his first telling how he thought he'd hit
him--until it ended with the Greaser giving a yell like a stuck pig;
and then staggering and throwing his arms up; and then rolling over
and over down the side of the barranca to the bottom of it--with his
goose cooked all the way through!

We was all down at the deepo waiting for the Denver train to pull out,
same as usual, while Hart's nephew was doing his tallest talking--and
while he was hard at it somebody jumped up and sung out the Santa Fe
coach was coming along on the other side of the river from Santa Cruz.
Well, that was about the last thing anybody was expecting--and
everybody hustled up off the barrels and boxes where they was
a-setting and looked with all their eyes.

Sure enough, there the old coach was--just as it always was, about
that time of day--coming along as natural as you please. After a
while, it keeping on getting nearer, we could see it was old Hill
himself up on the box driving his mules in good shape; and when he
got along near the bridge we could hear him swearing at 'em--Hill did
use terrible bad language to them mules--in just his ordinary way.
Then he rattled the mules over the bridge and brought 'em a-clipping
up the slope this side of it; and then in another minute he pulled
right up at the deepo platform where we all was. Hill was laughing all
over as he come up to us, and so was a Mexican who was setting on the
box with him--a nice tidy little chap, with a powerful big black beard
on him--and Hill sung out: "Have you boys heard about the hold-up?"
And then he and the little Mexican got to laughing so it was a wonder
they didn't fall off.

Nobody was thinking nothing about Hart's nephew--till he let off a
yell and sung out: "That's the man held the coach up! Get a bead on
him with your guns!" And he got his own gun out--and like enough would
a-done some fool thing with it if Santa Fe Charley, who was right by
him, hadn't smacked him and jerked it out of his hand.

Santa Fe smacked so's to hurt him; and he put his hand up to his face
and said, kind of whimpery: "What are you hitting me like that for,
Charley? I ain't done nothing. I tell you that man on the box with
Hill is the one I was held up by yesterday. He's dangerous. If we
don't get a-hold of him quick he'll be doing something to us with his
gun!" And Hart's nephew a'most broke out crying--being all worked up,
and Santa Fe having smacked him blame hard.

At that, Denver Jones cut i