There was silence which Barr broke with a soul-desolated cry, "This day I know shame!"
They were weighted as though by heavy burdens, and Jeff understood why they scourged themselves. By the cowardly action of one of their number, something they could never get back had been taken from all of them. They must hang their heads because among them walked a man who was not a man. Jeff rubbed salt into their wounds.
"You can all be proud of yourselves."
It was as though they did not hear. This terrible crime, this heinous sin, had been committed, but they did not want to believe.
Grant said hopefully, "Maybe 'twar an outlander."
"'Twar no outlander," Barr muttered. "'Twas a hill man."
Jeff trembled, fired with another idea. If the tree could talk, he had thought, it might tell who shot Johnny Blazer. The tree could talk!
"Are you afraid to find out who did it?" he challenged.
Barr glowered at him. "An' how do we do that!"
"Dig the bullet out of the tree."