the last of the five, and he had seen enough to make him
cautious. He circled and baffled for a full minute before coming
to grips; and for another full minute they strained and reeled
without either winning the advantage. And then, just as the
contest was becoming interesting, Daylight effected one of his
lightning shifts, changing all stresses and leverages and at the
same time delivering one of his muscular explosions. French
Louis resisted till his huge frame crackled, and then, slowly,
was forced over and under and downward.

"The winner pays!" Daylight cried; as he sprang to his feet and
led the way back into the Tivoli. "Surge along you-all! This way
to the snake-room!"

They lined up against the long bar, in places two or three deep,
stamping the frost from their moccasined feet, for outside the
temperature was sixty below. Bettles, himself one of the gamest
of the old-timers in deeds and daring ceased from his drunken lay
of the "Sassafras Root," and titubated over to congratulate
Daylight. But in the midst of it he felt impelled to make a
speech, and raised his voice oratorically.

"I tell you fellers I'm plum proud to call Daylight my friend.
We've hit the trail together afore now, and he's eighteen carat
from his moccasins up, damn his mangy old hide, anyway. He was a
shaver when he first hit this country. When you fellers was his
age, you wa'n't dry behind the ears yet. He never was no kid.
He was born a full-grown man. An' I tell you a man had to be a
man in them days. This wa'n't no effete civilization like it's
come to be now." Bettles paused long enough to put his arm in