er awoke him
from his dream; he looked, and saw a storm rapidly coming from the
north-east.

He descended the hill, and sheltered himself as well as possible among
some thick fir-trees. After the lightning, the rain poured so heavily
that it penetrated the branches, and he unstrung his bow and placed the
string in his pocket, that it might not become wet. Instantly there was
a whoop on either side, and two gipsies darted from the undergrowth
towards him. While the terrible bow was bent they had followed him,
tracking his footsteps; the moment he unstrung the bow, they rushed out.
Felix crushed through between the firs, by main force getting through,
but only opening a passage for them to follow. They could easily have
thrust their darts through him, but their object was to take him alive,
and gratify the revenge of the tribes with torture.

Felix doubled from the firs, and made towards the far-distant camp; but
he was faced by three more gipsies. He turned again and made for the
steep hill he had descended. With all his strength he raced up it; his
lightness of foot carried him in advance, and he reached the summit a
hundred yards ahead; but he knew he must be overtaken presently, unless
he could hit upon some stratagem. In the instant that he paused to
breathe on the summit a thought struck him. Like the wind he raced along
the ridge, making for the great Sweet Water, the same path he had
followed in the morning. Once on the ridge the five pursuers shouted;
they knew they should have him now there were no more hills to breast.
It was not so easy as they imagined.

Felix was in splendid training; he kept his lead, and even drew a little
on them. Still he knew in time he must succumb, just as the stag, though
swifter of foot, ultimately succumbs to the hounds. They would track him
till they had him. If only he could gain enough to have time to string
and bend his bow! But with all his efforts he could not get away more
than the hundred yards, and that was not far enough. It could be
traversed in ten seconds, they would have him before he could string it
and fit an arrow. If only he had been fresh as in the morning! But he
had had a long walk during the day and not much food. He knew that his
burst of speed must soon slacken, but he had a stratagem yet.

Keeping along the ridge till he reached the place where the lake
narrowed to the river, suddenly he rushed down the hill towards the
water. The edge was encumbered wi