She drew a deep breath, a second interval of tense silence prevailed and then Jane, putting one arm across her eyes, began to laugh. The laugh started low in her throat and rippled upward until it was full and as clear as the ringing of a glass gong. She swayed back against the wall and pressed her extended palms hard against the tough logs.... "On that evidence?" she cried. "On such evidence you would charge a man with attempted murder and turn him over to the law? Because there were empty shells in his revolver? "Why, I was with him when he came down the road and he _did_ shoot at a coyote ... three times ... I heard it; I saw it ... I was there." She leaned her head back and her body shook with silent, nervous laughter. "Praise ye the Lord!" chanted the Reverend, "For his ways are wonderous and strange to behold!" A babel of comments, loud, profane, excited, relieved, arose. Hepburn stood as if struck dumb, mouth agape and then, face growing dark with a rush of blood under the bronzed skin, he said: "I thought you said you didn't see a soul!" "I said I didn't see a man, you pole-cat!" Beck retorted and his eyes danced. Webb sat down on a bunk as though suddenly weakened. Riley, voice husky, took Tom's hand, shook it gravely. "Why didn't you tell us, my boy?" he questioned. The rest stopped to hear the answer: "I didn't want to spill my case before this ... this _hombre_ showed his full hand," he lied. He turned to look at the other who had lied ... but Jane Hunter had fled. CHAPTER XIV THE BIG CHANCE Hours later, after the Reverend had offered a strong, verbose prayer, invoking the wrath of the Almighty upon those who plot to strike from cover, after the bunk house had finally become quiet, Beck stole out into the night. The moon rode high, flooding the creek bottom with its cold, blue-white light and he stood bareheaded, shirt open at the chest, staring at one bright star which stared back from the edge of the hills. Far off, away down the creek, a coyote yapped and, waiting, cried again and its faint echo reverberated into silence. A horse in the corral stomped and blew loudly.... He moved on down toward the cottonwoods and reaching them stood in their shadows, arms at his sides, shoulders slacked as if weakened, irresolute. The ranch house was dark, its shingles smeared with a sheen of silver by the moon, the veranda in deep black. Tom did not see her coming until she was halfway across the dooryard. Then, rather heavily, he climbed the wire fence and met her. Without words of greeting Jane put out her hands and he took them both, holding them between his, looking down into her face silently. Her eyes were dry, but there had been tears on her cheeks, and her lips, as she looked into his smouldering eyes, trembled. "What were they trying to do to you?" she whispered. "They were trying to send me to jail for shooting at a man," he answered. "Why did you lie for me?"