rt, he flung both weapons in the direction whither his last
shot had gone, and, staggering back, dropped helplessly into the
driving-seat behind him.

The smoke hung heavily and drifted slowly away upon the still air. The
sound of rushing hoofs receded and died away in the distance, and in a
while a profound quiet settled upon the scene. The man lolled heavily
in his seat, and his eyes closed. His face was a ghastly gray, his
eyes were sunken and his blackened lips hung agape. His arms hung
helplessly at his side, and his legs were stretched out in a pitiable
attitude of uselessness.

The moments passed drearily. For a long time there was no movement of
any sort but the restless fidgeting of the horses. They had stood
through all the turmoil as their master had long since trained them to
stand. But now that it was over their eager spirits were demanding the
joy of the trail again. It almost seemed as though, in their equine
minds, they had a full realization of the meaning of that battle in
the wild, as though sympathy between master and beast had held them
during that fierce ten minutes still and passive, lest through any act
of theirs they should cross the will of the one being whom they
acknowledged their lord. And now that it was over and the crisis
passed, it seemed as if they understood that victory had been
achieved, and their duty once more lay upon the trail ahead of them.

At last the eyes of the man opened. The chafing of his horses had
penetrated to his numbing brain. Their fierce depths were dull and
lusterless as they rolled vaguely around. Yet there was intelligence
in them, although it was the intelligence of a weary, fainting mind.
They closed again, as though the will behind them lacked in its
support. And then followed a sigh, a deep, long sigh of exhaustion.

There was another pause, and presently there came a bodily movement.
The man stirred uneasily, in the manner of one gathering his weakening
forces for a supreme effort from which his whole body shrank. Again
his eyes opened, and this time their depths were full of purpose.
Suddenly his legs gathered under him and his arms drew up, and in a
moment he staggered to his feet, his hands clutching support upon the
back of the seat.

He stared about him doubtfully, and his uncertainty was pitiful to
behold. His eyes were only half open, as though the effort of
sustaining their lids was too great for his failing powers. They
wandered on over the s