The time sped by more quickly than Jerry knew. The keen, biting air
roused him from a train of thought. He concluded to push on. He rose to
his feet and stood debating which way to turn.

Before he could decide, a crashing noise in the bushes behind him sent a
cold chill through his blood. He ran forward half-a-dozen yards and then
turned his head. He was horrified to see Kyle Sparwick emerge from the
bushes. The ruffian had a rifle in his hands. He drew it to his shoulder
and took aim at Jerry.

"Stop right thar," he cried. "The game is up, lad. I've got you."

But Jerry did not stop. He melted away before Sparwick's indignant
eyes. In other words, he dodged behind the trunk of a convenient tree.
Thence he gained the cover of thick bushes, and made a spurt over the
ridge.

No shot followed him. Indeed, Sparwick had not intended to shoot. His
object was to capture the lad. He uttered a yell of anger and started in
pursuit. His quick, loping gait soon brought him in sight of Jerry.

Then the chase became doubly exciting. Threats of shooting were freely
uttered. But Jerry did not let these distress him. He was satisfied, by
this time, that Sparwick had some good reason for not rousing the night
echoes with a rifle-shot.

The lad was soon at his wits' end. He was more angry than scared. It
was not personal injury that he feared. Recapture meant the destruction
of his hopes, and he wanted badly to save Brick's father from paying
fifteen thousand dollars to the rascally schemers. But he seemed doomed
to failure. His enemy was rapidly and surely overhauling him. In
desperation he picked up a short, thick billet of wood. He faced around
and threw it.

The billet struck Sparwick's right arm and knocked his rifle to the
ground. With a snarl of rage and pain, he stooped to recover it.

"You'll pay dear fur that when I git hold of you," he shouted.

This ruse allowed Jerry to gain a dozen feet, and gave him fresh hope
and courage.

"Mebbe I can outrun him, after all," he thought. "If there was only
cover enough to dodge and hide!"

But a moment later the ridge suddenly narrowed, and just ahead lay a
huge, towering bowlder, crowned with pine trees. It jutted up sheerly,
and Jerry knew that he had no time to scale it. He turned and ran to the
left side of the ridge. There were tall, tangled bushes in the way, but
he forced recklessly through them.

Then came a moment of frightful despair! The treacherous screen end