He knocked Braun down. Braun staggered up and rushed. A wildly flailing fist landed on Haney's ear. He doubled Braun up with a wallop to the midsection. Braun came back, fists swinging. Haney closed one eye for him. He came back. Haney shook him from head to foot with a chest blow. He came back. Haney split his lip and loosened a tooth. He came back. The Chief said sourly: "This ain't a fight. Quit it, Haney! He don't know how!" Haney tried to draw away, but Braun swarmed on him, striking fiercely until Haney had to floor him again. He dragged himself up and rushed at Haney--and was knocked down again. Haney stood over him, panting furiously. "Quit it, y'fool! What's the matter with you?" Braun started to get up again. The Chief interfered and held him, while Haney glared. "He ain't going to fight any more, Braun," pronounced the Chief firmly. "You ain't got a chance. This fight's over. You had enough." Braun was bloody and horribly battered, but he panted: "He's got enough?" "Are you out o' your head?" demanded the Chief. "He ain't got a mark on him!" "I ain't--got enough," panted Braun, "till he's got--enough!" His breath was coming in soblike gasps, the result of body blows. It hadn't been a fight but a beating, administered by Haney. But Braun struggled to get up. Mike the midget said brittlely: "You got enough, Haney. You're satisfied. Tell him so." "Sure I'm satisfied," snorted Haney. "I don't want to hit him any more. I got enough of that!" Braun panted: "Okay! Okay!" The Chief let him get to his feet. He went groggily to his coat. He tried to put himself into it. Mike caught Joe's eye and nodded meaningfully. Joe helped Braun into the coat. There was silence, save for Braun's heavy, labored breathing. He moved unsteadily toward the door. Then he stopped. "Haney," he said effortfully, "I don't say I'm sorry for fighting you today. I fight first. But now I say I am sorry. You are good guy, Haney. I was crazy. I--got reason." He stumbled out of the door and was gone. The four who were left behind stared at each other. "What's the matter with him?" demanded Haney blankly. "He's nuts," said the Chief. "If he was gonna apologize----" Mike shook his head. "He wouldn't apologize," he said brittlely, "because he thought you might think he was scared. But when he'd proved he wasn't scared of a beating--then he could say he was sorry." He paused. "I've seen guys I liked a lot less than him." Haney put on his coat, frowning. "I don't get it," he rumbled. "Next time I see him----" "You won't," snapped Mike. "None of us will. I'll bet on it." But he was wrong. The others went out of the storeroom and back into Sid's Steak Joint, and the Chief politely thanked the proprietor for the loan of his storeroom for a private fight. Then they went out into the neon-lighted business street of Bootstrap. "What do we do now?" asked Joe. "Where you sleeping?" asked the Chief hospitably. "I can get you a room at my place."