“That’s nothing much ter us as long as we gits our coin.”
“Does we git it sure?”
“You bet I gits mine. Ef I don’t, there’ll be blazes a-roaring around yere.”
“Why, you don’t buck up agin’ Bland none?” half laughed the other. “You knows better than ter do that.”
“I don’t do it by my lonesome; but if I raises a holler there is others does the same thing. But I will git my dust, all right. Don’t you worry about that.”
At this point several of the men in the vicinity of the unfinished cabins set up a wild yell of laughter. One of their number had attempted to imitate the awkward motions of the former dancer and had fallen sprawling on his stomach. Immediately after this burst of laughter the men began to sing again.
“That oughter bring this yere Hodge over this way,” said Dug, with a hoarse laugh. “Ordinarily he comes a-whooping to see what is up, and he raises thunder. He sets himself up as a boss what is to be obeyed, and I reckons so far he has had the boys jumping when he gives orders.”
“If he comes over now,” observed Bight, “he gits his medicine in a hurry. I don’t care any about shooting him up, so I am for staying away from the rest of the bunch.”
“Oh! what ails yer?” growled Dug.
“It’s murder!” said Bight.