53. “Play it, of course,” says I. “Mr. Bill will play with you. What kind of a game is it?”
54. “I’m the Black Scout,” says Red Chief, “and I have to ride to the stockade to warn the settlers that the Indians are coming. I’m so tired of playing Indian myself. I want to be the Black Scout.”
55. “All right,” says I. “It sounds harmless to me. I guess Mr. Bill will help you foil the pesky savages.”
56. “What am I to do?” says Bill, looking at the kid suspiciously.
57. “You are the hoss,” says Black Scout. “Get down on your hands and knees. How can I ride to the stockade without a hoss?”
58. “You’d better keep him interested,” said I, “till we get the scheme going. Loosen up.”
59. Bill gets down on his all fours, and a look comes in his eye like a rabbit’s when you catch it in a trap.
The two are typically in character in these paragraphs.
60. “How far is it to the stockade, Kid?” he asks, in a husky manner of voice.
61. “Ninety miles,” says the Black Scout. “And you have to hump yourself to get there on time. Whoa, now!”