Now Siggy couldn’t help himself and laughed, glancing guiltily at Bennet as he did so.

But Bennet was intent on Goldwin. “I heard you cut his hair the other day. Cut his fucking hair.”

“It’s my job. I cut hair. What do you want me to do?”

“Grow yourself a fresh fucking pair of balls.”

“So a fisherman has a wife.” Otto raised his voice. “And he’s with his buddy and they’re both fishing. And he says, ‘You know, my wife has gonorrhea, diarrhea, and pyorrhea.’ ‘Why’d you marry her, then?’ the other one says. And he says, ‘Only for the maggots.’”

Bennet cut short any chance for laughter, shouting at Goldwin, “Travers is tapping your woman’s tush, and you’re giving him a fucking short back and sides.”

“What can I do about it?” Goldwin shouted. Disturbed, Mina staggered to her feet and let out a whimpering bark.

“You do what a man does: Make sure it’s you and not him. You staked your claim; you damn well fight for it.”

“So a man’s in bed with this Polack woman,” Otto cut in loudly. “She says to him, ‘I wish you’d take your ring off when you do that.’ ‘That’s not my ring,’ he says, ‘that’s my wristwatch.’”

“Ay,” Sal shouted. “Why that’s got to be a Polack woman? That don’t have to be no kind of woman.”

“I was inspired.”

“You shuddup, you. Sono stanca della tua bocca di merda.”

“You say another word.” Though Bennet pointed at Otto, who immediately raised his hands in a gesture of submission, he didn’t take his eyes off Goldwin, who stood helpless, bent forward as if his stomach hurt. Mina looked on with pricked ears.

“That damn Irishman’s the only one of you with more than a rat’s fart in his balls,” Bennet said, and then, directly to Goldwin, “He leave you a tip?”

“What the fuck am I going to do?” Both agitated and despairing, Goldwin staggered a few paces away to listen to the hounds. “That’s Rusty. He’s on to something. Bench-kneed little sucker, but he’s got a good nose on him.”

Mina dragged herself after him, her back legs beginning to give out.

“You’re a fuckup, Goldy,” Bennet shouted. He had him by the throat now and wouldn’t let go. “Only two pleasures in this world: when a man’s on his knees, and when a woman’s on her knees. Look at you, listening for your fucking dogs. That Englishman’s with your woman right now and you’re tripping over your own guts, you pantywaist.” Bennet passed his rifle to Siggy, nodding toward Goldwin. Siggy carried the rifle to him.

Goldwin took it, swaying and confused.

“Look at that poor gyp. Can’t walk, can’t barely stand. Go on, you peckerwood. She’s on her knees. You look her right in the eyes and finish it.”

Goldwin examined the rifle as if he had never seen anything like it before.