and then the other of his boots; and not until he had succeeded in
flicking the last grain of dust from them did he take up the business
in hand.

"Gentlemen, what's wrong with the cyards?" he now began in his peculiar
drawling voice.

Sonora pointed to the faro table.

"The Sidney Duck's cheated!" he said--an accusation which was
responsible for a renewal of outcries and caused a number of men to
pounce upon the faro dealer.

Trinidad ran a significant hand around his collar.

"String 'im! Come on, you--!" once more he cried. But on seeing the
Sheriff raise a restraining hand he desisted from pulling the Australian
along.

"Wait a minute!" commanded the Sheriff.

The miners with the prisoner in their midst stood stock-still. Now
the Sheriff's features lost some of their usual inscrutability and
for a moment became hard and stern. Slowly he let his eyes wander
comprehensively about the saloon: first, they travelled to a small
balcony--reached by a ladder drawn down or up at will--decorated with
red calico curtains, garlands of cedar and bittersweet, while the
railing was ornamented with a wildcat's skin and a stuffed fawn's head;
from the ceiling with its strings of red peppers, onions and apples
they fell on a stuffed grizzly bear, which stood at the entrance to