In Eagle he had friends who were only a shade less evil than himself; but they had what he lacked and because of it were entitled to a forced respect of small weight--they had courage, that spontaneous, initiative, heedless courage which toned the atmosphere of the whole West to a magnificent crimson. Were it not for the reason that they had drifted to his social level they would have spurned his acquaintance and shot him for a buzzard; but, while they secretly held him in great contempt for his cowardice, they admired his criminal cunning, and profited by it. He was too wise to show himself in the true light to his foreman and the outfit, knowing full well that death would be the response, and so lived a lie until he met his friends of the town, when he threw off his cloak and became himself, and where he plotted against the man who treated him fairly. Riding into the town, he stopped before a saloon and slouched in to the bar, where the proprietor was placing a new stock of liquors on the shelves. "Where's Benito, an' th' rest?" he asked. "Back there," replied the other; nodding toward a rear room. "Who's in there?" "Benito, Hall, Archer an' Frisco." "Where's Shaw?" "Him an' Clausen an' Cavalry went out 'bout ten minutes ago." "I want to see 'em when they come in," Antonio remarked, shambling towards the door, where he listened, and then went in. In the small room four men were grouped around a table, drinking and talking, and at his entry they looked up and nodded. He nodded in reply and seated himself apart from them, where he soon became wrapped in thought. Benito arose and went to the door. "_Mescal, pronto_," he said to the man outside. "D----d _pronto_, too," growled Antonio. "A man would die of alkali in this place before he's waited on." The proprietor brought a bottle and filled the glasses, giving Antonio his drink first, and silently withdrew. The broncho-buster tossed off the fiery stuff and then turned his shifty eyes on the group. "Where's Shaw?" "Don't know--back soon," replied Benito. "Why didn't he wait, when he knowed I was comin' in?" Hall leaned back from the table and replied, keenly watching the inquisitor, "Because he don't give a d--n." "You----!" shouted the Mexican, half arising, but the others interfered and he sank back again, content to let it pass. But not so Hall, whose Colt was half drawn. "I'll kill you some day, you whelp," he gritted, but before anything could come of it Shaw and his companions entered the room and the trouble was quelled. Soon the group was deep in discussion over the merits of a scheme which Antonio unfolded to them, and the more it was weighed the better it appeared. Finally Shaw leaned back and filled his pipe. "You've got th' brains of th' devil, 'Tony." "Eet ees not'ing," replied Antonio. "Oh, drop that lingo an' talk straight--you ain't on th' H2 now," growled Hall.