As Jack and Praiseworthy near Shirt-Tail Camp, a passerby tells them to hurry, lest they miss the hanging of a “dentist” who was caught stealing a horse. They see Cut-Eye, with a noose already around his neck. Praiseworthy quickly thinks of a plan to delay his execution. Wrapping a bandana around Jack’s face, he tells him to pretend to have a toothache. He then demands that the tooth-puller be untied, so he can attend to this medical emergency.

The condemned Cut-Eye recognizes Jack and Praiseworthy, and while pretending to work on Jack’s tooth, agrees to Praiseworthy’s whispered bargain: He’ll give them Dr. Buckbee’s map in exchange for his life. Cut-Eye fishes the folded map out of his hat. However, Praiseworthy immediately sees that the map is worthless: Shirt-Tail Camp itself is the marked location of the supposed gold mine. Cut-Eye gloats that, after the map was drawn, the mine’s location quickly leaked, and the gold is now completely exhausted. Nevertheless, Praiseworthy wishes to honor his bargain and save Cut-Eye from the noose.

Praiseworthy faces the crowd and asks if Cut-Eye was given a fair trial. It turns out that no one in town, not even the Justice of the Peace, has ever seen a law book; they’ve always made their own “justice,” based on their notions of common sense and humanity.