They pushed the horses until they felt they were a safe distance from town, then reined in. They dismounted and tied their saddlebags off.
“Well, that went off without a hitch,” Roper said, looking behind them.
“See anybody?” Clint asked.
“No,” Clint said. “Nobody, no sign.”
“As soon as they realize we fooled them, they’ll be coming,” Clint said. “We better keep moving.”
“Keep running?”
“If we have to turn and fight we will,” Clint said, “but there’s always a chance they’ll give up.”
“I suppose.”
They mounted up and continued riding South. Segundo was about fourteen miles.
###
When they were outside of Segundo they stopped. Clint stood in his stirrups and looked behind them.
“No sign,” he said.
“You seem disappointed.”
Clint looked at Roper.
“I’m thinking maybe we should have taken care of this in Trinidad.”
“You mean gone out that back door and met it head on?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it’s too late to change that decision,” Roper said. “Maybe you were right, and they got discouraged.”
“A hundred thousand dollars is a lot of encouragement,” Clint said.
“We might as well face the problem that’s ahead of us rather than worry about the one behind us,” Roper said.
“You’re right,” Clint said. “How much further to Segundo?”
“I think when we top that rise ahead we’ll see it.”
Clint looked around.
“We need someplace to bury these saddlebags,” he said.
Roper did the same, looking around them for a likely spot.
“How about there?” He pointed to an outcropping of rocks. “We might be able to cover them with rocks, instead of actually burying them in the dirt.”
“Let’s go take a look.”
They rode over to the rocks and dismounted.
“Look,” Roper said, pointing. “There’s a hollowed out area there, perfect for a hiding place.”
“First let’s see if it’s so perfect other people have already used it.”
They got on their knees to look inside the hollowed out area.
“Doesn’t look like anything’s been in there for years,” Roper said.
“Except maybe an animal or two,” Clint said, pointing to some small tracks.
“Small animals,” Roper said. “And once we cover it no animal will be able to get in. Besides, we’re not going to leave the money in there for very long.”
“True. Okay, let’s see how the saddlebags fit.”
They both walked to their horses and grabbed their saddlebags. Clint stuffed his through the opening, then took Roper’s and did the same.
“Tight fit,” he said.
“All the more reason nothing else will be able to get in,” Roper said. “Let’s see how well we can cover it up.”
They looked around for stones and rocks that were the right size and shape, began to build a small wall in front of the opening. After a while they stood up to stand back and take a look.
“How’s it look?” Clint asked.
“Not very natural,” Roper said, “but a rider could bypass it without a second look.”
“Let’s put some brush in front of it,” Clint suggested.
“Good idea.”
They walked around, collecting loose brush and piled it in front of the rocks, then stood back again.
“That’s better,” Clint said.
“Yes,” Roper said, “a bit.”
They both stared at it for a while, then Clint said, “Makes me nervous leaving a hundred thousand dollars out here like this.”
“Temporarily,” Roper said, “but I understand.”
Clint brushed his hands off on his thighs and said, “Well, we’d better get going. The Greybacks are probably getting nervous.”
“If, like you say, this Colonel Wentworth is there, then they have an experienced officer to keep them in line.”
“He maybe experienced,” Clint said, “but I have no idea how good an officer he was.”
“I guess that’s something we’re going to find out.”