faro or monte. And those who would neither drink nor play
were waylaid, knocked down, and robbed.

On one occasion when the Hunter and Evans "Jinglebob" outfits were in
town, they objected to some of these enforced levies as unreasonably
heavy. A pitched battle on the streets resulted. Many of the boys
were young and inexperienced, and they were getting quite the worst of
it, when Clay Allison happened along and took a hand.

The fight did not last much longer. When it was over, it was
discovered that several of Dodge's most active citizens had been
removed from their field of usefulness. For the next day or two, "Boot
Hill" (the local graveyard) was a scene of unusual activity.

From all this it fell out that a few days later when Clay Allison rode
alone out of Dodge returning home, he was ambushed a few miles from
town by three men and shot from his horse. Crippled too badly to
resist, he lay as if dead. Thinking their work well done, the three
men came out of hiding, kicked and cursed him, shot two or three more
holes in him, and rode back to town. But Allison, who had not even
lost consciousness, had recognized them. A few hours later the driver
of a passing wagon found him and hauled him into town. After lingering
many weeks between life and death, Allison recovered. As soon as they
heard that he was convalescing, the three who had attacked him wound up
their affairs and fled the town.

When able to travel Allison sold his ranch. Questioned by his friends
as to his plans, he finally admitted that he felt it a duty to hunt
down the men who had ambushed him; remarked that he feared they might
bushwhack some one else if they were not removed.

Number One of the three men he located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheyenne
was then a law-abiding community, and Allison could not afford to take
any chances of court complications that would interfere with the
completion of his work. He therefore spent several days in covertly
watching the habits of his adversary. From the knowledge thus gained
he was able one morning suddenly to turn a street corner and confront
Number One. Without the least suspicion that Allison was in the
country, the man, knowing that his life hung by a thread, jerked his
pistol and fired on the instant. As Allison had shrewdly calculated,
his enemy was so nervous that his shot flew wild. Number One did not
get a second shot. At the inquest several witnesses of the affray
swore that All