again; sideways; the other
end. When he looked up a little twinkle of humour lurked deep in his
black eyes, but his face was solemn and ceremonious.

"Well, Don Luis," repeated the court, "what do you make of it?"

"Senor," replied Don Luis courteously, "it looks to me like a most
excellent map of Sonora."

When the crowd had quieted down after this, the court ordered the animal
brought forth.

"May it please y'r honour, the critter got a chill and done died,"
announced the cadaverous Missourian, to whose care the animal had been
confided.

"H'm," said the court. "Well, here's the court's decision in this case.
Pio Chino fined one drink for taking up our valuable time; Abe Sellers
fined one drink for claiming such an old crow-bait on any grounds; Sam
is fined one drink for not putting a blanket on that mare." ("I only got
one blanket myself!" cried the grieved Missourian.) "The fines must be
paid in to the court at the close of this session."

Hugely tickled, the meeting arose. Pio Chino, to whom the tidings of his
bell mare's demise was evidently news, stood the picture of dejected
woe. His downcast figure attracted the careless attention of one of the
men.

"Here boys!" he yelled, snatching off his hat. "This ain't so damn funny
for Chino here!" He passed the hat among the crowd. They tossed in gold,
good-naturedly, abundantly, with a laugh. Nobody knows what amount was
dumped into the astounded Chino's old sombrero; but the mare was
certainly not worth over fifteen dollars. If some one had dragged Chino
before that same gathering under unsupported accusation of any sort, it
would as cheerfully and thoughtlessly have hung him.

Of the gambling places, one only--that conducted by Danny Randall and
called the Bella Union--inspired any sort of confidence. The other two
were frequented by a rough, insolent crew, given to sudden silences in
presence of newcomers, good-humoured after a wild and disconcerting
fashion, plunging heavily at the gaming tables and drinking as heavily
at the bars. This is not to imply that any strong line of demarcation
existed between the habitues of one or the other of these places. When
an inhabitant of Italian Bar started out for relaxation, he visited
everything there was to visit, and drifted impartially between Morton's,
Randall's Bella Union, and the Empire. There was a good deal of noise
and loud talk in any of them; and occasionally a pistol shot. This was
generally a signal f