"Here!"
"Your turn first. Tell us your story. But briefly and to the point," ordered the "judge."
"Well, I heard the prisoner was suspected—"
"Never mind that now, but come to your charge first."
"Then I charge him with murdering Barton Clowry, and nearly killing me!" snarled the witness.
"You hear, prisoner; guilty or not guilty?"
"That I killed Clowry, and tried to serve that mongrel the same, I admit; but it was in self-defense, not murder," promptly replied Poynter.
"He lies—"
"Silence! Mr. Redlaw, no abuse if you please. State your case," ordered McGuire.
"Well, as I was saying, I, together with Barton Clowry, was ordered to scout around the house of the prisoner, and as soon as he returned to inform the band so that they could arrest him without his having a chance to escape, as he would had they hunted him with the whole league. We concealed ourselves by the side of the road, and were talking together to pass away the time, when I heard a pistol-shot, and Bart fell dead over into my lap.