"Tired, Buck, awful tired; an' all shot up," Johnny slowly replied.
"When I saw you fellers--streak past this windy--I sort of went
flat--something seemed to break inside me," he said, faintly and with an
effort, and the foreman ordered him not to talk. Deft fingers, schooled
by practice in rough and ready surgery, were busy over him and in half
an hour he lay on Jackson's cot, covered with bandages.
"Why, hullo, Lacey!" exclaimed Hopalong, leaping forward to shake hands
with the man Red and Billy had gone to help. "Purty well scratched up,
but lively yet, hey?"
"I'm able to hobble over here an' shake han's with these
scrappers--they're shore wonders," Lacey replied. "Fought like a whole
regiment! Hullo, Johnny!" and his hand-clasp told much.
"Yore cross fire did it, Lacey; that was the whole thing," Johnny
smiled. "Yo're all right!"
Red turned and looked out of the window toward the Oasis and then
glanced at Buck. "Reckon we better burn Harlan's place--it's all that's
left of that gang now," he suggested.
"Why, yes; I reckon so," replied the foreman. "That's as--"
"No, we won't!" Hopalong interposed quickly. "That stands till Johnny
sets it off. It's the Kid's celebration--he was shot in it."
Johnny smiled.
CHAPTER XX
BARB WIRE
After the flurry at Perry's Bend the Bar-20 settled down to the calm
routine work and sent several drive herds to their destination without
any unusual incidents.
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