“Oh, say not so,” said Racey.  “If I’d wanted to kill him I wouldn’t ‘a’ plugged him in the arm, would I?  That wouldn’t ‘a’ been sensible.”

“You provoked this fraycas!” snarled Luke, disregarding Racey’s point in a true lawyer-like way.  “You—­”

“Why, no, Luke, yo’re wrong, all wrong,” interrupted Swing Tunstall, leaning over the windowsill at Tweezy’s back.  “I seen the whole thing, I did, and I didn’t see Racey do anything he shouldn’t.  I could swear to it on the stand if I had to,” he added, thoughtfully.

Come then Rod Rockwell, Bill Allen, and Tile Stanton from the bunkhouse.  None made any comment on the state of affairs.  But while Rod fetched water in a basin, Bill Allen cut away the sleeve of his groaning employer, and made all ready.

A few minutes later Alicran Skeel entered the office.  “I thought I heard a gun,” he drawled, his calm eyes embracing everyone in the room.

“That man!” bubbled Luke Tweezy, shaking his fist at Racey.  “That man tried to kill Lanpher!  I call upon you not to let him leave the premises until I can go to Farewell and swear out a warrant for his arrest.”

“That man,” said Swing Tunstall, pointing a derisive finger at Luke Tweezy, “is a liar by the clock.  I saw the whole thing.  And all I gotta say is that Lanpher went after his gun first.”

“I ain’t doubting yore word, Swing,” Alicran said, tactfully, “but they seems to be a difference of opinion sort of, and—­”

“I say that Luke Tweezy is a damn liar,” reasserted Swing, “and they ain’t no difference of opinion about that.”

“Well, of course, if Luke—­” Alicran did not complete the sentence.

“I am a lawyer,” Luke Tweezy explained, hurriedly.  “I ain’t paying any attention to what his man says—­now.”

“Or any other time,” jibed Swing.

“Any of you boys see this?” Alicran asked of his three punchers.

“He tried to kill me, I tell you!” Lanpher gritted through his teeth.  “He didn’t gimme a chance!”

“Any of you boys see it?” repeated Alicran, paying no attention to Lanpher.

“How could we?” asked Rod Rockwell, glancing up from the bandaging of Lanpher’s arm.  “We was all in the bunkhouse.”

“Then for the benefit of the gents who wasn’t here,” said Racey, smoothly, “I don’t mind saying that I told Lanpher to go after his gun, and he did, and I did.”

“He’s a liar,” gibbered Lanpher.  “Alicran, ain’t you man enough to take care of Racey Dawson?”

Alicran nodded composedly.  “I guess him and me would come to some kind of an agreement provided I was shore he needed taking care of.  But I ain’t none shore he does.  Looks like it was a even break to me—­the word of you and Luke against his and Swing’s.  And what’s fairer than that I’d like to know?”

“Alicran!” squalled Lanpher.  “I’m telling you to—­”

“Yo’re all worked up, that’s whatsa matter,” Alicran assured him.  “You don’t mean more’n half you say.  You lie down now after Rod gets through with you and cool off—­cool off considerable, I would.  Do you a heap o’ good.  Yeah.”