But the lad doggedly maintained he was telling the truth and when at last the members of the posse were reluctantly forced to believe, their anger at the dastardly plot knew no bounds.
"Lynch him! Shoot him!" rang from many a throat as the men urged their horses forward that they might lay hands on the wretch.
Enraged as he was, the great bandit cried:
"Steady, men, steady! The lad isn't so much to blame as his father."
Realizing the truth of the words, the thief-hunters dropped back, waiting for their orders, muttering angry threats against the plotters.
Strange indeed was the caprice of fate that had made the man he had striven to wrong so grievously his defender, yet such had the brown bearded desperado become.
Terrified by the black looks about him, Fred moved closer to his protector's side.
After a short interval, during which Jesse had consulted with Clell and Frank, the men grew restless, demanding that the lad be given to them.
The world-famous desperado, however, had other plans.
"Some of you ride back to the Springs and get Consollas. Get some tar and feathers and a big kettle at the same time.