Krags could say nothing, for Hennessy was within his rights, but he leaned a little over toward the left side as he dealt, leaving his right-hand hip pocket a little easier to get at. It was only a slight indication of the possibilities, but there was not a man at the table who failed to notice it. From that time on the tension increased. After Krags’s deal Stumpy called for a new deck of another colour, and when that had been used twice, Long Mike ran over it carefully, and called for still another deck. “There’s an ace o’ hearts here,” he said, “that a man can tell across the room.” No charge of crooked play had been made, but the visitors saw that they were suspected, and they were well prepared for the row that was coming. Long Mike it was that precipitated it. He was watching Krags intently, and suddenly, as that player was discarding after serving the others with the draw in his own deal, Long Mike reached over and seized both his wrists with a lightning-like movement. “Ye have six cards in yer hand, ye spalpeen, an’ two in yer sleeve,” and twisting Krags’s hands remorselessly, he proved that he was right. Instantly the room was in an uproar, and [Illustration: “‘YE HAVE SIX CARDS IN YER HAND, YE SPALPEEN.’”] every one of the ten visitors had his gun out, excepting Krags, who was struggling violently but ineffectually to free his hands. The Brownsville men were as quick as the strangers, but, although three or four shots were heard, none reached a mark. And after a little time, Long Mike’s voice commanded attention. “Av we did the roight thing,” he shouted, “we’d chop holes in th’ oice, an’ send yez ahl shwimmin’ down th’ river. But Oi’m thinkin’ we can have more fun nor that. Yez’ll ahl give yer guns to Sam, an’ Oi’ll take this omadhaun out-o’-doors an’ woipe th’ ground up wid him. An’ Bixby’ll hitch up an’ carry what’s left back to La Crosse the noight widout waitin’ f’r sun-up.” No one dissented, for Krags and his followers were as confident as the Brownsville men, and moreover counted themselves lucky to get off as they did after the exposé. And then Smithers gave a new turn to the situation by saying, “I’ll bet even money that Krags’ll lick him.” In about three minutes all the available cash in the party was staked on the contest and the two gladiators stripped for the fray. Then was Brownsville glorified within three minutes more, for Long Mike stood with his hands down, waiting the other’s onslaught. It came with a fury that would have demolished an ordinary man, but he took two blows that seemed enough to break his bones, and then wrapped his arms around Krags in such fashion as to hold him helpless. For a moment he stood thus, tightening his grip slowly, and then said, coolly: “Ye’ll tell me when ye have enough.”