"
"What was that?"
"We've got to hang together or we'll hang separately."
"That's no joke."
"You bet your soul it's no joke. And you'd better shut up and go to
sleep."
Silence for ten minutes. Then Collins said,
"You're a tough nut to talk about sleep when you've killed the best man
in Nevada County."
"Where would you be, J. C. P. Collins, if I hadn't killed him? You'd be
in hell this minute."
"Thanks, awfully. But I wish the man wasn't dead."
"What did the fool put up a fight for? He could see we had him."
"That's what I say. He was a fool to risk his life. He could see there
was no help coming from those sports."
"Well, Collins, there was one of them that made me feel nervous--that
Chinaman. But the rest of them had him corralled. Mat Bailey couldn't do
nothing up there in the air. Cummins was a fool, that's all."
"Must have wanted his gold pretty bad. And I wish to God he had it right
now."
"Here, take a nip of brandy. Your health's getting delicate."
"Well, partner, no harm meant. But I must say I sympathize with Cummins.
He and I have made the same choice to-day."
"How's that?"
"The girl or the gold--and we both chose the gold.
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