Buck James seemed to bristle up.
"Wal, would ye believe it, arter all our trouble, they comes up at last, says as how they hadn't been able to find no more yaller streaks, an', cool as ye please, says they was comin' in with us ag'in."
"An' did you let 'em?"
"We did not!" snorted Buck James, his capacious chest swelling out with indignation. "'Nuthin' like that,' says I. They gits huffy—so does we, eh, Reeder?—an' arter two minutes o' talkin' that ye could have heard fur a mile, we chases 'em."
"An' I guess they know better'n ter ever come back," added Reeder.
Wanatoma patted the Great Dane's head.
"Ugh! It is well," he said, "for they have the spirit of the coyote, who sinks his fangs into his wounded mate."
"I reckon as how checkers ain't sich a bad feller when ye gits ter know 'im," commented Cap Slater, after the two men had gone. "Lovell, the air's gittin' sharper, eh?"
"Yes, captain!"
"An' to-morrer we uns leave Wanna all ter his lonesome. Wal, I s'picion as how some o' us'll git back ag'in afore long."