“If you’re willin’ to take charge,” sez I, “why, go ahead, and I’ll obey orders; but I don’t care how small the body is, it can’t do quick work with more ’n one head, as you ought to know better ’n any of us—it havin’ been tried frequent in those Greek tales you’re all the time inflictin’ us with.”
Horace put his back up a little. “I’m willin’ to agree to anything reasonable,” sez he; “but I don’t see any sense in leavin’ this spot until we know where we’re goin’.”
I folded my fingers together, set my thumbs to chasin’ each other, and began to whistle. I wasn’t jealous of Horace; but it just occurred to me that I had handled men before he’d mustered up courage enough to stay out after seven o’clock P. M. without gettin’ his mother’s permission, and I wanted to test the others and see if they thought he had picked up more craft in three years ’n I had in a lifetime; so I whistled the tune to his song, and looked up at the clouds.
“What’s your idee, Happy?” sez ol’ Tank. I had nourished Tank on thought-food for a good long session, and I knew he’d feel mighty much like a lost calf if I left him to rustle up his own idees; so I just gave my hands a little toss and kept on with my whistlin’.
“Aw, don’t be so blame touchy,” sez Spider Kelley. I had pulled Spider through a number o’ tight places, also, and I knew he’d soon begin to feel trapped up and smothery, if I left him to sweat out his own idees for a few minutes longer; so I gave him the same gesture I had bestowed on Tank.
“What do you think we’d better do, Olaf?” sez Horace.
Olaf looked all around but did not see anything. “They have come up the ravine, took the path up the other side, through the clump o’ trees, made a wide circle and got to our camp,” sez Olaf. “If we try to get away, they cut us off. If we stay here, we die for want of water. If we rush up the hill, they shoot us from behind the rocks. All I can see is to wait until night, and then make a rush for it.”
“Well, that don’t look like much of an idee to me,” sez Horace. I kept on whistlin’.
“I move we foller Happy,” sez Spider Kelley.
“I second the motion,” sez Tank.