new Hammer Jones, who had hunted
and trapped and fought Indians with him, who had seen him risk his life
fearlessly to save a comrade's life, and who never yet had known him to
do a dishonorable deed; and these men knew, that, if Hammer Jones said
that the prisoners were innocent, he had good reasons for saying it, and
they were ready to see that he had a chance to prove his statement; and
cries of: "Hurrah for Ham Jones!" "Give him a chance to prove what he
says!" "Hear! Hear! Hear! Ham Jones!" "He shall be heard!" mingled with
yells of: "String him up along with the boys!" "Bust his head!" "He's
trying to rescue the murderers!" and like cries of rage at this
unexpected interference.

But, before these two opposing forces could come to a clash, a tall
spare man, whose deep-set eyes, keen and piercing as a hawk's, shone out
of a weather-bronzed face, pushed himself hurriedly through the crowd
that was beginning to seethe around the open court-room beneath the
great evergreen oak, and hastened to the side of the alcalde.

"What is the trouble?" he demanded in a quiet authoritative tone of
voice.

The alcalde welcomed him with a glad smile of recognition; and, as
briefly as possible, told him what had occurred.

The man turned quickly and the keen eyes glanced, with a violent start
of recognition, for a moment into the faces of the two boys.

"My God, alcalde!" and he whirled about in front of the surprised
alcalde, "you were about to make a terrible mistake! I know these boys
well; and I know they never murdered a man.

"Men! Men! Hear me!" and he leaped lightly up on top of the barrel that
stood in front of the alcalde, his singularly clear and penetrating
voice reaching every ear in the crowd. "Men! Men! Hear me! A terrible
mistake has--"

"It's Fremont!" shouted someone. "Hurrah for Colonel Fremont! The man
who licked the Mexicans! The man who won California for us! Hurrah for
Colonel Fremont!"

The name acted like magic in quieting the fast-growing turbulence of the
crowd. There was not a man present who had not heard of the dauntless
young explorer, the bold soldier, the recent conqueror of California, to
whom more than to any other one man they owed the fact that the
gold-diggings were in the territory of the United States; and all wished
to see this remarkable man, all were ready to hear what he had to say.
As suddenly as it had begun, the violence of the crowd ceased and all
eyes were turned toward Frem