Now, yo' fool, what have yo' gone an' done ?" Aldous told him what had happened, and before MacDonald could utter an expression of his feelings he admitted that he was an inexcusable idiot and that nothing MacDonald might say could drive that fact deeper home.
"If I'd come out after hearing what they had to say, we could have got DeBar at the end of a gun and settled the whole business," he finished.

"As it is, we're in a mess." MacDonald stretched his gaunt gray frame before the fire.

He picked up his long rifle, and fingered the lock.
"You figger they'll get away with DeBar ?" "Yes, to-night." MacDonald threw open the breech of his single-loader and drew out a cartridge as long as his finger.

Replacing it, he snapped the breech shut.
"Don't know as I'm pertic'lar sad over what's happened," he said, with a curious look at Aldous.

"We might have got out of this without what you call strenu'us trouble.