ith a little jerk of his shoulders the man who caught sight of
the opening moved again, faster than he had done, and the watcher
surmised that fear and savagery struggled for the mastery within him.
The latter apparently rose uppermost, for he came straight on through
the thicket, sprang across the clear space, and would have plunged into
the bush beyond it but that Alton, reaching out caught him by the
ankle. Then he lurched forward with a hoarse cry, went down, and
rolled over with Alton's hand at his throat, and the blade of the knife
driven through the inner side of the sleeve of his jacket.

That was the commencement of a very grim struggle. The stranger was
wiry and vigorous, but the terrible hard fingers clung to his throat,
and a leg was wound about him, while as he panted and smote he felt
something was ripping his clothing. Instinctively he jammed the hand
that held it down, rolled over on his antagonist, and then shook
himself almost free again half-choked, as something that stung it sank
into his shoulder. Next moment he smote fiercely at a dim white face,
knowing that a bone had turned the blade, but that the result would
have been different had it entered a few inches lower.

His fist came down smashing, but the terrible fingers were clinging
still, and the man's face was purple when they rolled together out of
the briars and into the widening strip of radiance where the moon shone
down. Alton's hand was free now, and with arm bent between his enemy
and the ground he thrust upwards with the last of his strength. There
was a crash, the man writhed backwards, the rancher's fingers slipped
from their grasp, and a figure that rose partly upright reeled into the
fern, while Alton felt the barrel of a rifle under him. He rolled on
his side, and clawed for it, almost sightless, with one hand, and
laughed harshly as he raised himself a trifle. There was a flash and a
concussion, the trigger-guard sank into his nerveless finger, and a
smashing amidst the undergrowth was followed by footsteps that were
presently lost in the roar of the river.

Alton drew one knee under him, and listened until the sound grew
altogether bewildering and the dim trunks reeled about him. Then he
lurched over and lay where he fell, sensible only that it was bitterly
cold. It was still night when he awakened from sleep or stupor, but
the moon shone down and he saw that there was white frost on the fern.
His hands were also stif