“There’s been a good many scoundrels in these parts, since I’ve lived here, but I never see any to beat you two. You steal other people’s property, and then you come here, and, right to my face, charge honest men with taking your things. I don’t believe you ever owned anything in your lives. And you want your guns, do you? Well, you hired them of Jim Randall,—I know all about it,—and you’ll pay for them from the day you took them till this minute.”
One of the men attempted to say here that he hadn’t had them for ever so long.
“Shut up!” roared the colonel. “You don’t suppose I’m going to let Jim be cheated out of his money, do you, just because other people had to take care of the guns to keep you from doing mischief?—Bob!”
In a moment the negro boy appeared, and the colonel said to him,—
“Go tell Jim Randall to come right here.—As soon as you’ve paid him,” he continued, turning to the young men, “you get out of this place. If the court sat this month, I’d have you up before it, but we’re not going to keep you here at the public expense, and you’ve got to make yourselves scarce. And I want every man, woman, and child in this town to understand,” he said, looking around at the people, “that not one of them is to harbor these fellows for a minute, or to speak to them, or to have anything to do with them. Here, Jim,” he said, as that individual approached, “what do these scamps owe you for your guns up to to-day?”
Jim mentioned the sum.
“Pay it!” was the command of the colonel to the young men. “Now pay for your boat. Here’s the man you hired it of. Now go!” roared the colonel, when this last order had been obeyed.
The young men had brought a couple of knapsacks with them from the boat, and picking these up, they went. They had sense enough to see that there was nothing for them to do but to obey the autocrat of Titusville.
These two miscreants had not been gone more than half an hour before Coot Brewer wandered into the town. He was very tired, and looked warm.
When he entered the hotel, he was greeted with shouts of derision, and the colonel at once began to storm at him.