"You will die, but in dying, you can, as you wished just now, recognize and kill your judges.

Sir John, you have five minutes to prepare your soul for death!" Sir John, instead of profiting by this permission to think of his eternal salvation, coolly cocked his pistols to see that the triggers were all right, and passed a ramrod down the barrels to make sure that the balls were there.

Then, without waiting for the five minutes to expire, he said: "Gentlemen, I am ready.

Are you ?" The young men looked at each other; then, on a sign from their chief, they walked straight to Sir John, and surrounded him on all sides.

The monk at the altar stood immovable, commanding with his eye the scene that was about to take place.
Sir John had only two pistols, consequently he could only kill two men.
He selected his victims and fired.