human
Th' fellers that owned them played safer than I did, he said,
gpt
I got a better guess, he said.
human
I know where all their cayuses are. Hoppy, that rustlin' drive crew must 'a' come in this way. What you bet?
gpt
I ain't bettin', grunted his companion, starting toward the little herd,
human
I'm lookin'. I don't hanker to lose that cayuse of mine, an' they'll mebby get th' hoss I ride after I start for their buildin' tonight. He's so mean I sort of cotton to him. An' he's got some thoroughbred blood in his carcass, judgin' from what Arch said. In a case like this it's only fair to use theirs. Besides, they're fresh; mine ain't.
gpt
Good thing you didn't bet,
human
He looks like he'd burn th' ground over a short distance, an' that's what I'm interested in. I'm goin' down an' turn mine loose. If things break like I figger they will there's no tellin' when I'll see him again, an' I don't want him to starve tied up to a tree. He's so thirsty about now that he'll head for McCullough's crick on a bee line.
gpt
Shore, an' not stray far from that grass, neither. He released the horses except the one he mounted and then rode up so close to his friend that their knees rubbed.
human
No tellin' when anybody will be comin' this way or when they'll get a drink. You look like you been hit by an idea. That's so rare, suppose you uncork it?
gpt
It's one I've been turnin' over, replied his friend,
human
Turn it over for me an' lemme look.
gpt
Kid, I'm lookin' for somethin' to happen that shore will bother Mr. McCullough a whole lot if he happens to think of it. When that buildin' starts burnin' it's shore goin' to burn fast. They can't fight th' fire like they should with them punchers pourin' lead into them lighted loopholes. Once it starts nothin' can stop it; an' I'm tellin' you it's shore goin' to start right. Th' south side is goin' first. They know there's only a few men watchin' th' north side, an' them few are layin' too far back. It won't take a man like Kane very long to learn that he's got to jump, an' jump quick; an' when he does he'll jump right. Right for him an' right for us. He can't do nothin' else. You said they got their cayuses in there with 'em?
human
So I was told. I'm seein' yore drift, Hoppy; an' when Kane an' his friends jump me an' Red shore will have jammed guns an' not be able to shoot at 'em.
gpt
Marriage ain't spoiled yore head, chuckled his companion.
human
Kane havin' us jailed that way riled me; an' McCullough tryin' to slip out of payin' them rewards has riled me some more. I'm washin' one hand with th' other. Do you think you an' Red could get yore cayuses an' an extra one for me, in case they get this one, around west somewhere back of where yo're goin'?
gpt
How'll this one do for you?
human
Plenty good enough.
gpt
Then he'll be there, ready to foller th' jumpers,
human
Good for you, Kid. You shore have got th' drift. Now, seein' that I may get into trouble an' be too late to go after 'em when they jump, you listen close while I tell you where to ride, an' all about it, and the description of the desert trail and the valley was as meaty as it was terse. He told his friend where to take the horses and where to look for him before the night's work began, and then went back to Kane and his men.
gpt
They're bound to head for that valley. There ain't no place else for 'em to go. I'll bet they've had that figgered for a refuge ever since they learned about it.
human
An' Mac tellin' me that he's got 'em all tied up an' ain't aimin' to pay no rewards! But, he said, becoming instantly grave,
gpt
Don't you reckon I got brains enough to run it off?
human
An' some to spare, replied Johnny;
gpt
Yo're slow, Kid, chuckled Hopalong, holding out his hand.
human
Call it yourself.
gpt
You went at that like you was pullin' a gun: an' I can't say nothin' that means anythin' faster. Why th' hurry?
human
Habit, I reckon, gravely replied his friend.
gpt
Savin' time, mebby; _I_ dunno why, you chump!
human
It's a good habit; an' I'm shore you saved considerable time, which same I'm aimin' to waste, replied Johnny. He thought swiftly. Last time he had called