108 SIMPSON, MYSELF AND THE PERSONAGE. 



" Say, old hoss," said Rudder, " this sunset 

 dandy here won't pay down the cash ; an' if he 

 don't, I'll shiver his blarsted timbers, b'gawsh ! 

 Hear that, ye blasted Dago ? " 



The Personage puffed his cigarrito in silence. 



Rudder gazed at his enemy a second in unutter- 

 able malice. Then he swung his huge palm in 

 air and brought it across the face of the Per- 

 sonage with a slam that knocked that worthy's 

 cigarritto clean into his mouth, light and all ! 



Now, I natter myself that my wits work quicker 

 than Rudder Simpson's. In an instant I got three 

 different views of the situation. First, this was 

 a den of robbers and the Personage was a decoy 

 to lead us into peril, the provocation being raised 

 by him to induce us to begin the fight and take 

 the consequence if ever the case got into court. 

 Second, this was a first-class hotel, but full of the 

 friends of the Personage, who would be willing to 

 take his part in a quarrel. Third, the hotel was 

 well-nigh deserted because of the bull-fight, and 

 therefore there would be few witnesses of what 

 might presently occur. In any contingency, the 

 scene of the battle must be immediately trans- 

 ferred to the open street. 



To this end I grabbed the Chileno's green 

 poncho, slapped him on the head with it, to 



