looked round the saloon, an' when he
spotted Rojas he sorta jerked up. Then he pulled his slouch hat
lopsided an' began to stagger down, down the steps. First off I made
shore he was drunk. But I remembered he didn't seem drunk before. It
was some queer. So I watched that young man.

"He reeled around the room like a fellow who was drunker'n a lord.
Nobody but me seemed to notice him. Then he began to stumble over
pool-players an' get his feet tangled up in chairs an' bump against
tables. He got some pretty hard looks. He came round our way, an' all
of a sudden he seen us cowboys. He gave another start, like the one
when he first seen Rojas, then he made for us. I tipped Jim off that
somethin' was doin'.

"When he got close he straightened up, put back his slouch hat, an'
looked at us. Then I saw his face. It sorta electrified yours truly.
It was white, with veins standin' out an' eyes flamin'--a face of fury.
I was plumb amazed, didn't know what to think. Then this queer young
man shot some cool, polite words at me an' Jim.

"He was only bluffin' at bein' drunk--he meant to rush Rojas, to start
a rough house. The bandit was after a girl. This girl was in the
hotel, an' she was the sweetheart of a soldier, the young fellow's
friend. The hotel was watched by Rojas's guards, an' the plan was to
make a fuss an' get the girl away in the excitement. Well, Jim an' me
got a hint of our bein' Americans--that cowboys generally had a name
for loyalty to women. Then this amazin' chap--you can't imagine how
scornful--said for me an' Jim to watch him.

"Before I could catch my breath an' figger out what he meant by 'rush'
an' 'rough house' he had knocked over a table an' crowded some Greaser
half off the map. One little funny man leaped up like a wild monkey
an' began to screech. An' in another second he was in the air upside
down. When he lit, he laid there. Then, quicker'n I can tell you, the
young man dove at Rojas. Like a mad steer on the rampage he charged
Rojas an' his men. The whole outfit went down--smash! I figgered then
what 'rush' meant. The young fellow came up out of the pile with
Rojas, an' just like I'd sling an empty sack along the floor he sent
the bandit. But swift as that went he was on top of Rojas before the
chairs an' tables had stopped rollin'.

"I woke up then, an' made for the center of the room. Jim with me. I
began to shoot out the lamps. Jim throwed his guns on the crazy
re