," he said; and
the other, wondering, saw that whimsical, self-mocking smile on his
lips. "You know as well as I do that you are no match for me barehanded.
You couldn't even touch me; you have seen Curly and the others try it
often enough. You are as helpless in my power, now, as I was in yours a
moment ago. I am armed now and you are not. I can't fight you this way,
Phil."

In spite of himself Phil Acton was impressed by the truth and fairness
of Patches' words. He recognized that an unequal contest could satisfy
neither of them, and that it made no difference which of the contestants
had the advantage.

"Well," he said sarcastically, "what are you going to do about it?"

"First," returned Patches calmly, "I am going to tell you how I happened
to be here with Yavapai Joe."

"I don't need any explanations from you. It's some more of your personal
business, I suppose," retorted Phil.

Patches controlled himself. "You are going to hear the explanation, just
the same," he returned. "You can believe it or not, just as you please."

"And what then?" demanded Phil.

"Then I'm going to get a gun, and we'll settle the rest of it, man to
man, on equal terms, just as soon as you like," answered Patches
deliberately.

Phil replied shortly. "Go ahead with your palaver. I'll have to hand it
to you when it comes to talk. I am not educated that way myself."

For a moment Patches hesitated, as though on the point of changing his
mind about the explanation. Then his sense of justice--justice both for
Phil and himself--conquered.

But in telling Phil how he had come upon the scene too late for positive
proof that the freshly branded calf was the Dean's property, and in
explaining how, when the foreman arrived, he had just persuaded Joe to
go with him and give the necessary evidence against Nick, Patches forgot
the possible effect of his words upon Joe himself. The two
Cross-Triangle men were so absorbed in their own affair that they had
paid no attention to the Tailholt Mountain outcast. And Joe, taking
advantage of the opportunity, had by this time gained a position beside
his horse. As he heard Patches tell how he had no actual evidence that
the calf was not Nick Cambert's property, a look of anger and cunning
darkened the face of Nick's follower. He was angry at the way Patches
had tricked him into betraying both himself and his evil master, and he
saw a way to defeat the two cowboys and at the same time win Nick's
appro