f his partner, and realized the
limit of patience.

"Oh, I 'll pass," he confessed genially. "Lord! I hed a touch o' that
same disease oncet myself. But thar ain't no sense in yer fightin' me,
Stutter; I bet yer git practice 'nough arter awhile, 'less them thar
black eyes o' hern be mighty deceivin'. But that thar may keep. Jist
now we 've got a few other p'ints ter consider. You was askin' about
our defence, Mr. Winston, when this yere love-sick kid butted in?"

"Yes."

"Well, it 's ther lay o' ther ground, an' four good rifles. Thet 's
ther whole o' it; them fellers over yonder can't get in, an' I 'm
damned if we kin git out. Whichever party gits tired first is the one
what's goin' ter git licked."

"I scarcely understand, Hicks; do you mean you propose standing a
siege?"

"Don't clearly perceive nothin' else ter do," and the man's half-closed
eyes glanced about questioningly. "We ain't strong enough to assault;
Farnham 's got more 'n five men ter our one over thar right now. He 's
sent a rider inter San Juan arter another bunch o' beauties. We've
corralled the evidence, an' we've got ther law back o' us, ter send him
ter the penitentiary. Shore, thar's no doubt o' it. He knows it; an'
he knows, moreover, thar ain't no way out fer him except ter plant us
afore we kin ever git inter ther courts. Thet's his game jist now. Do
yer think Mr. Biff Farnham under them circumstances is liable ter do
the baby act? Not ter no great extent, let me tell yer. He ain't
built thet way. Besides, he hates me like pizen; I reckon by this time
he don't harbor no great love for you; an' yer bet he means ter git us
afore we kin squeal, if he has ter h'ist the whole damned mounting.
Anyhow, that's how it looks ter me an' Stutter yere. What was it you
was goin' ter advise, Mr. Winston?"

The engineer set down his tin coffee cup.

"The immediate despatching of a messenger to San Juan, the swearing out
of a warrant for Farnham on a criminal charge, and getting the sheriff
up here with a posse."

Hicks smiled grimly, his glance wandering over toward Stutter, who sat
staring open-eyed at the engineer.

"Ye're a young man, sir, an' I rather reckon yer don't precisely
onderstan' ther exact status o' things out yere in Echo Canyon," he
admitted, gravely. "I'm law-abidin', an' all that; law's all right in
its place, an' whar it kin be enforced, but Echo Canyon ain't Denver,
an' out yere ther rifle, an' occasionally a