“Don’t fire, boys!” he commanded, his voice ringing clear and purposeful.  “Drop your guns; it’s all right.  This is my game, and I intend to play it out alone.”

Farnham laughed, the quick reaction possibly affecting even his iron nerves.  Winston whirled and fronted him, the gray eyes blazing.

“Damn you, you sneaking, sneering brute!” he burst forth.  “You thief, you woman-beater, you unspeakable cur!  I surrender to the sheriff of Gulpin County, not to you.  I ’ve got the evidence to send you to the penitentiary, and I ’ll do it, even though I stand myself in the shadow of death while I bear witness to your infamy.  You think this arrest will shut my mouth!  You imagine this will render me harmless!  But, by God, it will not!  I ’ll fight you until the last breath leaves my body.  I ’ll tear you out from the protection of law; I ’ll show you the kind of a man you have stacked up against.  I don’t know whether this murder charge is all a trick or not; I don’t more than half believe Jack Burke is dead.  But be that as it may, I ’ll pull you down, Biff Farnham, not in any revenge for wrong done me, but to save a woman whom you know.  I ’ll do it, damn you, though it cost me my life!”

The sheriff’s iron hand fell in restraint upon his shoulder, the burly body interposed between them.

“You’re all right,” Hayes said quietly, his eyes pleasantly interested.  “You ‘ve been squar’ with me, young fellow, an’ I ‘m goin’ ter be squar’ with you.  You kin bet on that.  They ’ll give you a chance down below to fight out your quarrel with Farnham.”

Winston, his quick rage as instantly fading, drew one hand across his face, the real danger of his present situation flowing back suddenly to mind.

“Where do you mean to take us?” he questioned.

“San Juan.”

“Right away?”

“Wal, ’bout as soon as we kin git you back ter whar the hosses are, yonder.”

“You promise us protection from that ‘Independence’ outfit?”

The sheriff nodded decisively.

“Never lost no prisoner yet to a mob,” he replied confidently.  “I reckon thar’ll be one hell of a fight before I do now.  However, you don’t need to worry, young man.  On second thought, I ’ll have the hosses brought over here, an’ we ’ll go down this trail.”

Winston glanced about into the faces of Hicks and the Swede.  There was no help forthcoming from either, but he had already reached a definite decision for himself.

“Very well,” he said calmly, “I ’ll go with you quietly, sheriff, only I don’t need any hand-cuffing.”

“Never use ’em,” and Hayes affectionately patted his gun.  “I reckon this yere instrument will do the business all right if any misunderstandin’ should arise atween us goin’ down.  However, I ’ll trouble yer to discard them weapons for the sake o’ peace.”

Without a word the engineer unbuckled his belt, tossed it over to Hicks, and then slowly turned his body about to prove himself entirely disarmed.  Then he smiled, and extended his hand.  The sheriff grasped it cordially.