“ Baje usted ” he ordered gruffly. He glanced at the girl. “You too — get down.”
His eyes, after that glance, remained fixed on her, even after she was down from the saddle and standing by the horse’s head. The Saint wondered for the first time whether he might not have let his zest for adventure override his common sense when he deliberately led her into the stronghold of an outlawed and desperate man.
El Rojo turned back to him.
“The señorita,” he said, “will tie your hands behind you.”
He dragged a length of cord from his pocket and threw it across the space between them. The girl looked at it coldly.
“Go on,” said the Saint, “Do what the nice gentleman tells you. It’s part of the act.”
He could take care of such minor details when the time came, but for the present there was a mystery with which he was more preoccupied.
When the Saint’s hands had been tied, El Rojo pointed his rifle.
“The señorita will lead the way,” he said. “You will follow, and I shall direct you from behind. You would be wise not to try and run away.”
He watched them file past him, and from the sounds that followed, the Saint deduced that El Rojo had taken the horses by their bridles and was towing them after him as he brought up the rear.