ed with terror.

"A puma is patient, more patient than a man," said Zoraida. "It may be
an hour; it may be all night before it strikes. It may be a night and
a day, and still another night and day. Its hunger does not diminish
as time passes! Or," and she shrugged with a great showing of her
indifference, "it may strike now, at any moment. That is one of the
things that makes the moment tense for that white-faced little fool in
there. Imagine when she is worn out, if it lasts that long; when sleep
will no longer flee because of terror; and when I command that the
light shall be extinguished where she is! You see, she must be
thinking all those things."

The sweat broke out on Kendric's forehead, he felt as though ice ran in
his veins. If he only knew where all this was going on! Was it above
him or below, to right or left? Ten steps or a hundred yards away?

"By God----" he shouted. But only Zoraida's merciless laughter
answered him.

"I had to choose between this and the ancient stone of sacrifice," she
told him. "Have I not chosen well?"

The puma had been still. Now again it moved and its feet had
quickened, it glided with ever-increasing swiftness, it came close to
the steel bars, it showed more of its sharp, tearing, dripping teeth.

"Betty!" shouted Kendric. "I----"

He knew that Betty could not hear, that he could do nothing. Nothing?
As the thought framed he leaped to his feet and in the grip of such a
rage as even he had never known, hurled himself across the few paces
between him and Zoraida.

"You have the way to stop this damned thing!" His hands, like claws,
were thrust before her face. "You will stop it."

Even in his headlong rage there were cool cells in his brain. He saw
the quick significant look Zoraida shot over his shoulder and turned;
there behind him stood one of the squat brutes who did her bidding.
Kendric saw something in the man's hand but did not reck whether it was
gun or knife or club or something else. He whipped about and struck.
As the man staggered under the unexpected blow, Kendric snatched up the
heavy stool on which he had been sitting and struck again, so swift
that the blow landed while the figure was yet staggering backward. The
man fell, stunned, and then, as quick as light, before Zoraida could
lift a hand, Kendric was upon her again.

"Call off your cat!" he shouted at her.

She lifted her head defiantly.

"Never has man dictated to me!" she c