He rested his hand on the saddle horn and was about to mount when Roy seized him by the arm. With Teddy’s just desire for vengeance there had arisen in Roy a more calculating mood, taking the place of his former anger. He was now the steadier of the two. “We’ll do nothing as foolish as that, Teddy,” he said quietly. “We wouldn’t have the ghost of a chance. If I wanted to remove someone, I’d like nothing better than to have him come for me in the open, unarmed, while I was hidden and had a gun. That’s the way our friend will figure. No, not this time. We’d have to ride across that open space to reach the woods, and if there is someone there who wants to see us pushing up daisies, he’ll sure get his wish. We’ll have to let him go.” “But--” “I know. It’s tough. But you know we can’t do anything. Think it over.” “You mean to say we’re going to do nothing--not even find out who fired that shot? Just go away and pretend nothing happened?” “But, Teddy, what can we do? Now listen. I know how it feels to be shot at. In fact, it may have been me instead of you at whom that bullet was directed. We were pretty close together, you know. Well, it’s a nasty sensation, I’ll admit. Makes you want to beat up something or other. But look at things calmly. That gunman is over in that grove of trees, you say, and I think you’re right. Unless, of course, he ran when he saw that he’d missed. You and I are here without guns. Problem--to get to him without his getting to us. Do you know the answer?” “Reckon it hasn’t any,” and Teddy grinned ruefully. “He’s got us cold, all right. Though I’d be satisfied to find out who fired that and take my chances of getting him later. However, I can at least get my hat.” He mounted, and started to ride back. “No, you don’t, Teddy! That hat is right in line with his fire. No telling how long he’ll wait there, hoping we’ll go by again. You let that hat rest awhile.” “And go home without it? Not for a million bucks! If I have to stay here till night I want that hat. These cows look as though they were here for the rest of the day. I’ll just stick here, behind ’em, and when it gets dark I’ll go after my Stetson.” Roy looked at his brother with an amused smile. This was a new side to Teddy’s character, one which he had never seen before. The hat was a small item, yet Roy knew that Teddy meant exactly what he said. He would never leave without that hat. “Well,” Roy laughed dubiously, “if you think that much of it, I guess we’ll hang around. As you say, the dogies seem to be pretty well settled, or else they might take a notion to trample that headpiece of yours to dust. We’ll wait.” Teddy nodded, as though Roy had said exactly what he had expected him to say. The fact is, it was hard for Roy to understand this mood of his brother’s. He thought that by agreeing with him he might discover his purpose in staying. Roy could scarcely believe that Teddy would wait five or six hours simply to recover a hat.