It was nearing sundown as the townsfolk silently observed the Tanner faction riding down main street. By this time, the word had spread that the legendary--albeit notorious Captain Russell Fogg was here to challenge Tanner's claim to the region around the Glass and Woods Hollow Mountains. The townsfolk well knew that Morgan Tanner would not react to such a challenge complacently. The tension hovering in the air was virtually palpable. Women could be seen hurriedly ushering the children off of the streets while many of the men sought safe vantage points from which to view what they felt was sure to be one of the ultimate gun battles of the west.

Tanner and his men left their horses at Johnson's livery stable and proceeded toward the Boar's Head saloon, after having been informed by one of the townsfolk that Fogg and his men were there. As Tanner and his men were approaching, Captain Russell Fogg and his men filed out of the batwing doors of the Boar's Head, and casually lounged along the boardwalk outside the saloon, awaiting the Tanner faction's next move. Although Tanner and Fogg had never seen each other previously, their gazes met and locked, and there was the instant recognition that is certain to occur when two dominant leaders meet face to face.

Just as Captain Fogg was preparing to speak, the tension was broken by the sound of a man crashing through a window of the Miner's Paradise and landing in a horse trough down the street about half a block away. * * *

After Brazos Murdoch had parted company with Lance Nighthawk, he'd gone to the Miner's Paradise for a few drinks. Although the Miner's Paradise served anyone who cared to patronize the establishment, it was primarily a miner hangout where the miners would go and attempt to drink away the drudgery and seeming futility of their daily existence.

Several prostitutes worked out of the Miner's Paradise, and one of them in particular happened to be a favorite of Brazos Murdoch, which was one of the reasons he opted for the Miner's Paradise rather than the Boar's Head, Mecca, or Silver Palace which if not catering predominantly to cowboys and ranchers, were nevertheless frequented by a much broader spectrum of western society. The woman's name was Dora Belle, but everyone called her Big Red.

She was a large woman and tall, standing nearly six feet in height but she was nonetheless, quite shapely, bordering upon the voluptuous. She had a stunningly attractive face which would more properly be described as handsome rather than beautiful, and a head full of flaming red hair. Despite her height, she was a favorite of the miners as well, and when Brazos entered the saloon, she just happened to be the center of attention of a group of six of them. She herself however, was paying attention to the largest one of the group and was currently sitting in his lap running her fingers through his hair and feigning laughter at his coarse jokes.

The man's name was Rock Mulligan, an Irish immigrant. He was a huge burly man who stood six-four and reminded one somewhat of a bull. He appeared to have virtually no neck, with immense shoulders and a barrel chest. His face was broad and his nose one could see, had been broken many times and was nearly flat. That was due to the fact that he had both brawled and boxed extensively back in his native Ireland, a habit that he carried over with him across the Atlantic to the states.

Mulligan was both a terror and a hero to the local miners. He always had first choice among the women, and those who had disputed that in the past had suffered a variety of bodily injuries, one such unfortunate had even been crippled for life.

As a rule, the miners did not fraternize well with the cowboys and vice versa. Thus, when Brazos walked through the swinging doors, he was immediately assaulted with a barrage sullen and resentful stares. Murdoch contemptuously ignored these, much as would have a lion who had just happened upon a carcass currently being devoured by jackals.

He sauntered disdainfully up to the bar and ordered a bottle of Irish whiskey. After paying for the whiskey, he turned around and began watching his favorite soiled dove as she flirted with Rock Mulligan and his group of miner friends, took a mouthful of whiskey, then spat it upon the bar contemptuously, the look in his eyes daring the bartender to complain about it. He then glanced around and noted that all of the tables were taken. Brazos, his mood growing worse by the moment due to the fact that Big Red was paying attention to someone else, picked out a table in a corner and ambled over to it. There were two miners sitting there.

"I'd preciate it if'n you fellas would go somewhere's else, seein's how I like this table." Brazos growled.

One miner immediately vacated his seat, but the other was not about to move. Indignant at Murdoch's presumptuousness he said, "Just who in the hell do you think you are, mister?"

"I'm the hombre who's about ta bust yer head if'n ya don't leave this table in one all-fired hurry."

The man began to rise and seemed to be acquiescing when he suddenly wheeled around and slammed his fist into Murdoch's midsection. The miner felt as though he'd just hit a solid wall. Brazos merely shrugged and grabbed the miner's wrist in his huge hand and snapped it as though it were a twig. The man howled in agony but Murdoch simply ignored him and seating himself, took another swig from the bottle. By now, most of the patrons were staring back and forth from Murdoch to the miner with the broken wrist who was still moaning and supporting his right arm with his left.

