"Swinnerton, who
wants to break us like a rotten stick. He will be a millionaire many
times over if he breaks us. And if we put our work across, if we make
a go of it, Swinnerton will be the rotten stick!"
He stopped suddenly and watched them. And as often as he heard them
curse him he heard them curse Swinnerton.
"Ben," he cried, when he had waited for them to understand what he had
said, "get the harness on some horses and take one of the wagons to
Valley City. Take a couple of men with you. Go to the general office
and ask for Tommy Garton. Tell him we've got to have water. You, Lark,
take the rest of the wagons as fast as you can send your horses to the
Half Moon for more water. Take what men you need. Cook, see if you
have enough water in your tent to do any good. And then get us
something to eat. Ben will be back from Valley City before you know
it. The rest of you fellows better lie around and chew tobacco until
water comes. We'll get an early start to-morrow to make up for lost
time. Peters, you and Mundy see that somebody looks out for the men
that are hurt. Take them to the tent. They get first water if the
cook has any. If not, Ben, you take them with you to Valley City."
His orders came with staccato precision. There was no tremor of doubt
in his tones. And there was no slightest hesitation in obeying the
orders from the man who was again "boss.
Pages:
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277