When I reach ten we fire ?" "Yes." "I'll trust you not to beat the count, Dick." "And I you.

Start." He counted quietly, evenly: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine--ten!" The gun jerked up in the hand of Wilbur, but he stayed the movement with his finger pressing still upon the trigger.

The hand of Pierre had not moved.
He cried: "By God, Pierre, what do you mean ?" There was no answer.

He strode across the intervening space, dropped his gun and caught the other by the shoulders.

Out of Pierre's nerveless fingers the revolver slipped to the ground.
"In the name of God, Pierre, what has happened to you ?" "Dick, why didn't you fire ?" "Fire?
Murder you ?" "You shoot straight--I know--it would have been over quickly." "What is it, boy?
You look dead--there's no color in your face, no light in your eyes, even your voice is dead.