r," said Cheyenne. "Somebody got hurt."

Hastening along the shadowy wall of the building, they turned a corner
and by a roundabout way reached the city marshal's office.

The marshal, who had been summoned in haste, was at his desk. "Sneed and
his bunch got Panhandle," stated Cheyenne quietly. "Mr. Bartley, here,
saw the row. Four of Sneed's men are down. One got away."

"Sure it was Sneed?"

"I reckon your men will fetch him in, right soon. Panhandle got Sneed
and a Mexican, before they stopped him."

Colonel Stevenson glanced at Cheyenne's belt and holster. Cheyenne drew
his gun and handed it to the marshal. "She's fresh loaded," he said.

"Cheyenne emptied his gun trying to fight off the men who killed
Panhandle," said Bartley, stepping forward.

"And you're sure they were Sneed's men?" queried the marshal.

Cheyenne nodded.

"I am obliged to you," said the marshal. "But I'll have to detain you
both until after the inquest."

CHAPTER XXV

TWO TRAILS HOME

Bartley was the chief witness at the inquest. He told his story in a
manner that impressed the coroner's jury. Senator Brown was present, and
identified one of the dead outlaws as Sneed. Posmo, killed by
Panhandle's first shot, was known in Phoenix. Panhandle, riddled with
bullets, was also identified by the Senator, Cheyenne, and several
habitues of the gambling-hall. Bartley himself identified the body of
one man as that of Hull.

Cheyenne was the last witness called. He admitted that he had had
trouble with Panhandle Sears, and that he was looking for him when the
fight started; that Sneed and his men had unexpectedly taken the quarrel
out of his hands, and that he had fired exactly five shots at the men
who had killed Panhandle and it had been close work, and easy. Panhandle
had put up a game fight. The odds had been heavily against him. He had
been standing in the light of the gambling-hall doorway while the men
who had killed him had been in the shadow. "He didn't have a chance,"
concluded Cheyenne.

"You say you were looking for this man Sears, and yet you took his part
against Sneed's outfit?" queried the coroner.

"I didn't just say so. Mr. Bartley said that."

"Mr. Bartley seems to be the only disinterested witness of the
shooting," observed the coroner.

"If there is any further evidence needed to convince the jury that Mr.
Bartley's statements are impartial and correct, you might read this,"
declared the city marshal. "