“I had another man—­Lawlor, who looks something like me—­take my place in the eyes of Bard.  But Bard grew suspicious of the deception.  Finally a girl entered and called Lawlor by name, as they were sitting at the table with all the men around them.  Bard rose at once with a gun in his hand.

“Put yourself in his place.  He found that he had been deceived, he knew that he was surrounded by armed men, he must have felt like a cornered rat.  He drew his gun and started for the door, warning the others that he meant to go the limit in order to get free.  Mind you, it was no sudden gun-play.

“Then I ordered the men to keep him at all costs within the room.  He saw that they were prepared to obey me, and then he took a desperate chance and shot down the gasoline lamp which hung over the table.  In the explosion and fire which resulted he made for the door.  One man blocked the way, levelled a revolver at him, and then Bard shot in self-defence and downed Calamity Ben.  I ask you, Glendin, is that self defence?”

The other drummed his finger-tips nervously against his chin; he was thinking hard, and every thought was of Steve Nash.

“So far, all right.  I ain’t askin’ your reasons for doin’ some pretty queer things, Mr. Drew.”

“I’ll stand every penalty of the law, sir.  I only ask that you see that punishment falls where it is deserved only.  The case is clear.  Bard acted in self-defence.”

Glendin was desperate.

He said at length:  “When a man’s tried in court they bring up his past career.  This feller Bard has gone along the range raisin’ a different brand of hell everywhere he went.  He had a run-in with two gunmen, Ferguson and Conklin.  He had Eldara within an ace of a riot the first night he hit the town.  Mr. Drew, that chap looks the part of a killer; he acts the part of a killer; and by God, he is a killer.”

“You seem to have come with your mind already made up, Glendin,” said the rancher coldly.

“Not a bit.  But go through the whole town or Eldara and ask the boys what they think of this tenderfoot.  They feel so strong that if he was jailed they’d lynch him.”

Drew raised a clenched fist and then let his arm fall suddenly limp at his side.

“Then surely he must not be jailed.”

“Want me to let him wander around loose and kill another man—­in self-defence?”

“I want you to use reason—­and mercy, Glendin!

“From what I’ve heard, you ain’t the man to talk of mercy, Mr. Drew.”

The other, as if he had received a stunning blow, slipped into a chair and buried his face in his hands.  It was a long moment before he could speak, and when his hands were lowered, Glendin winced at what he saw in the other’s face.

“God knows I’m not,” said Drew.

“Suppose we let the shootin’ of Calamity go.  What of hoss-liftin’, sir?”

“Horse stealing?  Impossible!  Anthony—­he could not be guilty of it!”