“Hold on, pard; as you are a friend of Kent King, I am a little doubtful about your stakeholder.”
“Sir, do you dare say mine came differently?”
The man turned fiercely upon Buffalo Bill, who answered:
“Take it as you please; you certainly look like a——”
“What?”
“Horse thief!”
Two hands fell upon their pistol butts at the same time, but Ben Tabor, the Texan, sprang between the stranger and the scout, and said, in his calm, forcible way:
“Hold! This must stop here.”
“True, Mr. Tabor; I forgot that he was like a cat in a strange garret; for he is a stranger here, while I have a host of friends; come, sir, let us conclude our bet,” said Buffalo Bill frankly.
“All right; I was a fool to get angry; but who holds the stakes?”