vine and were running toward them.

Swift as a bird she was ahead of Alan, making for a pinnacle of rock
which he had pointed out to her at the edge of the kloof.

Close behind her, he said: "Don't hesitate a second. Keep on going. When
they are a little nearer I am going to kill them. But you mustn't stop."

At intervals he looked behind him. The two men were gaining rapidly. He
measured the time when less than two hundred yards would separate them.
Then he drew close to Mary's side.

"See that level place ahead? We'll cross it in another minute or two.
When they come to it I'm going to stop, and catch them where they can't
find shelter. But you must keep on going. I'll overtake you by the time
you reach the edge of the kloof."

She made no answer, but ran faster; and when they had passed the level
space she heard his footsteps growing fainter, and her heart was ready
to choke her when she knew the time had come for him to turn upon their
enemies. But in her mind burned the low words of his command, his
warning, and she did not look back, but kept her eyes on the pinnacle of
rock, which was now very near. She had almost reached it when the first
shot came from behind her.

Without making a sound that would alarm her, Alan had stumbled, and made
pretense of falling. He lay upon his face for a moment, as if stunned,
and then rose to his knees. An instant too late Graham's men saw his
ruse when his leveled rifle gleamed in the sunshine. The speed of their
pursuit was their undoing. Trying to catch themselves so that they might
use their rifles, or fling themselves upon the ground, they brought
themselves into a brief but deadly interval of inaction, and in that
flash one of the men went down under Alan's first shot. Before he could
fire again the second had flattened himself upon the earth, and swift as
a fox Alan was on his feet and racing for the kloof. Mary stood with her
back against the huge rock, gasping for breath, when he joined her. A
bullet sang over their heads with its angry menace. He did not return
the fire, but drew the girl quickly behind the rock.

"He won't dare to stand up until the others join him," he encouraged
her. "We're beating them to it, little girl! If you can keep up a few
minutes longer--"

She smiled at him, even as she struggled to regain her breath. It seemed
to her there was no way of descending into the chaos of rock between the
gloomy walls of the kloof, and she gave a little cr