e on'y jest cavin'."

Lablache remained silent. Words, he felt, would be useless. In fact it
is doubtful if he would have been equal to expression. His spirit was
crushed and he feared the man beside him as he had never feared any
human being before. Such was the nervous strain put upon him that the
sense of his loss was rapidly absorbed in a dread for his own personal
safety. The conflagration had lost its fascination for him, and at every
move--every word--of his captor he dreaded the coming of his own end. It
was a physical and mental collapse, and bordered closely on frenzied
terror. It was no mental effort of his own that kept him from hurling
himself upon the other and biting and tearing in a vain effort to rend
the life out of him. The thought--the fever, desire, craving--was there,
but the will, the personality, of the Breed held him spellbound, an
inert mass of flesh incapable of physical effort--incapable almost of
thought, but a prey to an overwhelming terror.

The watching half-breed at length rose from his seat and shrugged his
thin, stooping shoulders. He had had enough of his pastime, and time was
getting on. He had other work to do before daylight. He put his hand to
his mouth and imitated the cry of the coyote. An instant later answering
cries came from various directions, and presently the Breeds gathered
round their chief.

"Say, bring up the 'plugs,' lads. The old boy's had his bellyfull. I
guess we'll git on." Then he turned upon the broken money-lender and
spoke while he re-charged the chambers of his pistol.

"See hyar, Lablache, this night's work is on'y a beginning. So long as
you live in Foss River Settlement so long will I hunt you out an' hustle
yer stock. You talked of houndin' me, but I guess the shoe's on the
other foot. I ain't finished by a sight, an' you'll hear from me agin'.
I don't fancy yer life," he went on with a grin. "Et's too easy, I
guess. Et's yer bills I'm after. Ye've got plenty an' to spare. But
bills is all-fired awk'ud to handle when they pass thro' your dirty
hands. So I'll wait till you've turned 'em into stock. Savee? I'm jest
goin' right on now. Thar's a bunch o' yer steers waitin' to be taken
off. Happen I'm goin' to see to 'em right away. One o' these lads'll
jest set some bracelets on yer hands, and leave yer tucked up and
comfortable so you can't do any harm, and you can set right thar an'
wait till some 'un comes along an' looses yer. So long, pard, an'
reme