"Or else we'll make you," said Dade grimly. "We want water, and we'll have it."
"I wonder," said Casey, "if you are trying to hang a nice little bluff on me, Mr. Dade? Suppose, for instance, you have no land, and don't need any water."
"I can show you my deed."
"That's quite possible. All right, Mr. Dade. Is there anything more you want to say?"
"I reckon that's all," said Dade. "If you'll say that the ditches will be let alone there'll be no trouble; if not, there will be."
"What kind of trouble, Mr. Dade?"
"You'll see when it comes."
"Very well," said Casey. "Now, listen to me, Mr. Dade. You and your friend there and your whole outfit can go plumb. Get that? Every ranch here has water, and we're going to keep it. How we keep it is our own business. If you've bought land you may look to the company for water, and not to us. If you haven't bought land—if you're hired to come here to start something—why, let it start!"
He and Dade looked straight into each other's eyes in the silence that followed. Cross made a sudden movement.
"Be careful, partner!" McHale warned him in hard tones.