branding-ironslipped from his hand. Then Fred jerked him up to his feet, and went athim like a cyclone. Four or five blows on the chest caused him to godown again.
Again Fred jerked the fellow up on his feet, and the second time beathim down, until the fellow didn't have breath enough left in him to sayanything.
Fred let him lie there for about one minute, and then said:
"You wanted work or fight. I'll give you all the fight you want andcharge you nothing for it," and as soon as the fellow tried slowly toget up, Fred dealt him another blow that laid him out for about fiveminutes.
Hearing that the fight had ceased, Evelyn entered the other room toassure the girls that Fred and Terry could take care of the fellow,again came out, and looked at the scene going on outside.
"Brother," said she, "you are not going to kill him, are you?"
"No, I'm just going to let Fred manage him in his own way."
"Fred," she asked, "what are you going to do to him?"
"Go into the house, dear, and quiet those girls. I'm not going to shedany blood or take a life."
She didn't follow his injunctions to go into the house, but she keptquiet a while and watched them.
"Fred, have you killed him?" she asked presently, as she saw the manlying like a dead man on the ground.
"No; I knocked him out, though, and am waiting for him to get his breathback."
By and by the fellow began to breathe hard and groan.
Finally he opened his eyes and looked up at Fred.
"You wanted fight or work," sad Fred. "What do you want now?"
"Mister, I want to go as far away from here as I can."
"Well, why didn't you go when you had the chance?"
"Boss, I didn't know you then; but I do now."
"Well, get up and leave, and don't you waste a minute of time in gettingaway."
The fellow got up and started off in the direction of the store.
His three companions had retreated to that place, and as soon as hestarted, Fred followed him and assisted him in leaving by administeringkicks which raised him from the ground at least a foot at every kick.
Suddenly he drew a revolver from his pocket. It was strange that hehadn't attempted to use it before.
He drew it and turned to face Fred; but just then Fred saw the weaponand kicked it out of his hand.
"Oh you're not satisfied yet? You wanted to shoot, eh? Now, I'll showyou what shooting is," and he sent Terry into the house to get hisrevolver and an apple.
There were a few green apples in the kitchen, which the cook intended tostew that afternoon.
Terry came out with one of the apples in one hand and the revolver inthe other.
"Now, my good fellow, you take that apple and hold it between your thumband forefinger. Hold it out straight at arm's length, while I send abullet through it."
"Boss, I can't hold it."
"All right. If you don't hold it between your thumb and forefinger I'llshoot at your hand."
"Boss, why don't you let me go? I've got enough, and I'll leave theState."
"Hold out that apple," said Fred.
The man held the apple out at arm's length between his thumb andforefinger, but his hand was trembling so that Fred had to be verycareful for fear that he would hit the hand and thus maim him for life:but the bullet went square through the apple, and it fell to the ground.
The fellow nearly had a fit. He picked up the pieces of the apple andlooked at them.
"Now you want to leave this locality about as fast as your heels cancarry you," said Fred.
With that the fellow, without stopping to pick up his hat, turned aroundand left, and all he would say to his companions was:
"Come, boys, let's get away from here. This is no place for us."
He stopped at the well, took a dipper full of water, and then startedoff, while the other three followed him.
That big cowboy was never seen in that part of Texas afterward.
The storekeeper told the story to his customers as they came into thestore, and it was soon known all over that county.
The facts of the lynching of the four Mexican cattle thieves had beenpublished all over that part of the State, and Fred and Terry wererelieved from the odium of having had anything to do with the affair,other than the capture of the men.
The sheriff and his deputies took charge of the bodies, as they werefound hanging to the trees, and buried them by the road-side.
They were buried in one pit, and above them was a head-board, on whichwas painted in large letters the story of their fate.
Tom Hecker had written to four of his former cowboy companions that hehad found a place with Fearnot and Olcott again, and that they wantedfour more of them to join him.
They at once resigned their places with their employers, and soonreached their ranch.
They were each supplied with a Winchester and cartridges, and told tocapture every cattle thief that they found on the range, even if theyhad to bring them down with a bullet.
CHAPTER X.
CONCLUSION.
As the news spread around through the county of Fred's having shot anapple from the fingers of another man, it seemed so incredible thatscores of people came to the cowboys to inquire as to the truth of thestory.
One day, when Tom was sent to town with a wagon to bring back somethings that Fred had ordered, he told a story at the depot, when a manchallenged him to prove it. He said that be had seen Mr. Olcott fire ata tree with his revolver at a distance of thirty paces, and then plantthe rest of the bullets in the weapon in the same hole in the tree.
Said the townsman:
"I've got a hundred dollars, which says that that is not so. That nosuch thing ever happened."
"Well," said Tim, "I haven't got one hundred dollars, for I don't carrymy money with me wherever I go; but I will have to come up again onSaturday, and I will see if I can get Mr. Olcott to come up with me andprove it to you by shooting for you." 7
"All right," said the man. "I will meet you here, and put up the money,and I will bet one hundred dollars that Mr. Olcott can't plant all thebullets in his revolver in the same hole at a distance of thirty paces,and if you want to make another bet, I'll bet ten dollars that Mr.Olcott won't undertake it."
"That's a go," said Tom, "Just meet me here on Saturday, and I willbring up my money ready to bet any amount that I can get you to put upthat he can do it."
When he went home Tom told Terry of the bet that he had made.
"Now, Mr. Olcott, I haven't got much money, but I'll put up every cent Ihave on your marksmanship, and I beg you, as a favor, to go with me onSaturday and give me a chance to win that bet, for I need it, as I amengaged to a girl up at Ranchman's Rest, whom I want to marry just assoon as I can get money enough ahead to build a little home for her."
"All right. Tom. I'll help you out. I'll go up with you, and if thatfellow or any other man wants to bluff you, I'll check enough out of thebank for you to cover whatever he or his friends may put up."
The next Saturday Terry went up to Crabtree, going on a freight traincab, Tom drove a wagon, for there was no local freight train runningthat day down to the ranch.
The fact is, only through freights ran over the road at that section,hence none of the cars were unlocked at the ranch. Of course, Terry hadhis faithful revolver with him, and when Tom arrived, the sporting mengot around him and challenged him to show his money.
"All right, sir. Mr. Olcott has agreed to shoot, and I am ready to coverany amount you want to put up, unless you have put up more than Ihave."'
The original bettor offered to put up three hundred dollars.
"All right," said Tom. "I'll cover that."
Then several others put up one and two hundred each.
Terry had given Tom a check for one thousand dollars, and Tom hurriedoff to the bank with it, cashed it, and covered all the bets.
The depot agent acted as stakeholder.
Then they went about a quarter of a mile up
the road into a piece oftimber, where thirty paces were stepped off, and a piece of white paper,about an inch square, was fastened, against the tree.
One man carried a sharp axe with him, saying that he was not going tolet any trick be played on him.
"It's easy enough," said he, "for one shot to be fired in the tree andthe other shots just to be blank cartridges."
Terry then fired the first shot, and every man in the party went to thetree to look at the bullet hole.
Then Terry fired the other live shots with cool deliberation andcaution.
When the whole six bullets had been fired no one could tell, from theappearance of the bullet hole, that any other bullet had hit the tree.
The man with the axe proceeded to cut into the tree in quest of
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