fe, begorra, I'll find the rope, tie the knot, and
give the first pull."

The laugh which followed this repartee showed that the men were in
excellent humour, and enjoying the whole proceedings.

"Tim Slater, I spot you," continued Pritchen. "Is it a go?"

"Very well, pard, ye may bank on me," came the reply.

"Jim, how does your pulse beat?" and Pritchen threw a wink at Perdue.

"Leave me out, Bill. It's hard fer me to git away. Choose some one
else."

"Ah, come off, Jim," remonstrated Mickie. "If I tie the knot you'll
need to brace the poor divil up a bit with a dram or two of yer hot
stuff."

"Guess he won't need the rope, then; the stuff'll fix him," came a
voice from the back of the room.

Perdue craned his neck, and stood on tip-toe to see the speaker, while
his flushed face told that the thrust had gone home.

"Never mind him, Jim," laughed one of the men. "It's only Joe, the
kid, having a little fun."

"It's d-- poor fun, then," surlily replied the saloonkeeper. "Yes,
Bill, I'll jine ye, if my help'll do any good to round up the beast,
and mebbe there's more'n one."

"You ought to know," again came the voice.

Perdue was furious. He was about to give vent to his feelings in no
uncertain language, when Pritchen laid his hand upon his shoulder.

"Be quiet, Jim, and never mind the cur. Let's get on with our job. I
choose the parson," he continued, looking the missionary full in the
eyes.

Keith started as he heard his name mentioned. He had been standing
silently in a corner, watching with disgust the way in which the
business was being conducted. He noticed that the men chosen were
Pritchen's tools. Why had the chairman selected him?

"I would rather not act," he quietly replied. "Please appoint some one
else."

"Ye'd better do it, parson," urged Caribou Sol. "A chaplain may be
needed, an' ye'll be mighty handy."

A peculiar note in the old man's voice and the look in his face placed
Keith on his guard. "Yes, I may be needed," he thought. "If some poor
chap gets into the hands of those brutes it will be well to see that
fair play is given at any rate."

"Very well, then, I agree," he assented after a short pause.

Pritchen noted how quick Sol was to persuade Keith to accept, and the
look upon his face, so the little scene pleased him immensely.

"Now, gentlemen," he announced, "I think one more will do. Five should
make a good number. Let me see," and he hesitated as he