one thing: when
Brown had this outfit himself he was mighty jealous uh the range, and
he didn't take none to the idea of anybody else shoving stock onto it
more than naturally drifted on in the course uh the season. If he's
going to start another cow-outfit, I'll bet yuh he's going to gobble
land--and that's what _we_ better do, and do it sudden."

"Since I have never had much personal experience in the 'gobbling'
line, I'm afraid you'll have to explain," said Dill dryly.

"I mean leasing. We got to beat Brown to it. We got to start in and
lease up all the land we can get our claws on. I ain't none desirable
uh trying to make yuh a millionaire, Dilly, whilst we've only got
one lone section uh land and about twelve thousand head uh stock, and
somebody else aiming to throw a big lot uh cattle onto our range. I
kinda shy at any contract the size uh that one. I've got to start the
wagons out, if this weather holds good, and I want to go with 'em--for
a while, anyhow--and see how things stack up on the range. And what
_you've_ got to do is to go and lease every foot uh land you can. Eh?
State land. All the land around here almost is State land--all that's
surveyed and that ain't held by private owners. And State land can be
leased for a term uh years.

"The way they do it, yuh start in and go over the map all samee flea;
yuh lease a section here and there and skip one and take the next,
and so on, and then if yuh need to yuh throw a fence around the whole
blame chunk--and there yuh are. No, it _ain't_ cheating, because if
anybody don't like it real bad, they can raise the long howl and make
yuh revise your fencing; but in this neck uh the woods folks don't
howl over a little thing like that, because you could lift up your
own voice over something they've done, and there'd be a fine, pretty
chorus! So that's what yuh can do if yuh want to--but anyway, yuh want
to get right after that leasing. It'll cost yuh something, but we're
just plumb obliged to protect ourselves. See?"

At that point he heard Flora laugh, and got up hastily, remembering
the presence of the Pilgrim on the ranch.

"I see, and I will think it over and take what precautionary measures
are necessary and possible."

Billy, not quite sure that he had sufficiently impressed Dill with
the importance of the matter, turned at the door and looked in again,
meaning to add an emphatic word or two; but when he saw that Dill was
staring round-eyed at nothing at