“Anybody’s a friend of mine who’ll stand up for a helpless dog,” she said.
“Oh—ah—yes,” he said, rather crestfallen.
They turned the bend of the valley and came in sight of the camp. The men were hard at work in their claims or washing for gold in the river; the sound of the pick and the shovel, the hum of the men’s voices and an occasional shout or burst of song broke the silence. At sight of Esmeralda and her companion some of the men sent up a wild Coo-ee, which she answered in a clear ringing cry which pierced the thin air and seemed to float to the mountain-tops. As the two rode into the camp, the men stopped working and lounged up to her, staring at the stranger who accompanied her.
“Halloo, Ralda!” said Taffy. “Who have you got there; looks like a new chum?” He put the question without the slightest regard to the presence of the subject of his inquiry.
Esmeralda explained how she came to find Lord Norman, and related the incident of the shooting.
“Miss Howard saved my life,” said Lord Norman, as she slurred over that part of the affair. “Look at the bullet-hole in her hat.”
The faces of the men darkened, and they growled and muttered under their breath.
“Things is coming to a pretty pass,” said Taffy, “when Dog’s Ear takes to drawing irons on our Esmeralda. ’Pears to me that that there Dog’s Ear wants a lesson, and Three Star has got to give it to ’em. It’s what you might call a moral dooty, and this yere camp ain’t going to neglect its dooty. You leave Dog’s Ear to us, Ralda—eh, boys?”
The crowd assented with an ominous growl, and Taffy turned his attention to Norman.