l roads ended; that we were
barely a mile or two from Land's End. What if he intended to end his
life and his journey together? And what if, not content with destroying
himself, he were to carry with him to destruction the girl who rode
beside him on his car?

We reached within twenty yards of him, and then as if in answer to my
thought, I heard him emit a screech of laughter as his car suddenly shot
away from us, and in half a minute placed him at least a quarter of a
mile ahead. The bitterness of that moment, as my hope died within me, I
can never forget. I only continued the pursuit mechanically.

We thundered through Sennen without pause and so onward until we opened
up the hotel and the stretch of green on the brow of the cliff. Then I
could have shrieked with delight. The white car was standing still and
Mannering had left his seat and was standing by the side. Ten seconds
would have brought us to him. Five passed. He leaped again to his seat,
and as he did so, the white robed figure sprang from the car to the
turf. The Pirate gave a cry of baffled rage. But he had no time to waste
in recovering his escaping victim, for we were within fifty yards of
him. His car leaped forward and, leaving the road, tossed like a boat at
sea over the uneven boulder-strewn turf. We were within five yards of
him, and it was as much as we could manage to do to keep our seats.

Just in time I realized the danger into which we were being unwittingly
drawn, and reversing the gear, I put on both breaks. I was in time, but
only just in time, for we were on a treacherous grassy slope and in
spite of the breaks our car continued to glide forward under the impulse
of the velocity it had attained.

"Jump for your life!" shouted Forrest.

I had wit enough to obey without hesitation.

As I leaped, my eyes were fixed upon Mannering who at that moment had
reached the very edge of the cliff. I saw him disappear, and then I
rolled over on the turf. I was unhurt, and gathering myself together, I
regained my feet just as the car which had carried us so well followed
the maker over the cliff. A dozen paces took me to the spot. I shuddered
as I glanced downwards and saw the fate I had escaped. Two or three
hundred feet below the tide was boiling over the jagged rocks. I fancied
I could discern a few fragments of the white car and that was all.

Not ten seconds before I had seen Mannering wave his hand at us
mockingly as he rode to his death, and