fe, clicked
upon the stones; whereupon Blacklock loosed his strangler's grip and
stepped back. Ballard stooped to pick up the knife and the pistol.
Wingfield, who had been the colonel's second in the race along the
hazardous mine path, drew aside; and master and man were left facing
each other.

The Mexican straightened up and folded his arms. He was breathing hard
from the effect of Blacklock's gripping hug, but his dark face was as
impassive as an Indian's. The white-haired King of Arcadia turned to
Ballard, and the mellow voice broke a little.

"Mistuh-uh Ballard, you, suh, are a Kentuckian, of a race that knows to
the fullest extent the meaning of henchman loyalty. You shall say what
is to be done with this po' villain of mine. By his own confession, made
to me this afte'noon, he is a cutthroat and an assassin. Undeh a
mistaken idea of loyalty to me"--the deep voice grew more tremulous at
this--"undeh a mistaken idea of loyalty to me, suh, he has been fighting
in his own peculiah fashion what he conceived to be my battle with the
Arcadia Company. Without compunction, without remo'se, he has taken
nearly a score of human lives since the day when he killed the man
Braithwaite and flung his body into the riveh. Am I making it cleah to
you, Mistuh Ballard?"

How he managed to convey his sense of entire comprehension, Ballard
scarcely knew. One thought was submerging all others under a mounting
wave of triumphant joy: Colonel Adam, the father of the princess of
heart's delight, was neither a devil in human guise nor a homicidal
madman. Elsa's trouble was a phantom appeased; it had vanished like the
dew on a summer morning.

"I thank you, suh," was the courtly acknowledgment; and then the deep
voice continued, with an added note of emotion. "I am not pleading for
the murderer, but for my po' liegeman who knew no law of God or man
higheh than what he mistakenly took to be his masteh's desiah. How long
all this would have continued, if I hadn't suhprised him in the ve'y act
of trying to kill you as you were lowering that thah stop-gate to-day,
we shall neveh know. But the entiah matteh lies heavy on my conscience,
suh. I ought to have suspected the true sou'ce of all the mysterious
tragedies long ago; I should have suspected it if I hadn't been
chin-deep myself, suh, in a similah pool of animosity against Mr. Pelham
and his fellow-robbehs. What will you do with this po' scoundrel of
mine, Mistuh Ballard?"

"Nothing,