It was a room some twelve feet square, open to the roof, with bare walls, and containing no furniture except a rude bench.

Still dazed by the suddenness of his arrest, he sank down upon the seat, leaned his head on his hands, and endeavored to think.

It was difficult to get the facts marshalled into any order or to comprehend clearly the situation, yet little by little his brain grasped the main details, and he awoke to a full realization of his condition, of the forces he must war against.

The actual murderers of those two men on the trail had had their suspicions aroused by his actions; they believed he guessed something of their foul deed, and had determined to clear themselves by charging the crime directly against him.

It was a shrewd trick, and if they only stuck to their story, ought to succeed.