There followed
a complimentary exchange of greetings and the usual flow of small
talk. Ricardo had suffered a severe toothache--the same abominable
affliction that had lost Porfirio Diaz an empire. It had been a
dry spring, but, praise God, the water still held in the resaca--
his two sons were branding calves in one of the outer pastures--
and there had been a very good calf crop indeed. Blaze recounted
his own doings; Law told of Ranger activities along the lower
border. In the cool of the afternoon Ricardo rode with his
visitors, and then, cordial relations being now established, he
began to divulge information of value to Law.
Yes, he had endured many depredations from thieves. It was
shameful, but doubtless God willed that a certain amount of
stealing should go on in the world. The evil-doers were certainly
favored by nature, in this locality, for the great expanse of
brush country to the north and east offered almost perfect
security, and the river, to the south, gave immunity from pursuit
or prosecution. The beeves were driven north into the wilderness,
but the horses went to Mexico, where the war had created a market
for them.
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