 It was only because Sheriff Simpkins was afraid of rattlesnakes that he was prevented from serving an attachment on Sam Carter's entire herd of cattle. But everyone's still confident that something will happen to save the Red Horse Ranch. Let's join the boys. It can't be dirty in the straw bike, Cracky. I like mountain music. Good ol' mountain music. Played by a real hillbilly band. They sway right with us. We think about those days are grand. I've heard of warriors play from the land of the wakey-wakey. But I must say... It can't be dirty in the straw bike, Cracky. Sheriff Simpkins like that and him coming out here to hear some music. Yeah, he did plenty of dancing, but it wasn't for music. I thought, sure, Idaho shot his big toe off there once. I don't think the Sheriff will hurt none. He hightailed it out of here like a coyote with a stick of dynamite on his tail. That didn't help Mr. Carter any, though. I sure feel sorry for him. No. That herd out there may carry the Red Horse brand, but it ain't worth much to Dad now. With the Sheriff trying to serve an attachment against it, well, he ain't did it yet. Well, I think that Dad enjoyed the fun with the Sheriff as much as we did. He did his share of laughing. I can't imagine the Sheriff being as scared of rattlesnakes and guns as he was. Well, once you hear one of them rattlesnakes buzzing in your ear, you'll know just how the Sheriff felt. Say, you know, that reminds me of the time I lost my job when I was working for the Running W outfit. Old Buck Steel was forming of that outfit. Oh, there he goes. Well, did you have some trouble with him, Idaho? Well, Buck was all right. We got along as well as anybody could, but it was them rattlesnakes that sent me packing off at the Running W. Now, don't tell me you were scared of rattlesnakes out of home. No, I wasn't scared of rattlesnakes. Now, you keep quiet, Diane, and let me tell this to Tenderfoot. He's the only one around here that's got manners enough to listen. He's the only one around here that ain't heard of before. Come down here a minute. Well, that's Alabama calling me from down at the pasture, Crell. You'll have to finish that later, Idaho. Yeah, I know something would happen. Strike us a corridor, Zona, and let's singly get back. You've been keeping to yourself what I've told you about Bradford, haven't you? Well, of course. That's just between you and me, Alabama. So why'd you ask? Well, I've just been talking to Mr. Carter. Seems he asked me a heap of questions about what I've been doing and where I've been going. I never saw him that way before. I haven't breathed a word of it, Alabama. Have you found out anything else? Well, I ain't sure. Have you been watching Red here like I told you to? Yes, but I'll admit I can't see anything unusual about him, except that he still runs away. Well, come over here a minute. Come here, Red. That's it. A little closer. How are you today, boy? But what is it that you say is strange about Red, Alabama? Well, Tenderfoot, look there at Red's pet locks. You see that dust? Of course. But what's unusual about that? Well, you don't see any dust on his hoofs, do you? Or anywhere else on his legs. There's something that makes that dust hang to his pet locks. Now, can you figure it out? I'm afraid you've got me there, Alabama. But anyhow, what could that have to do with Bradford or Mr. Carter? Tenderfoot, I don't think I'll even tell you what I got on my mind until I'm right, sure. But say, feel like riding a little bit? Sure. Whatever you'd say, Alabama. I think you and I had better ride into Danville before long and see if there's a letter from that El Paso sheriff about Bradford. It wouldn't hurt any to learn something about him right now. But Alabama, don't you suppose you ought to stay here with the herd? Oh, there's no use bothering about them too much. We've got more important things to think about. Uh-oh. Come on. I see Rose and Carter joining the boys down to Crale Lake. Oh, I was just taking care of Tenderfoot here, Rose. Well, you sure missed out on some pretty things. Well, I think there's plenty more. I see Texas got his guitar up there on the fence. Let's see what you can do with it, Texas. Sure, it's like a bell. All right, here we are. Well, boys, you've all been mighty loyal to me the last few weeks. I never got along as far without you. Well, you've got a lot of friends here, Dad, no matter what happens. Say, while I'm thinking about it, me and Tenderfoot's are riding into town. Well, now I want you here just as long as the herd is still on the Red Horse, Alabama. So don't you make too many plans. Oh, me and Nellie's taken by your dad. Get up, Nellie. Let's show them a little spirit. That's the first time I ever saw Idaho need the encouragement to tell a story. Don't mind Arizona, Tenderfoot. Well, sir, it was over on the running dub. A fella with the name of Tom Burns and me was out fencing in a section of pasture. Well, sir, that day was about as cold as ever I seated. Cold as a sheep's nose, you might say. But we went on putting up that fence long toward Eden when we run out of fence posts. Well, Tom and me started out looking for enough posts to finish up that section and right there is where the rattlesnakes come in. Oh, rattlesnakes. Oh, they wasn't nothing tall to worry about, Rose. We come to a din of rattlesnakes. It must have been five or 10,000 snakes in here. Yes, sir. Well, some of them had crawled out of that din. They must have been six to 14 feet long. Yes, and they laid their stretch out. Froze stiff as you please. Sure was. Well, I said to Tom, here's where we get our fence pole. So we throwed our ropes around a bunch of them and drug them to where we was fencing. I had to hold a snake by the rattles with the rattles in the ground and Tom, he'd hammer them on the blunt end. I made right good fence posts, too. Well, we got through long about seven o'clock, finished up all the section. Got warmer the next day, so the boss, he rode over to see how we'd done. Tom and me was feeling pretty good, thinking the boss would be glad we'd saved him so much money on fence posts. But by Jackson, the boss come riding back as mad as a wet hen. Sure was. And you know, he called me and Tom to his house, give us our pay and told us to pack out of the country as fast as we could get our hot rolls together. Well, but I don't know, why did he want to fire you after you'd saved him all that money? Well, I'll tell you, Tenderfoot, when the sun came out shining, them gall-durned snakes thawed out and carried off two miles above wire fence posts. We didn't know Idaho had it in him. Well, as long as all the folks on the Red Horse Ranch aren't worrying too much, we might as well forget about their troubles, too. But remember, Alabama still has only a few more days in which to find out the truth about Bradford and save the ranch.