"All right, go ahead," answered Si. "I'll wait right here for you."
Dixon strolled off and was soon lost to view. Si, left to himself, leaned up against a convenient tree. His eyes closed, and soon he was in the land of dreams.
As soon as Si was asleep Sag Ruff walked into the opening.
"We'll fix this crowd, Soapy," said he to his tool. "A wagon and a mule won't go bad for us, eh?"
"Good enough, Sag. But the outfit is known on this route."
"Yes, but we can take the Salt Lake route. I've heard it was about as good as this one," added the gambler.
"Just as you say. But I don't want to get shot down."
"Do you want to hoof it all the way to California?" asked Sag Ruff, sharply.
"No."
"Then don't talk."