He raised his rifle to his shoulder and sent a bullet singing down the
road, saying to Tom as he fired: "This is just to let 'em know we're
here."

The bullet creased the neck of Halliday's horse, which reared and
plunged with sudden fright. The whole party checked their horses in
surprise and looked intently toward the clump of cottonwoods from
which the shot had come. Tom raised his gun to his shoulder, saying,
"You've started the fun, Nick, so here goes," and he sent a rifle ball
whizzing past Daniels' ear. Harlin and Mead dashed around the house in
the buggy, jumped out, and tied their horses in the rear of the trees.
Tuttle and Ellhorn dismounted and dropped their bridles.

The approaching party paused for a moment in a close group and held an
excited conference. Then they separated and, drawing their guns from
the saddle scabbards, sent a volley into the grove. Four rifle bullets
made quick answer and set their horses to rearing. It was some time
before the beasts could be made quiet enough for the shots to be
returned, and in the meantime bullets were pattering all about them.
Colonel Whittaker stopped far in the rear with the pack horses, beyond
the reach of the rifle balls, and the others made a sudden dash
forward. Checking their horses, they fired a concerted volley into the
trees. One of the bullets scorched the band of Tom's hat.

"Nick," said Tom, "that was Daniels fired that shot. He's gettin' too
impudent. You take care of him while I clean my gun. Don't you let him
get any closer, but don't hurt him, for he's my meat."

He went down on the ground cross-legged and swabbed his gun-barrel
while the bullets pattered on the ground about him and thudded into
the trees and ploughed up the dirt at his feet. Nick bent his rifle
on the sheriff and sent a bullet through his hat brim and another
through his horse's ear, and bit his bridle with one and tore his
trouser leg with another. One dropped and stung on the beast's fetlock
as Tom sprang to his feet exclaiming, "Now I'll get him!"

Daniels first checked his horse, and then lost control of it as the
bridle broke, and when the bullet struck its fetlock it wheeled and
went flying to the rear. The sheriff felt a tingle in his left arm,
and, maddened, he seized the severed parts of his bridle and forced
the horse to face about. Then he bent forward, apparently taking
careful aim at one of the figures beneath the trees, but before he
could fire, his horse