im; and so you must help him get away safe. It's in your
hands--you say they left it to you."

"I don't trust that too much."

Suddenly he pointed out of the window towards the town. "See, I'm right;
there they are, a dozen of 'em mounted. They're off, to run him down."

Her face paled; she glanced towards the Hill of Healing. "He's got an
hour's start," she said; "he'll get into the mountains and be safe."

"If they don't catch him 'fore that."

"Or if you don't get to him first," she said, with nervous insistence.

He turned to her with a hard look; then, as he met her soft, fearless,
beautiful eyes, his own grew gentle. "It takes a lot of doing. Yet I'll
do it for you, Laura," he said. "But it's hard on the Pioneers." Once
more her humour flashed, and it seemed to him that "getting religion"
was not so depressing after all--wouldn't be, anyhow, when this nasty
job was over. "The Pioneers will get over it, Tim," she rejoined.
"They've swallowed a lot in their time. Heaven's gate will have to be
pretty wide to let in a real Pioneer," she added. "He takes up so much
room--ah, Timothy Denton!" she added, with an outburst of whimsical
merriment.

"It hasn't spoiled you--being converted, has it?" he said, and gave a
quick little laugh, which somehow did more for his ancient cause with
her than all he had ever said or done. Then he stepped outside and swung
into his saddle.

It had been a hard and anxious ride, but Tim had won, and was keeping
his promise. The night had fallen before he got to the mountains, which
he and the Pioneers had seen the Faith Healer enter. They had had four
miles' start of Tim, and had ridden fiercely, and they entered the gulch
into which the refugee had disappeared still two miles ahead.

The invincibles had seen Tim coming, but they had determined to make a
sure thing of it, and would themselves do what was necessary with the
impostor, and take no chances. So they pressed their horses, and he saw
them swallowed by the trees, as darkness gathered. Changing his course,
he entered the familiar hills, which he knew better than any pioneer of
Jansen, and rode a diagonal course over the trail they would take.
But night fell suddenly, and there was nothing to do but to wait till
morning. There was comfort in this--the others must also wait, and the
refugee could not go far. In any case, he must make for settlement or
perish, since he had left behind his sheep and his cow.

It fell out bette