Carter stood at a little distance from the fire, watching the herd.
"That's a damned nervous bunch we've got, boys," he called to the other men.

"I don't know when I've seen a flightier lot.

It wouldn't take much to start 'em!" "We'll have our troubles gettin' them through Devil's Hole," declared Soapy.

Soapy, so called because of his aversion to the valuable toilet preparation so necessary to cleanliness, had a bland, ingenuous face and perplexed, inquiring eyes.

He was a capable man, however, despite his pet aversion, and there was concern in his voice when he spoke.
"That's why I wasn't in no hurry to push them too far tonight," declared Carter.