eyes he turned on the prisoners stern and steady--"a just and impartial
jury have found you guilty of the horrible crime of murder; and it now
becomes my awful duty to pronounce your sentence. Stand forth and
receive your sentence."

As Thure and Bud turned their white faces toward the alcalde and stepped
forth to receive their sentence, a man, almost a giant in size, who had
just pushed himself through the crowd to the inner edge of the circle,
uttered an exclamation of surprise and horror; and, the next instant, he
had flung the men still standing between him and the open space around
the alcalde and the prisoners violently to one side, and, almost in a
bound, had reached the side of the alcalde.

"Great God in heaven, alcalde!" he roared. "What does this mean?" and he
stared from the face of the alcalde to the faces of the two boys, into
whose dulled eyes had suddenly leaped a great light at the sight of the
big man.

"Murder and hanging," answered the alcalde sternly. "The prisoners have
had a fair trial; the jury have pronounced them guilty; and I am about
to sentence them to be hanged."

"Murder! Hanged!" and the utter, unbelieving astonishment on the face of
the big man was good to see.

"It's a lie, a lie! We never killed the man! Oh, Ham, we never killed
the man! You, surely, will believe us!" and Thure and Bud both, with
faces white with excitement and hope, sprang eagerly to the side of the
big fellow.

"Shut up! Stand back!" and he pushed the boys away. "See here," and he
swung around in front of the alcalde, "you know me; an' you know I'd
never try tew save th' neck of no criminal. But I know them boys, know
their dads an' mas; an' I know they never committed no murder. Who seen
'em dew it? Whar are th' witnesses?" and his eyes glared around the
circle of tense faces.

"There they stand, Ham," and the alcalde pointed to the three witnesses,
who at the sudden appearance of Hammer Jones, the big friend of the two
boys, had involuntarily come together, as if for mutual defense; "and
each one of the three swore positively that he saw the boys kill the
man."

"Huh!" and, almost in a stride, Hammer Jones stood directly in front of
Bill Ugger; and, the instant his eyes looked closely into the face of
the man, his own face went white with wrath.

"Hello, Greaser Smith!" and the great hand fell on the shrinking
shoulder and gripped the coat collar tightly. "So you're one of th'
skunks that's a-tryin' tew