For a moment Siwash Charley paid no attention; then, as the air Matt was whistling came to him, he lifted suddenly and glared.
"Stop yer whistlin'," he snapped.
"Do you know what that is, Siwash?" he asked.
"No!" almost shouted the scoundrel.
"They call it reveille up at the post. Here's 'stable call'——"
Siwash made one spring at Matt, the knife still gripped in his fist. He flashed the blade in front of Matt's eyes.
"If I thought—if I thought——"
Siwash breathed the words hoarsely and stared menacingly at Matt. There followed an awkward silence. Presently Siwash turned away and went on carving the dried beef.
"I don't want ter hear 'stable call' nor nothin' else," he snarled. "Don't like whistlin' nohow. Shut up, or I'll put a gag between yer jaws."
Matt deemed it best to keep silent after that. Nevertheless, it seemed to him as though he had touched a raw spot in Siwash Charley's past history. Had Cameron got the matter right? Was Siwash Charley really the deserter, Cant Phillips?