n as few words as possible. And Topham's
face was sober when he had finished. The gambler brought the top book of
the pile down on the bar with a thud.

"I don't like it!"

"Jus' ornery meanness, warn't it? There's always a few hombres in any
outfit as tries to push when they gits a slug or two under their belts,"
Nye observed.

"True. Only Helms went out of his way this time. And I'd like to know what
triggered him into it. I can understand some roughhousing on his
part--Stevens, too--providing these boys were on the prod in the beginning.
But this book business was too deliberate. Books--" He held up the volume
he was still fingering. "Where'd these come from anyway, Kirby?"

Drew retailed the story he had heard from Stein. Nye walked over to look
at the display of reading matter, his interest plainly aroused.

"Lutterfield brought 'em in, eh? Now that's somethin'. Trunk in a cave ...
Sounds like these might belong to one of them mine men--a super, maybe.
They pulled out fast in '61, right after th' army left. Except for Hodges,
an' th' Rebs threw him in jail after they took his business an' what cash
he had on hand."

"Could be," Topham agreed. "But where they came from doesn't matter as
much as why Helms chose to use them the way he did. However--and now I'm
giving it to you straight, Kirby--this is once I'd follow Bayliss' orders.
You and your cousin here had better make yourselves scarce."

"An' jus' why?" Anse demanded. "We ain't givin' you any double-tongue wag
over this----"

"I'm not saying you are. I'm just saying that Bayliss and probably
Helms--maybe others--will be waiting, just as the captain promised. You can
be easily suckered into just such another fight. And they'd be smarter
about it next time, so you won't have anyone to call their bluff in your
favor. Once they get you into the camp stockade, it might be difficult to
get you out. And this is something else, stranger, you went for your gun a
few minutes ago. Kirby stopped you, but next time that could lead to real
trouble."

"I can't see why--" Drew began.

"Well"--Anse was on the defensive--"a man can take jus' so much pushin', an'
we had more'n that! Next time anybody lays his dirty hands on me, he's
gonna know he's had him trouble, all right!"

"I don't mean that." Drew waved Anse's retort aside. "I don't see why we
were jumped in the first place. Unless it was because we happened to be
here at a time when they wanted to start troubl