t their camping place, and entering the water, walked rapidly
up it.

"Did they see us?" Patricia asked in a low, strained voice.

"I am afraid so."

"They turned their boats towards the land. They are in the forest by
now."

"Yes."

"And there is no doubt that they are the same. I saw the scarlet
handkerchief upon the head of the mulatto."

"Yes, they are the same."

"They were such a little way from us. Oh, they may be upon us at any
moment!"

"We are in great danger," he answered gravely, "but it is not so
imminent as that. They were nearly a mile above us, and they have to
land, to hide their boats and to find our trail, all of which will take
time. We may count on having an hour's start of them, and we will do all
in our power to increase it by breaking our trail as we are doing now.
Then we cannot be many leagues from the falls, and the post below them,
or we may stumble at any moment upon some Monacan village which will not
need our urging to fly out against the Ricahecrians. Please God, we will
win through them yet."

Somewhat comforted, she lay within his arms without speaking until they
left the stream, when he set her down, and giving her his hand, ran with
her over the fallen leaves down the long aisles of the forest.

Red gold showers fell upon them; fiery vines clutched at their feet, or,
swinging from the trees, struck at their faces with vicious tendrils;
the pines made the ground beneath like ice; rotting logs covered with
gorgeous fungi barred their way; dark and poisonous swamps appeared
before them, and had to be skirted--the forest leagued itself with its
children and did them yeoman service.

The two aliens hastened breathlessly on. The sun climbed above the tree
tops and looked down upon them through the half denuded branches. Midday
came, and the short bright afternoon, and still they went fast through
the woods, and still they heard no other sound than the rustle and sough
of the leaves and the beating of their own hearts. They came to rising
ground, and mounting it, found themselves upon a chinquepin ridge, and
before them an abrupt descent of rain-washed, boulder-strewn earth. It
was so nearly a precipice that Patricia shrunk back with an exclamation
of dismay.

"I will go first," said Landless. "Give me your hands. So!"

Half way down, the earth began to slip. Patricia, looking up and over
her shoulder, uttered a cry. A great boulder, imbedded in the earth
directly above the