastacio bent his keen malevolent eyes close above the young
Spaniard's, then loosened his hold.
"Bueno," he said. "I trust you."
"The straw," said Roldan. "Bring it all here."
Anastacio gave the order, and an immense carreta of straw was trundled
up.
"Now," said Roldan, "gather it into bunches the size of a man's head and
tie each firmly. The tide is running toward the enemy, and it is too
dark to see clearly. Do you understand, senor?"
Anastacio made a loud exclamation, caught Roldan in his arms and kissed.
him, much to that haughty young gentleman's disgust, then tied the first
bunch himself. Roldan, Adan, and some forty of the quicker Indians
rapidly manipulated the straw, and in little more than ten minutes had
cast a hundred round compact bundles into the hurrying tide.
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