Finally Murdoch said in disgust, "Hell, I didn't know you miners were such crybabies." He then held out five silver dollars to the one whose wrist he'd fractured and said, "Here, go buy yerself a bottle and shut up."

At that, two of the miners with Rock Mulligan got up from the table and approached Murdoch menacingly. One of them picked up a pool cue that had been laying on a billiards table and promptly swung it at Murdoch's head. Murdoch however, had been watching the man out of the corner of his eye and had anticipated the move. He quickly jumped away from the table, moving incredibly swiftly for a man of his proportions. He grabbed the pool cue and wrenched it effortlessly out of the miner's hands, kicked the miner in the groin, and snapped the pool cue in half. He then threw the pieces on the floor, shoved the other miner roughly aside and approached Mulligan and Big Red, who appeared to be amused at the whole spectacle. By this time, the miners were becoming furious at Murdoch's effrontery and one walked up behind him and struck him on the back of the head with a whiskey bottle.

Brazos roared like the animal he was nicknamed for and promptly grabbed the miner and hurled him bodily through the window of the Miner's Paradise, The miner ultimately came to rest in the horse trough out front, effectively postponing any possible gunplay that was about to occur between the Fogg and Tanner parties. The saloon then exploded into a flurry of movement.

Two miners jumped at Brazos simultaneously, one, he leveled immediately with a swift side snap-kick and the other he flattened with a blow from his huge right forearm. As several others were coming at him at once, he hoisted a table and smashed them to the floor as well, backing quickly toward the door. He wanted to be outside where he would be freer to move unhindered by tables and chairs. Murdoch flattened two more miners before he had reached the doors, was hit in the side of the head by a beer mug, then at last, he was outside beckoning, "Come on out and play, boys. How bout you Rock? You ready fer a thrashin'?"

At that, several of the miners, including Mulligan poured out of the saloon in pursuit of Murdoch, who was now smiling in anticipation.

Just up the street, the noise of the altercation had reached the ears of Brazos' father, Moose Murdoch. He quickly abandoned his table and meal, and rushed outside of Ma Cunningham's Cafe. The rest of his men and his son Shane immediately followed suit. Down the street, both the Tanner and Fogg factions, had momentarily postponed their dispute and began rushing toward the melee, not wanting to miss out on the performance. Tanner was both disgusted and perturbed at the interruption, but he knew his men and thus, raised no objections. He supposed that the matter could await its resolution until the brawl had run its course.

By now, several miners had swarmed Brazos, and he was knocking them down or tossing them about as quickly as they came. The scene was somewhat reminiscent of a group of bull terriers attacking a lone bear. Brazos was breaking bones and smashing them down left and right. Nevertheless, there were too many of them and thus, he was rapidly becoming overwhelmed by their numbers despite his speed and tremendous power.

Up the street, Moose, Shane, the Mason brothers along with the rest of the Murdoch crew, broke into a run towards the melee. Soon, the street was nearly overflowing with brawling miners and cowboys. Although the miners far outnumbered them, the three Murdochs were knocking them down and stacking them up like so much cord-wood. However, not all of Murdoch's crew were faring as well. Josh Mason and two of the cowboys had tackled Rock Mulligan. All three were now lying senseless on the street. Moose knocked out one miner and then, as he was turning around, was flattened by a powerful blow from Mulligan. As he was getting up to retaliate, a loud feminine voice yelled "That's enough boys" and then the boom of a large caliber pistol asserted itself amidst the cacophony of the brawl.

Big Red was standing on the boardwalk outside the door of the Miner's Paradise holding a smoking Colt 44 that had fallen out of someone's holster during the fray. Most of the men stopped, but Tommy Mason was still struggling with a miner when Big Red fired again, this time, near the feet of Mason. "I said, that's enough!"

At that point, all fighting ceased and there was a sudden outburst of laughter from both the Tanner and Fogg parties who were now standing intermingled together, and had been pointing, laughing, and slapping one another across the back as though they were all old friends.

Nighthawk, had been barely able to restrain himself from joining the brawl but had held back in order to observe his possible future opponent, Brazos Murdoch, which he did with genuine admiration. The man would be a worthy opponent indeed, he decided. He was not the clumsy buffoon his appearance and demeanor would have one believe. Not only was he powerful, but he could maneuver as well, and moved with the fluid grace and speed of a big cat.

