olds of his fat throat.

The man under condemnation could hardly speak. His throat was dry as the
desert dust below. "I--I done Mr. Sanders a meanness. I'm sorry. I was
drunk."

"You lied about him and sent him to the penitentiary."

"I'll fix that. Lemme go an' I'll make that right."

"How will you make it right?" asked Crawford grimly, and the weight of
his arm drew the rope so tight that Miller winced. "Can you give him back
the years he's lost?"

"No, sir, no," the man whispered eagerly. "But I can tell how it
was--that we fired first at him. Doble did that, an' then--accidental--I
killed Doble whilst I was shootin' at Mr. Sanders."

Dave strode forward, his eyes like great live coals. "What? Say that
again!" he cried.

"Yessir. I did it--accidental--when Doble run forward in front of me.
Tha's right. I'm plumb sorry I didn't tell the cou't so when you was on
trial, Mr. Sanders. I reckon I was scairt to."

"Will you tell this of yore own free will to the sheriff down at Malapi?"
asked Crawford.

"I sure will. Yessir, Mr. Crawford." The man's terror had swept away all
thought of anything but the present peril. His color was a seasick green.
His great body trembled like a jelly shaken from a mould.

"It's too late now," cut in Dave savagely. "We came up about this stage
robbery. Unless he'll clear that up, I vote to finish the job."

"Maybe we'd better," agreed the cattleman. "I'll tie the rope to the
trunk of the tree and you lead the horse from under him, Dave."

Miller broke down. He groveled. "I'll tell. I'll tell all I know. Dug
Doble and Shorty held up the stage. I don' know who killed the driver.
They didn't say when they come back."

"You let the water into the ditch," suggested Crawford.

"Yessir. I did that. They was shelterin' me and o' course I had to do
like they said."

"When did you escape?"

"On the way back to the penitentiary. A fellow give the deputy sheriff
a drink on the train. It was doped. We had that fixed. The keys to the
handcuffs was in the deputy's pocket. When he went to sleep we unlocked
the cuffs and I got off at the next depot. Horses was waitin' there for
us."

"Who do you mean by us? Who was with you?"

"I don' know who he was. Fellow said Brad Steelman sent him to fix things
up for me."

Thomas borrowed the field-glasses of Crawford. Presently he lowered them.
"Two fellows comin' hell-for-leather across the valley," he said in a
voice that expressed his fears