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"By God, no!" interposed Sage-brush. The cowboys seized Peruna. Buck saw that his bluff at bossing the situation was called. He turned appealingly to Echo, and rapidly fabricated a moving tale about Peruna's heroic rescue of himself from drowning in the Gila River. "An I swore I would do as much fer him some day.
Polly, glancing down the valley, saw Buck McKee with a half-dozen of his outfit, riding furiously to the rescue of Peruna. "Look out, boys, here comes Buck McKee now!" she shouted. Unconsciously the men laid their hands on their guns and assumed offensive attitudes. Allen cried sharply: "Keep your hands off your guns, boys. One bad break means the starting of a lot of trouble."
Hoover bore him down to the spring, and bathed his wound and mouth. McKee revived, and in broken phrases, which were accompanied with blood from his pierced lungs frothing out of his mouth, continued his observations on the ridiculous and unfortunate mistake Peruna made in killing him.
"Two hours' start. Well, he'll have to go some, if he gets away. Kick him and let him go," he commanded. Echo turned away. The cowboys who held Peruna threw him to the ground, and every man of the Allen and Payson ranches gave him a vicious kick, Show Low putting in an extra one for his murdered bunkie.
"Ther' ain't no man can travel in my outfit and insult a woman you ask her pardon right smart." Peruna struggled to his feet. Buck commanded: "On your knees." A glance at Buck showed Peruna how deadly in earnest he was. Reluctantly he sank to his knees. "I didn't mean what I said. I hope you will excuse me " he whined. "That's enough. Now git up. Pull your freight," Buck ordered.
'Keen sabby, as the Greasers say I'm keen on the know-how. Why, I kin tell yuh more about the money. It's fer Jack Payson " "Now, there's whur ye're way off as a cleervoyant, Buck," said Terrill triumphantly. "Yuh guessed oncet too often, as yer old pard on the Lazy K said to the druggist. 'Peruna? ast the druggist. 'Yep, said yer pard.
He knew death was the penalty of the crime of which he stood accused. He felt that a stout denial would gain him time, and that Buck and his outfit might come up and save him. "Polite your conversation in the presence of a lady," cried Parenthesis, nodding toward Echo. "That calf was follerin' my cow," answered Peruna sullenly.
"It was follerin' one of our longhorned Texas cows with the Sweetwater brand spread all over her," shouted Show Low, moving menacingly toward the cowering Peruna. "Fresno he calls him," continued Sage-brush, taking up the story; "an' this yere Peruna drinking bad turns loose his battery and wings Fresno some bad then little Billie Nicker comes along, and Peruna plugs him solid."
Poor Billie had been Show Low's bunkie on many a long drive. That veteran now paid this last tribute to his friend. "Billie, who ain't never done no harm to no one " "He reached for his gun " began Peruna. Sage-brush would not let him finish his lame defense. "You shet up!" he cried. "We don't want your kind on this range, an' the quicker that's published the quicker we'll get shet of ye.
"This yere's Timber Wiggins, deputy sheriff from Pinal County," explained Slim, for Peruna's enlightenment. "Mr. Wiggins, will you take care of this friend of mine?" continued the Sheriff, glancing from Peruna, who looked at him stolidly, to Wiggins. "I reckon he's been doin' something naughty." The two men dismounted, keeping the outlaw covered and watching his every glance.
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