es, and surrounded that cabin.
We called him to come out, and he came with a book in his hands he'd
been reading. He did look like the man, and boys!--we gave him no time!
He never knew why we fired. He was a harmless old prospector who had got
tired of poor luck and knocking around, and over his door he had painted
some words: 'Where the wicked cease from troubling.' He had figured
that up there by that mountain stream the world would let him alone. And
ever since then I have thought my life belonged to him first, and me
second. Now this afternoon I'm alone here. You know I can't do much. And
I'm going to ask you to help me respect the law. I don't say that in
this big country there may not be places, and there may not be times,
when the law is too young or else too rotten to take care of itself, and
when the American citizen must go back to bed-rock principles. But is
that so in our valley? Why, if this prisoner is guilty, you can't name
me one man of your acquaintance who would want him to live. And that
being so, don't we owe him the chance to clear himself if he can? I can
see that prospector now at his door, old, harmless, coming fearless at
our call, because he had no guilt upon his conscience--and we shot him
down without a word. Boys! he has the call on me now; and if you
insist--"

The sheriff paused, satisfied with what he saw on the faces around him.
Some of the men knew the story of the prospector--it had been in the
papers--but of his part in it they had not known. They understood quite
well the sacrifice he stood ready to make now in defending the prisoner.
The favorable silence was broken by the sound of horses. Timeliness and
discretion were coming up the hill. Drylyn at the same moment came out
of the dead woman's tent, and, looking down, realized the intended
rescue. With his mind waked suddenly from its dull dream and opened with
a human impulse, he ran to help; but the sheriff saw him, and thought he
was trying to escape.

"That's the man!" he shouted savagely to the ring.

Some of the Gap ran to the edge of the hill, and, seeing the hurrying
Drylyn and the horses below, also realized the rescue. Putting the wrong
two and two together, they instantly saw in all this a well-devised
scheme of delay and collusion. They came back, running through the
dance-hall to the front, and the sheriff was pinioned from behind,
thrown down, and held.

"So ye were alone, were ye?" said the chatty neighbor. "Well