He laughed, in no way angered by my plain speech; indeed it almost seemed as though he felt complimented.

“Hardly admit, my friend, for that is not my style.  I let others do the guessing.  What do you think of that, Carver?  It seems we rank rather high in the estimation of the young man.”  His eyes again centered on me.  “And you are really not acquainted with either of the ladies?”

“No.”

“I see; a self-appointed squire of dames; actuated merely by a romantic desire to serve beauty in distress.  Extremely interesting, my dear boy.  But, see here, Knox,” and his tone changed to seriousness.  “Let the romance go, and talk sense a minute.  You are not going to get very far fighting me alone.  You haven’t even got the law with you.  Even if I cheated Beaucaire, which I do not for a moment admit, there is no proof.  The money is mine, and so is the land, and the niggers.  You can be ugly, of course, but you cannot overturn the facts.  Now I don’t care a whoop in hell for that bunch of miners back there in the cabin.  If left alone they will forget all about this affair in an hour.  It’s nothing to them, and they are no angels if it was.  But, in a way, it is different with you.  I understand that, and also that you are in a position where you might make me some trouble.  People would listen to what you had to say—­and some of them might believe you.  Now you acknowledge that what has occurred is personally nothing to you; Beaucaire was no special friend, and you don’t even know the two girls—­all right then, drop the whole matter.  I hold no grudge on account of your striking me, and am even willing to share up with you to avoid trouble.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then, of course, we shall be compelled to shut your mouth for you.  Self preservation is the first law.”

“Which simply means that you intend to go on, and yield nothing?”

“That is about right.  We’ll hold tight to what we’ve got—­hey, Carver?”

“That’s allers bin my way o’ doin’ business,” chimed in the other brutally.  “An’ we’ve sure got you, mister soldier man, where we kin handle yer, I reckon.”

I looked about at them both, scarcely able to distinguish clearly even their outlines in the dense gloom.  The seriousness of my situation, coupled with my helplessness, and inability to achieve the object proposed, was very evident.  These men were reckless, and determined, unable to even grasp my point of view.  It might, under these circumstances, have been the part of wisdom to me to have sought some means of compromise, but I was young and hot, fiery blood swept through my veins.  The words of Kirby stung me with their breath of insult—­his sneering, insolent offer to pay me to remain still.