Corwin glanced around, shook his head and looked at his two prisoners in frank admiration. "You fellers shore can lick h--l out of th' man that invented fightin'!" Bill Long glared at him. "I didn't see--you--nowhere near!" he panted. "Turn us--loose--an' we'll clean--out th' place. We was--two-thirds--licked before we--knew it was comin'." "Don't waste yore--breath on th'--d--d -- --" snarled Red. "There's a few I'm aimin' to--kill when I--get th' chance!" "What's th' meanin' of--this surprise party?" asked Bill Long. "It means that you an' Thompson are under arrest for robbin' th' bank; an' you for th' murder of Ridley," answered the peace officer, frowning at the ripple of laughter which arose. A pock-marked Mexican, whose forehead bore a crescent-shaped scar, seemed to be unduly hilarious and vastly relieved about something. Thorpe came swiftly across the room toward Bill Long, snarled a curse, and struck with vicious energy at the bruised face. Bill rolled his head and the blow missed. Before the assailant could recover his balance and strike again a brawny, red-haired giant, whose one good eye glared over a battered nose, lunged swiftly forward and knocked Thorpe backwards over a smashed chair and overturned table. The prostrate man groped and half arose, to look dazedly into the giant's gun and hear the holder of it give angry warning. "Any more of that an' I'll blow you apart!" roared the giant. "An' that goes for any other skunk in th' room. Bear-baitin' is barred." He looked at Corwin. "You've got 'em--now get 'em out of here an' into jail, before I has to kill somebody!" Corwin called to his men and with the prisoners in the middle the little procession started for the old adobe jail on the next street, the pleased sheriff bringing up the rear, his Colt swinging in his hand. When the prisoners had been locked up behind its thick walls he sighed with relief, posted two guards, front and rear, and went back to report to Kane that a good job had been well done. The boss nodded and bestowed one of his rare compliments. "That was well handled, Sheriff," he said. "I am sorry your work is not yet finished. A zealous peace officer like you should be proud enough of such a capture as to be anxious to inform those most interested. Also," he smiled, "you naturally would be anxious to put in a claim for the reward. Therefore you should go right down to McCullough and lay the entire matter before him, as I shall now instruct you," and the instructions were as brief as thoroughness would allow. "Is that clear?" asked the boss at the end of the lesson. "It ain't only clear," enthused Corwin; "but it's gilt-edged; I'm on my way, now!" "Report to me before morning," said Kane.