[CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE—THE FRIAR GIVEN TWO WEEKS]
As Friar Tuck and the woman came out of the mouth of the ravine, Ty Jones came out of the back door of the old cabin. He stopped a moment, lookin’ at ’em, rubbed his eyes an’ looked again. Then he walked towards ’em. He spoke somethin’ to the Friar, and the Friar answered it. The woman didn’t pay any heed at all; but went around the new cabin to the door which was on the other side. Three more Cross-branders rode in, and Ty Jones shook his fist at the Friar.
Ol’ Tank was cussin’ under his breath for comfort, but it didn’t keep him from gettin’ fidgetty. “Isn’t the’ no sort of a tool, Horace,” he blurted out, “that’ll stretch out your hearin’ the way these field glasses stretch out your eyesight? I’d be willin’ to have one of my ears run as wild as my free eye, forever after, if it could just hear, now, what Ty Jones is a-speakin’ to the Friar. I’m beginnin’ to get nervous.”
We all felt about the same way; but it was about two miles down to where they were, so all we could do was to watch.
Olaf had come with us, leavin’ Oscar with Kit, and now Horace turned to him and said: “You and Promotheus know more about Ty Jones ’n the rest of us. I have never tried to pump Promotheus, but now I want you to tell us what you think he’ll do with the Friar.”
They said ’at Ty was generally purty cold blooded, and likely to take enough time in gettin’ rid of a feller to make it purty hard to tell just how it had been done; but that when he once let go of himself, he didn’t care what happened, and if the Friar angered him about the woman, the chances were ’at the Friar would never leave the ranch alive.
The shadows were beginnin’ to fall, down in the valley; but Ty and the Friar kept on talkin’, Ty wavin’ his hands now and again, while the Friar stood straight with his hands hangin’ easy at his side. I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“I believe ’at a feller could get almost to ’em without bein’ seen, by goin’ along the edge o’ the ravine,” sez I; “and I’m goin’ to do it. It’ll be dark in a few minutes. If you want me to hustle to the Friar, wave a torch up and down; if you want me to come back here, wave it sideways.”
“I’m goin’, too,” sez Horace.
“So ’m I,” sez Olaf and The.