rl Frank to the floor, and he would have succeeded had he
been in his normal condition, for he was a man of great natural
strength; but he was exhausted by flight and hunger, and, in his
weakened condition, the man found his supple antagonist too much for
him.

A gasp came from the stranger's lips as he felt the boy give him a
wrestler's trip and fling him heavily to the floor.

The man was stunned for a moment. When he opened his eyes, Frank and
Barney were bending over him.

"Wal, I done my best," he said, huskily; "but you-uns trapped me at
last. I dunno how yer knew I war comin' har, but ye war on hand ter meet
me."

"You have made a mistake," said Frank, in a reassuring tone. "We are not
your enemies at all."

"What's that?"

"We are not your enemies; you are not trapped."

The man seemed unable to believe what he heard.

"Why, who be you-uns?" he asked, in a bewildered way.

"Fugitives, like yourself," assured Frank, with a smile.

He looked them over, and shook his head.

"Not like me," he said. "Look at me! I'm wore ter ther bone--I'm a
wreck! Oh, it's a cursed life I've led sence they dragged me away from
har! Night an' day hev I watched for a chance ter break away, and' I war
quick ter grasp it when it came. They shot at me, an' one o' their
bullets cut my shoulder har. It war a close call, but I got away. Then
they follered, an' they put houn's arter me. Twenty times hev they been
right on me, an' twenty times hev I got erway. But it kep' wearin' me
weaker an' thinner. My last hope war ter find friends ter hide me an'
fight fer me, an' I came har--back home! I tried ter git inter 'Bije
Wileys' this mornin', but his dorg didn't know me, I war so changed, an'
ther hunters war close arter me, so I hed ter run fer it."

"Begorra!" exclaimed Barney; "we hearrud th' dog barruckin'."

"So we did," agreed Frank, remembering how the creature had been
clamoring on the mountainside at daybreak.

"I kem har," continued the man, weakly. "I turned on ther devils, but
when I run in har an' you-uns tackled me, I judged I had struck a trap."

"It was no trap, Rufe Kenyon," said Frank, quietly.

The hunted man started up and slunk away.

"You know me!" he gasped.

"We do."

"An' still ye say you-uns are not my enemies."

"We are not."

"Then how do you know me? I never saw yer afore."

"No; but we have heard of you."

"How?"

"From your sister Kate."

"She tol' yer?"

"She did."

"Then she