ed
before us; and, according to that evidence, and not according to the
dictates of hearts that may be touched by your youth and seeming
innocence, must the verdict be rendered. Gentlemen of the jury," and he
turned to the jury, "the evidence has now all been laid before you; and
it now becomes your duty to determine the guilt or the innocence of the
prisoners. May the great God of justice and mercy direct your judgment
aright; and cause you to bring in a verdict in accordance with the real
truth!"

CHAPTER XII

HAMMER JONES

The jurymen at once gathered about the foreman; but the consultation was
brief. In less than ten minutes the foreman signified that the verdict
was ready.

"Sheriff," the alcalde's lips were tight-drawn and his face whitened as
he spoke, "bring the prisoners forward to hear the verdict of the jury."

The jury now stood together in line, on the right of the alcalde. The
foreman stood a pace in front of this line.

The sheriff led Thure and Bud directly up in front of the line and
within a couple of paces of the foreman; and there he halted the
prisoners to await the giving of the verdict.

For a minute there was absolute silence, as the prisoners stood thus
before the jury. The surrounding crowd forgot to breathe. It seemed, for
a moment, as if the alcalde could not ask the fateful questions; but, at
last, his tight-drawn lips parted.

"Gentlemen of the jury, are you ready to render your verdict?" he asked.

"We are ready," answered the foreman.

"Gentlemen of the jury, you may state your verdict."

The foreman's eyes faltered and turned from the faces of the prisoners.

"Guilty of the crime as charged," he said, and closed his lips tightly,
and turned his head away.

The great crowd breathed again; and an ominous, deep-toned, shuddering
murmur arose from its depths, as all eyes turned toward the alcalde. It
now became his duty to sentence the prisoners; and, in accordance with
the verdict just rendered, he could pronounce but one sentence--hanging.

For a full minute the alcalde stood straight and silent. He realized to
its full the awful irrevocableness of the sentence he was about to
pronounce, and a shuddering horror shook his soul. Never before had he
felt like this when pronouncing a similar sentence. The sight of those
two, white, staring, boyish faces had unmanned him--yet he must do his
duty.

"Thure Conroyal, Bud Randolph--" His voice was clear and firm and the