l, and he
shrank cowering back against the girl's body, closing his eyes and
sinking his head upon his arm.

These uncertain sounds ceased, the strained ears of the fugitives heard
the crashing of bodies through the thick shrubbery, and then even this
noise died away in the distance. Yet neither ventured to stir or
speak. It may be that the girl slept fitfully, worn out by long vigil
and intense strain; but the man proved less fortunate, his eyes staring
out continually into the black void, his thoughts upon other days long
vanished but now brought back in all their bitterness by the mere
proximity of this helpless waif who had fallen into his care. His
features were drawn and haggard when the first gray dawn found ghastly
reflection along the opposite rock summit, and with blurred eyes he
watched the faint tinge of returning light steal downward into the
canyon. At last it swept aside those lower clinging mists, as though
some invisible hand had drawn back the night curtains, and he peered
over the edge of his narrow resting-place, gazing directly down upon
the scene of massacre. With a quick gasp of unspeakable horror he
shrank so sharply back as to cause the suddenly awakened girl to start
and glance into his face.

"What is it?" she questioned, with quick catching of breath, reading
that which she could not clearly interpret in his shocked expression.

"Nothing of consequence," and he faintly endeavored to smile. "I
suppose I must have been dreaming also, and most unpleasantly. No;
please do not look down; it would only cause your head to reel, and our
upward climb is not yet completed. Do you feel strong enough now to
make another attempt to reach the top?"

His quiet spirit of assured dominance seemed to command her obedience.
With a slight shudder she glanced doubtfully up the seemingly
inaccessible height.

"Can we?" she questioned helplessly.

"We can, simply because we must," and his white teeth shut together
firmly. "There is no possibility of retracing our steps downward, but
with the help of this daylight we surely ought to be able to discover
some path leading up."

He rose cautiously to his feet, pressing her more closely against the
face of the cliff, thus holding her in comparative safety while
preventing her from glancing back into the dizzy chasm. The most
difficult portion of their journey was apparently just before them,
consisting of a series of narrow ledges, so widely separated