following day he was on the stand under a
perfect fusillade of questions from my learned friend, admittedly the
most brilliant cross-examiner at the bar. He did not succeed in
shaking the prisoner's story in any important particular.

"How, I ask you, could the prisoner have foreseen and prepared for all
those ingenious traps formulated in the resourceful brain of my learned
friend, unless he was telling the simple truth?

"Moreover, the gaps, the inconsistencies, the improbabilities in the
story which my friend has pointed out, to my mind these are the
strongest evidences of its truth. For if he had made it all up he
would be logical. Man's brain works that way.

"Suppose for the sake of argument that the prisoner did accomplish that
miracle; that in his brain he formulated a story so complete in every
ramification that nine hours' cross-examination could batter no holes
in it.

"If that is true, it is a wonderful brain, isn't it? The prisoner, in
short, is an amazingly clever young man. Now, can you imagine a man
with even the rudiments of good sense persuading himself that he could
make a successful Indian uprising at this date? There is a serious--"

Denholm was stopped by a commotion that arose outside the door of the
court-room. There was a great throng in the corridor as well. He
looked to the bench for aid.

His lordship rapped smartly with his gavel. "Silence!" he cried, "or I
will have the room cleared!"

But the noise came nearer.

"Officer, what is the trouble outside?" demanded the bench.

The two doorkeepers with great hands were pressing back a threatened
irruption from the corridor. One spoke over his shoulder.

"If you please, sir, there's a young woman here says she has evidence
to give in this case."

CHAPTER XL.

AN UNEXPECTED WITNESS.

Those in the court-room jumped up and looked toward the door, and the
confusion was redoubled. Several policemen hurried to the assistance
of the doorkeepers. The judge rapped in vain.

Finally one of the doorkeepers made his voice heard above the scuffling:

"She says her name is Colina Gaviller."

A profound sensation was created within the court. The confusion was
stilled as by magic. All those inside turned back to look at the young
prisoner.

He had leaped to his feet, and stood gazing toward the door with a
wild, white, awakened face. Denholm had a restraining hand on his
shoulder. John Gaviller, Gordon Strange, Inspec