“Yes, sir. The Pawnees charged us, to scare us; but we forted behind our horses and were going to fight them off, only we didn’t need to.”
“They gave us the peace sign just in time, too,” George added; “or else they’d have lost some scalps.” And he wagged his head and growled hostily. “The laugh would have been on them, I’ll bet.”
“Hah!” chuckled the little general. “That’s the talk. You’re the right stuff. You ought to be corporals, at least. Now what? Ready for work?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve got a job at end o’ track,” Terry answered.
“I’ll take a job somewhere if I can get one,” asserted George. “I don’t want to loaf.”
“All right. Mr. Reed and I, between us, will see that you don’t loaf, young man. Nobody loafs, along the U. P. But first you get breakfast, both of you. Then you can have till noon. Report to one of us at noon; if we’re not here, go on out to end o’ track and find us.”
“Sha’n’t I start in hauling rails again, sir?” Terry asked.
“You’ll start in at something or other, never fear; and so shall this other boy. How are you fixed for funds? Got breakfast money?”
“I haven’t,” George confessed.
“Guess I have,” said Terry.