He hated snakes about as much as he hated anything.
All waited, and while doing so, Dave and Todd took the opportunity to reload.

They were just finishing when Phil, chancing to look behind them, uttered a yell that would have done credit to an Apache Indian.
"Look out! One of 'em is behind us!" The others all took his word for it, and leaped to one side.

True enough, a second rattlesnake had appeared, and now a third was coming to light, from under a rock near by.
"It's a den of rattlers!" screamed Sid Todd.

"Run for it, boys! No use of trying to kill 'em off! They are too many for us!" The boys were already running at top speed, and the cowboy joined them.
In order to gain the horses, they had to move in a semicircle.

When they reached the animals, they found the steeds exceedingly nervous and inclined to bolt.
"Reckon they smell the snakes," was Todd's comment.