"But there's a question at issue that I feel it would be impertinent in me to try to settle, so I've sent for Jim Ferrers to bring over the whole crowd." Though Harry couldn't imagine where Ferrers's "crowd" was, he wisely held his tongue.
At the same time an earnest conference was going on among the four men.

They spoke in low whispers.
"Jim Ferrers, alone, we could handle," declared the leader.

"But if Jim has a crowd back of him things won't go our way when it come to the shooting." "Let's start it before Ferrers's party gets here," growled another of the sullen ones.
"We would be tracked down and shot at by Ferrers and a crowd," argued the leader.

"Things are too warm for us here, just now.
In a case like this remember that a fellow lasts longer when he does his shooting from ambush and at his own time.

We won't let this Dunlop crowd fool us out of our rights, but we'll have to choose a better time---and fight from ambush at that." It was soon plain that this view prevailed among the quartette.
As they turned to move away, the leader remarked: "We'll leave you for a while, Dunlop, but don't image you've won.
Don't get any notion that you'll ever win.