Summary

In this very short chapter, the Horrell Brothers—Merritt, Tom, Mart, Benjamin, and Sam—find Captain Kidd, and inform him that they should be in the news because they have “killed a right smart of Mexicans” (165). Captain Kidd uses the same phrase as he asks them if anybody “objects” to their killing “a right smart of Mexicans” (166). The Horrell Brothers ask Captain Kidd to read the news at The Gem, a saloon in town. Captain Kidd tells them that he might be late, and then never turns up. The brothers watch—“guard”—Captain Kidd and Johanna all night long. Captain Kidd does not sleep at all, and they leave before dawn breaks.

Analysis

The incident with the Horrell Brothers is a relatively brief one in the context of the book, but it is important for what it says about the good and the bad...