same bein' five cents a thousand ems more than former. The Coyote as
yet is not self-supportin', but that shall not affect this play. I
have so far made up deeficiencies by draw-poker, which I finds to be
fairly soft an' certain in this camp, an' your su'gestions of a
raise merely means that I've got to set up a leetle later in a game,
an' be a trifle more remorseless on a shore hand. Wharfore I yields
to your requests with pleasure, as I says prior.'

"It's mighty likely Colonel Sterett acquiesces in them demands too
quick; the printers is led to the thought that he's as simple to
work as a Winchester. It's hooman nature to brand as many calves as
you can, an' so no one's surprised when, two weeks later, them
voracious printers comes frontin' up for more. The head-printer
stiffens up, an' the four others assoomes eyes of iron, same as
before, an' the pow wow re-opens as follows:

"'Colonel,' says the range boss for the printers, while the others
stands lookin' an' listenin' like cattle with their y'ears all
for'ard, 'Colonel, the chapel's had a meetin', an' we-all has
decided that you've got to make back payments at union rates for the
last six months, which is when we sends back to the States for that
charter. The whole throw is twelve hundred dollars, or two hundred
and forty a gent. No one wants to crowd your hand, Colonel, an' if
you don't jest happen to have said twelve hundred in your war-bags,
we allows you one week to jump 'round an' rustle it.'

"But the Colonel turns out bad, an' shows he can protect himse'f at
printin' same as he can at poker. He whirls on them sharps like a
mountain lion.