第38章

"'Now you gents onderstand,' says Texas Thompson, 'I ain't sayin' a word about them pray'rs as mere supplications.I'm yere to state Iregyards 'em as excellent, an' thar's gents at that time present who's experts in sech appeals an' who knows what prayin' is, who allows that for fervency, bottom an' speed, they shorely makes the record for what you might call off-hand pray'rs in Southern Texas.

Thar ain't a preacher short of Waco or Dallas could have turned a smoother trick.But what I complains of is, it's onconsistent.'

"'However is prayin' that a-way onconsistent, I'd shorely like to know?' says Tutt, stackin' in ag'in Texas plenty scornful.

"'Why, this a-way,' says Texas.'Yere's a gent who assembles with his peers to hang a Mexican.As a first flash outen the box, he puts up a strong pray'r talk to get this crim'nal by the heavenly gate.

Now, whatever do you reckon a saint who knows his business is goin'

to say to that? Yere stands this conceited Laredo party recommendin'

for admission on high a Mexican he's he'pin' to lynch as not good enough for Texas.If them powers above ain't allowin' that prayin'

party's got his nerve with him, they ain't givin' the case the study which is shore its doo.'

"'Which I don't know!' says Tutt.'I don't accept them views nohow.

Prayin' is like goin' blind in poker.All you do is hope a whole lot.If the angels takes stock in your applications, well an' good.

If they don't, you can gamble your spurs they're plenty able to protect themse'fs.All you can do is file them supplications.The angels lets 'em go or turns 'em down accordin'.Now, I holds that this Laredo sport who prays that time does right.Thar's nothin'

like a showdown; an' his play, since he volunteers to ride herd on the Greaser's soul, is to do all he knows, an' win out if he can.'

"'That's whatever!' says Dan Boggs, who's listenin' full of interest, an' who allows he'll butt in on the talk.'I j'ines with Tutt in this.My notion is, when it comes a gent's turn to pray, let him pray, an' not go pesterin' himse'f with vain surmises as to how it's goin' to strike them hosts on high.You can wager you ain't goin' to ride 'round Omnipotence none.You can draw up to the layout of life, an' from the cradle to the grave, you'll not pick up no sleepers on Providence that a-way.Now, once, when I'm over across the Mogallon Plateau, I--'

"But we never does hear what happens to Boggs that time over across the Mogallon Plateau; for when he's that far along, one of the niggers from the corral comes scurryin' up an' asks Texas Thompson does he lend his pinto pony an hour back to the party who's deef an'

dumb.

"'Which I shorely don't,' says Texas.'You don't aim to tell me none he's done got away with my pinto hoss?'

"The nigger says he does.He announces that mebby an hour before, this party comes over to the corral, makes a motion or two with his hands, cinches the hull onto the pinto, an' lines out for the northeast on the Silver City trail.He's been plumb outen sight for more'n half an hour.

"'Which I likes that!' says Texas Thompson.'For broad, open-air, noon-day hoss-stealin', I offers even money this dumb gent's enterprise is entitled to the red ticket.'

"Which we ain't standin' thar talkin' long.If thar's one reform to which the entire West devotes itse'f, it's breakin' people of this habit of hoss-stealin'.It ain't no time when four of us is off on the dumb party's trail, an' half of that is consoomed in takin' a drink.

"Whyever be gents in the West so sot ag'in hoss-thieves? Son, you abides in a region at once pop'lous an' fertile.But if you was to put in three months on a cactus desert, with water holes fifty miles apart, it would begin to glimmer on you as to what it means to find yourse'f afoot.It would come over you like a landslide that the party who steals your hoss would have improved your condition in life a heap if he'd played his hand out by shootin' a hole through your heart.

"No, I ain't in no sech hurry to hang people for standin' in on some killin'.Thar's two sides to a killin'; an' if deceased is framed up with a gun all reg'lar at the time, it goes a long way toward exculpatin' of the sport who outlives him.But thar ain't only one side to hoss-stealin', an' the sooner the party's strung up or plugged, the sooner thar's a vict'ry for the right.

"As I remarks, it ain't two minutes when thar's four of us gone swarmin' off after the dumb man who's got Texas Thompson's pinto pony.From the tracks, he ain't makin' no play to throw us off, for he maintains a straight-away run down the Silver City trail, an'

never leaves it or doubles once.

"Runnin' of the dumb man down don't turn out no arduous task.It's doo mainly, however, because the pinto sticks a cactus thorn in its hoof an' goes lame in less time tharafter than it takes to turn a jack.

"'Hands up,' says Texas, gettin' the drop as we swings up on the deef an' dumb foogitive.

"But thar's no need of sech preecautions, as the dumb party ain't packin' no weepons--not so much as a knife.

"Thar's nothin' to say, no talk to make, when we takes him.Texas hefts him outen the saddle an' ropes his elbows behind with a lariat.

"'What do you-all su'gest, gents?' says Texas.'I s'pose now the deecorous way is to go on with this yere aggressive an' energetic person to them pinon trees ahead, an' hang him some?'