"I'll explain by asking you some questions," said Shirley, licking his lips, as he always did while speaking.
"Fire ahead," said the man.
"You remember that Indian boy—what's his name?"
"Ulna," suggested the man.
"Yes, Ulna. Well, the day of the arrest of these two men, Willett and Tims, for the cruel murder of poor Tom Edwards, this Indian boy was sent to Gold Cave Camp to bring back the son of one of the prisoners and a certain paper. Isn't that so?" and Shirley looked around for the approval of the assembly.
"Yes, that's so!" shouted a number.
"Now," continued Frank Shirley, with the deliberation of a man who had carefully weighed what he was about to say, "I ask you gentlemen if this Ulna returned to Hurley's Gulch?"
"No!" exclaimed half the men in the place.
"Of course he didn't. Now, what should we, as sensible men, infer from this fact?"
Again Shirley looked about the room, and as no one attempted to say what should be inferred from the fact as stated, he proceeded to enlighten them.