Um...Rapaire...ya know I love you like a long-forgotten brother, but seems to me, I'm jes' saying, that when you step afoul of the law, and are surrounded by dusty, pissed-off Californios with WInchesters and a hemp rope, who are already annoyed with you for dragging them away from their claims in order to hunt you down....well, it just strikes me the thing to do is not wave your fist in sultry defiance, but to step up to your errors and admit them like a man, apologizxe and promise to sin no more. I am sure they'd rather save the cost of the rope, as they could use it for hauling up ore-cars or dragging around their milling parts.

A