Struve faced him sullenly, without answering.

"Tommie, vamos," hinted Briscoe gently, and as soon as the cook had
disappeared, he repeated his monosyllable: "Well?"

"It didn't come off," muttered the other sulkily.

"Just what I expected. Why not?"

Struve broke into a string of furious oaths. "Because I missed him--
missed him twice, when he was standing there naked before me. He was
coming down to the creek to take a bath, and I waited till he was
close. I had a sure bead on him, and he dived just as I fired. I got
another chance, when he was running across, farther down, and, by
thunder, I missed again."

Jed laughed, and the sound of it was sinister.

"Couldn't hit the side of a house, could you? You're nothing but a
cheap skate, a tin-horn gambler, run down at the heels. All right. I'm
through with you. Lieutenant Fraser, from Texas, can come along and
collect whenever he likes. I'll not protect a false alarm like you any
longer."

Struve looked at him, as a cornered wolf might have done. "What will
you do?"

"I'll give you up to him. I'll tell him to come in and get you. I'll
show him the way in, you white-livered cur!" bullied the cattleman,