rescuer set him fighting again
with all the power of his great limbs. After that they forged steadily
towards the shore. The black horse swam with amazing strength, and
breaking the force of the current for the men, they soon passed from the
full grip of the torrent and forged into the smoother shallows at the
side of the stream. In a moment firm land was beneath the feet of Mac
Strann, and he turned his dull eyes of amazement upon Dan Barry. The
latter stood beside the panting black horse. He had not even thrown off
his slicker in the fording of the stream--there had been no time for
even that small delay if he wished to save Strann. And now he was
throwing back the folds of the garment to leave free play for his arms.
He panted from the fierce effort of the fording, but his head was high,
a singular smile lingered about the corners of his mouth, and in his
eyes Mac Strann saw the gleam of yellow, a signal of unfathomable
danger.

From his holsters Barry drew two revolvers. One he retained; the other
he tossed towards Mac Strann, and the latter caught it automatically.

"Now," said the soft voice of Barry, "we're equally armed.--Down,
Bart!----" (for the wolf-dog was slinking with ominous intent towards
the giant) and there's the dog you shot. "If you drop me, you can send
your next shot into Bart. If I drop you, the teeth of Bart will be in
your throat. Make your own terms; fight in the way you want; knives, if
you like 'em better than guns, or----" and here the yellow flamed
terribly in Barry's eyes--"bare hand to hand!"

The grim truth sank slowly home in the dull mind of Mac Strann. The man
had saved him from the water to kill him on dry land.

"Barry," he said slowly, "it was your bullet that brung down Jerry; but
you've paid me back here. They's nothin' left on earth worth fightin'
for. There's your gun."

And he threw the revolver into the mud at Barry's feet, turned on his
heel, and lumbered off into the rain. There was no voice of answer
behind him, except a shrill whine of rage from Black Bart and then a
sharp command: "Down!" from the master. As the blanket of rain shut over
him, Mac Strann looked back. There stood the strange man with the wolf
crouched at his feet, and the teeth of Bart were bared, and the hum of
his horrible snarling carried to Strann through the beat of the rain.
Mac Strann turned again, and plodded slowly through the storm.

And Dan Barry? Twice men had stood before him, armed, an