Joe controlled his rising anger and prepared to state his mission. But before he could speak, Snedeker spoke again. "You an Oregon emmy-grant?" "That's right." "Where's your booie knives?" "What?" "Your booie knives, man! Last emmy-grant I saw off the Trail had six of 'em an' a revolver stuck in his belt. Where's yours?" "I haven't any." "You're a heck of a emmy-grant." Snedeker addressed the youth, "Ain't he a heck of a emmy-grant, Ellis?" The youth winked at Joe. Snedeker saw him do it and glared. "Don't you go doin' that behint my back! Wuthless pup! I see you do it!" He turned to Joe. "This Ellis Garner, he sets around here all the time 'stead of movin' his rear a mite! Kids nowadays ain't wuth the powder to blow 'em up! Ain't that so, Ellis?" "Jim, this man--" "Shut up!" Snedeker whirled on Joe. "What do you want of me?" "Did you know a man named Seeley?" "Yeh. I knew him. Shif'less old coot. What about him?" "He said you'd give me a job." "I might." Snedeker stroked his stubble. "I might at that. You drink?" "No." "Why the blazes don't you? Ever'body else does." "None of your blasted business!" Joe exploded. "Why you--!" Snedeker sputtered like a boiling tea kettle. "Ain't no man talks thataway to me!" He strode to the rifle rack, seized a rifle, and aimed it at Joe. "Take that back!" "Put that popgun down before I take it away from you and spank you with it!" Joe roared. "You crazy old goat! I wouldn't work for you if you were the last man on this Trail!" "You got just fifteen seconds," Snedeker warned. "Why you--!" Joe was angry as he had been only once or twice in his life. In Missouri, the code was hospitality. Here, where there was so much space and so few people, that code should have been much more powerful. Snedeker did not have to give him a job, but by all the rules of humanity he should have offered food and shelter. "I won't tell you again!" Snedeker breathed. Joe grasped the rifle's muzzle, twisted it aside, and brought his right hand back to deliver a smashing blow to the other's chin. Suddenly he found the rifle in his hands. Snedeker reeled away from him, roaring with laughter. Joe stood dumfounded, not knowing what to think. When the old mountain man straightened, his eyes were no longer the color of smoke. They were friendly. "Lordy, lordy!" he chortled. "You win!" "Win what?" "The job you asked for, man! Sort of knowed when you spoke of Shoshone Seeley that you was all right; Shoshone wouldn't ask nobody to stop here 'thout they was. But they's a lot of half-witted Injuns 'round here, an' some even more half-witted emmy-grants will be stoppin'. They'll bluff you out of your eye teeth if you let 'em, an' I can't have nobody who lets themselfs be bluffed. Will say, though, that you might show a mite more sense. Thutty-five a month for you'n your team, quarters, and found for yourself. All right?" "It's all right with me."