t he was
scheming for his life with the instinctive cunning of a wounded beast
rather than reason. There was now a sound behind him, but it was
dulled by the roar of the river, which he realized would drown the
faint rustle he made, and, when the fern grew scantier, dragged himself
across an opening and crawled in amidst the raspberry briars on the
other side.

The thorns scarred his face and ripped his hands, but he moved amidst
them to clear space for his arms, and then lay still with the big knife
beneath him. A shaft of moonlight shone down a few yards away, and he
had no desire to betray his hiding-place by the glint of steel. It was
also possible that he might have crawled away beyond the reach of
discovery into the shadows, but that was not his intention, for, though
he could never decide afterwards whether he acted from instinct or
reasoned his course out, he was bent on waiting for, and not escaping
from, his pursuer. Nor did he know how long he waited, but it seemed a
very long while before he saw a shadowy object move round and
afterwards into the opposite side of the thicket.

Then the man's face became visible as he moved across the shaft of
moonlight. It was set and grey, the mouth was awry, and there was fear
in the staring eyes. It also seemed to Alton curiously familiar, but
his brain was scarcely capable of receiving many diverse impressions
just then, and he only realized that it was reluctantly and because his
safety demanded it, the man was looking for him. Alton felt a little
relief at that. He was growing colder, and there was a bewildering
dimness in his eyes, but he stiffened the muscles of his arms and
tightened his grasp on the knife, wondering if his strength would last
until he had his hands upon his enemy.

The man swayed forward as he crossed the strip of moonlight with a
little spring, then came on again with both hands on the rifle,
waist-deep in the fern, glancing down momentarily at the trail his
victim had made, and then about him again. Alton's face was drawn up
into a very grim smile as he lay amidst the raspberries watching him,
for it was evident that the assassin fancied he had crawled straight
on. The latter stopped once for several seconds, and Alton heard his
heart thumping while the sound of the river seemed to grow bewildering.
He stiffened his fingers upon the knife-haft savagely, for the horrible
faintness he could not shake off was growing upon him.

Then w