you
were in some danger."

Harding felt a shiver. He had the repugnance of the healthy-minded man
of affairs from any form of meddling with what he vaguely thought of as
the occult; but in that remote, grim solitude he could not scoff at it.

"Understand this," he said curtly. "I mean to save my partner; I
staked my life on doing so, and since I guess you're not ready to go so
far as that, I've a pretty strong pull on you. But I've said enough.
You're coming with me--now--and if you make any attempt to rouse your
friends, you'll have a chance of learning something about the other
world at first hand a few seconds afterwards."

Clarke saw that it was not an idle threat. The American meant what he
said, and he hurriedly put a few things together and made them into a
pack. Then he turned to Harding with a gesture of ironical resignation.

"I'm ready."

The Indian laid a firm hand on his arm and Harding, who took out his
pistol, extinguished the lamp.

"Your interest in keeping quiet is as strong as mine," he sternly
reminded Clarke.

He set his teeth as they passed a tepee at a few yards distance. He
could see the dark gap of the doorway and had a nervous fancy that eyes
were following his movements, for now he had succeeded in the more
difficult part of his errand he was conscious of strain. Indeed, he
feared he was getting shaky and the danger was not yet over. They were
not clear of the village and a noisy stumble would bring the Indians
out. Unless they reached camp in the next few days he thought Blake
would die, and the journey was a long and arduous one. Still, he was
determined that if disaster overtook him, the plotter who had betrayed
them should not escape. Harding was a respecter of law and social
conventions, but now he had suddenly become primitive under heavy
stress.

They passed the tepee unnoticed, but the tension he felt did not
slacken, because there was another they could not avoid. Nobody,
however, called to them, and he felt easier as they drew away from the
row of shadowy tents. Then, moving very cautiously, they reached the
thick willow bluff, where they were comparatively safe, and Harding,
who found it hard to hold himself in hand, feared that he might grow
limp with the reaction. Difficult as his task had looked, it had been
successfully carried out.

"Get on," he said to Clarke and, walking faster, they plunged into the
open waste.

CHAPTER XIV

THE CURE

I