squeamish about
holdin' up a train er runnin' off a bunch o' cattle, but I always hear
him say thet he didn't take no stock in plain, straight murder."

"That's so, but it's not murder, Tom, when yer kills ther feller what's
yer enemy. Now, honor bright, is it?"

"I dunno. I was brought up ter fight, an' fight like ther devil hisself
when it come ter fightin', but I reckon I'm too much o' a derned coward
ter murder cold."

"Well, this is one o' ther times when it's got ter be did, an' I reckon
we might as well be about it. Git ready."

"No, sir, I'm not goin' ter do it."

"Tom, yer a fool. Do yer know what'll happen when ther boss comes back
an' finds out that it ain't been did?"

"I do."

"An' aire yer goin' ter resk it?"

"I be."

"Then ye're a bigger fool than I am. I'm goin' ter carry out orders.
What's ther difference? A couple of good slashes an' it's all over."

"But think o' the death cry, Bill. I've heerd too many o' them already.
I hears them when I sleep and they wake me up."

"Tom, yer talk ter me like a sick canary peeps. I always thought yer wuz
a man."

"An' don't yer think so now, Bill?"

"Not from ther way yer talkin'."

"Well, if yer has any doubts erbout it I'll give yer a chanct ter prove
it, any way yer like."

"Now, what's ther use o' talkin' that away, Tom? Dick's dead by ther
hand o' ther boss. What's thar in it fer you or me if ther cub in thar
dies er not? Be sensible."

"It ain't matterin' a chaw o' terbaccer ter me whether he dies er not,
but he's got a right ter die in a natural way, so to speak."

"An' how is that, my Sunday-school friend?"

"In a fair fight, by gosh!"

"An' who's goin' ter give him a fair fight? I don't want none o' it."

"So that's ther way yer built, is it, Bill? I always thought yer was a
game man."

"I reckon I be, but that's not in this question. Here's an enemy ter
ther gang what lays bound in the cabin. Why should I resk my life in a
fight with him er fer him. It's so derned easy fer a feller ter go in
thar an' stick a knife inter him, an' then, yer see, it's all over
with."

"Yer wrong, Bill."

"I'd sooner do that than have ther boss come back an' stick his knife
inter me."

"Aire yer afraid ter fight ther boss?"

"He's ther only man I be afraid of."

There was a long silence following this, and Ted understood the terrible
power of Checkers over his men, and Desmond's warning.

"Well, I'm tired o' chewin' erbout ther virtue o'