No greater consternation could have been caused among the witnesses to the accusation had a bomb exploded in their midst.
Aghast at the seriousness of the charge, the men and women fell back, glancing from the outlaws to Consollas. Then angry murmurs rose from their throats and several of the men stepped forward, menacingly, while from those at the rear of the crowd broke the cry:
"Horse thieves! Horse thieves!"
In a twinkling, the shout was taken up by those passing till it echoed from one end of the campground to the other.
Seizing ropes and guns, men rushed from their tents, eager to take a hand in the execution of the miscreants.
And in less time than it takes to tell it, the outlaws were surrounded by a hostile, threatening mob.
Realizing that the moments were crucial, Jesse sprang at his accuser, clutching him by the throat and shook him as a terrier does a rat.
"You lie—and you know you lie!" he thundered. "That mare was bought in Kansas City and I can prove it.
"What your reason is for accusing me, I don't know. But I do know you've got to tell these people you lied when you said the mare was yours! Now speak up lively!" And with a parting shake, he released Consollas' throat that he might obey.
But instead, the moment the storekeeper felt the terrible grip about his neck relax, he yelled: