But Elia had turned sullen. A fierce resentment held him silent, resentment and fear.
And in that moment of waiting for his answer Peter heard again the movements of the cavalcade at the saloon. It seemed to be under way for––the bluff.
Now he leaned toward the boy, and his great honest brow was sweating with apprehension.
“Elia,” he said. “If I go and tell them they’ll hang you, too. Do you understand? I’m not going to bluff you. This is just fact. They’ll hang you if I tell them. And I’m going to tell them, sure, if you don’t do as I say. If you do as I say they won’t touch you. You’ve got to come along with me and tell them you killed Will, and just why. They’re men, those fellers, and they’ll be real sorry for you. You’ve got to tell the whole truth just as it happened, and I give you my word they won’t touch you. You’ll save Jim’s life. Jim who was always good to you. Jim who went out to the bluff to save you from Will. You needn’t to be scared,” as signs of fresh terror broke out upon the boy’s face, “you needn’t to be scared any. I’ll be there with you–––”
“And so will I,” cried Eve, her eyes suddenly lighting with hope.
“Will you come, boy? You’ll save Jim, who never did you anything but good. Will you come?”
But there was no answer.
“Say, laddie,” Peter went on, his eyes straining with fear, “they’re moving now. Can you hear them? That’s the men who’re taking Jim out to kill him––and when they’ve killed him they’ll kill you, because I shall tell them ’bout you. Will you help us save Jim––Jim who was always good to you, or will you let them kill 381 him––an’ then you? Hark, they’re crossing toward us now. Soon, and they’ll be gone, and then it’ll be too late. They’ll then have to come back for you, and––you won’t be able to get that gold I promised you.”
Eve sat breathlessly watching. Peter’s steady persistence was something to marvel at. She wanted to shriek out and seize the suffering cripple, and shake what little life there yet remained out of him. The suspense was dreadful. She looked for a sign of the lightening of that cloud of horror and suffering on the boy’s face. She looked for that sign of yielding they both hoped and prayed for.
But Peter went on, and it seemed to the woman he must win out.