n and a desperate hand-to-hand struggle was going
on.

Tresler was caught in the midst of the tide, his crazy mare had
carried him there whether he would or no; but if she had carried him
thus into deadly peril, she was also ready to fight for him. She laid
about her royally, swept on, and reared plunging at every obstruction
to her progress, her master thus escaping many a shot, if it left him
able to do little better than fire at random himself. In this frantic
fashion the maddened creature tore her way through the thick of the
fight, and her rider was borne clear to the further outskirts. Then
she tried to get away with him, but in the nick of time, before her
strong teeth had fixed themselves on the bit, he managed to head her
once again for the struggling mass.

With furious recklessness she charged forward, and, as bad luck would
have it, her wild career brought about the worst thing possible. She
cannoned violently into the sheriff's charger, while its rider was in
the act of leveling his revolver at the head of a man wearing a red
mask. The impact was within an ace of bringing both horses and riders
to the ground. The mare was flung on her haunches, while Fyles,
cursing bitterly, clung desperately to his saddle to retain his seat.
But his aim was lost, and his shot narrowly missed his horse's head;
and, before either he or Tresler had recovered himself, the red masked
man had vanished into the darkness, heading for the perilous ascent of
the valley side.

Terrified out of her life the Lady Jezebel turned swinging round on
her haunches, and charged down the valley; and as she went Tresler had
the questionable satisfaction of seeing the sheriff detach himself
from the mob and gallop in pursuit of the raider.

His own blood was up now, and though the mare had got the bit in her
teeth he fought her with a fury equal to her own. He knew she was
mistress of the situation, but he simply would not give in. He would
kill her rather than she should get away with him this time. And so,
as nothing else had any effect on her, he snatched a pistol from its
holster and leant over and pounded the side of her head with the butt
of it in a wild attempt to turn her. At first she gave not the
smallest heed to his blows; such was her madness. But presently she
flinched under them and turned her head away, and her body responded
to the movement. In another moment he had her round, and as she faced
the side of the valley where th