"Haw!" snorted Bill Buckhorn. "See ther varmint go! I reckon I"ll hurry him up jest a little!"
Then the man from "Rapahoe jerked out a big revolver, and sent three or four bullets whistling past Cholly"s ears, nearly frightening the poor fellow out of his clothes.
Buckhorn supplied the revolver with fresh cartridges, at the same time observing:
"Over in "Rapahoe such a derned freak as thet thar would be a reg"ler snap fer ther boys. They"d hev more fun with him then a funeral.
Somehow, this yere place seems dead slow, an" it makes me long ter go back whar thar is a little sport now an" then."
"Vell," said the Jew, with apparent honesty, "v"y don"d you go pack?
Maype uf you sdop a vile, you don"d pe aple to do dat."
"Haw? What do you mean, Moses?"
"My name vas nod Moses."
"Wa"al, it oughter be, an" so I"ll call yeh thet."
"All righd, Mouth; led her go."
"Wat"s thet?" shouted Buckhorn, surprised. "Whatever did you call me jest then, I want ter know."
"Mouth."
"Mouth!"
"Dat vas righd."
"Thet ain"t my name."
"Vell, id oughter peen; your mouth vas der piggest bart uf you."
Buckhorn literally staggered. He looked as if he doubted his ears had heard correctly, and then, noting that the crowd was beginning to laugh, he leaped into the air, cracking his heels together, and roaring:
"Whoop! Thet settles you, Moses! You"ll hev a chance ter attend your own funeral ter-morre!"
The Jew quietly put down his pack, spat on his hands, and said:
"Shust come und see me, mine friendt, und I vill profe dat your mouth vas der piggest bart uf you."
"I ain"t goin" ter touch yer with my hands," declared the man from "Rapahoe, once more producing the long-barreled revolver; "but I"ll shoot yer so full o" holes thet ye"ll serve fer a milk-skimmer! Git down on yer marrerbones an" pray!"
"Look here, mine friendt," calmly said the Jew, as the crowd began to scatter to get out of the way of stray bullets, "uf you shood ad me, id vill profe dat you vas a plowhardt und a cowart. Uf you shood ad me, der beople uf dis blace vill haf a goot excuse to holdt a lynchings."
"Wa"al, I"m good fer this hull derned county! This town is too slow ter skeer me any ter mention. Git down!"
"Uf I don"d do dat?"
"I"ll shoot yer legs out from under yer clean up ter ther knees!"
"Vell, then, I subbose I vill haf to--do this!" Solomon had seemed on the point of kneeling, but, instead of doing so, he ducked, leaped in swiftly beneath the leveled revolver, caught Buckhorn by the wrist, and wrenched the weapon from his hand, flinging it aside with the remark:
"I don"d vant to peen shot alretty, und, if you try dat again, you vill ged hurt pad, vid der accent on der pad!"
Buckhorn seemed to be stupefied, and then, uttering another roar, he lunged at the Jew, trying to grapple Solomon with his hands.
"I"ll squeeze ther life out of yer!" snarled the ruffian.
"Oxcuse me uf I don"d lofe you vell enough to led you done that," said the Jew, nimbly skipping aside. "Your nose shows you vas a greadt trinker; shust dry my electric punch."
Crack! The knuckles of the Jew struck under the ear of the man from "Rapahoe. It was a beautiful blow, and Buckhorn was knocked over in a twinkling, striking heavily on his shoulder in the dust of the street.
The fall seemed to stun the man in leather breeches, but he soon sat up, and then, seeing Solomon waiting for him to rise, he asked:
"Whar is it?"
"Vere vas vat?"
"Ther club you struck me with."
"Righd here," said the Jew, holding up his clinched hand.
"Haw! Ye don"t mean ter say you didn"t hit me with a club, or something like a hunk o" quartz?"
"Dat vas der ding vat I hit you vid, mine friendt. Shust ged up, und I vill profe id py hitting you again."
"Say!"
"Vell?"
"I don"t allow thet I"m as well as I might be, an" I ain"t spoiling" fer trouble none whatever. I"m onter you. You"re a perfessional pugilist in disguise. If you"ll let me git up, I"ll go right away and let you alone."
"Vell, ged up."
"You won"t hit me when I do so?"
"Nod if you don"d tried some funny pusiness."
Buckhorn struggled to his feet, keeping a suspicious eye on Solomon all the while. He then picked up his revolver, but made no offer to use it, for the Jew was watching every movement, and he noted that Solomon had one hand in his pocket.
"A critter thet knows tricks like he does, might be able ter shoot "thout drawin"," muttered the man from "Rapahoe. "I don"t allow it"d be healthy ter try a snap shot at him."
A roar of laughter broke from the spectators, as they saw the ruffian put the revolver back into its holster, and turn away, like a whipped puppy.
"Hayar, you mighty chief from "Rapahoe," shouted a voice, "do yer find this yar town so dead slow as yer did? Don"t yer "low yer"d best go back ter "Rapahoe, an" stay thar? Next time, we"ll set ther dude tenderfoot on yer, an" he"ll everlastin"ly chaw yer up!"
"How low hev ther mighty fallen!" murmured Buckhorn, as he continued to walk away.