on!"

So, with me at his tail, he crept along from cover to cover, waving hand
signals to throw his squad into place. The enemy's five horses at the
door were led off by Billy's Siwash _arriero_, and Nitchie Scott, so
gently that the robbers thought they were grazing. By that time Dale and
me was at the window gap on the north side of the shack, but the candle
was in our way, we couldn't see through its glow, and it wasn't till we
got round to the door hole that we'd a view of what was going on inside.

My wife stood in the nor'west, right, far corner. A man with a gray chin
whisker and a mournful smile, with his gun muzzle in her right ear, was
shoving her head against the wall. Bull was talking as usual, explaining
how his tact was better'n Whiskers' gun at persuading females. Ginger
was trying to assuage Bull. The greaser was keeping a kind of lookout,
although he couldn't see from the lighted room into the dark where we
was. Ginger clapped his paws over Bull's mouth before the proceedings
went on.

"Now," says Whiskers sadly, "are you goin' to scream any more?"

Kate's face was dead white with rage. "You cur," said she, "I screamed
because my--you're hurting me, you brute! Leave off if you want to hear
one word from me. Leave off! That's better. No, I won't scream again."

The gun sight was tearing her ear as she screwed her head around,
looking him full in the eyes. "If you do me any harm," she said, "my
husband's friends won't let you off with death. They'll burn you. Stand
back, you coward!"

He flinched back just a little, and I saw his hand drawing slowly clear
of her head.

"Get your horses," she cried out sharp, "you've barely time to escape!"

Then I fired, the bullet throwing that hand back, so that it contracted
on the gun. His revolver shot went through the rear wall. The hand was
spoiled.

"Now, hands up, all of you!" Dale yelled. "Hands up! Drop your guns!"
One of the robbers was raising his gun to fire, so I had to kill him.
The rest surrendered.

"Kate," said I, sort of quiet, and she came to me.

CHAPTER VIII

THE STAMPEDE

_Jesse's Narrative_

Being married to a lady, and full of dumb yearnings for reform, I axed
Dale when he was down to Vancouver to dicker for a book on etiquette.
_Deportment for Gents_ being threw at a policeman and soiled, Dale only
paid six bits; but I tossed him double or quits, and come out all right.
As to the book, it's wrote mighty high and severe