“One day something was needed from the station, and I rode Buckskin down to get it.  The station was a couple of miles from Jordan’s house.  Thirty or forty cowboys were there on a lark, and all had been drinking a little.

“They hailed me boisterously and wanted me to drink.  I laughingly told them I never drank, and good-naturedly threatened to make it hot for the whole band if they did not behave themselves.  I had neither coat nor vest on, and they could all see I had no weapons about me.  They all laughed, for they were a jovial, good-hearted crowd.

“But just then this rough Turner showed up and said:  ’Who is threatening to make it hot for us?’

“Half a dozen of the boys explained that I was only joking, but Turner was bent on mischief.

“‘He won’t drink with us, hey?  Well, we’ll drink with him,’ he said, and turning to me ordered me to call up the crowd and treat, or tell the reason why.

“I replied that one reason was that I did not very often drink, and another was that I never drank on compulsion.

“He was frantic in a moment, and suddenly drew his revolver.  I caught the barrel and turned it up just as he fired, then took it from him, handed it to one of the boys, and told him to keep it until Turner had time to reflect on what a fool he was making of himself.

“He was only the more furious at that.  He sprang backward two or three feet, then drawing a huge knife made with it a savage lunge at me.  I seized his wrist, and after a brief struggle wrenched the knife from his hand, but still holding his wrist told him that unless he grew quiet I should have to box his ears.

“The boys laughed and jeered at this, which only further incensed the ungovernable brute, and he declared that he would give $100 for the chance to whip me in a fair fist fight.

“At this I released his wrist and told him he should be accommodated.  The boys gathered in a ring around us.  Turner came at me like a wild beast, but he had no scientific use of his hands and I had had a little practice.

“I knocked aside his blow with my left, and with the open palm of my right hand gave him a sounding box on his left ear.

“The cowboys yelled with delight at this, crying, ’Turner, did you hear that?’

“Turner rallied and made another rush at me.  This time I struck his blow aside with my right hand and boxed his right ear with the palm of my left hand.

“So the business continued for several seconds.  I never closed my hands, but just boxed him right and left, the boys fairly screaming with joy, until I finally gathered all my strength and gave him one resounding cuff that sent him full length to grass, the most abject-looking, baffled bully that I ever saw.

“Seeing how completely whipped he was, I went to him, and taking him by the arm, said, ’Turner, you were right about my treating; come in and take a drink with me.  There’s nothing like exercise to make one thirsty.’