istaken."

Jose Murillo found himself sprawling on the ground. He looked up, and in
the moonlight he saw Gregory Carker offering Juanita support.

"Oh, why deed you come?" panted the girl. "Now he weel know! He weel
keel you!"

Snarling like an angry dog, Murillo leaped to his feet. The moonlight
shimmered on a blade he had whipped from his bosom.

"This ees the man!" he panted triumphantly, as he sprang at Greg.

Carker flung up his arm, and Murillo's knife slashed his sleeve from
shoulder to elbow.

In a twinkling Greg had closed with the Mexican, grasping the man's
wrist and holding him in an effort to keep him from using the knife.

Juanita sought to interfere, but the cool, determined young American
warned her back.

"Leave this man to me," he said.

"He has the knife!"

"But I don't think he'll use it," said Carker, as he backheeled Murillo.

In a moment they were down, twisting and squirming and writhing on the
ground.

With her hands clasped, and her lips parted, Juanita looked on, standing
ready to do her best should she see Murillo free his knife hand.

Carker had once been an athlete. He was not now in the best condition,
but, nevertheless, he was stronger than his foe, and he finally pinned
Murillo to the ground.

"Drop that knife!" commanded Greg, seeking to force the weapon from the
Mexican's fingers.

In this attempt he had almost succeeded, when of a sudden Murillo
squirmed away, rolled over and over and scrambled up.

Carker rose on the brink of the cliff and again faced the man. Murillo
came at him with a leap, making a savage slash with the knife. Carker
dodged just in time and thrust out his foot. Over that outthrust foot
the Mexican tripped. Straight forward he plunged, with a cry and a
splash, into the water below.

"Perhaps a cold bath will do him good," observed Carker, breathing a
trifle heavily.

Juanita seemed ready to faint.

"Oh, senyor, you are the brave man!" she breathed. "Oh, my heart eet beat
so for you! I have such a terrible fear that he would keel you!"

Carker felt a strange thrill that ran over him from head to feet.

"Would you have cared so much?" he asked hoarsely.

"Eet would have keeled me, too, senyor!" she answered. "The lake--I
should have leaped into eet! Like Murillo, I cannot swim."

"Like Murillo, eh?" exclaimed Greg. "Then the fellow can't swim? Well, I
think it's up to me to pull him out."

He stripped off his coat, ran some distance awa