"But I tell ye ye do know, an' what's more, I'm here to find out."
"Then you'll find out something else!" cried Pritchen, as his hand dropped to his hip pocket.
He was quick, but Pete was quicker, for almost like a flash a huge hand reached out, seized the revolver, and wrenched it from the villain's grasp. With an oath the latter sprang forward to strike, but he was as a child in the giant's terrible grip. He struggled for awhile, writhed in agony, and then sank upon the floor.
"Git up, ye coward! Git up, an' answer me!"
Pete's voice was terrible, and his eyes blazed as he bent over the prostrate man, who made no effort to move.
"Git up, I tell ye!" again came the command. "Git up an' explain what ye did to Kenneth Radhurst!"
Receiving no reply, he continued:
"Then I'll tell the men what ye did, ye coward. Ye left 'im a sick man, to starve, to die in the Ibex cabin; that's what ye did. Ye stole his gold, an' left 'im thar."
"You lie!" came from the prostrate man.
"It's no lie, I tell ye that. An' what's more, when the parson came along, cared fer 'im, an' when he died buried 'im, ye made out that he killed 'im. Ye went sneakin' around an' found a book he left thar, an' tried to stir up the men here at Klassan agin 'im. That's what ye did."