on what a fool he was making of himself.

"He was only the more furious at that. He sprang backward two or three
feet, then drawing a huge knife made with it a savage lunge at me. I
seized his wrist, and after a brief struggle wrenched the knife from his
hand, but still holding his wrist told him that unless he grew quiet I
should have to box his ears.

"The boys laughed and jeered at this, which only further incensed the
ungovernable brute, and he declared that he would give $100 for the
chance to whip me in a fair fist fight.

"At this I released his wrist and told him he should be accommodated. The
boys gathered in a ring around us. Turner came at me like a wild beast,
but he had no scientific use of his hands and I had had a little
practice.

"I knocked aside his blow with my left, and with the open palm of my
right hand gave him a sounding box on his left ear.

"The cowboys yelled with delight at this, crying, 'Turner, did you hear
that?'

"Turner rallied and made another rush at me. This time I struck his blow
aside with my right hand and boxed his right ear with the palm of my left
hand.

"So the business continued for several seconds. I never closed my hands,
but just boxed him right and left, the boys fairly screaming with joy,
until I finally gathered all my strength and gave him one resounding
cuff that sent him full length to grass, the most abject-looking, baffled
bully that I ever saw.

"Seeing how completely whipped he was, I went to him, and taking him by
the arm, said, 'Turner, you were right about my treating; come in and
take a drink with me. There's nothing like exercise to make one thirsty.'

"But he would not drink. He arose, skulked away, got his gun and knife,
mounted his mustang, and left that part of Texas.

"Next day the boys told Jordan about the scrap, and he danced for joy. He
at once rode away to the station to get all the particulars, and when he
returned at night he called me aside and said, 'Jim, yo' is thinkin' of
leavin' har. We couldn't get along at all without yo'. I seen my lawyer
ter-day and told him ter make a deed o' half this ranch 'nd stock ter Jim
Sedgwick, and so thar firm now war "Tom and Jim" er "Jim and Tom," I
don't give er continental which.'

"Of course I could not accept the gift, but it took me three days to
satisfy the great-hearted man why I could not. I told him I was bound
to go further West, that his heart had run away with his head, and he
yielde