Bard rose at once with a gun in his hand.
"Put yourself in his place.

He found that he had been deceived, he knew that he was surrounded by armed men, he must have felt like a cornered rat.

He drew his gun and started for the door, warning the others that he meant to go the limit in order to get free.

Mind you, it was no sudden gun-play.
"Then I ordered the men to keep him at all costs within the room.

He saw that they were prepared to obey me, and then he took a desperate chance and shot down the gasoline lamp which hung over the table.