"Send your lovers instead," he said, and laughed, "for you will have them when you get more beef on your bones. _Adios_, soldier girl!"
She peered up at him under her mane of black hair.
"Myself,--I think that is true," she stated gravely, "also my lovers, when they come, must follow you! When I see my own people safe in Palomitas it may be that I, Tula, will also follow you,--and the help of the child of Miguel may not be a little help, my General."
Kit Rhodes alone knew what she meant. Her intense admiration for the rebel leader of the wilderness had brought the glimmer of a dream to her;--the need of gold was great as the need of guns, and for the deliverer of the tribes what gift too great?
But the others of the guard laughed at the crazy saying of the brown wisp of a girl. They had seen women of beauty give him smiles, and more than one girl follow his trail for his lightest word, but to none of them did it occur that this one called by him the young crane, or the possessor of many devils, could bring more power to his hand than a regiment of the women who were comrades of a light hour.
But her solemnity amused Rotil, and he swept off his hat with exaggerated courtesy.
"I await the day, Tulita. Sure, bring your lovers,--and later your sons to the fight! While you wait for them tell Marto Cavayso he is to have a care of you as if you were the only child of Ramon Rotil! I too will have a word with him of that. See to it, Capitan of the roads, and _adios!_"
He grinned at the play upon the name of Rhodes, and whirled his horse, joining his men, who sat their mounts and watched at a little distance.
Within the portal was gathered all those left of the household of Soledad to whom the coming and the going of the revolutionary leader was the great event of their lives, and all took note of the title of "Capitan" and the fact that the Americano and the Indian girl had his last spoken words.
They had gone scarce a mile when Fidelio spurred his horse back and with Mexican dash drew him back on his haunches as Kit emerged from the corridor.
"General Rotil's compliments," he said with a grin, "and Marto will report to you any event requiring written record,--and silence!"
"Say that again and say it slow," suggested Kit.