Alice retired early, and before long Endicott, too, sought his blankets.  The moon rose, and the Texan strolled over to the grazing horses.  Returning, he encountered Bat seated upon a rock at some distance from camp, watching him.  The half-breed was grinning openly now, broadly, and with evident enjoyment.  Tex regarded him with a frown:  “For a Siwash you’re plumb mirthful an’ joyous minded.  In fact I ain’t noticed any one so wrapped up in glee for quite a spell.  Suppose you just loosen up an’ let me in on the frivolity, an’ at the same time kind of let it appear where you put in the day.  I mistrusted my packin’ a pair of purple ones wouldn’t give you the whoopin’ cough, so I just sauntered over an’ took a look at the cayuses.  Yourn’s be’n rode ’til he’s sweat under the blanket—­an’ he ain’t soft neither.”

“Oui, A’m fol’ ’long we’n you make de ride.  A’m t’ink mebbe-so two better’n wan.”

“Well, I was weaned right young, an’ I don’t need no governess.  After this you——­”

The half-breed shrugged:  “A’m tink dat tam way back in Las Vegas dat dam’ good t’ing ol’ Bat fol’ ‘long, or else, ba Goss, you gon’ to hell for sure.”

“But that’s no sign I’ve always got to be close-herded.  Did you sneak up near enough to hear what the short-horn said?”

“Oui, A’m hear dat.  She mak’ me laugh lak’ hell.”

“Laugh!  I didn’t see nothin’ so damn hilarious in it.  What do you think about Purdy?”

“A’m tink dat dam’ bad luck she no git keel.”  The half-breed paused and grinned:  “De pilgrim she mak’ de run for nuttin’, an’ you got to ke’p on lyin’ an’ lyin’, an bye-m-bye you got so dam’ mooch lies you git los’.  So far, dat work out pret’ good.  De pilgrim gon’ ke’p on de run, ‘cause he no lak’ for git stretch for politick, an’ you git mor’ chance for make de play for de girl.”

“What do you mean?” The Texan’s eyes flashed.  “I just knocked the livin’ hell out of one fellow for makin’ a crack about that girl.”

“Oui, A’m know ‘bout dat, too.  Dat was pret’ good, but nex’ tam dat better you start in fightin’ fore you git knock clean across de coulee firs’.  A’m lak dat girl.  She dam’ fine ‘oman, you bet.  A’m no lak’ she git harm.”

“See here, Bat,” interrupted the Texan, “no matter what my intentions were when I started out, they’re all right now.”

“Oui, A’m know dat, ’bout two day.”

“It’s this way, I be’n thinkin’ quite a bit the last couple of days there ain’t a thing in hellin’ around the country punchin’ other folks’ cattle for wages.  It’s time I was settlin’ down.  If that girl will take a long shot an’ marry me, I’m goin’ to rustle around an’ start an outfit of my own.  I’ll be needin’ a man about your heft an’ complexion to help me run it, too—­savvy?”

The half-breed nodded slowly. “Oui, all de tam A’m say:  ’Some tam Tex she queet de dam’ foolin’, an’ den she git to be de beeg man.’  I ain’ tink you git dis ‘oman, but dat don’ mak’ no differ’, som’ tam you be de beeg man yet.  Som’ nodder ‘oman com’ ’long——­”