"In here," he said calmly, "are enough balls so that each may have one.
With the exception of two, all are black. The first man to select a red
ball--his shall be the fortune to do the work; and to him goes an extra
gold piece.
"That there may be no treachery, the man who picks the second red ball
shall follow the first; and, in the event that he shows signs of a soft
heart, or manifests a desire to give a warning, the second man shall kill
him. Is that plain to you?"
Cries of "yes, yes" filled the room.
"All right, then," said Duval. "We shall now proceed with the drawing."
He opened one side of the box, and motioned for the first man to
approach. The latter did so, drew forth a ball and exposed it to view. It
was black, and the man passed on.
Man after man drew and each pulled forth a black ball. Now it came
Chester's turn, and so far neither red ball had been drawn.
Slowly the lad approached with his heart in his mouth. To himself
he muttered:
"I'll draw a red one just as sure as I stand here. I can feel it!"
For a moment he hesitated, and Duval's keen eyes caught the sign of
indecision.
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