The Happy Family recognized them as two of the fellows in whose safe keeping they had left their ropes the night before.

Dunk looked around quickly when the group appeared over the little ridge, scowled, hesitated and then came straight up to them.
"I want you rowdies to bring back those sheep you took the trouble to drive off this morning," he began, with the even, grating voice and the sneering lift of lip under his little, black mustache which the older members of the Happy Family remembered--and hated--so vividly.
"I've stood just all I'm going to stand, of these typically Flying U performances you've been indulging in so freely during the past week.
It's all very well to terrorize a neighborhood of long-haired rubes who don't know enough to teach you your places; but interfering with another man's property is--" "Interfering with another--what ?" Big Medicine, his pale blue eyes standing out more like a frog's than ever upon his face, gave his horse a kick and lunged close that he might lean and thrust his red face near to Dunk's.

"Another what?
I don't see nothin' in your saddle that looks t'me like a man, by cripes! All I can see is a smooth-skinned, slippery vermin I'd hate to name a snake after, that crawls around in the dark and lets cheap rough-necks do all his dirty work.

I've saw dogs sneak up and grab a man behind, but most always they let out a growl or two first.

And even a rattler is square enough to buzz at yuh and give yuh a chanc't to side-step him.