Big Red finally succeed in quieting the crowd and began speaking once again. "Alright, I know this fighting started over me. I saw you come in Grizzly, and I saw that look you got on your face after you seen me with Rock over there. You two seem to think you own me or something. Well, let me tell the both of you; no one owns me, and I'll make up my own mind as to who I'm gonna be with."

At that point, both Brazos and Rock were staring sullenly and guiltily at the ground like two school children who had just been reprimanded by their teacher. Big Red continued saying, "I'll tell you what, instead of the whole durn town a fightin' like this, let's just have Rock and Grizzly go at it. I'll stay with the winner tonight." A cheer went up from the crowd, and cowboys and miners began placing bets on their man.

"Where do ye want ta do it lad?" Mulligan asked Brazos.

"Hell, why not right here, if'n that's agreeable with you, Rock." Brazos suggested, and the crowd began to form a circle around the two brawlers in anticipation of a long grueling bout between two powerful men.

They were in for a disappointment on that score. Brazos had been pretty banged up while Mulligan was virtually unscathed, having entered the fracas late. Nevertheless, Brazos was in no wise hampered by his injuries. The two men circled one another twice, then came together hard in a contest of brute strength. Mulligan was quickly overpowered and thrown to the ground. He sprung up immediately though and came up swinging hard. Murdoch avoided the first punch, but still somewhat winded from his previous exertions, was unable to parry the other which caught him flush in the jaw, and sounded somewhat like the crack of a rifle shot.

Much to Rock's amazement though, the punch had little effect on Grizzly who then hit him twice in the stomach and once in the face, sending him sprawling. Stunned yet undaunted, Mulligan quickly returned to his feet and attempted to tackle Brazos around the midsection. As he was coming in, Brazos caught his right hand in his own left, stepped around to Mulligan's left twisting his right arm and then kicking his legs out from under him. Mulligan landed flat on his face. Murdoch waited until he got up again then kneed him in the groin and slammed his fists into Mulligan's stomach, right, left, right, in rapid succussion. As Mulligan was doubling over in pain, Brazos brought his knee up to meet the miner's nose crushing it in even further, and catapulting him backwards to the ground. However, much to the crowd's amazement, the stout Irishman got up quickly and charged again. This time Brazos seized him and hoisted him high up over his own head, then slammed him down to the ground hard. Mulligan didn't move for a moment, then slowly but surely, began struggling to his feet once more.

Brazos was beginning to feel sick at his stomach. No man he'd ever faced had been able to take that kind of a beating and even move, much less come back for more. Yet the burly Irishman, summoning strength from an inner source that Brazos wondered if even his father possessed, mustered another stumbling charge.

Murdoch suddenly remembered a maneuver which Chang Lee, the ranchhouse cook, had taught him as a child. Pivoting off of his left heel, he spun and threw a powerful side kick which caught Mulligan in the forehead sending the Irishman crashing to the street once again. Incredibly, Mulligan got up again and reelingly prepared to take another swing then stumbled and fell back onto the street. Then the crowd heard Big Red say, "Alright, Brazos, you've won. You got me for the night."

Brazos looked up at the attractive, albeit towering woman, disgusted with both her and himself and said, "Forget it." He finally realized, that the victory he'd won was small, and his reasons for fighting even smaller. The question ran through his mind rapidly, yet poignantly, "What kind of a man am I to fight like this, knowing my opponent has virtually no chance of winning?"

After that unfavorable glimpse he'd caught of himself, he spat upon the ground in disgust, then turned to Mulligan who was struggling to regain his footing for another futile charge.

"I quit, pardner, you win. I've had enough. She's yours if'n you want her."

Mulligan was barely able to remain standing so Brazos walked over and helped him maintain his footing, then, to the crowd's amazement, raised Mulligan's hand in the air as the victor. The crowd cheered, both miners and cowboys. Moose Murdoch then said, "Drinks are on me boys, at either the Miner's Paradise, or the Boar's Head, I'm buyin' fer the next half hour."

That statement brought about another hearty cheer from the crowd which then began to disperse either in the direction of the Boar's Head or Miner's Paradise.

Some miners came over and retrieved Rock Mulligan from Brazos and helped him back into the Miner's Paradise where Big Red began attempting to attend to his injuries. She soon realized however, that Mulligan unfortunately, would not be in any shape to enjoy his prize for several days hence. Brazos, feeling guilty, told Big Red to have the man whose wrist he had broken, to stop by the bank the next day. He intended to make sure that the man was adequately compensated for his injuries and medical bills until he was able to return to work in the mines.

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