“You hear that, Mr. Officer?” cried the sheepman. “He admits making threats against the deceased; he––”
“Just a moment, just a moment, Mr. Swope,” interposed the deputy sheriff pacifically. “Did you have any words with this Juan Alvarez, Mr. Creede, 424 when you saw him in the cañon? Any trouble of any kind?”
“No, we didn’t have what you might call trouble––that is, nothin’ serious.”
“Well, just what words passed between you? This gentleman here is the coroner; we’ve got the body down at the ranch house, and we may want to suppeenie you for the inquest.”
“Glad to meet you, sir,” said Creede politely. “Well, all they was to it was this: when I rode in there and see that dam’ Mexican standin’ up on a ledge with his eyes bulgin’ out, I says, ‘What in hell––I didn’t know you was here!’ And he says, ‘Oh, that’s all right.’”
“Jest listen to the son-of-a-gun lie!” yelled Jim Swope, beside himself with rage. “Listen to him! He said that was all right, did he? Three thousand head of sheep stompeded––”
“Yes,” roared Creede, “he said: ‘That’s all right.’ And what’s more, there was another Mexican there that heard him! Now how about it, officer; how much have I got to take off this dam’ sheep puller before I git the right to talk back? Is he the judge and jury in this matter, or is he just a plain buttinsky?”
“I’ll have to ask you gentlemen to key down a 425 little,” replied the deputy noncommittally, “and let’s get through with this as soon as possible. Now, Mr. Creede, you seem to be willing to talk about this matter. I understand that there was some shots fired at the time you speak of.”
“Sure thing,” replied Creede. “Juan took a couple of shots at me as I was goin’ down the cañon. He looked so dam’ funny, sittin’ up on that ledge like a monkey-faced owl, that I couldn’t help laughin’, and of course it riled him some. But that’s all right––I wouldn’t hold it up against a dead man.”
The deputy sheriff laughed in spite of himself, and the coroner chuckled, too. The death of a Mexican sheep-herder was not a very sombre matter to gentlemen of their profession.