"Well, boys," said their leader, shamefaced; "I don't know how it happened, but the Agency folks got the bulge on us, got us corralled, Curley says, and it's fight or surrender. As they got a bead on me from the house and the stable, surrender looks a whole lot better to me. We can come back and fight 'em for it afterwards."
Instinctively there was a simultaneous movement for cover. The dilapidated sheds leaning against the barn with their bags, barrels, bales of hay, etc., were selected by those nearest to them. Carroll and the rest put the rock that marked Nat-u-ritch's grave in front of them. "Humpy" Carroll, as his name indicated, was a humpbacked little man with ambitions. He had always fallen just short of being a leader and it made him a chronic insurgent. His insubordination had brought him into frequent conflict with Kal, whose place he coveted, and the latter's uncomfortable position afforded him keen satisfaction. In fact, Kal's taking off would not have appealed to Humpy as an irreparable loss.
Kal knew this and it filled him with helpless rage.
"Surrender without a fight?" inquired Humpy in a tone that made Kal squirm.
But he replied calmly with a slow drawl: "You got a nice fat rock in front of you, Humpy."
"I don't mind kickin' the bucket with a gun in my hand," chimed in Curley; "but give us a chance to fight, Humpy?"
"'Tain't our fault if you let 'em rope you."
"Say," said Kal, "if these fellers'll give me a gun, and will stand by, I'll fight you, Humpy; and the feller that gits over it—his word goes."
"Say, that's sporty," exclaimed Hal, delighted; "I'll stand for that."
Humpy's sardonic face grinned.