"Aw, he's all right," protested Phil.
"Sure," said Bud; "I ain't afraid he'll steal something—but he might take a notion to quit the country."
"Why, what for?" challenged De Lancey. "He's got his wife and family here."
"That's nothing—to a Mexican!" countered Bud. "But I ain't figuring on the excuse he'd give—that won't buy me nothing—what I want to do is to keep him from going. Because if we lose that Mex now, we lose our mine."
"And—"
"No 'and' to it," said Bud doggedly. "We ain't going to lose him."
"But if we did," persisted De Lancey, "why, then you think—"
"Your friend would get it," finished Hooker grimly.
"Ah, I see," nodded De Lancey, noting the accent on "friend." "You don't approve of my making friends with Aragon."
"Oh, that's all right," shrugged the big cowboy. "It won't make no difference now. Go ahead, if you want to."