"'Twere twenty minutes before seven, sir." Andy drew his new watch
proudly from his pocket to refer to it again, as he did upon every
possible occasion.

"No," corrected David, "'twere only twenty-five minutes before eleven
when we leaves Flat P'int, and fifteen minutes before eleven when we
gets here. I looks to see."

"Perhaps your watches aren't set alike," suggested Doctor Joe.
"Suppose we compare them."

The comparison disclosed a difference, as Doctor Joe predicted, of
five minutes. Then each must needs set his watch with Doctor Joe's,
which was a little slower than Andy's and a little faster than
David's.

Doctor Joe made some mental calculations. Both David and Andy had
observed their watches, and there could be no doubt of the length of
time it had required them to come from Flat Point to Lem's cabin. They
had consumed four hours, but their progress had been exceedingly slow.
Indian Jake had doubtless travelled much faster in his light canoe,
but, at best, with the wind against him, he could hardly have paddled
from Lem's cabin to Flat Point in less than two hours. He had arrived
one hour after sunset. If Lem were correct as to the time when the
shooting took place, Indian Jake could not be guilty.

But still there was, with but one hour or possibly a little more in
excess of the time between sunset and Indian Jake's arrival at camp,
an uncertain alibi for Indian Jake. Lem may have been shot much
earlier in the afternoon than he supposed. When Lem grew stronger it