As he had
already told it several times it ran glibly off his tongue and had
several inevitable embellishments. The man, whose cold blue eyes had
wandered at first, finally fixed themselves on Roldan; and his whole
face gradually softened. When Roldan finished with his and Adan's rescue
by Don Tiburcio's vaquero, he held out his hand and said solemnly,--
"Shake."
Roldan allowed his hand to be gripped by that hairy paw; he was too
elated to resent it as a familiarity.
"You've got pluck," continued Hill, "and I respect pluck mor' 'n
anything else on earth. You're a man and a gentleman, and Californy'll
be proud of you yet. Got any more?"
Roldan related the tale of Rafael's prowess with the bull, his own
encounter with the bear, and Adan's timely interference. Hill then shook
the hands of the two other boys, and told them that as long as he had a
roof above his head they could share it, and that he'd do anything to
help them but steal horses, so help him Bob. Roldan then told the tale
of the earthquake and stampede.
"Ugh!" exclaimed Hill, with a shudder. "That's one thing I can't abide--
your earthquakes. I tell you it's enough to take the grit outen a
grizzly to hear the land sliden on the mountain and the big redwoods
that has got their roots about the bed-rock come roarin' down.
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