The soldiers closed around the unprotected girl.
"Lord, all merciful! forgive my sins," she prayed, and with a firm hand pulled the trigger!
It did not respond to her touch—it failed! it failed!
Casting the traitorous weapon from her, she sunk upon her knees, murmuring:
"Lost—lost—all is lost!" remained crushed, overwhelmed, awaiting her fate!
"Ha! ha! ha! as pretty a little make-believe as ever I saw!" laughed the brutal Thorg, now perfectly at his ease, and gloating over her beauty, and helplessness, and, deadly terror. "As pretty a little sham as ever I saw!"
"It was no sham! She couldn't sham! I drawed out the shot unbeknownst to her! I wish, I does, my fingers had shriveled and dropped off afore they ever did it!" exclaimed Oliver, in a passion of remorse, as he ran forward, rake in hand.
He was quickly thrown down and disarmed—no one had any hesitation in dealing with him.
"Now then, my fair!" said Thorg, moving toward his victim.
Edith was now wild with desperation—her eyes flew wildly around in search of help, where help there seemed none. Then she turned with the frenzied impulse of flying.