he got? Saunders was pretty nigh cut in two and the other
one by the bar had four holes in him. I counted 'em, to quit thinkin' of
my arm. Them automatics is fierce!"

"He would never 'a' got out if he'd been packin' a regular old six-gun,"
said Bud Light. "_Both_ them guys were throwin' lead at him."

"How do you know? You wasn't there."

"Easy. He went in to get Saunders. He gets him. The other one takes a
hand. He got _him_. _We_ didn't do any shootin' inside."

"Guess that's right. But how about the barkeep?"

"Oh, he just got in the way. He was drilled between the lamps. In a mix
like that who's goin' to take time to draw fine?"

"Did you see Brand lift the Gophertown guy out of his saddle--the one
that was shootin' at Red in front of the joint? Brand threw a forty-five
into him, and comin' on the jump, too. The Gopher humped up like he'd
been horned by the Santa Fe Limited. Now what's the dope?"

Overland Red had again fallen from his horse. Williams beckoned to Long.
"Take the Yuma colt, Pars, and fan it for the canon. Send the doc back,
and you stay with that young Winthrop and look after Collie. Your hoss
is quieter for Red, anyway. Tell the doc to bring his tools along. I
reckon we'll camp over there near the hills till to-morrow."

"Who was it got me?" questioned Overland as he was revived a second
time.

"I don't know," replied Williams. "The only distinguishin' brand on him
was one I put there. It ain't worryin' him now."

"Like old times," said Overland, trying to smile.

"Like old times," echoed Williams.

"I guess it was Parks," murmured Overland. "He had plenty of chance. I
wasn't after him."

* * * * *

Slowly the group of horsemen rode across the desert. The afternoon sun
made queer shadows of them and their mounts. Billy Dime rode bent
forward. His face was white and beaded with sweat. Overland, on Long's
pony, was supported by Miguel and Brand Williams. Pars Long had
disappeared in the shadows of the range.

Billy Dime's eyes grew strangely bright. He laughed, gazing at the
foreman's back. "The whole damn fuss was wrong, _wrong_, I tell you! We
had no _business_ shootin' up that town."

"But it was considerable pleasure," said Bud Light. "You're off your
bean, Billy. I guess you forget what they did to Collie."

Billy Dime leered. The fever from his wound was working through his
blood. "Don't pertend to me, Bud Light, that you come on this little
p