now. Jury, you can
find the man guilty. That's what he is, probably."

"Guilty," said the jury, with one voice, and grinning.

"Prisoner," continued Madge, "you have got until to-morrow morning, at
nine o'clock, to live. At that time the boys will take you to some
convenient tree, and hang you by the neck until you're dead--and that
settles it."

Things looked dark for Patsy. It was quite evident that Black Madge was
in deadly earnest in what she had said. One life more or less was
absolutely nothing to her, and if there was the breath of a suspicion
against one, it was, from her standpoint, better to put that one out of
the way at once than to run any sort of risk by permitting him to live.

Nor did the hoboes who had gathered there to hear and to witness the
trial hesitate to voice their sentiments about it by loud cheering when
Madge uttered the sentence of death. It would be a hanging, indeed, and
it did not make much difference to them who was hung. It has been said
before that they were much like wild beasts, or dogs, who are without
any quality of compassion.

When Nick walked away from the scene of the trial near the fire, he
found that Handsome was beside him, and then, before either uttered a
word, Madge joined them.

She was smiling as if she were well pleased with her evening's work, and
she said to the detective:

"You did well, Turner. One would suppose that you had at some time been
a lawyer."

"I'd 'a' got the man free if I'd had a fair judge and jury," replied
Nick boldly, stroking the white whiskers he wore.

Madge frowned. Then she laughed aloud.

"I like you for your boldness," she said. "But have a care that you do
not find yourself suddenly in the same predicament, Turner."

"I'd be inclined to shoot myself afore I came to trial, if I should,"
Nick retorted.

They had reached Madge's cabin by this time, and now they mounted to the
porch, and Nick pulled out an old pipe that Turner had given him, filled
it, and lighted it.

The detective was determined in his own mind that before the dawn of
another day he would find some way to save Patsy; but how it was to be
done he had no idea.

He did not know yet what disposition they intended to make of him. For
all he knew they might send him into one of the cabins and lock him up
for the night. But he did know that unless he acted, Patsy would be
murdered at sunrise the following morning, and he did not intend to
permit that to happen.