“Let him be, Bud, he’s having all he can do to think about these shots, as it is.  The things for us to do now is to pick them out of him.”

“We’ll let him count ’em ez they come out.  That’ll help take his mind off his troubles, but he’ll hev ter hev a great head fer figgers.”

They went to work on him with their penknives, as most of the shot were just beneath the skin.  But it was painful enough, at that, and every time a shot came out Farley groaned deeper.  While they were engaged in this, to them, pleasing occupation, Billy Sudden arrived.

“Hello, kid,” he said to Farley.  “So you got it at last.  I could have told you to keep away from Ted Strong and his bunch.  They’re bad medicine for a herd o’ mavericks like you to graze with.  You tackled the wrong outfit.  They’re too many fer you, and if you’ll all take a fool’s advice you’ll keep away, or else some of you will be looking through a griddle in a door up at the penitentiary.”

Farley made no reply, only hid his face and groaned at every extracted shot.

“Say, kid, what about this gang you belong to?”

The boy shook his head.

“D’ye mean to say you’re not going to tell me about it?”

The boy nodded.

“What’s the reason you won’t?”

“The oath.”

“Slush with the oath.  You had no business to take it.  What’ll the home folks think when I tell them about this.  Shot by a Chinaman in the chicken house at dawn!”

Billy paused to let the ignominy of it sink in.  It did sound pretty bad and mean and cheap.  There were no heroics in this, such as Farley had at first considered his role.

He hid his face on his arm, and his body shook.  Billy had probed deep into his pride.

“Well, come on,” said Billy.  “This is no time for a conspirator to do the baby act.  I suppose you thought it was to be a spotlight scene where you stood in the center doing the heavy stunt, and all the rest sat on the bleachers and applauded.  By gee!  Peppered by a Chinaman, and with snipe shot, at that.”

“Oh, quit it!” said Farley.  “I know I was a chump for sticking with those fellows, but I needed the money.”

“What money?”

“My share of the—­”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Yes, there is something.  What robbery was it you shared in?”

“I didn’t steal anything.”

“I suppose not.  You did the dirty work of being lookout, or something like that, and they threw you the bone while they kept the meat and fat, eh?”

“What shall I do with him?” asked Ted.

“Keep him locked up as a hostage.  That may bring those young fools to their senses,” said Billy.  “I’m disgusted with him for not making a clean breast of the whole foolish business, and if it wasn’t for his sister, I’d toss him up in the air and forget him.”

The rest of the day was spent in picking shot out of Farley, and by evening he was relieved of the last one.