ramped
against the wall with their rifles by their sides, so bound by the
situation that to have lifted them to aim would have been impossible.

"The American--he has escaped us this time," one of them said as they
moved off.

"_Maldito_, the devil has given him wings to fly away," replied Pablo.

After the sound of their footsteps had died, Gordon resumed his descent.
He reached the stunted oak in safety, and was again joined by his
friend.

"Looks like we're caught here, Steve. There ain't a sign of a foothold
below," the younger man whispered.

"Mebbe the branches of that tree will bend over."

"We'll have to try it, anyhow. If it breaks with me, I'll get to the
bottom, just the same. Here goes."

Catching hold of the branches, he swung down and groped with his feet
for a resting-place.

"Nothing doing, Steve."

"What blamed luck!"

"Hold on! Here's a cleft, away over to the right. Let me get a hold on
that gun to steady me. That's all right. The rest's easy. I'll give you
a hand across--that's right. Now we're there."

At the very foot of the cliff an unexplainable accident occurred. Dick's
rifle went off with noise enough to wake the seven sleepers.

"Come on, Steve. We got to get out of here," he called to his partner,
and began to run down the hill toward their cabin.

He covered ground so fast that the other could not keep up with him.
From above there came the crack of a rifle, then another and another, as
the men on the ridge sighted their prey. A spatter of bullets threw up
the dirt around them. Dick felt a red-hot flame sting his leg, but,
though he had been hit, to his surprise he was not checked.

Topping the brow of a little rise, he caught sight of the cabin, and, to
his consternation, saw that smoke was pouring from the door and that
within it was alight with flames.

"The beggars have set fire to it," he cried aloud.

So far as he could see, four men had been left below. They did not at
first catch sight of him as he dodged forward in the shadows of the
alders at the foot of the hill. Nor did they see him even when he
stopped among the rocks at the rear, for their eyes were on Davis and
their attention focused upon him.

He had come puffing to the brow of the hillock Gordon had already
passed, when a shout from the ridge apprised those below of his
presence. Cut off above and below, there was nothing left for Steve but
a retreat down the road. He could not possibly advance in the