But he didn’t get it. Tex Matthews and half a dozen other hands, divining his intention, grabbed him. They could hold him, but they could not stop his mouth. He ceased struggling to be free, twisted himself to face Steele who stood erect now, ready for anything, cool, alert, almost debonair, smiling slightly. Things were coming Steele’s way now. “You dirty dog!” Robin said to him. “You’ve been tryin’ to work me up to something, and you’ve done it. You and your twin on the floor! You want to choke me off because I know too much. You two-faced cow thief! You would-be killer that sicks another man onto somebody else. Why don’t you come out in the open and do your own dirty work?” “You’re crazy, kid,” Mark said mockingly. “You sure got a powerful temper. You’re plumb reckless with words.” “Not as reckless as you are with other men’s stock.” “Well,” Shining Mark shrugged his shoulders, “if other men aren’t men enough to look after their stock--as you call it--_I_ don’t see where I’m to blame because your girl asks _me_ to ride home with her.” He shrugged his shoulders again, contemptuously. “Oh, oh!” Robin choked on his words. “By God, Steele, I’ll kill you for that.” “Lord, it’s a windy day.” Shining Mark settled his hat on the back of his dark head. His tone was nonchalance itself. “Now you’ve made your little war-talk, suppose you get the boys to turn you loose so you can make it good. _When_ you’re ready. Go heel yourself if that’s how you feel. You can always find _me_.” “Turn me loose,” Robin commanded. “I’m through talkin’.” They let him go and stood clear. All but Matthews. Tex stood beside Robin. He kept his hand lightly on Robin’s arm. “Lend me your gun, Tex,” Robin had pinched all the feeling out of his voice. He asked for the weapon as casually as he might have asked for a match. Matthews shook his head. “I can’t do that, kid,” he said slowly. “You know I can’t.” “Here. Some of you fellows lend a hand with Tommy.” Steele turned his back on Robin and bent over his fallen friend. With the help of other Block S riders they lifted up the unconscious man while the bar-tender passed over a pitcher of water to revive him. Robin looked at them a second. It was against the range code for any man in that room to lend him a gun, under such circumstances. He made for the door. There were other men in town, who as yet did not know of this clash. Perhaps--he strode away to the Silver Dollar, and Matthews kept step beside him. It was the same there. Robin left the saloon, went up past the single row of houses toward the Sutherland store. If he couldn’t borrow he could buy. And still beside him walked Tex Matthews. Half way between saloon and store Robin halted. “What you stickin’ with me for?” he demanded. “I’m your friend,” Tex said. “If you ever needed one you do now. After a while I got somethin’ to say to you.” “It’s all said,” Robin muttered and walked on. “I got to get a gun.”