They had gone thus for fifteen or twenty minutes when he heard the sound of horses' hoofs away off in the distance.
"Carramba! They are after us," cried Manuel. "Good! Now for the chase. Let your heart be glad, Señorito, they have taken the bait."
Still Francisco wondered, he could not yet see through their plans, but excitement made his blood run hot through his veins; and he held on to Barboza's neck and spurred her on to keep the pace.
When a glimpse of water ahead of them, sparkling in the moonlight, told them they were near the river Salinas, a small tributary to the great river they had just left, the men slackened their speed and Francisco was able to get a full breath.
He could hear the soft thud of the pursuing horses' feet on the pampas grass plainer and plainer, and when their own horses were within a few hundred feet of the stream he could hear the men's shouts.
"Are there more than two?" asked José.
"No, just the two thieves, themselves. Those carboneros would never give us pursuit. It is none of their affair and they seldom meddle. They probably loaned one a horse in place of this one you are leading."
"Or they helped themselves as we did," chuckled the Indian.
They were close to the ford now; in the bright moonlight the middle of the river gleamed and danced; but the two banks were in deep shadow because of the heavy clumps of willows and low growing trees.
The thieves were but a short distance behind them when their horses plunged into the water.