Bow-Wow threw a shoe after Murray’s departing figure and suggested a place to go to. Then he scowled and muttered: "If I was shore of what I suspects I ’d give you a sample of _my_ shootin’, _six_ samples so you ’d appreciate the real thing." He grinned at the memory of Jake’s message. "You ’ll say somethin’ with sense in it some day if you gropes long enough, Jake. Yo ’re gettin’ warmer all th’ time." When Monroe reached the ranch house Buck met him with some sharp orders: "Send Bow-Wow to Twin River and Wayback first thing to-morrow. Tell him to leave word we want two dozen more punchers for our round-up—fifty dollars a month an’ a full month’s work guaranteed. Jake ’s goin’ to dig some big holes in th’ ground in th’ next few days—he ain’t fit for nothin’ else, not even cookin’." A crash in the kitchen interrupted him. "Jake!" he called. There was a scramble and the cook appeared, much excited. "What’s th’ fuss about?" "Fell off my chair," replied Jake. "An’ it hurts, too." "Yo ’re gettin’ too soft, Jake. A little exercise ’ll toughen you so a chair would n’t dare to tackle you. I ’m goin’ to let you dig some holes first thing to-morrow." Jake had visions of extensive excavations, dug by him, into which thousands of dead cows were being piled for burial. "Would n’t it be better to burn ’em, or push ’em into th’ river an’ shoot ’em there?" "I never saw holes you could handle that way, Jake," gravely replied Buck. "Why, no," supplemented the foreman. "Most holes would ruther be slit up th’ middle an’ salted. That’s th’ way we allus used to get rid of ’em." "I don’t mean holes—I mean _cows_!" explained Jake. "Oh, then it ’s all right," responded Buck. "I ain’t goin’ to ask _you_ to dig no cows, Jake. But yo ’re goin’ to dig some nice ditches to-morrow; long, deep ones, an’ good an’ wide." "I ain’t never dug a ditch in my life," hastily objected Jake. "Why, did n’t you tell me how you dug that railroad cut down there in Iowa, an’ got a hundred dollars extra ’cause you saved th’ company so much money?" inquired Buck. "Oh, but that was a steam shovel!" "All right; you ’ll steam afore yo ’re at it very long." Jake backed out again, slipped out of his kitchen, and stood reflective under the stars. He would quit and flee to Twin River if it was n’t such a long walk. "D—n it!" he growled, and forthwith threw two stones into the darkness by way of getting rid of some of his anger. "Sa-a-y!" floated a voice out of the night. "You jerk any more rocks in _this_ direction an’ I ’ll beat you up so you ’ll wipe your feet on yoreself, thinkin’ yo ’re a doormat! What ’n h—l you mean, anyhow?" "Mebby they ’s _apples_!" jeered Bow-Wow from the bunk-house. "Hello, William Tell!" The cook softly closed the door and propped a chair against it. "Gee whiskers! I ain’t goin’ to stay _here_ much longer! _Every_body ’s gettin’ crazy!"