no dissenters to the programme.  I saw at a glance that my bunkie was heart and soul in the play, and took my cue and kept my mouth shut.  We circled round the town to a vacant lot within a block of the rear of the dance hall.  Honeyman was left to hold the horses; then, taking off our belts and hanging them on the pommels of our saddles, we secreted our six-shooters inside the waistbands of our trousers.  The hall was still crowded with the revelers when we entered, a few at a time, Forrest and Priest being the last to arrive.  Forrest had changed hats with The Rebel, who always wore a black one, and as the bouncer circulated around, Quince stepped squarely in front of him.  There was no waste of words, but a gun-barrel flashed in the lamplight, and the bouncer, struck with the six-shooter, fell like a beef.  Before the bewildered spectators could raise a hand, five six-shooters were turned into the ceiling.  The lights went out at the first fire, and amidst the rush of men and the screaming of women, we reached the outside, and within a minute were in our saddles.  All would have gone well had we returned by the same route and avoided the town; but after crossing the railroad track, anger and pride having not been properly satisfied, we must ride through the town.

On entering the main street, leading north and opposite the bridge on the river, somebody of our party in the rear turned his gun loose into the air.  The Rebel and I were riding in the lead, and at the clattering of hoofs and shooting behind us, our horses started on the run, the shooting by this time having become general.  At the second street crossing, I noticed a rope of fire belching from a Winchester in the doorway of a store building.  There was no doubt in my mind but we were the object of the manipulator of that carbine, and as we reached the next cross street, a man kneeling in the shadow of a building opened fire on us with a six-shooter.  Priest reined in his horse, and not having wasted cartridges in the open-air shooting, returned the compliment until he emptied his gun.  By this time every officer in the town was throwing lead after us, some of which cried a little too close for comfort.  When there was no longer any shooting on our flanks, we turned into a cross street and soon left the lead behind us.  At the outskirts of the town we slowed up our horses and took it leisurely for a mile or so, when Quince Forrest halted us and said, “I’m going to drop out here and see if any one follows us.  I want to be alone, so that if any officers try to follow us up, I can have it out with them.”

[Illustration:  CELEBRATING IN DODGE]