“You have doubtless often remarked that to your pupils during your career as a pedagogue,” said the black-eyed man, with a sneer.
“It is quite possible that I may have done so,” answered the teacher calmly. “You agree to it, don’t you?”
“Oh, certainly!”
“Speaking of Dike,” remarked one of the miners, “a cousin of mine was returning from the mines, a year ago, with a thousand dollars in gold-dust—representing six months’ hard labor—when the wagon on which he was a passenger was stopped by this rascal. My cousin was not armed, nor was either of the three other passengers, and Dike, though single-handed, had no trouble in robbing them all.”
“What,” exclaimed one of the farmers, “did four men give in to one?”
“One man with two revolvers is a match for half a dozen unarmed men.”
“I don’t agree to that,” said the farmer. “I should be everlastingly mortified if I allowed one man to take such an advantage of me, if I had as many companions.”
“You think so,” said the black-eyed man, with a half sneer, “but if you were placed in like circumstances you would act just as he did.”
“You think so,” said the farmer in his turn.
“I know so.”