“Viewin’ it through a lariat-loop, that way, the country looks better to a man than what it really is,” he observed, as the other stretched his arms above his head.

“What is the meaning of all this?  The lynching would have been an atrocious injustice, but if you did not intend to hang me why should you have taken the trouble to bring me out here?”

“’Twasn’t no trouble at all.  The main thing was to get you out of Wolf River.  The lynchin’ part was only a joke, an’ that’s on us.  You bein’ a pilgrim, that way, we kind of thought——­”

“A what?”

“A pilgrim, or tenderfoot, or greener or chechako, or counter-jumper, owin’ to what part of the country you misfit into.  We thought you wouldn’t have no guts, an’ we’d——­”

“Any what?”

The Texan regarded the other hopelessly.  “Oh hell!” he muttered disgustedly.  “Can’t you talk no English?  Where was you raised?”

The other laughed.  “Go on, I will try to follow you.”

“I can’t chop ’em up no finer than one syllable.  But I’ll shorten up the dose sufficient for your understandin’ to grasp.  It’s this way:  D’you know what a frame-up is?”

Endicott nodded.

“Well, Choteau County politics is in such a condition of onwee that a hangin’ would be a reg’lar tonic for the party that’s in; which it’s kind of bogged down into an old maid’s tea party.  Felonious takin’s-off has be’n common enough, but there hasn’t no hangin’s resulted, for the reason that in every case the hangee has got friends or relations of votin’ influence.  Now, along comes you without no votin’ connections an’ picks off Purdy, which he’s classed amongst human bein’s, an’ is therefore felonious to kill.  There ain’t nothin’ to it.  They’d be poundin’ away on the scaffold an’ testin’ the rope while the trial was goin’ on.  Besides which you’d have to linger in a crummy jail for a couple of months waitin’ for the grand jury to set on you.  A few of us boys seen how things was framed an’ we took the liberty to turn you loose, not because we cared a damn about you, but we’d hate to see even a snake hung fer killin’ Purdy which his folks done a wrong to humanity by raisin’ him.

“The way the thing is now, if the boys plays the game accordin’ to Hoyle, there won’t be no posses out huntin’ you ’cause folks will all think you was lynched.  But even if they is a posse or two, which the chances is there will be, owin’ to the loosenin’ effect of spiritorious licker on the tongue, which it will be indulged in liberal when that bunch hits town, we can slip down into the bad lands an’ lay low for a while, an’ then on to the N. P. an’ you can get out of the country.”

Endicott extended his hand:  “I thank you,” he said.  “It is certainly white of you boys to go out of your way to help a perfect stranger.  I have no desire to thrust my neck into a noose to further the ends of politics.  One experience of the kind is quite sufficient.”