Benner brought his horse nose to nose with Bear Paw.
“You,” yelped Benner in wild fury, shaking his fist at the scout, “are the cause of all this! You and your infernal pards!”
“Look out, you whelp!” cried Wild Bill, “or that black you’re wearing will be for yourself.”
“Quiet, Hickok!” cried the scout; “I’ll do my own talking. Lige Benner,” he went on, to the cattleman, “you have kept this range stirred up quite long enough. You have done about as you pleased, regardless of the law. There is nothing further, now, to keep you at loggerheads with the Perrys. Miss Perry has just become Mrs. Dunbar!”
“Be hanged to you!” yelped Benner. “The sky pilot has made her Mrs. Dunbar, but any man with a gun can make her a widow.”
At that, both Dunbar and Perry nearly precipitated hostilities by making a start at Benner. The cowboys half drew their guns. A sharp word from the scout, however, backed by a shrill command from Hattie, caused Perry and Dunbar to resume their places in the cordon.
“Let me speak,” said the sky pilot, lifting his hand. “Men, men,” he begged, “think of what you have been doing! There are many of you cowboys to whom I have preached; you who have heard me before, listen to me now. Boys, who is Lige Benner that you should cast away your manhood and sink yourselves to his level in carrying out his wicked and lawless schemes? You know what is right! You know what is fair play! Has Dick Perry received just treatment? Has he been dealt with on the square? Answer me that! I have friends among you; to those friends I would say, is your job with Benner worth the price he compels you to pay for it? Is——”
“Another word out of you,” howled Benner, revolver in his hand, “and, parson though you are, I’ll shoot you out of your saddle. I’ll not sit here and let you try to turn my men against me!”
“And neither will you shoot me, Lige Benner,” answered the sky pilot, folding his arms, “for saying what you know to be the truth. You are a coward! Any man who would act as you have acted, is a coward.”
Benner made movements with his revolver hand which the scout did not like.