"Bill Conway. He came by last night and concluded it would be better to make quite certain that you remained away from El Toro until about nine-thirty o'clock this morning. It was entirely Bill's idea. I did not suggest it to him, directly or indirectly. He's old enough to roll his own hoop. He had a complaint in action drawn up against you last night; it will be filed at nine o'clock this morning and immediately thereafter your bank account and your stock in the First National Bank of El Toro will be attached. Of course you will file a bond to lift the attachment, but Bill will have your assets where he can levy on them when he gets round to collecting on the judgment which he will secure against you unless you proceed with the contract for that dam." "And this is Conway's work entirely?" "Yes, sir." "It's clever work. I'm sorry it wasn't yours. May I have the loan of a saddle horse--Panchito or the gray?" "Not to ride either of them, breakfastless, twenty-one miles to El Toro in two hours. They can do it, but not under an impost of a hundred and ninety pounds. You might ruin both of them--" he scraped his chin, smiling blandly-- "and I know you'd about ruin yourself, sir. The saddle had commenced to get very sore before you had completed eight miles yesterday." "Then I'm out of luck, I dare say." "Strikes me that way, Mr. Parker." "Very well. You force me to talk business. What will that quit-claim deed cost me?" "Six hundred thousand dollars. I've raised the ante since last night." "I'll not pay it." "What will you pay?" "About fifty per cent. of it." "I might consider less than my first figure and more than your last. Make me a firm offer--in writing--and I'll give you a firm answer the instant you hand me the document. I'm a poor bargainer. Haggling irritates me--so I never haggle. And I don't care a tinker's hoot whether you buy me off or not. After nine o'clock this morning you will have lost the opportunity, because I give you my word of honor, I shall decline even to receive an offer." He reached over on his bureau and retrieved therefrom a sheet of paper. "Here is the form I desire your offer to take, sir," he continued, affably, and handed the paper to Parker. "Please re-write it in ink, fill in the amount of your offer and sign it. You have until nine o'clock, remember. At nine-one you will be too late." Despite his deep annoyance, Parker favored him with a sardonic grin. "You're a good bluffer, Farrel." Don Mike turned from the mirror and regarded his guest very solemnly. "How do you know?" he queried, mildly. "You've never seen me bluff. I've seen a few inquests held in this country over some men who bluffed in an emergency. We're no longer wild and woolly out here, but when we pull, we shoot. Remember that, sir."