"Not here—no; but below; where is there one?"
"I reckon on thet thar shelf in the pulpit yer'll find a dozen er so."
"Bring a couple here, Noreen."
She slipped across silently, and came back with two in her hand.
"You are going to try to get away?" she whispered cautiously.
"No, not now. An opportunity may come later. If it was possible to slip all these men out I would gladly do so—but it is already too late for any such attempt. But there is a chance for you, and it is even barely possible that, when all hope of defense is over, I may find some way of joining you."
"You—you promise that?" she asked. "If I consent to go, you—you will come later if you can?"
"Yes; I will pledge myself to accept every chance, when I can do no more fighting. I'll come to you, if I live. Now, Nichols, listen—I am going to set you free, and permit you to slip down through that trap door with this lady. She is armed, and she knows how to shoot. Attempt one treacherous trick and you pay the penalty."
"I ain't thet kind," he whined.
"Oh, yes you are; but it will never pay this time.
