ad suffered badly from the hurried march; but his conductor
would brook no delay, and the grim hints he had been given encouraged
him to put forth his utmost exertion.

Blake was alive, but when Harding bent over him he feared that help had
come too late. His skin looked harsh and dry, his face had grown
hollow, and his thick, strong hair had turned lank and was falling out.
His eyes were vacant and unrecognizing when he turned them upon Harding.

"Here's your patient," the American said to Clarke. "We expect you to
cure him, and you had better get to work at once."

Then his face grew troubled as he turned to Benson.

"How long has he been like that?" he asked.

"The last two days. I'm afraid he's very bad."

Harding sat down with a smothered groan. Every muscle seemed to ache;
he could scarcely hold himself upright; and his heart was very heavy.
He would miss Blake terribly. It was hard to think of going on without
him; but he feared that this was inevitable. He was filled with a deep
pity for the helpless man; but after a few moments his weary face grew
stern. He had done all that he was able, and now Clarke, whom he
believed to be a man of high medical skill, must do his part. If he
were unsuccessful, it would be the worse for him.

"Did you have much trouble?" Benson asked, as he laid out a meal.

"No; I suppose I was fortunate, because the thing was surprisingly
easy. Of course, Clarke did not want to come."

"I don't see how you overcame his objections."

Harding broke into a dry smile.

"In the kind of game I played with the doctor your strength depends on
how much you're willing to lose, and I put down all I had upon the
table. That beat him, because he wasn't willing to stake as much."

"You mean your life? Of course, I know you were in some danger; but
was it so serious?"

"It would have been if I'd shot him; and I think he saw I meant that.
What's more, I may have to do so yet."

Harding's tone was quietly matter of fact, but Benson no longer
wondered at Clarke's submission. He had been a soldier and had faced
grave risks, but he was inclined to think that, even before he had
weakened it by excess, his nerve had never been so good as this young
American's.

"Well," he said, "I'm fond of Blake, and I recognize my debt to him; we
were once comrades in an adventure that was more dangerous than this;
but I'm not sure that I'd have been ready to go as far as you. In a
way, though, y