Crack!
Ned dodged just in time to avoid a bullet fired through the panel of the door. Desperate, with nothing to hope for but a federal prison, Kenworth was fighting like a cornered rat.
But Ned's voice did not shake, in spite of the narrowness of his escape, as he addressed the wretched man within the stateroom.
"Kenworth, it is useless to resist. Be sensible and give yourself up. You are bound to be taken, and to try to stave it off makes it all the worse."
Bang! Another bullet was the only answer vouchsafed. The missile fanned Herc's ear and buried itself in the moulding of the saloon wall.
"I'll stand no more nonsense!" cried Ned sternly. "Are you going to surrender?"
"Never. I'll die before I'll rot in a federal prison," cried Kenworth wildly.
Ned turned to Herc.
"We've got to force the door," he said in a low voice.