“So you said,” Bland cut in, with something of his natural venom.

“Shut up.  There’s just a chance I can find out where those horses were taken.  We’ll go in the plane.  You’ll have to go along to handle it, because I’m liable to be busy, if I run across anybody.  I’m going to pack a rifle and a six-shooter, and I don’t want my hands full of controls right at the critical minute.  Besides,” he added ingenuously, “some of these darned air currents nearly got the best of me yesterday, coming back.  You can handle the machine, and I’ll do the look-see.”

“Aw, sa-ay!  I—­”

“I know it’s against my promise to a certain extent,” Johnny went on.  “I know I’ve got you in a corner, too, where you can’t help yourself.  You couldn’t walk to the railroad, or even to the closest ranch, if you knew the way—­which you don’t.  You’d wander around in the heat and the sand—­well, you’re pretty helpless without me, all right, or the plane.  I sabe that better than you do.  You’ve got to do about as I say, because you haven’t got the nerve to kill me, even if I gave you the chance.  Sneaking off with the plane is about as much as you’re game for.

“Well, the point is this:  I don’t want to take any mean advantage of you.  I can’t afford to pay you what your services are really worth, as pilot—­and there’s no reason why I should.  But—­well, I ain’t quite broke yet.  I’ll give you twenty-five dollars for helping me out, in case what I want to do only takes a day or two days.  If it takes more, I’ll give you ten dollars a day.  It isn’t much, but it helps when you’re broke.”

Bland permitted the sour droop of his lips to ease into a grin.  “Now you’re coming somewhere near the point, bo,” he said.  “But ten dollars—­say!  Ten dollars ain’t street-car fare.  Not in little old L.A.  Make it twenty, bo, and you’re on.”

“I’ll make it nothing if ten dollars a day don’t suit you!” Johnny declared hotly.  “Why, damn your dirty hide, that’s as much as I make in a week!  And listen!  I expect to sit in the back seat—­and I’ll have two guns on me.”

“Aw, ferget them two guns!” Bland surrendered.  “This is sure the gunniest country I ever stopped in.  Even the Janes—­”

“Shut up!”

“Oh, well, I’ll sign up for ten, bo.  It ain’t eatin’ money, but it’ll maybe help buy me the makin’s of a smoke now and then.”

“Well, get up, then.  I’ll get us some breakfast, and we’ll go.  It’s going to be still to-day—­and hot, I think.  You better get up.”

“Aw, that’s right!  You’ve got the upper hand, and so you can go ahead and abuse me like a dog—­and I ain’t got any come-back.  It was Bland this and that, when you wanted the plane repaired.  Now you’ve got it, and it’s git-ta-hell and git busy.  Pull a gun on me, beat me up—­accuse me of things I never done—­drag me outa bed before daylight—­” His self-pitying whine droned on monotonously, but he nevertheless got into his clothes and pottered around the plane by the light of the lantern and the flaring fire Johnny started.