ng.

Malignant triumph rode in Bandy's eye. It was always safe to bully this
timid youth. Dud Hollister had a "No Trespass" sign displayed in his
quiet, cool manner. Very well. He would take it out of his riding mate.
That was one way of getting at him.

"What's ailin' you? Git a move on. You act like you'd like to tell me to
go take a walk. I'll bet you would, too, if you wasn't such a rabbit
heart."

Bob stooped and picked up the dirty boot. He zigzagged it from the foot.
As he straightened again his eyes met those of Dud. He felt a roaring in
the temples.

"O' course any one that'd let another fellow take his wife from him--an'
him not married more'n an hour or two--"

The young fellow did not hear the end of the cruel gibe. The sound of
rushing waters filled his ears. He pulled off the second boot.

Again his gaze met that of Hollister. He remembered Dud's words. "Crawl
his hump sudden. Go to it like a wild cat." The trouble was he couldn't.
His muscles would not obey the flaccid will.

The flood of waters died down. The roaring ceased. The puncher's words
came to him clear.

"... not but what she was likely glad enough to go with Jake. She was out
with him four-five hours. Where was they, I ask? What was they doing? You
can't tell me she couldn't 'a' got away sooner if she'd wanted to so
darned bad. No, sir, I'm no chicken right out of a shell. When it comes
to a woman I say, Where's the man?"

A surge of anger welled up in Dillon and overflowed. He forgot about Dud
and his threats. He forgot about his trepidation. This hound was talking
of June, lying about her out of his foul throat.

One of the boots was still in his hand. He swung it round and brought the
heel hard against the fellow's mouth. The blood gushed from the crushed
lips. Bob dropped the boot and jolted his left to the cheek. He followed
with a smashing right to the eye.

Taken at disadvantage, Bandy tried to struggle to his feet. He ran into
one straight from the shoulder that caught the bridge of his nose and
flung him back upon the bunk.

His hand reached under the pillow. Bob guessed what was there and dropped
hard with both knees on his stomach.

The breath went out of Bandy suddenly. He lay still for a moment. When he
began to struggle again he had forgotten the revolver under the pillow.
With a sweeping gesture Bob brushed pillow and gun to the floor.

The man underneath twisted his red, wrinkled neck and bit Bob's forearm
sav