“You know how Gulden gets when them spells come over him.  It’s just plain cussedness.  I’ve seen gunfighters lookin’ for trouble—­for someone to kill.  But Gulden was worse than that.  You all take my hunch—­he’s got a screw loose in his nut.

“‘Cleve,’ he said, ‘I located the Brander gold-diggin’s—­an’ the girl was there.’

“Some kind of a white flash went over Cleve.  An’ we all, rememberin’ Luce, began to bend low, ready to duck.  Gulden didn’t look no different from usual.  You can’t see any change in him.  But I for one felt all hell burnin’ in him.

“‘Oho!  You have,’ said Cleve, quick, like he was pleased.  ‘An’ did you get her?’

“‘Not yet.  Just looked over the ground.  I’m pickin’ you to go with me.  We’ll split on the gold, an’ I’ll take the girl.’

“Cleve swung the whisky-bottle an’ it smashed on Gulden’s mug, knockin’ him flat.  Cleve was up, like a cat, gun burnin’ red.  The other fellers were dodgin’ low.  An’ as I ducked I seen Gulden, flat on his back, draggin’ at his gun.  He stopped short an’ his hand flopped.  The side of his face went all bloody.  I made sure he’d cashed, so I leaped up an’ grabbed Cleve.

“It’d been all right if Gulden had only cashed.  But he hadn’t.  He came to an’ bellered fer his gun an’ fer his pards.  Why, you could have heard him for a mile. ...  Then, as I told you, I had trouble in holdin’ back a general mix-up.  An’ while he was hollerin’ about it I led them all over to you.  Gulden is layin’ back there with his ear shot off.  An’ that’s all.”

Kells, with thoughtful mien, turned from Pearce to the group of dark-faced men.  “This fight settles one thing,” he said to them.  “We’ve got to have organization.  If you’re not all a lot of fools you’ll see that.  You need a head.  Most of you swear by me, but some of you are for Gulden.  Just because he’s a bloody devil.  These times are the wildest the West ever knew, and they’re growing wilder.  Gulden is a great machine for execution.  He has no sense of fear.  He’s a giant.  He loves to fight—­to kill.  But Gulden’s all but crazy.  This last deal proves that.  I leave it to your common sense.  He rides around hunting for some lone camp to rob.  Or some girl to make off with.  He does not plan with me or the men whose judgment I have confidence in.  He’s always without gold.  And so are most of his followers.  I don’t know who they are.  And I don’t care.  But here we split—­unless they and Gulden take advice and orders from me.  I’m not so much siding with Cleve.  Any of you ought to admit that Gulden’s kind of work will disorganize a gang.  He’s been with us for long.  And he approaches Cleve with a job.  Cleve is a stranger.  He may belong here, but he’s not yet one of us.  Gulden oughtn’t have approached him.  It was no straight deal.  We can’t figure what Gulden meant exactly, but it isn’t likely he wanted Cleve to go.  It was a bluff.  He got called. ...  You men think this over—­whether you’ll stick to Gulden or to me.  Clear out now.”