n had come. A great light of hope shone in his eyes. His
demand was irresistible to the suffering, demented boy. Elia's eyes
gleamed with a sudden cruel frenzy. There was the light of madness in
them, a vicious, furious madness in them. Hatred of Will surged
through his fevered brain, a furious triumph at the thought of having
paid Will for all his cruelties to him swept away any guilty fears as
he blurted out his reply.

"Because I hate him. Because he's kicked me till I'm nigh dead.
Because--I--I hate him."

It was a tremendous moment, and fraught with such possibilities as a
few minutes ago would have seemed impossible. There was a silence of
horror in the room. The shock had left Eve staggered. Peter was
calculating what seemed almost impossible chances. Elia--Elia was in
the agonies of realizing what he had done, and battling with an
overwhelming physical weakness.

The sounds of commotion at the saloon were more decided. There was the
ominous galloping of horses, and the rattle of the wheels of a
buckboard. Peter glanced at the window. The sky outside was
lightening. Suddenly he shivered.

"You killed him. How? How?" His voice was tense and harsh, though he
strove to soften it.

But Elia had turned sullen. A fierce resentment held him silent,
resentment and fear.

And in that moment of waiting for his answer Peter heard again the
movements of the cavalcade at the saloon. It seemed to be under way
for--the bluff.

Now he leaned toward the boy, and his great honest brow was sweating
with apprehension.

"Elia," he said. "If I go and tell them they'll hang you, too. Do you
understand? I'm not going to bluff you. This is just fact. They'll
hang you if I tell them. And I'm going to tell them, sure, if you
don't do as I say. If you do as I say they won't touch you. You've got
to come along with me and tell them you killed Will, and just why.
They're men, those fellers, and they'll be real sorry for you. You've
got to tell the whole truth just as it happened, and I give you my
word they won't touch you. You'll save Jim's life. Jim who was always
good to you. Jim who went out to the bluff to save you from Will. You
needn't to be scared," as signs of fresh terror broke out upon the
boy's face, "you needn't to be scared any. I'll be there with
you----"

"And so will I," cried Eve, her eyes suddenly lighting with hope.

"Will you come, boy? You'll save Jim, who never did you anything but
good. Will you come?"