“You’ve got to admire him for sticking,” says I, but Magpie snorts:
“Yeah? Might as well give three cheers for a cactus, Ike.”
“Doughgod” Smith comes past about dinner-time and stops to smoke a cigaret.
“Seen a posse today,” grins Doughgod. “Some bunch. Scenery Sims, Mighty Jones and Doleful Doolittle. Put them three on a two-by-four island and they couldn’t find each other.”
“Where did you see ’em, Doughgod?” asks Magpie.
“They left town about an hour before I started. Pointed towards Mighty’s place.”
Doughgod rode on, and me and Magpie ponders things. That’s some posse to go after anybody. Pretty soon Magpie sniffs the air. I sniff a little too, and then we hear Scenery Sims’ squeaky voice.
“Halt! You darn fool—halt!”
We steps around the corner of the cabin and sees a queer sight. In the middle of the trail stands Ajax. Standing between his long legs is a goat—a sick-looking goat.