He told Yager that he could not stop all night, but must find his party. He thought it would be necessary for him to have a fresh horse, and he wanted to trade a very excellent animal which he had ridden to the ranche for a fresh one.
Yager thereupon told him that he had no horse to trade, but Jack affirmed that he had, and furthermore insisted that he should accommodate him by trading.
Their wrangling had awakened Colonel Sanders, and also Mr. Bunton, who finally called Yager to the bedside and told him to trade off that horse of Oliver’s that was in the corral, if Jack would have a horse trade.
The importunities of Gallagher for a fresh horse were continuous; and finally Yager coyly confessed that they did have a horse in the corral, which was not such a horse as Gallagher wanted, and one that they did not desire to get rid of, being a favorite animal for riding,—not specially desirable for its speed, but for wonderful bottom, able to travel a hundred miles in a day, and after being turned out at night, it would be ready for a like journey the next day. In fact, it was so good a horse that Yager wanted it for his own use, and it was not for sale,—much less did he desire to trade it for as poor a horse as the one Gallagher had ridden there (which in truth was a very noble animal).
After a great deal of negotiating and a good many drinks, Gallagher agreed to pay sixty dollars to boot, and they consummated the trade.
Colonel Sanders had been very much disappointed at not finding the party he was in search of, and having an opportunity at the close of the horse trade, he inquired of Gallagher if he knew where Plummer was. It seemed to him a harmless question, and he did not expect any one would become excited by so simple an inquiry, as he lay on his back on the straw tick.
The instant the question was asked, Gallagher jumped from the bar where he was standing to the side of the bed, and placed his cocked revolver at the colonel’s head, all the while hurling imprecations upon him, and threatening to “shoot the whole top of his head off.”
The result, for the instant, upon the colonel is described by himself as being very peculiar. He said he could count each particular hair in his head, and that it felt like the quill of a porcupine. Not enjoying the situation, he made a quick movement, getting his head out of range of Gallagher’s revolver, and springing to his feet, in an instant was behind the bar, where “Red” was standing. Sanders seized the shotgun which was used by Yager in admitting his guests in the night, and levelled it across the bar directly at Gallagher. The opportunity which had been afforded Gallagher to shoot Sanders had not been improved by him till it was too late; and as soon as the gun was aimed at him, with an air of bravado he placed his revolver on a pine table that stood near him, the normal use of which was card-playing, and pulling aside his blue soldier’s overcoat which he wore, he said, “Shoot.”
Colonel Sanders replied that he had no desire to shoot, but if there were any shooting to be done, he did desire to have the first shot.
At this somewhat exciting stage of the game, Bunton, who had hitherto kept silence, reprimanded the actors in this little drama somewhat severely, saying that his partner was at the point of death in the back room, and he would not have any noise in the house.