re, I will
challenge him." His heart pounded so hard that his voice shook.

"Oh, no, Auguste!" Nancy cried.

Woodrow stood hesitating by the door, listening.

"They're almost here."

"Go!" Frank snapped at him. Woodrow ran out.

"Go carefully, Woodrow," Nancy called after him.

"Challenging Raoul is just--just madness," said Frank. He went to the
mantel and reached for Elysee's pistol.

"Frank, you can't!" Nicole cried.

"What choice do we have?" he said. He took one of the powder horns down
and sat to load and prime the pistol.

Auguste said, "Frank, there are too many of them. If you try to fight
them you'll only fire that pistol once, and then you'll be dead."

Frank said, "In a few minutes Cooper and the Regulators will be here.
All we have to do is hold Raoul and his men off a bit."

"Please," Auguste said. "Let me go out and meet Raoul alone."

Elysee said, "Absolutely not." He stood in his long nightshirt in the
doorway of his bedroom. He gestured to Guichard, who had followed him
out.

"Load my rifle, Guichard."

"Grandpapa, no!" Auguste cried. He wanted to throw his arms around the
old man and protect him.

Elysee shrugged. "Perhaps as Frank says, we can face them down without
shooting. You stay out of sight, Auguste. They cannot know for certain
that you are here."

"I will not let this happen," Auguste said. "I'll leave now. I'll follow
Woodrow." He strode to the door.

_They could be out there._

_If they are, then I can face Raoul as I first planned._

He yanked the door open and saw Raoul grinning at him, his face yellow
in the candlelight from the cottage.

And beyond Raoul, filling the clearing, a crowd of men with rifles.

* * * * *

Raoul couldn't see the mongrel's face. The light spilling out of
Elysee's house left Auguste in shadow. But he did see the split right
ear, partly hidden by Auguste's long black hair. He hefted the
cap-and-ball pistol held loosely in his right hand. This time there
would be no missing.

_Now. Point the pistol and pull the trigger. He isn't even armed._

But behind Auguste, Raoul saw Frank Hopkins with a pistol and Papa with
a rifle. If he shot Auguste, he'd have no time to reload. They'd have
the drop on him. And even if they didn't shoot back, they'd be witnesses
against him.

Looking past Frank he saw Nicole and Nancy Hale glaring at him,
wide-eyed. At the sight of Nancy his jaw muscles clenched and his hand