AMONG THE MOUNTAINS 31 



cattlemen had held the range in common. They 

 were very good friends until one day a misun- 

 derstanding led to hard words and ended in 

 the two opening fire upon each other at close 

 range with 30-30 rifles. One of them fell, but 

 continued firing, at the same time crawling be- 

 hind a pine. The other emptied his rifle into 

 the tree, in the hope that the bullets would pass 

 through it and reach the man behind it, whose 

 rifle had been emptied. Then he advanced, 

 broke his rifle-stock over the head of the man 

 on the ground, staggered back, and sitting down 

 where he could see his apparently dead antago- 

 nist, exclaimed: 



"You got me, you 



, but I got you, too," and in 



a few minutes died. He had two soft-nosed 

 30-30 bullets not an inch apart and just under 

 his heart, and they were evidently the first two 

 shots fired by the other, whose aim after he was 

 down had gone wild. 



The assembled cowboys, believing both dead, 

 put them into a wagon and started for St. 

 Johns with the bodies. Presently the one with 

 battered head showed signs of life. In spite 

 of bullets and battering, he recovered and is 

 still living in the country. I met him during 

 my journey and found him one of the most 



