“No,” I agreed; “but I want to see Olaf’s eyes again, and this may be my last chance.”
“It may be your last chance to see anything,” sez Spider. “The best thing we can do is just to back-track. We interrupted ’em once before; and I don’t want ’em to get the idee that we spend all our time doggin’ their footsteps for a chance to spoil their fun. This ain’t any of our business.”
“We won’t spoil their fun,” sez I. “If they get suspicious, we can take a hand in it, an’ that will fix it all right. Olaf ain’t nothin’ to us; and I don’t intend to risk my fat for him, just ’cause he’s got curious eyes.”
“No, I’m not goin’,” sez Spider.
I looked across at the group again, an’ there comin’ up the trail behind ’em was Friar Tuck, ridin’ a round little pinto, an’ leadin’ a big bay.
“Well, you just stay here, an’ be damned to you,” sez I to Spider. “I’m goin’ on down.” So me an’ Spider rode down together, an’ arrived at just the same time as the Friar did.
Badger-face looked first at us, an’ then at the Friar. “What the hell do you fellers want this time?” he sez to us in welcome.
“We just happened along,” sez I. “What’s goin’ on?”
“You’re goin’ on yourselves, first thing,” sez Badger-face. “That’s what’s goin’ on.”
“I guess ’at you ain’t got neither deeds nor lease to this land,” sez I. “We haven’t any intention of interferin’ with you; but we don’t intend to be sent where we don’t want to go. We’ve got business here, huntin’ up stray hosses, an’ I reckon we’ll just stick around.”