After they had gone below Dennison dropped into Jane's chair. Immediately
Dodge began to talk: "So you nearly throttled that ornery coyote, huh?
Whata you know about this round-up? The three o' 'em came in, and I never
smelt nothin' until they were on top o' me. How should I smell anythin'?
Hobnobbing together for days, how was I to know they were a bunch of
pirates? Is your old man sore?"
"Naturally."
"I mean appertainin' to me?"
"I don't see how he could be. Who took care of you--bound you up?"
"That nice-lookin' greaser with the slue foot. Soft speakin' like a woman
and an eye like a timber wolf. Some hombre! Where we bound for?"
"God knows!"--dejectedly.
"Bad as that, huh? Your girl?"
"No."
"No place for a girl. If they hadn't busted my arm I wouldn't care so
much! If it comes to a show-down I won't be no good to anybody. Gimme my
guns and we'd be headin' home in five minutes. These hombres know
somethin' o' my gun play. Gee, it's lonesome here!" Dodge mused for a
moment. "Say, what's your old man's idea hog-tyin' you that-a-way?"
"He'll tell you perhaps."
"Uh-huh. Say, what did the Lord make all that stuff for?" with a gesture
toward the brazen sea. "What's it good for, anyhow?"
"But for the sea we wouldn't have any oysters or codfish," said Dennison,
soberly.
Dodge chuckled.
"Oysters and codfish! Say, you're all right! Never knew the old man had a
son until you blew in. Back in New York nobody ever said nothin' about
you. Where you been?"
"Lots of places."
"Any ridin'?"
"Some."
"Can you shoot?"
"A little."
"Kill any o' them Bolsheviks?"
"That would be guesswork. Did you ever kill a man?"
"Nope. Didn't have to. I'm pretty good on the draw, and where I come from
they knew it and didn't bother me."
"I see."
"Shootin' these days is all in the movies. I was ridin' for a film company
when your old man lassoed me for this job. Never know when you're well
off--huh? I thought there wouldn't be nothin' to do but grub pile three
times a day and the old man's cheroots in between. And here I be now,
ridin' along with a bunch of pirates! Whata you know about that? And some
of them nice boys, too. If they were riff-raff, barroom bums, I could get
a line on it. But I'll have to pass the buck."