"He drunk and spend all the money. He do not give me anything for that I make the deal--over there," and Posmo gestured toward the south.
"Double-crossed you, eh? And now you're sore and want his scalp."
"He talk too much of the Box-S horses in that cantina," stated Posmo deliberately. "He say that you owe him money." This was an afterthought, and an invention.
"Who did he say that to?" queried Sneed.
"He tell everybody in that place that you turn the good trick and then throw him hard."
"Either you're lyin', or Panhandle's crazy." Sneed turned and called to his men, a few paces off. They rode up on tired horses. "What do you say, boys? Panhandle is talkin', over there in Phoenix. Posmo, here, says Panhandle is talkin' about us. Now nobody's got a thing on us. We been south lookin' at some stock we're thinkin' of buyin'. Want to ride over with me and have a little talk with Panhandle?"
"Ain't that kind of risky, Cap?"
"Every time! But it ain't necessary to ride right into the marshal's office. We put our little deal through clean. The horses we're ridin' belong to us. And who's goin' to stop us from ridin' in, or out, of town? I aim to talk to Panhandle into ridin' north with us. It's safer to have him along. If you all don't want to ride with me, I'll go in alone."
"We're with you, Cap," said one of the men.
"Mebby it's safer to ride through the towns from now on than to keep dodgin' 'em," suggested Lawson.