“Let all of you stay back,” Kent cried, elbowing his way to Gallup’s side. “The two of us will go up. I want my girl, and I’ll git her unharmed. What Roddy says is so. You’re only makin’ a damned nuisance out of yourself with this talk of hangin’. Come on, Gallup!” For a moment Kent was master. He was again the tyrant of bygone days. Madeiras was keenly alive to his danger. He had sent Charlie Paul on his way; Molly was heaping coals of fire upon the Basque’s head, but the thing which held Tony’s attention was that angry murmur from below. He recognized the sounds. He had seen men hanged! With a sigh of relief he saw Gallup and Kent break from the crowd and start toward him. When they reached the upper side of the little flat the Basque called to them: “You drop those gun before you come any closer!” “I want my daughter!” Kent answered. “Thass always right wit’ me, _señor_; but those gun—they stay behin’.” “Humor the fool,” Gallup cried, throwing his rifle into the sage. “We want the girl, and I want to see Dice’s body.” Unarmed, therefore, they climbed to the entrance of the mine. Madeiras met them with a surly laugh. “Where is she?” Kent demanded. Tony pointed to a pile of blankets upon which Molly lay sobbing. Kent knelt beside her, his bony fingers shaking as he caressed her hair. “Come, Molly,” he begged, “we’ll git you home.” Molly turned from him angrily. “Don’t touch me,” she cried. “Your hands are as red as that beast’s there. I didn’t believe you could stoop to this.” “Now, now,” Kent pleaded, “you’re all upset. I’ll——” “You’ll do nothing for me!” Molly raised her hand and pointed at Gallup. “You two men may take me away from here; you may make me go to the ranch, and even marry me off; but you’ll do it by force! Father—I think I despise you. I see now why you got Madeiras to come back. It was nicely worked out. Well, I know where I stand. I’m no longer the fool.” The girl was hysterical. The old man thought she would fall, so helplessly did she sway from side to side. “My own father—my own flesh and blood,” she sobbed. “That you could do this to me.” And with a lunge she threw herself toward the edge of the dump over which Johnny had pitched. Kent caught her and drew her back, a dead weight in his arms. “She’s fainted,” he gasped. “Won’t hurt her,” Gallup assured him. “Here’s horses; git her down to my rig and take her home. Put her to bed and see that she don’t try nothin’ foolish. I’m goin’ down there.” And he pointed to the spot where he expected to find Johnny’s body. “You come along, Madeiras. We can git down there if we take our time.” “_Sí, I_ go; but I go alone. _Señor_, you are the coroner, not the sheriff. Why should I go weeth you?” “You know why,” Aaron growled. “I know no such theeng,” Tony argued. “You geeve me five hundret dollar. I keel him like I promise. You ought be satisfied.” Kent’s eyes opened. “You paid him to kill the boy?” the old man asked Aaron.