“What’s that?”
“Well, I will explain. Up in Silver City there is a poor chap named Benjamin Astley, who is under sentence of death. It is believed that he is identical with Bert Mason and that he is guilty of the murder of Clem Johnson. Now, if Bert Mason will do the right thing and clear that poor fellow, that is all that I will ask.”
The truce bearer listened attentively to this statement. Then he laughed in a strange, hollow way.
“Wall, I’m sorry for that poor devil. I s’pose ye want Mason to go up there and give himself up?”
“I see no other or better way.”
“Wall, you will be a heap bigger fool than ye are now when he does.”
“Ah! can you answer for him?”
“You bet I can.”
“Perhaps you are Mason?”
“That ain’t here nor there. I don’t keer to entertain any proposal of ther kind, an’ we call upon you to surrender.”