neasy
laugh of coarse discomfiture.

"I see. You're bashful. Well, I'll help you along. Come! You knew that
Hale was away and these women were here without a man to help them. You
thought you'd find some money here, and have your own way generally,
eh?"

The tone of Lee's voice inspired him to confidence; unfortunately, it
inspired him with familiarity also.

"I reckoned I had the right to a little fun on my own account, cap.
I reckoned ez one gentleman in the profession wouldn't interfere with
another gentleman's little game," he continued coarsely.

"Stand up."

"Wot for?"

"Up, I say!"

Manuel stood up and glanced at him.

"Utter a cry that might frighten these women, and by the living God
they'll rush in here only to find you lying dead on the floor of the
house you'd have polluted."

He grasped the whip and laid the lash of it heavily twice over the
ruffian's shoulders. Writhing in suppressed agony, the man fell
imploringly on his knees.

"Now, listen!" said Lee, softly twirling the whip in the air. "I want to
refresh your memory. Did you ever learn, when you were with me--before
I was obliged to kick you out of gentlemen's company--to break into a
private house? Answer!"

"No," stammered the wretch.

"Did you ever learn to rob a woman, a child, or any but a man, and that
face to face?"

"No," repeated Manuel.

"Did you ever learn from me to lay a finger upon a woman, old or young,
in anger or kindness?"

"No."

"Then, my poor Manuel, it's as I feared; civilization has ruined you.
Farming and a simple, bucolic life have perverted your morals. So you
were running off with the stock and that mustang, when you got stuck in
the snow; and the luminous idea of this little game struck you? Eh? That
was another mistake, Manuel; I never allowed you to think when you were
with me."

"No, captain."

"Who's your friend?"

"A d--d cowardly nigger from the Summit."

"I agree with you for once; but he hasn't had a very brilliant example.
Where's he gone now?"

"To h-ll, for all I care!"

"Then I want you to go with him. Listen. If there's a way out of the
place, you know it or can find it. I give you two days to do it--you and
he. At the end of that time the order will be to shoot you on sight. Now
take off your boots."

The man's dark face visibly whitened, his teeth chattered in
superstitious terror.

"I'm not going to shoot you now," said Lee, smiling, "so you will have a
chance to die wit