The Project Gutenberg EBook of Bring Me His Ears, by Clarence E. Mulford

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Title: Bring Me His Ears

Author: Clarence E. Mulford

Release Date: March 19, 2010 [EBook #31699]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: Tom pushed on ahead to reconnoiter the Upper Spring

[_Page 262_]]

"Bring Me His Ears"

By CLARENCE E. MULFORD

AUTHOR OF

"Bar 20," "Bar 20 Days," "Bar 20-Three," "Buck Peters, Ranchman," "The
Coming of Cassidy," "Hopalong Cassidy," "Johnny Nelson," "The Man from
Bar 20," "Tex," etc.

A.L. BURT COMPANY

Publishers New York

Published by arrangement with A.C. McClurg & Co.

Printed in U.S.A.

Copyright A.C. McClurg & Co. 1922

Published October, 1922

_Copyrighted in Great Britain_

_Printed in the United States of America_

"Bring Me His Ears"

CHAPTER I

HAWKENS' GUN STORE

The tall, lanky Missourian leaning against the corner of a ramshackle
saloon on Locust Street, St. Louis, Missouri--the St. Louis of the early
forties--turned his whiskey-marked face toward his companion, a short
and slender Mexican trader, sullenly listening to the latter's torrent
of words, which was accompanied by many and excitable gesticulations.
The Missourian shook his head in reply to the accusations of his
companion.

"But he was on thee boat weeth us!" exclaimed the other. "An' you lose
heem--lak theese!" the sharp snap of his fingers denoted magic.

"Thar ain't no use o' gittin' riled," replied Schoolcraft. "How in
tarnation kin a man keep th' trail o' a slippery critter like him in
these yere crowds? I'll git sight o' him, right yere."

"That ees w'at you say," rejoined the Mexican, shrugging his shoulders.
"But w'at weel _I_ say to _le Gobernador_? Theese _hombre_ Tomaz
Boyd--he know vera many t'eengs--too vera many t'eengs--an' he ensult
_le Gobernador_. _Madre de Dios_--sooch ensult!" He shivered at the
thought. "W'en I get thee message, I tr-remble! It say 'Br-ring heem to
me--or